Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church in Tulsa, OK, received a judgment in District Court ordering them to vacate the premises.
Two years ago, the church parted ways with their parent denomination, the Presbyterian Church USA, over doctrinal issues. The local church felt betrayed by their denominations embrace of homosexuality and their view of the Bible. In a church vote, 90% of the congregation voted to remove themselves from the parent denomination.
Trouble was, there was a clause that said that even if they paid for the building, they didn't own their own church property. It had been registered in the name of the Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery. And they wanted their building back.
A lawsuit ensued and this week a Tulsa County District Judge ruled in favor of the EOP.
We prayed for the church last night in our Southern Baptist Church. While we may not agree on every point of doctrine, it took a lot of holy determination to stand up to their denomination. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they must now face the results of "standing with God".
Please pray for this church and for their pastor, Tom Gray.
4 comments:
That is sad,
My parents left the PCUSA and joined PCA.
It is sad that one church would attack another like this. I guess they are more interested in property than winning hearts for God. I hate seeing church conflict whether it is intra- or inter-. Either way, this is just pitiful.
I am a little torn about this...while I agree they should fight against the denomination that stands for such things...however, the rule was that they didn't own the property, just the building. That was a known. Now, I would hope the denomination would offer to sell them the property, so they can continue their ministry. If not, then they should move to another location...
Knowing people close to the situation and having seen what led up to this and what has transpired, I believe that those who stood up for God's Word and TRUTH will definitely have great reward. They will have unity and a strong congregation. They will have to find a new place to meet.
There are times when people leave churches but God doesn't leave. Something to think about. Wonder how He will deal with the people who stay and further the non-Biblical teachings. I wonder how He will bless those that stood faithful.
Church splits are NOT fun.
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