 Sacramento Presbytery Third Sacramento-area church seeks to leave the PCUSA with its property for the EPC By Patrick Jean Staff Writer The Layman Online Friday, February 1, 2008 A third church is asking Sacramento Presbytery to let it leave the Presbyterian Church (USA) with its property for the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
Of those, 332 members or 97.2 percent voted for seeking dismissal and 10 members or 2.8 percent voted against the request, Dixon said. "We feel that's a very good mandate from our folks to continue on with an affirmation of what the leadership … had understood from God," he said. Dixon said his church had been considering its future in the PCUSA since the 217th General Assembly's approval in 2006 of the Peace, Unity and Purity report that keeps the current ordination standards in the denomination's constitution, but allows those who choose not to obey them to declare them to be non-essential. "It's been awhile that we've been wrestling with the issues of the Presbyterian Church," he said. Conversations, prayer and meetings led to three large informational meetings in January 2008 to discuss more specifically what was going on and get a recommendation, Dixon said. "We've been at it for a while, trying to understand what all the implications are, seeing results – and, of course, now we're seeing all sorts of results begin to pop up," he said. Sierra Church is seeking to realign with the EPC because it's in correspondence with the PCUSA and because the Book of Order allows for a church's dismissal to a denomination such as that one, Dixon said. "We affirmed presbytery polity as we've known it in the past," he said. "So, certainly, it's the correct way. It's the same way Roseville and Fair Oaks have done it. We felt it was an appropriate way to go." Two of Sacramento Presbytery's largest churches – Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church in Fair Oaks, Calif., and First Presbyterian Church in Roseville, Calif. – were scheduled to leave the PCUSA on Jan. 1 after presbytery commissioners agreed at their stated meeting Dec. 4, 2007, to approve the churches' dismissal requests. However, Westminster Presbyterian Church in Sacramento, Calif., filed a notice of appeal and request for a stay Dec. 22 with the Synod of the Pacific. The stay will be enforced until the synod's Permanent Judicial Commission addresses the Westminster Church filing. The Sierra Church congregation's reaction to the vote – even from those who couldn't be there to vote Jan. 27 – has been positive and encouraging, Dixon said. "From of the standpoint of Sierra Pres, it was good news," he said. "It was a definitive thing from God, and now we're looking forward to moving forward in the process and to a successful conclusion – and, hopefully, in a very Godly and gratifying way. That's pretty much all there is at this point. We've got a lot of work to do ahead of us." Representatives of Sacramento Presbytery were at the congregational meeting where the vote took place, but the church has not yet spoken to the presbytery or begun the negotiation process for seeking dismissal, Dixon said. "A team will be appointed by the committee on ministry to work with the church regarding their request for dismissal," said Sally Hinchman, general presbyter for ministry for the Sacramento, Stockton and Nevada presbyteries, in an e-mail to The Layman Online. Dixon said he and his church are strengthened for what lies ahead by Jeremiah 29, where God speaks to the exiles in Babylon through the Prophet Jeremiah. "Even with all that they're in, He has plans for their welfare, not for their calamity," he said. "And He calls them to seek Him with their whole heart and He will answer them." "We really see God as being very faithful, and Jeremiah 29 is a cornerstone of that," Dixon said. "That and the Isaiah passage that speaks about God doing a new thing. It seems like God is doing a new thing for us. It's an exciting time – it's a scary time, but it's an exciting time, too." Dixon said he welcomes prayers for future discussions and negotiations with the presbytery, as well as prayers for protection. "We've taken a stand and we're going this way," he said. "We're not trying to be disobedient people. We're trying to be faithful to what we know and understand within our Christian faith and Presbyterian polity. I think God will show a good course in all of that. "It's really a Kingdom issue here that we're talking about," Dixon said. "God's gracious, and I think our vote was an indication of what His desire for this congregation is. I hope others will respect that." Patrick Jean is a staff writer for The Layman and The Layman Online. He can be reached at pjean@layman.org. |
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