E-mail
Print
RSS
G-bookmarks
Live
TechnoratiPORTERSVILLE, Pa. (AP) — A western Pennsylvania presbytery has dismissed a church from the Presbyterian Church (USA) so it can join a more conservative coalition known as the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
The Beaver-Butler Presbytery includes 87 churches in two counties north and northwest of Pittsburgh. The 176-member Portersville Presbyterian Church about 30 miles north of the city voted 115-3 to leave the national mainline Protestant denomination and join the more conservative group.
After the vote, negotiators for the congregation and the presbytery were conciliatory.
"There is still one body, one church, one faith, one Lord Jesus Christ, the savior of us all," said the Rev. William Jamieson, a retired pastor who served on the presbytery commission. "Bless this church and bless this presbytery."
The presbytery has previously dismissed another church, but that is pending a court dispute over financial terms of the split.
Some conservative Presbyterian Church (USA) congregations are seeking to avoid property litigation by seeking dismissal into a sister Presbyterian denomination. Pittsburgh Presbytery has dismissed three churches, while Washington Presbytery is in civil litigation with one that voted to leave without permission.
