By Alva James-Johnson, The Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, Ga.)
Seven months have passed since members of First Presbyterian Church split over whether to leave their national denomination over doctrinal issues such as gay marriage.
Those who remain at the downtown church building — located at 1100 First Ave. — are still healing.
“This is the first (holiday) season after a very public and difficult time in the life of the church, and there’s grief here as there would be in any family where there has been a loss,” said the Rev. Joel Alvis, the interim pastor who has led the church since Aug. 17. “I think people will use this time as a time of thanksgiving, a time of reflection, a time of hope. That’s what the church is about. We are a people of hope. So we will use our worship time and our time together to build a community.”
The church split in April, after members voted 266 to 146 in favor of separating from the Presbyterian Church (USA), which some members believed had become too liberal in recent years.
The vote fell eight votes short of the two-thirds required for “gracious dismissal.”
A week later, some members who voted to break away from the denomination formed a new congregation called Grace Presbyterian Church. The Rev. Chuck Hasty, then-pastor of First Presbyterian, later resigned. He is now pastor of Grace Presbyterian, which is currently based at Rock Presbyterian Church, a predominantly Korean congregation located in a former movie theater at The Landings.
Both Grace and the Rock, which recently separated from PCUSA, are now part of a more conservative denomination called the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians (ECO). Alvis said church membership at First Presbyterian dropped from about 900 to 700 members in the aftermath of the controversial vote.
Average attendance is now about 150 to 175 compared to about 300 to 325 a year ago.
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We left First Presbyterian USA after 48 years membership. We now belong to Mount Calvery Lutheran MS. They believe in and follow the Bible, none of the gay marriage etc. This will be out 4th year and couldn’t be happier.
Sounds like the bible alone is your God, biblicism is a form of idolatry. In Christ we have the gift of the living Spirit in the Church, listen for God’s word living in the people.
Blessings on you, K. Wilke.
I have known a number of Missouri Synod Lutherans over the years, and without exception I have found them to be serious students of the Bible who combine solid evangelical theology with a rich liturgical heritage. Good people.
May your sojourn among them be a blessing for all of you.
Donnie Bob – people like you = good people – how about people who are not “solid evangelical” – how about people who are progressive Christians, how would you label them?
…and on another note – if you are now Lutheran – why are you reading and commenting on Presbyterian matters – holier than thou?
Exodus 20:16King James Version (KJV)
16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
pres – you are an excellent example of progressive christians. I am quite satisfied with our choice to leave pcusa and join a Southern Baptist church.
This may be the best one, yet — the one true living church of the sodomites, fornicators, and pedophiles, led by the living spirit of Christ. Honestly, the hits keep coming. And, the denomination keeps shrinking. But, of course, that is the whole idea.
“Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (II Pet. 1.20-21)
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” (I Jn. 4.1-6)
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom. 12.2)
“For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.” (I Cor. 1.21)
“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (Jas. 4.4)
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires fo the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in posessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (I Jn. 2.15-17)
The decisions made by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) over the past several years are contrary to the sexual ethics taught in the Scriptures, which were delivered unto the Prophets and Apostles by the Holy Spirit of God, but they are very much in line with the sexual ethics taught in the world by the spirit of this ungodly age.
How, then, can you claim that the Presbyterian Church (USA) has come to its decisions in recent years by “listening for God’s word living in the people,” by “the living Spirit in the Church”, and not by a lying spirit that comes from the world that has taken the PC(USA) captive by its ungodly deceptions?
Thank you. It would seem the institutions, even the governments, of the United States are under control of the extreme elements. Even the good ‘ol reliable Catholic Church; why, when was the last time a Pope resigned, to be replaced by the Jesuits, Rome’s wealthiest, most dangerous, scheming and politically extreme element? No, this will all continue and get worse, until the victimized institutions shrine to nothingness, which is highly unlikely, or, the people wake up and realize this is all the work of a dedicated, radical, minority. Francis’s teachings, incidentally, are right out of the playbook for a run up to the abolition of freedom and installation of authoritarian rule.
You neglected to answer my question.
Run ’em off and do it quickly, before they realize a small but dedicated band has just pulled the wool over the eyes of the entire congregation. If they should suddenly wake up and realize they could easily take the church back from these scoundrels, it would be all over for the progressive left. Granted, an end run around the Presbyterian far left is a pretty fur piece, but not impossible.
I hope this church has a good endowment, because the tithers left seven months ago…………
“Mainstream” Presbyterianism? You must be kidding. PCUSA is the fastest shrinking denomination in America. The “mainstream” got up and left. This is pure plunder and loot by the leftist political machine. If this were a business, you’d be looking.
Even a healthy endowment does not last forever if giving is not continuing. An old historic facility is not called a “money pit” for nothing. Utilities still must be paid. HVAC systems need replacing. Roofs must be re-shingled. Insurance must be kept kept in place. Peeling paint must be addressed. Leaking pipes must be repaired. Landscaping must be maintained. Salaries and benefits for staff cannot be eliminated. A building is just a building. It is people who are a church.
James has identified a very important aspect of the agenda. Once attained, how is it sustained. D’Sousa’s analogy with criminality suggests a broad but ill fated seizure of wealth and power.
http://www.dineshdsouza.com/news/audio-dsouza-tells-laura-ingraham-about-the-lefts-plan-to-control-americas-wealth/
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