On To Phase Two!

It’s been a long time since my last post. You can see in previous posts that most of my blogging last fall and summer attempted to convey the reasons our congregation is seeking dismissal from the PC(USA). I took a hiatus for the duration of the first phase of our dismissal process, which was the time presbytery used to assess the will of the congregation and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

During the first phase, the presbytery conducted listening sessions and we had a great turnout from church members. They made two presentations. One explained the process. The second presentation was their opportunity to share the benefits of the PC(USA) and to make the case for why we should stay. Then, the presbytery sent surveys last October 28^th as the final instrument of their discernment process. Since then, we have been waiting for presbytery to tell us if we can go to the next phase, which is negotiating a financial arrangement for the church property.

Last night, January 14^th, we met with the Presbytery Engagement Team (PET) to hear their decision about our future in this process. Happily, they said they unanimously agreed that we should move to the negotiation phase. Their decision pleases me greatly. It means that they see the church as largely united and that people understand the difference between the two denominations. The survey results support those opinions. Exactly 90% of the survey respondents said they wanted to leave the denomination and 10% said they wanted to stay. Close to 96% of the respondents expressed that they understood the difference between the PC(USA) and ECO.

The leadership of this church has poured hours of work into this process, and I am grateful for their wisdom and faithfulness. But, all of us know that our hope and trust is placed in Christ alone for the future of this process. That is why prayer is so critical right now. Our church is praying every day in January specifically for this process. I invite you to join us in those prayers. Pray for God’s wisdom to guide us, pray that people on both sides of this issue will still see one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, and pray that the Spirit of God will protect us from the deadly efforts of the Evil One.