Westminster
Kingsport, TN (January 11, 1997)-Westminster Presbyterian Church hosted the eighty-sixth stated meeting of Westminster Presbytery. RE Larry Crigger of Asbury Presbyterian Church, Johnson City, TN, assumed the chair as Moderator. RE Roger Schultz, whose license to preach was renewed at this meeting, preached the opening sermon; and TE G. Brent Bradley of the host church administered the sacrament of communion. Because of the inclement weather including snow and ice, Presbytery gave a blanket excuse to all commissioners who were absent.
Presbytery voted to instruct the Valley Pike Presbyterian Church to "comply with BOCO 19-1 and encourage Mr. [John] Ryan [a ruling elder at Valley Pike] to contact the Examinations Committee to proceed toward licensure with an examination to be scheduled at the April Stated Meeting of Presbytery." The desire of the congregation is to call Mr. Ryan as stated supply. The court also approved the request of Seven Mile Ford Presbyterian Church to be under the oversight of a Presbytery commission.
TE Pat Parham was appointed director of the 1997 youth camp. Presbytery voted to pay $200.00 each towards the expense of sending a representative from the Christian Education Committee and from the PresWIC to the annual Christian Education chairmen/PresWIC presidents meeting in Atlanta on April 10-12. Presbytery approved the C.E. Committee developing four bulletin inserts with these titles: Biblical References to Church Discipline, Standards References to Church Discipline, Officers Administration of Church Discipline, and Practical Applications of Church Discipline. The C.E. Committee was also allowed to organize a 1997 conference entitled, "What's Wrong with Psychic Phenomena?", and to report back to Presbytery. Mrs. Linda McGinn and Mrs. Ruth Tinsley, both wives of PCA ministers, were approved to speak at the WIC Spring Conference.
Messrs. David Atkisson and Ray Cureton, members of Westminster Presbyterian Church, Johnson City, were examined and taken under care as ministerial candidates. In accordance with the vote at the October meeting, TE Richard "Pete" Crews, a missionary with Reformed Ministries International in Switzerland, was examined for reception. By a vote of 11-10 with 4 abstentions, Presbytery approved the following motion: "That the examination of TE Crews be sustained and that Mr. Crews be received as a member of Presbytery pending transfer of his credentials from SE Alabama Presbytery, and also that Mr. Crews be required to submit papers on his views to the Clerk of Presbytery by June 1, 1997, concerning the following three areas: 1. Divorce; 2. His views regarding WCF chapter 19 Sections 3 & 4; 3. Paedo-communion."
TE Larry Ball, Stated Clerk
5101 Memorial Blvd.
Kingsport, TN 37664
(423)288-3664(o)/288-6664(h)