Roseville and Fair Oaks: praying for brothers and sisters

I have just now found the news that I have known for several days. I found it in the Los Angeles Metropolitan News-Enterprise. The headline reads C.A. Reverses Ruling Giving Local Churches Control of Property. That means that unless appealed they have lost their property. Or unless the Sacramento Presbytery takes the problem back under their wings and once again allows First Presbyterian Church of Roseville and Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church to leave with their property, they have lost.

The article has it slightly wrong, they write, “Both the Roseville and Fair Oaks churches reportedly agreed to pay the national church to leave with their property, but the deal was scuttled when another local church said the national church had an obligation to obtain fair market value for the property.” Instead , not a church but a man, a pastor, David Thompson, who is no longer Presbyterian, complained to the Pacific Synod that the Sacramento Presbytery had allowed the two churches to leave with their property.

Now Thompson has interfaith services which began with a sage smudging.

But Christians who truly love their Lord have better options then the Third District Court of Appeal. For the sake of the ministry that both Roseville and Fair Oaks provide to this area the Sacramento Presbytery can rescind their action and they can once again allow these two churches to leave with their property. This would be the gracious thing to do. It is the only thing to do since we are all members of the universal Church whose foundation and Head is Jesus Christ.

Sometimes the waters are muddied by just one set of feet that no longer walk in the stream. The faithful must push through the dirtied water and stand faithful before a holy God. And he is far more gracious then anyone. He is sovereign; we will be righteous and clean in him. I know that all the members of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church will be praying for these two churches, I pray that all orthodox and Evangelical members of the PCUSA will be praying for them as well. And include the Sacramento Presbytery in those prayers.

A very old song and recording for my friends:







The papers can be found here-scroll down http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/nonpub.htm