The Session of the 5,000-plus member First Presbyterian Church of Orlando (FPCO), poised to be the flagship congregation in the Fellowship of Presbyterians’ (FOP) new Reformed body (NRB), has elected instead to set a course for the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC).

Rev. Dr. David Swanson made the announcement to the congregation on Sunday, Dec. 11.

Swanson told his people that on the evening of Tuesday, Dec. 6, the Session of FPCO voted unanimously to recommend dismissal from the Presbyterian Church (USA) to the EPC and called a meeting of the congregation to vote on the matter Jan. 29, 2012 at 10 a.m. Swanson said, “Your session made the decision and I agree that this course is best for FPCO.”

Dec. 6 was a full day for Presbyterians in Central Florida. That morning, the FPCO webmaster posted answers to some questions posed at its various “Town Hall” meetings. The questions all reflected an anticipated move toward the NRB, not the EPC.

Also on Dec. 6, the presbytery of Central Florida met. Just before the meeting concluded, an undocketed item of business was introduced from the floor by a member of the presbytery’s resolution team which is working through the dismissal process with two congregations. The motion was to place the presbytery’s dismissal policy in abeyance because, according to the maker of the motion, “it is flawed.”

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