Lay Committee, Williamson vow to continue ministry Presbytery denies validation; CEO granted member-at-large status Correction: Comments by the Rev. Albert G. "Pete" Peery Jr. of First Presbyterian Church in Asheville regarding "intimidation" and "fear," while accurate, were not made during the debate on a secret ballot. Rev. Peery made those comments during the debate on whether to prohibit photographs and videotaping of the proceedings. The Layman Online regrets the error. By Craig M. Kibler The Layman Online Monday, February 2, 2004 ASHEVILLE, N.C. – After a long afternoon of contentious debate, the Presbytery of Western North Carolina voted 150-106 by secret ballot not to validate the ministry of Parker T. Williamson with the Presbyterian Lay Committee as being "consonant with the mission of the presbytery in light of the character and conduct of the work." The presbytery also granted Williamson member-at-large status, which he denounced as "an oily compromise." After the vote, Williamson informed the presbytery that, because of "many irregularities" in the proceedings, the Presbyterian Lay Committee would be filing a legal complaint against the presbytery in the church courts. In another development, the Presbyterian Lay Committee vowed to continue "to inform and equip God's people" despite the presbytery's action. Repeating what she wrote in a Dec. 23 letter to the presbytery, Peggy M. Hedden, chairman of the board of the Presbyterian Lay Committee, said the presbytery's action was in direct response to the Lay Committee's "Declaration of Conscience," which calls on Presbyterian ministers, officers and members to respond to "our erosion of faith and life" in the PCUSA by "prayerfully considering" redirecting their tithes and offerings away from programs and activities in the denomination that are "not demonstrably faithful to the Gospel." The declaration does not call for Presbyterians to withhold money from the denomination, but it does suggest that sessions consider restricting gifts only to specific ministries that are faithful to Biblical standards. "This exercise of Christian stewardship is well within our rights and responsibilities as faithful presbyters," she said. The presbytery's action "is unconscionable and, we believe, unconstitutional." Williamson has been a member of the presbytery since 1971, 18 years as pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Lenoir and 14 years on the staff of the Presbyterian Lay Committee. "During those 32 years," Hedden said, he "has fulfilled his ordination vows in all particulars, guided by our Book of Confessions and governed by our church's polity. There has never been any objection raised by the presbytery in all those years. Yet, without any specification of what in Rev. Williamson's ministry disqualifies it under the standards of G-11.0403 [in the Book of Order], the Committee on Ministry, and now the presbytery, has suddenly declared that his ministry is no longer valid." "The Committee on Ministry reached this decision in a meeting which was closed to the public," Hedden said, "and its members were not given any of the documents submitted by Rev. Williamson or the Presbyterian Lay Committee to the Validated Ministry Task Force to show how the ministry fulfills the requirements of G-11.0404. Those documents set out in detail how Rev. Williamson, in his work with the Lay Committee, is in demonstrable conformity with the mission of God's people in the world as set forth by the PCUSA." Presbytery vote In what was perhaps a harbinger of what was to come, the Rev. Albert G. "Pete" Peery Jr., host pastor, welcomed commissioners by saying that, when First Presbyterian Church was selected as the site for the meeting, he "didn't know that it was going to be the mother of all presbytery meetings." And, during the worship service, the outgoing moderator, the Rev. Todd Wright, said in his sermon that, "John Wayne once said that courage means being scared to death, but then saddling up anyway. Friends, let's saddle up." In his report, the Rev. J. William (Bill) Taber III, executive presbyter and stated clerk of the presbytery, said that he had received a box from Williamson "that he said contained 2,700 letters" in support of his ministry. Taber made no mention of the scores of letters from sessions and individuals that were sent directly to the presbytery supporting Williamson's ministry. In fact, the packet included 2,946 letters, but Taber reported only the number mentioned in the first paragraph of a cover letter. Two weeks prior to the presbytery meeting, Taber told Williamson and Layman Editor John H. Adams that he was "not required to report to presbytery" on correspondence addressed to the presbytery and delivered to his office. "There's nothing in the rules of presbytery that force me to do this," he said. The Rev. James Aydelotte, chairman of the Committee on Ministry, recommended that the vote on whether to validate Williamson's ministry be taken by secret ballot. This was in direct opposition to a request for a roll call vote that Williamson earlier had made of the council, both in writing and during an appearance at its January 14 meeting. Any commissioner who votes in favor of the proposal to invalidate his ministry with the Lay Committee, Williamson told the council, "will be voting to terminate my ministry. Therefore, they are in fact my accusers. I would like to face my accusers. Were this matter in court, where it ought to be, I would be able to face my accusers. A roll call vote will make that possible." Many commissioners spoke against the recommendation, arguing that it flies in the face of the denomination's oft-proclaimed pride in its openness. "Let us conduct our business in the light," said the Rev. Brad Long, a member of the presbytery from Black Mountain and the executive director of Presbyterian Reformed Ministries International. "The only place in the Bible where a meeting was conducted in secret," said the Rev. Robert Kopp, a corresponding member from Blackhawk Presbytery, "was when Judas met with the high priests and scribes to plot his betrayal of Jesus." Commissioners, by almost a 2-1 margin, voted for a secret ballot. Visual record of proceedings rejected Aydelotte then recommended that the meeting be taped using the audio taping facilities of First Presbyterian Church and that a copy of the audio tape be made available to the Presbyterian Lay Committee following the meeting. This, too, was in direct opposition to a request Williamson had made to the council that a certified court reporter and a videographer record the proceedings at the expense of the Lay Committee. "It is very important to me personally and to the Lay Committee – and to all of us – that there be no question about the record of that proceeding," he told the council. "To the best of my knowledge, you have no rules" that would prohibit a certified transcript and video, he said, noting that on a "number of occasions you have had video cameras." Williamson told the council that it was important to have independent and certified records of the meeting. "Depending on how this matter is adjudicated and settled, there could well be a case before the court," he said. "Obviously, an official record that is made by the defendant [the presbytery] would not be the best, most certifiable record. I certainly hope it doesn't come to that but, in the event it does go further into judicial proceedings, what we all want is a full, fair and transparent record." Asked by a commissioner to clarify the amendment, Taber said the recommendation proposed that there be no videotaping by anyone, that no photographs be taken, except those by presbytery staff, and that the only audio taping to be permitted was that previously approved by the presbytery and conducted by First Presbyterian Church. Many people in attendance had cameras and tape recorders, as well as the media – such as Fox News and the Presbyterian Lay Committee – and independent validated ministries, such as Presbyterian Reformed Ministries International, which was videotaping the proceedings. Once again, many commissioners contested the recommendation, repeating the argument that it flies in the face of the denomination's oft-proclaimed pride in its openness and that, in conjunction with the secret ballot, shrouds the proceedings in darkness. Long again urged the commissioners to "conduct our business in the light." He explained that a videotape made by his ministry, Presbyterian Reformed Ministries International, would provide a record for the future. Taber, speaking in favor of the recommendation, made the same argument about openness that Peery had made earlier in regard to the secret ballot. He said he was well aware that Williamson's case was of national and even international interest, but that the presbytery's proceedings "are our business" and that no visual or outside record should be made of the proceedings. Speaking in favor of the recommendation, Peery said that openness is desired but, in this case, people should be free to vote "without intimidation." There is a great deal of fear, he said. Once again, by an almost 2-1 margin (165-96), commissioners voted for secrecy. The videotape cameras were taken down, and officials monitored the audience to ensure that no photographs were taken. Committee on Ministry presentation Representatives of the Committee on Ministry began a 20-minute presentation in support of their motion to not validate Williamson's ministry. As in their original recommendation, they gave few specifics – but many accusations – as to why the "character and conduct" of the evangelical organization was not worthy of validation. In a surprise presentation whose content was not shared with commissioners or the Presbyterian Lay Committee before the meeting, the representatives provided Power Point slides listing a litany of accusations – they didn't like the "tone of the articles" in The Layman; they didn't like what they called the "insult, innuendo and slanting of reporting;" they didn't like what they called "assaults on the character of church leaders;" and similar accusations. The representatives provided no citations or documentation of their accusations. The Rev. Cynthia Williams, associate pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Newton, said that the Committee on Ministry was making its recommendation with "sorrow and regret," but that "each ministry must be in harmony with our presbytery." Without providing any documentation, she said Williamson had once written an article in which he "called [former G.A. Moderator] Syngman Rhee a communist." The Rev. J. Thomas Phillips, pastor of Banner Elk Presbyterian Church, said that the recommendation was "not an issue of theological orthodox or conservative versus theological liberal. Many Committee on Ministry members agree with some of the positions taken by The Layman." But that, he said, is not the issue. The issue is whether the work of the Presbyterian Lay Committee "constitutes a valid ministry of presbytery. It's not about whether Parker Williamson is a good man. It's not about whether he has done good work. It's not about whether his theological perspective is valid. It's not about freedom of speech." "As a presbytery," Phillips said, "we cannot operate in a state of fear. We must deal with difficult issues even if it is painful or frightening. Does the work conform to this presbytery's mission and ministry?" He then criticized what he called the "tone of insult, innuendo and slanting of reporting" in The Layman. The ministry, Phillips said, has the "right to pursue theological positions," then he criticized what he termed the "belittling, undermining and continuing demeaning of fellow Christians." "How can this possibly further the gospel of Jesus Christ?" he asked. "How does this conform to the Book of Order? The Church of Jesus Christ is the provisional demonstration of what God intends for all humanity – sin is forgiven; reconciliation is accomplished; the dividing walls of hostility are torn down." While saying that it was not about money, Phillips said the ministry of the Presbyterian Lay Committee "may be destroying the very fabric of our life together. Consider the 'Declaration of Conscience.' It says, 'We no longer believe that either the General Assembly per-capita budget or the unrestricted mission budget of the PCUSA is worthy of support.'" Per capita, he said, "is voluntary. But the Declaration questions the entire ministry of the Presbyterian Church (USA) – including the Presbytery of Western North Carolina. Parker Williamson seeks to invalidate the work of the greater church. Why would he wish to have his ministry validated when he states that we and our denomination at large are unworthy of support? Perhaps it would be more honest for Parker Williamson to not seek validation if we are so hopelessly lost." Then Williams repeated what Phillips had said about per capita being voluntary, but that the Presbyterian Lay Committee's "Declaration of Conscience" questions the entire ministry of the Presbyterian Church (USA) – including the Presbytery of Western North Carolina. Williams went on to list the missions that the presbytery is involved in, such as border ministry and mission trips, New Church Development, redevelopment of congregations; missionaries, the Commissioned Lay Pastor program and others. Presbyterian Lay Committee presentation Williamson, Hedden and Robert L. Howard, immediate past chairman of the Lay Committee, then began their 20-minute presentation as to why commissioners should reject the Committee on Ministry's recommendation not to validate Williamson's ministry. Williamson used his time to offer thanks. "I begin with thanks to God for those who have so graciously expressed their support for my ministry after its integrity was impugned by 10 members of the 21-member Committee on Ministry," he said. "I thank the more than 3,000 Presbyterian individuals and sessions that have written to this presbytery on our behalf. I thank renewal partners like Presbyterian Reformed Ministries International, Presbyterian Forum, Presbyterian Action, Presbyterians for Renewal, Presbyterians Pro-Life, Theology Matters, Voices of Orthodox Women, and One by One. "I thank the ecumenical community, including renewal leaders from the United Methodist Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, American Baptist Church, Episcopal Church (USA), United Church of Christ, United Church of Canada, and the ecumenical voices of Touchstone Journal and the Institute on Religion and Democracy. "I thank Presbyterian brothers and sisters who have written to us from faraway places: Evangelicals in London, Cambridge, Oxford, Edinburgh and St. Andrews. Presbyterian missionaries in Japan, Brazil, Colombia, Southern Africa and Korea. Bishop Timodeus Nasir and his pastors in Pakistan who have covenanted to pray for me during this very meeting. The Rev. Abd-el-Masih Istafanous in Cairo, and my pastor friends along the Nile in Upper Egypt. "I rarely display my emotions in public, but I must say to you that I could hardly fight back tears when learning that Pakistani Christians are praying for me at the very time when Islamic fanatics are blowing up their churches and slaughtering their children. And my dear friends in Egypt: I preached in their churches while armed guards stood outside to ward off Muslim attackers. In those villages, converting from Islam to Jesus Christ is punishable by death. And to think that these dear people would pause to pray for me in the midst of this relatively petty business is almost more than I can bear. "I thank Presbyterian brothers and sisters who have come here today from Texas, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Georgia, Kansas, Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin, Tennessee. There are probably more states represented among our guests, but those are the colleagues whose faces I have seen. "Finally, I thank dear friends who have come in caravans from Lenoir, Walnut Grove, Arbor Dale, Gastonia, Grassy Creek and towns and hamlets throughout this presbytery. Most of you have neither voice nor vote, but you are here, and your presence means more to me than I can say." Then Williamson addressed the actions of the Committee on Ministry. "On December 9," he said, "14 persons huddled behind closed doors. Ten of them, supported by advice and counsel from the Office of the General Assembly, proceeded in secret to malign our ministry. But that is not the end of the story, for today, in response to what they have done, we are surrounded by what Scripture calls "a great cloud of witnesses." I feel the power of that presence, and I am not afraid. "Some say the words are always in a song. Today, I am moved by this one: 'Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love. The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.' "But now to the ministry itself. The Presbyterian Lay Committee is made up of lay church leaders who know God's Word. They are Sunday school teachers, choir members, session members, trustees, and commissioners to presbytery, synod and General Assembly. Above all else, they love the Lord Jesus Christ." 'Terrible injustice' Howard then told the commissioners that the recommendation by the Committee on Ministry represents "a terrible injustice to the Presbyterian Lay Committee and to Parker Williamson, and I'm anxious that our fellowship will be broken if the recommendation is approved." "I am astonished by this report of the Committee on Ministry," he said. "What it accuses the Presbyterian Lay Committee of doing it has just done – taking out of context bits and pieces. "The only charges that we saw were the generalized charges of conduct and character, later expanded to address tone and conduct. You sit as jurors, and the first thing you must ask yourself is, 'What is the standard of proof in this matter?' The Committee on Ministry is making serious charges concerning the ministry of Parker Williamson and the Presbyterian Lay Committee." In the civil courts, he said, such matters are decided by the preponderance of evidence, the standards of clear and convincing evidence. "They have produced none," he said. "The charges never were delivered for response or rebuttal," he said. Howard reminded the presbytery that The Layman has been subjected to many investigations and studies at the general assembly level. "In every instance," he said, "the general assembly found the accusations against it were unsubstantiated, without merit or dismissed them out of hand." He cited the action of the Cincinnati assembly in 1995 that rejected an accusatory special committee's report by a vote of 517-20. "The recommendation by the Committee on Ministry," Howard said, "fails the test of fundamental fairness. They provide no citations of specific issues, and they do not support the first part of their accusation – the character and conduct of the ministry." And it is untrue, he said, that the Presbyterian Lay Committee's "Declaration of Conscience" questions the entire ministry of the Presbyterian Church (USA) – including the Presbytery of Western North Carolina, as the representatives of the Committee on Ministry alleged. "What the Declaration says is that we believe it is the duty of sessions to prayerfully consider whether their unrestricted giving is going to causes they don't support, and whether they should consider designating their giving to missions that serve the cause of Christ." Howard then addressed the process leading up to the Committee on Ministry's recommendation. He attacked the committee's secrecy and the fact that it never invited the Lay Committee to discuss or rebut any of its charges. No evidence, no citations The allegations made by the representatives of the Committee on Ministry regarding the Presbyterian Lay Committee's "Declaration of Conscience," he said, were "misconstrued and falsely stated. They now recognize that per-capita giving is voluntary. They said that the Declaration states that we no longer believe in the mission budget of this church. That's not true." Howard pointed out that the Lay Committee's Declaration targeted unrestricted mission giving, not the entire mission budget. The allegations by the representatives of the Committee on Ministry, Howard said, "are absolutely false. They cannot be documented. The Declaration says what the Book of Order and the Constitution affirms. The charges against the Presbyterian Lay Committee cannot be substantiated and are without merit." Hedden then offered three reasons why commissioners should reject the Committee on Ministry's recommendation. First, she said, "there has been no full and fair hearing. Parker Williamson and I were invited to one of the four meetings" of the Validated Ministry Task Force. "We submitted documents, our mission statement, how the Presbyterian Lay Committee conforms to the criteria for validated, and documents on the constitutional merits of per capita." "The Committee on Ministry did not accept our invitation to come to Lenoir and visit the staff and make inquiries," Hedden said. "To the best of our knowledge, Parker and I never were invited to attend the two meetings the Committee on Ministry had. Some members did not even have copies of The Layman." The second reason, she said, is that "the charges are unsubstantiated. They talk about tone and words, but not one single word is quoted, not a story, not an editorial of the more than 1,600 with Parker Williamson's byline. "The third reason," Hedden said, "is the Lay Committee's 'Declaration of Conscience. It is a constitutional statement and Biblically informed." She then offered three reasons why commissioners should vote for the validation of Williamson's ministry. She said he has given "32 years of service in the presbytery; you have in your packet pages of detailed information provided by the Lay Committee that the Committee on Ministry had but never considered; and the competency of five general assemblies that examined in detail allegations against this ministry and found, in every instance, that the accusations were unsubstantiated and without merit." Substitute motion rejected When Hedden had finished, the Rev. David Stoker, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Gastonia, the largest congregation in the presbytery, and Long vied to offer a substitute motion from the floor. Long proposed that "the presbytery validate Parker Williamson's ministry." Moderator John Stanley, a Commissioned Lay Pastor at Robinson Memorial Presbyterian Church, ruled Long's motion out of order because he said it was in direct opposition to the main motion, which could be opposed by voting no. Peery then moved that an amendment be made to the original motion "by adding under the provisions of G-11.0405 [in the Book of Order] the waiving of the requirement that application to the presbytery may be made by the minister and grant to Parker Williamson member-at-large status." This action, he said, will allow the "debate to focus on the ministry of the Presbyterian Lay Committee and to decide whether it is validated or not, rather than focus on Parker Williamson." Jim Tuckett, a corresponding member from Heartland Presbytery, said that the Presbytery of Western North Carolina "doesn't have authority to waive a section of the Book of Order." Taber responded that Peery's motion was "not out of accord with the Book of Order." It would mean that the "ministry of the Presbyterian Lay Committee is invalid; and the chief executive officer is in a ministry that is invalid; but he will be a member at large with voice and vote in the presbytery." The Rev. Tim Meredith, pastor of Oak Forest Presbyterian Church in Asheville, said the proposed amendment "takes the sting out of the Committee on Ministry recommendation and is disingenuous." Williamson spoke against the proposed amendment, saying that "to suggest that a person can be separated from that person's ministry is to suggest that you can unscramble an egg. My ministry is with the Presbyterian Lay Committee. It is what it is … Vote it up or down. This amendment creates, in effect, a person without a country. I do not want this. You do me no favors by approving this amendment." Peery responded that, "I don't think we need to be divided. I need Parker Williamson. He's a brother. I believe Parker Williamson needs me. It seems to me that the way the invalidated ministry system words, it's not Parker Williamson's decision – it's ours, he's under the authority of the presbytery." Commissioners agreed, and approved the amendment to the motion on a 135-117 vote. 'Not a legal action' An unidentified commissioner then said that "the action is not a legal action. The presbytery cannot waive a requirement in the Book of Order. A man taking that position [as a member at large] must apply for it. That was waived by the presbytery." Stoker then offered a substitute motion from the floor that "the presbytery validate Parker Williamson's ministry." Peery challenged Stoker's substitute, saying that his motion was "an amendment, not a substitute. The motion is perfected" and "essentially the same." On a close vote, commissioners agreed with Peery and the substitute motion was ruled not in order by a vote of 131-129. The Rev. Bill Campbell, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Hendersonville, called the amended motion "out of order. You can't take Parker Williamson out of a ministry and put him in one he doesn't want to serve." The Rev. Gerrit Dawson, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Lenior, said what he called "hard words. I was a member of the Validated Ministries Task Force. What happened at our so-called review of the ministry of Parker Williamson is that some admitted that they did not read the material about the Presbyterian Lay Committee. Others didn't even bring material to the meetings. The certified letter sent by the Presbyterian Lay Committee to the chair through the presbytery office was never delivered. It never made it to the eyes of the task force." "When I read the letter," he said, a task force member said it "sounds like it was written by a lawyer" and dismissed the arguments. "Substance was never mentioned, it was all hearsay. That was the sum of our 'thorough review.'" The Presbyterian Lay Committee's "Declaration of Conscience," he said, was constitutional, but the group's recommendation "suggested it wasn't constitutional. That reality was ignored. I sat on a task force whose opinions were strong, but whose research was faulty. What is wrong with this picture?" The Rev. Steve Austin, pastor of United Presbyterian Church in Lenoir, spoke in favor of the amended motion, and criticized what he called "obfuscation and manipulative reporting" in The Layman. Its stories, he said, contain "omissions of fact" that are "an editorial intent to mislead. The headlines are not written to inform readers of truth, but to incite readers" and the stories are "often edited to mislead and misrepresent. The ministry is not furthering peace" in the denomination. The Rev. Jim Wilken, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Marion, spoke against the amended motion. "I'm surprised my back doesn't hurt with the gymnastics that we've gone through," he said. The amended motion seeks to "sanction a ministry by trying to find a way to feel good about ourselves in doing so." There is no value in sacrificing "peace and purity just for unity," Wilken said. "I don't see any purity from our actions today." Marilyn Huff spoke in favor of the amended motion, saying that the Presbyterian Lay Committee is an organization that is "outside the system moving for change. When you try to work within the system for change, you have to do it a different way. I will vote to not validate. It is an outside group that seeks change, not a validated ministry." Stoker said he felt "passionate about this today. The word we lift up in our denomination is diversity. The presbytery is diverse. First Gastonia is diverse. There is great diversity, but we have embraced the left part of our denomination - the intention is to move the presbytery to the left. This is about freedom of speech. If we allow one side, we must allow the other." Retired minister Carter Blaisdell said the Committee on Ministry is "attempting to silence, censor and shame the leading conservative voice in our denomination. The leaders in Louisville are constantly embarrassed by The Layman's reporting on discipline and the constitutional crisis. But what prompted the Presbyterian Lay Committee's 'Declaration?' The defining moment was when last year's general assembly failed to require Northern New England Presbytery to abide by one of our denominational standards. For 25 years, this effort has been weighed within our presbytery. It has been maintained and written into our constitution that sexual expression is to be within the confines of marriage between a man and a woman. When the general assembly allowed defiance of the constitution, the Presbyterian Lay Committee's board said 'Enough.' There are those congregations and individuals that are defying the constitution. But it is not the Presbyterian Lay Committee that should be criticized. We should be here to laud the efforts of the Presbyterian Lay Committee to uphold the 2,000-year standards of our church." Retired minister Bill Hoyt criticized Hedden and Howard as "high-powered lawyers. The 'Declaration of Conscience' labels all those who disagree with the Presbyterian Lay Committee as proponents of a false gospel, and that we're also two faiths…. [The Presbyterian Lay Committee] called the 2001 General Assembly apostate. That is the strongest word of condemnation that you can use." The Rev. Richard Burnett, a professor at Erskine Theological Seminary, said he would like to "again remind this body that the Presbyterian Church in this country went for 150 years without general assembly offices. It's amazing to me that we would make a decision that one particular ministry would question the qualifications of the general assembly and to suggest a reallocation of funds would be a breach of ordination vows by calling into question 'character and conduct.' If I tell my students that I agree with the 'Declaration of Conscience,' then it makes my ministry invalid. I hope there is a future in this denomination where people can express their conscience and direct their money where they want to." 'Trust the Committee on Ministry' The Rev. Mary McKey, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Lincolnton, said the recommendation from the Committee on Ministry says the ministry of the Presbyterian Lay Committee "is not fitting in the structure and framework of the Presbyterian Church (USA). All of us must trust the Committee on Ministry as I trust the Committee on Ministry." Jim Kettlewell, an elder from Canton, Ohio, asked commissioners that, "as you ponder your vote, you might consider what those of us who feel ministered to feel about the Presbyterian Lay Committee. I've been ministered by the Presbyterian Lay Committee in a profound way as long as I can remember." The Rev. Steve Runholt, associate pastor at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Asheville, said, "I have every confidence that the Presbyterian Lay Committee will continue its work. What is at stake today is the kind of church we want to be and the kind of church we want to become. The evidence against validation is on every page of The Layman virtually. You'll see precisely the kind of thing that we are talking about." The Rev. George Saylor, associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Lenoir, told commissioners that "I feel betrayed by what has gone on today. Denominational leaders consistently have defied our constitutional standards. They have poorly represented me. I feel betrayed by the presbytery. Did the Committee on Ministry read clearly the 'Declaration of Conscience?' There is a deep theological schism in the denomination – to deny that is to ignore the elephant in the room. Instead, there is an attempt to subvert the rights of a man who stands up for the constitutional standards. I feel betrayed. This is showing yourself to be unpure." Bill Serjak of First Presbyterian Church in Sylva said the entire case was "more of a judicial matter than an administrative matter." He said the Presbyterian Lay Committee is the loyal opposition in our denomination. I think that is necessary here. It is a validated ministry. The general assembly has reminded us several times not to resolve something administratively." At the end of the debate, Williamson spoke again to the motion. Holding up an offering plate, he asked commissioners to "take a close look at this offering plate. As an act of worship, we pass it among our parishioners. Then we dedicate our gifts to the Lord Jesus Christ." "Does anyone here think that our responsibilities end with that prayer of dedication? Please hear me, especially those of you who are elders. We have a sacred responsibility to ensure that offerings we dedicate to Jesus glorify Jesus and attest to the life that He has called us to live. "But there is bad news: More than $500,000 from this offering annually funds a Washington lobby that advocates the unthinkable: Our offerings have blessed crushing the skulls of little children as they emerge from the womb. Is it not an abomination that the president and Congress have adopted a higher ethic than the Presbyterian Church (USA)? "But, tragically, there's more. With these offerings we have funded speakers who ask, 'What's the big deal about Jesus;' official committees that place Jesus on a par with the goddess Sophia, Gaia the earth mother, and Buddha; and the salaries of seminary professors who deny the atonement and bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. "If we know that is happening – and the evidence is incontrovertible – how in God's name can we fund it with offerings that we have dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ? "This denomination's highest constitutional officer refuses to enforce the Constitution. Widespread defiance goes unchallenged and unchecked. Agencies whose duty is to prohibit this defiance are aiding and abetting it. Knowing this, how can we fund them with our per-capita contributions? "And because I tell you these things – these true things – some of you, assisted by consultations with the denomination's office of the stated clerk, now seek to mute my voice, abolish my vote and, if I will not move to a more malleable ministry, revoke my ordination. "I oppose the motion that is before you, for it proffers an oily compromise designed to drive a wedge between myself and the ministry to which God has called me. Whether or not the motion succeeds by your vote, I can assure you that it will not prevail beyond these walls. "What has happened today and in the events leading to it is patently unconstitutional. The Committee on Ministry has told you that there are no charges against me. That is precisely the problem. If they believe the things that they have falsely alleged today, they should have brought charges against me. What they have tried to do is this: They are attempting to accomplish what is essentially a judicial matter in a legislative forum. And what is the problem with that? In a court of law, they could not have unleashed vague and unsubstantiated allegations. Courts require 'rules of evidence.' In court, the Committee on Ministry would have had to lay on the table rock-hard evidence to back up their complaints. Then the court would have given me the right to face my accusers and to answer each and every allegation. Then the judges would decide based, not on emotion or politics, but on the facts of the case. "Instead, the Committee on Ministry and its supporters have come into this body, alleging a host of blatant falsehoods before you. Where is the evidence? They offer none. They simply make the accusations, and you, the voters, have not one shred of documentation, not a scintilla of evidence on the basis of which you can make a decision. How can you possibly know if what they tell you is true? What a kangaroo court! "Members of the presbytery," he said, "this is wrong. I urge you to vote against this motion." Phillips, the pastor of Banner Elk Presbyterian Church, summed up for the Committee on Ministry, saying that "we have heard from Rev. Williamson and supporters of The Layman. Absolutely no one on the Committee on Ministry questions their right, their absolute right, to freedom of speech. It is theirs. We live and die by it as well. No one questions their right to question what higher governing bodies do. I do it myself. The Presbyterian Church is a diverse place, with people from all spectrums, all kinds of points of view." "Our concern," he said, "is that the ministry of the Presbyterian Lay Committee offer the same respect to individuals that we have tried to offer here today. Parker Williamson has not been accused of heresy. Not accused of being a bad minister. As far as I know, he is not only a valid minister; he has done an exemplary job wherever he's been. "There are no charges here. This is not about charges. I have been accused of falsehood. Those on the Committee on Ministry have had our faith questioned. Has anyone on our side questioned his faith? "The Committee on Ministry deeply regrets where we find ourselves today, but any minister has the right at any time to appeal and it is granted. If a question of my ministry is on the table, I believe I would come to that meeting. "This presbytery," Phillips said, "has attempted to work with the Presbyterian Lay Committee to address what we call questions of editorial excess. We were rebuffed." The presbytery then voted 150-106 not to validate the ministry of Williamson and to grant him member-at-large status. Williamson then told commissioners that "it grieves me to have to do this, but my belief is that many irregularities have occurred here. We will be filing a complaint." At Williamson's invitation, 49 people stepped into the center aisle and walked to the stated clerk's desk, where they signed a declaration of dissent and a stay of enforcement as provided in the constitution, while the moderator shouted that they were "out of order." Later, the moderator recognized Taber, who announced to the presbytery that the materials, as was Williamson's right, were available on the stated clerk's desk for those who wished to sign them.

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