Commentary Cardiac arrest in Heartland Presbytery By Parker T. Williamson Editor Emeritus The Layman Online Wednesday, November 21, 2007 Administrative commission The following, for readers who wish to communicate with the administrative commission in Heartland Presbytery that has taken over First Presbyterian Church in Paola, Kan, is a list of its members, with contact information where available. The names are taken from the minutes of the June 16, 2007, meeting of Heartland Presbytery. Ministers The Rev. Joe Carle, Pastor Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church 3108 Westbound 40 Highway Blue Springs, MO 64015 Phone: (816) 229-3367 E-mail: jbcarle@sbcglobal.net Rev. Leslie King, Pastor First Presbyterian Church 344 Main Street Osawatomie, KS 66064 Phone: (913) 755-3964 E-mail: 1stpresby@earthlink.net Rev. Jean M. Murphy, Chaplain Villa Saint Joseph 11901 Rosewood Drive Overland Park, KS 66209 Phone: (913) 345-1745 E-mail: revmq@hotmail.com Rev. William O. Pfeiffer, H.R. 8927 Cottonwood Street, Apt. 3 Lenexa, KS 66215-3281 E-mail: wopelp@kc.rr.com Rev. Diane Quaintance, H.R. 16995 South Four Corners Road Gardner, KS 66030 E-mail: hqdqfarm@aol.com Elders Dr. Marjorie Blank Overland Park Presbyterian Church 8728 Mackey Overland Park, KS 66212 E-mail: margeblank@worldnet.att.net Dick Bush Village Presbyterian Church 6641 Mission Road Prairie Village, Kansas 66208 E-mail: administration@villagepres.org Bill Gardner First Presbyterian Church Lee's Summit, MO 619 NW Fair Lane Lee's Summit, MO 64063 E-mail: mgardner1@kc.rr.com Fran Haney Butler Presbyterian Church Butler, MO E-mail: lfhaney@hotmail.com Wilbert C. "Bill" Rinne Colonial Presbyterian Kansas City, MO 1928 NW Killarney Lane Lee's Summit, MO 64081 Jim Zakoura First Presbyterian Church Osawatomie, KS "See how these Christians love one another!" So spoke an ancient Roman pagan, according to Tertullian, an apologist for the faith. Tertullian's observation was that the Christians' life together was such a powerful witness to the presence of Christ that even pagans had to acknowledge it. Historically, heart language, that cadence of Christian love pulsating through the Body of Christ, has moved the world to consider the Gospel. Self-authenticating and obvious, the language of love needs no stethoscope for its detection. The sound is unmistakable. That is not the sound we are hearing today from Kansas City-area Presbyterians. A cardiac arrest has afflicted Heartland Presbytery, an ecclesiastical institution whose unloving abuse of fellow Christians is an offense to the very Gospel it purports to proclaim. This presbytery's administrative commission removed the Rev. Kirk Johnston from his pulpit at First Presbyterian Church in Paola, nullified the authority of the congregation's elected leaders and seized its property. Congregational meeting Just what did Rev. Johnston and his flock do that unleashed this vicious attack? They held a congregational meeting and, by a vote of more than 70 percent, respectfully requested the presbytery to dismiss them and their property to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. The Presbyterian Church (USA) Constitution provides for congregations to request dismissal to another Reformed body and it gives presbyteries the power to grant it, so nothing that this congregation did was out of order. Considering Heartland's assault, one would think that in seeking to unite with another branch of Christ's Body, the Paola church had committed some grave apostasy. By action of this presbytery, 70 percent of the congregation now no longer is the "true church." They are barred from a building that was built and financed by their sacrificial gifts. Their pastor of 15 years summarily was evicted, and Heartland's snoop squad monitors his every move to ensure that he doesn't steal "true church" property. When Rev. Johnston and his people started assembling what appeared to be a large number of boxes at the church, Heartland's snoop squad signaled a full-scale alert, presumably having caught the nefarious, false church pastor in the act. To their chagrin, presbytery officials discovered the boxes were gifts for God's little ones, the Paola congregation's participation in a Samaritan's Purse Christmas campaign. Rev. Johnston always has had a special place in his heart for God's little ones – including those killed in the womb, an act that denominational officials continue to bless. Of course, Heartland still might allege that in preparing these Christmas gifts, Johnston has "renounced the jurisdiction of the Presbyterian Church (USA)" since Samaritan's Purse – God forbid – is a non-Presbyterian organization. The world is watching this sordid affair, including, one would presume, the descendants of an ancient Roman pagan. Considering the heartlessness that has come to light, we don't think we'll hear, "See how these Christians love one another!" The Rev. Parker T. Williamson is Editor Emeritus of The Layman and The Layman Online. He may be reached at laymanletters@layman.org.

Respond to this article

Home · Archives · The Layman · PLC Publications Presbyterian Lay Committee · Feedback · Links