New York congregation votes to leave Presbyterian Church (USA) The Layman Volume 35, Number 1 Posted February 8, 2002 Faced with the possibility that its survival requires separation from the Presbyterian Church (USA), the congregation of Circleville Presbyterian Church in Circleville, N.Y., has voted overwhelmingly to affiliate with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. The Dec. 30 vote was 72-2, with three abstentions, in favor of leaving the Presbyterian Church (USA). The issue now goes before the council of the Presbytery of Hudson River, with a final determination by the full presbytery scheduled after The Layman went to press. News about the presbytery vote will be posted on The Layman Online, www.layman.org. The presbytery will decide whether the congregation can leave with its property, including a new family life center on which construction has been halted. The Book of Order says “all property held by or for a particular church … is held in trust … for the use and benefit of the Presbyterian Church …” [G-8.0201]. So far, the Presbytery of Hudson River has not taken a position that would force a legal fight over ownership of the Circleville property. Circleville was one of the first congregations in New York to join the Confessing Church Movement within the Presbyterian Church (USA). Pastor Leo Jaloszynski said he and the elders had hoped the Confessing Church Movement would provide an evangelical buffer to counter some of the problems created by the presbytery and the denomination. Circleville is a congregation with a deep commitment to evangelical missions and social ministries. The congregation has 100 members, but more than 200 attend worship services. The Presbytery of Hudson River is one of the most liberal presbyteries in the nation. Nearly 80 percent of the commissioners voting at a recent meeting of the presbytery opposed the PCUSA’s “fidelity/chastity” ordination standard.

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