BY GRAHAM MOOMAW AND BRANDON SHULLEETA, From the Richmond Times-Dispatch:
The regional Presbyterian governing body acted Sunday to assert control over a Mechanicsville church at odds with the denomination’s current beliefs about issues such as homosexuality, abortion and biblical interpretations.
Many members of New Hanover Presbyterian Church had sought dismissal from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), claiming the denomination’s views on some issues had become increasingly liberal.
On Sunday, the Presbytery of the James, the regional governing body, dissolved the church’s leadership, according to church members. There will be no services at New Hanover this Sunday as the presbytery works to install new leadership.