The herald., 1895-07-08
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
An Official Statement as to Its
Troubles
ECCLESIASTICAL POWERS
Over Church TemporaIities Unwise and
POWERS
ECCLESIASTICAL
Over Church TemporaIities Unwise and
Unf0undcd
But tho Officers Recognize Authority In
Matters Of Faith, Doctrine and Discipline.
The Abridged Statement

The Abridged statement
The Herald is in receipt OF commune
cation signed by George H. Stewart, Sec
retary of the board of trustees
OF the First Presbyterian church,
in which IS given one side Of the disa.
gIeement between that church and its
offspring. the Central Presbyterian
church. AS an official document it is in.
teresting. but too long for publication In
full. The communication starts out by
stating that up to the present time the
officers Of the First Presbyterian church
have thought tho disturbance among its
people was something akin to family
disagreement, not to be aired before the
public. and have renamed silent. Lately
the matter has grown into more or less
public notoriety, and the officers feel that
the public is entitled to an official st ate
ment from the records.
A brief history of the church is then
given, commencing with its incorpora-
tion. and down to the time that it was
decided to sell the old church property
and to rebuild upon new site. 1t was
feared by the trustees that more or less
friction would be possible in the congre-
and the auxiliary committee was asked
that the wishes and interests of the
whole congregation might be understood
and earned out, and this committee did
represent the entire church and not a
particular locality. Between January
3lst. when the committee was appointed.
and March 8th. when the purchase of the
lat 81 on$f fn<k
streets was made. some twenty meetings
were held to investigate and discuss the
relative merits Of different lots and loca-
tions, many of them lasting three hours
or more.
1t is but fair to state. says the official
statemens, that before the lot was finally
purchased a remonstrance, said to have
been signed by 1865 persons not liking the
location, was presented to the committee.
On March 49, 1895, was held the regu-
lar annual meeting of the church and
congregation for the purpose of electing
officers for the ensuing year.
At the m Getting there were two factions
or interests, which for convenience we
will term the Satisfied" and the dds
satisfied" Judge Mckinley was nomi-
mated for chairman by the satisfied and E.
s. Field by the dissatisfied. Judge Nc
Kinley received sixty-four votes and 4.
s. Field 125. This statement is given to
show that at this point the meeting was
under the control of the dissatisfied.
After some reports and election of some
church officers came the election of a
board of trustees. The satisfied nomi-
mated the old board and the dissatisfied
nominated new board.
At the same annual meeting resolutions
were passed by vote of 132 ayes to rs
nays urging the board OF trustees to
proceed as rapidly as possible with the
QroNtfnO nj the NbnrCh hu III M ~
the lot purchased for that purpose, on
the southeast corner of Twentieth and
Figueroa streets.
The dissatisfied, however, did not think
so, and having lost in one forum. thought
best to try another, and sought help from
By = large petition of the dissatisfied to
the first presby terry. held at San Diego
April 8, 1895, asking division OF the
funds, the Presbytery recommended an
equitable division.
No division being made. special mt et-
ing OF the presbytery was called fourteen
qsys Ess after the first ssbteTy to meet
s meeting ' % division 81 the i's1 Church a' and and
funds was asked and the presbytery di-
vided the chucrh-took away the name of
the First Presbyterian church against the
earnest remonstfance of the old church
and named it Westminster. and named
the dissatisfied the Central church and
appointed a coin mittee to divide the
funds, and this committee aw arded $23.-
791 to the dissatisfied.
ASthird presbytery was called June a.
1895, at East Los Angeles, at which meet
ing the officers of the church were cited
to appear and explain why they con-
timed the use of the old name and why
they had not paid over the award, and
appointed committee from its body to
call congrex ational meeting of our
church, ut which meeting they were to
answer the question whether the congre-
cation approved the action of its officers
in not paying over the award, and then
adjourned to July I'd. The meeting was
held and the vote taken and the action
OF the officers sustained by vote of $50
to 3.
At the adjourned meeting law commit
tee of three from the presbyterial body
was appointed to provide funds and insti-
tute legal proceedings against the old
First Presbyterian church, to recover the
award by legal proceedings. unless paid
within ten days.
church and the ecclesiastical powers, the
official statement continues, the ecclesias-
tical powers claim the right, not only to
control this church in matters OF faith.
doctrine and discipline, but also the right
to divide the old church into two new
church organizations. taking away the
name of the old church and giving it a
new name. and appointing its spiritual
officers; claiming also the right to divide
the assets of the old church between two
new churches, and, on failure Of the old
church to obey its orders in these rspects,
to remove its officers and sever the church
from its connection with them, and en-
fosce the payment OF the money award by
legal process, and have appointed a COM
mittee ofpresbytery to raise the necessary
expenses and have charge of the litsga-
tion.
1.-THE officers of this church recognize
tneir ecclesiastical authority in matters
of faith, doctrine and discipline. but deny
their right to take away our old name: :
deny their right to divide the old church
into two new churches under the existing
conditions; deny.their right to divide the
funds in the manner or on the evidence,
or by the processes employed, and deny
their authority to enforce the claimed
award by process of law.
They believe the claim Of ecclesiastical
powers over church temperatures unwise
and unfounded, and subversive of the
principles of patriotism and the best in
terests both Of the church and the state,
and cannot conscientiously yield their
position, except by compulsion. especial
ly SO when they are acting strictly ac-
cording to the wishes and specific instruc-
tions OF the church and congregation.
fairly and freely expressed.
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