Presbytery appeals synod court ruling in Williamson case By John H. Adams The Layman Online Wednesday, November 3, 2004 The Presbytery of Western North Carolina has asked the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission to allow it to move more quickly to consider whether to validate the ministry of Parker T. Williamson as chief executive officer of the Presbyterian Lay Committee and editor in chief of its publications. The presbytery appealed to the highest court in the Presbyterian Church (USA) two portions of a ruling by the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Synod of the Mid-Atlantic. It asked the General Assembly court to set aside the synod court's order: 1. that the presbytery "take no further action with regard to reviewing the status of the validation of the complainant's ministry for one year from the date [Sept. 29, 2004] of this decision." 2. that the "complainant and respondent … jointly formulate a plan to implement a presbytery-wide process of reconciliation concerning this issue." The presbytery did not appeal the court's finding that Williamson had been denied fundamental fairness and due process by the presbytery's Validated Ministries Task Force, its Committee on Ministry and the presbytery's commissioners, who voted 150-106 on Jan. 31, 2004, not to invalidate his ministry with the Presbyterian Lay Committee. Williamson had been a member of the presbytery for 32 years, including 15 during his employment with the Presbytery Lay Committee. The synod court said the presbytery failed to inform Williamson of the accusations that would be made at the Jan. 31 meeting and failed to verify the truth of some of the allegations. The court held that some of the allegations were false. During its stated meeting on Oct. 22, the presbytery's stated clerk, William Taber, read into the record the synod court's decision, as the ruling required. But neither Taber nor any other presbytery leader notified the presbytery that its committee of counsel was mailing its appeal to the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission, Williamson and his counsel. Commissioners were given no opportunity to advise the presbytery whether or not to oppose further court action. The presbytery's appeal called "unnecessary" and "harmful" the synod court's order that the presbytery leave intact Williamson's validation for one year from the date of its decision. The appeal said it "will not take a one-year moratorium to implement the changes" recommended by the synod court – including notifying Williamson in advance of reasons for invalidating his ministry and ensuring that statements made are truthful. The presbytery also said the moratorium would "prohibit the presbytery from performing its constitutional responsibilities" for annual review. The appeal said the court's order for a joint presbytery-wide process of reconciliation was "overly vague, unworkable … exceeds the constitutional authority given to PJCs and is harmful." "The order assumes the presbytery is in need of reconciliation with one of its members as though the presbytery itself had some sort of falling out with or ill will towards Complainant," the appeal said. Williamson's counsel – elders Robert L. Howard of Wichita, Kan., and Peggy Hedden of Columbus, Oho – said they were "mystified" by the appeal. They added in a joint statement: "Immediately after receiving the synod court's decision, we advised the committee of counsel for presbytery that that they should be assured that Williamson and his counsel stood ready and willing to participate in developing a joint plan for reconciliation. We requested the presbytery's counsel to advise how they wish to proceed in developing the plan. We received no substantive response to that communication other than the appeal."

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