A May 4 response from Pinecrest contain no assurances that they would indeed commence church discipline, prodding New Perth to encourage First Presbytery to assume original jurisdiction

As previously reported here, Second Presbytery of the ARP Synod, is expected to respond to a request to bring charges against Teaching Elder (Minister) Jay Hering for his participation in a civil lawsuit against the denomination (http://bit.ly/d2lKjh)

Now, a congregation in First Presbytery is asking them to be the second regional judicatory in the ARP to consider the formal process of church discipline against one of the three Ruling Elders who are the Plaintiffs in the case currently being heard in the South Carolina court system.

Ruling Elder Dr. Parker Young. a member of the Pinecrest ARP Church, a congregation located in Flat Rock, NC (just outside Hendersonville), is one of the three members of the Erskine Board of Trustees who collectively filed a lawsuit against the ARP Synod when the original case brought on behalf of the Board itself was withdrawn. Young, a retired Education professor from the University of Georgia who was a current Trustee and had previously served on the board as well, also was one of the individuals who presented evidence as a witness before the Circuit Court in the recent hearing which resulted in the Preliminary Injunction (http://bit.ly/cENkyE).

Following procedure, the Session of New Perth ARP Church, located in Troutman, NC, first requested that Dr. Young’s Session at Pinecrest ARP, to begin the process for church discipline. New Perth sent a letter on April 20 to Pinecrest forwarding their allegations concerning Young’s activities. A May 4 response from Pinecrest contain no assurances that they would indeed commence church discipline, prodding New Perth to encourage First Presbytery to assume original jurisdiction (which is to say, do what the Pinecrest Session failed to do) and commence charges.

The allegations in this case are generally the same as in the Jay Hering/Second Presbytery case with one significant difference. While there may be some question in the Hering case whether or not Dr. Hering was actually and officially involved in presenting the charges in a civil court, there is no doubt of Dr. Young’s involvement; that has been clear for any in the public to read and see for themselves.

First Presbytery will be meeting on Tuesday, June 8 at 2:00PM at the Pinecrest Church in Flat Rock, NC. They are being asked to proceed according to the Book of Discipline to investigate these allegations and, if needed, proceed to judicial process.