To our brothers and sisters in the Presbytery of Boston,

We have good news to share!  The Presbytery has been successful in its lawsuit to have the “true” Newton Presbyterian Church declared to hold rightful control over the property at and relating to 75 Vernon Street in Newton.

The Presbytery argued that the ongoing or “true” NPC congregation recognized by the presbytery legally controls the property, holding it in trust for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) under the denomination’s Constitution. 

In its decision the Massachusetts Superior Court recognized the NPC matter as an ecclesiastical dispute and it declined to interfere.  “This Court concludes that the question of the right to use and possess NPC property is inextricably intertwined with the question of which individuals hold authority to act on behalf of the church.” 

We are especially grateful to the legal team from Ropes & Gray who have represented the Presbytery.  Their legal expertise and insightful understanding of the Presbyterian Church have been and continue to be essential to the Presbytery’s efforts to be faithful to our Christian commitments as stewards of God’s gifts.

With the principle of legal ownership having been established, steps are now being taken for the return of control of the church building and other property to the Newton Presbyterian Church; the group which broke away from the NPC last winter and which has been using the church’s property without permission is required to return it all.   This remains a complex matter, and as it continues we invite everyone’s prayers for the NPC Session and congregation.  

Yours in Christ,

Administrative Commission for the Newton Presbyterian Church

To our brothers and sisters in the Presbytery of Boston,

We are especially happy to tell you that as a result of the prayerful work of the congregation’s nominating committee, the Newton Presbyterian Church has elected new church officers.  On September 24th, Moderator Ward Holder led a service of ordination and installation of elders and deacons, with elders from the Presbytery participating.  We welcome to their shared ministry Elders Mark Saunders, Susan Griesmer and Anita Ulloa, and Deacons Phyllis Doig, Susan Brouwer and David Wenstrom.  

The Administrative Commission having voted in August to return specific essential areas of constitutional jurisdiction upon the installation of new officers, the Session has already met and begun its work.  We have retained jurisdiction over various responsibilities relating to legal developments in the property case.

On September 27th the Administrative Commission, members of the NPC and others from the Presbytery were present as observers in a Massachusetts Superior Court hearing on our filed motion for summary judgment; the Presbyterian case was well represented by our Ropes & Gray attorney.  The judge informed the parties that she will announce her decision later this fall.

We ask the Presbytery to join with us in our support of, and prayers for, the Newton Presbyterian Church’s new officers as they serve their congregation at this important time in its life.

Administrative Commission for the Newton Presbyterian Church

Sharon Wright, chairperson, newtonac@presbyteryofboston.org

Samuel Chung

Catherine MacDonald

Mary Lou Smith

Alexander Wei

To our brothers and sisters in the Presbytery of Boston,

The Administrative Commission for the Newton Presbyterian Church is happy to start this update on its work with the unsurprising information that the Newton Presbyterian Church continues to gather weekly for worship, and to share fellowship together.  The Administrative Commission especially thanks the Rev. Dr. Ward Holder for steadily serving as the church’s worship leader during this time when the congregation is rebuilding, and the Sudbury and Fourth Presbyterian churches for providing NPC with copies of The Presbyterian Hymnal.

For now the Newton Presbyterian Church is still meeting in the chapel of the Eliot Congregational Church UCC in Newton Centre, while the Presbytery and the NPC await resolution of the legal complaint filed against the Newton Covenant church which has occupied the NPC’s building without permission since mid-January.  The Administrative Commission continues to work on the church’s case with the Presbytery’s counsel from Ropes & Gray.  Such legal proceedings typically go slowly, so we do not know exactly when the Massachusetts court will hand down its decision on the NPC property.

Among other steps in its redevelopment, the congregation has adopted new bylaws, and recently elected a nominating committee which soon will be recommending members for election to office. The Administrative Commission has functioned as the church’s session since January and will assist and support newly ordained and installed officers as the NPC enters that phase of its redevelopment.  Those NPC members who are already ordained as ruling elders have been serving as commissioners to meetings of the Presbytery.

As the Stated Clerk has announced, in March the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Synod of the Northeast dismissed a formal complaint against the Presbytery filed by a teaching elder who was active in support of the schismatic group.  The Synod PJC’s decision is posted on the Presbytery’s website along with this update from the Administrative Commission.

We ask that you continue to hold in prayer the members and friends of the Newton Presbyterian Church in this challenging time.

Administrative Commission for the Newton Presbyterian Church

Sharon Wright, chairperson, newtonac@presbyteryofboston.org

Samuel Chung

Catherine MacDonald

Mary Lou Smith

Alexander Wei

To our Brothers and Sisters in the Presbytery of Boston:

As the Administrative Commission for the Newton Presbyterian Church, we are sending this to the Presbytery’s website to inform you all of developments in the work you have charged us to do.

Since January, the Newton Presbyterian Church, that is, those NPC members who have continued together as the “true” or ongoing congregation in the Presbytery of Boston in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), are temporarily worshiping at 1:30 p.m. on most Sundays in the chapel at the Eliot Congregational Church UCC in Newton Centre.  With the NPC, the Administrative Commission is most grateful for the generous hospitality of the Eliot Church, and also to the Korean Church of Boston for opening its Children’s Chapel for NPC to use on occasional Sundays when space at the Eliot Church is not available.  

The Newton Presbyterian Church welcomes all to its services of worship, and looks forward to being able to return to holding services at 75 Vernon Street.  Meanwhile the congregation is at work rebuilding itself in its call to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and in its support of chosen mission causes.  NPC’s ruling elder commissioners continue to take part in Presbytery meetings.  The church is returning to its longstanding participation in PC(USA) offerings and stewardship commitments. 

Former Newton Presbyterian Church members who in January purposely disaffiliated themselves from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and who have chosen not to reaffirm their Presbyterian membership in the NPC have named themselves the “Newton Covenant Church,” an independent group which is not at this point part of any denomination.  The “NCC” claims to have taken ownership of the Newton Presbyterian Church’s building and other property as it left the PC(USA), a claim that is invalid under the trust clause of the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (G-4.0203 and G-4.0207).  The Presbytery is dealing with this serious issue as a legal matter.

As we wrote in January, the Administrative Commission is working to assist the Newton church in its discernment of its future, and will at the appropriate time be making recommendations to the Presbytery.  We ask for your continued prayers for the Newton Presbyterian Church in this Lenten season, and for the Newton Covenant Church as it tries to find its own way forward.

Administrative Commission for the Newton Presbyterian Church

Sharon Wright, chairperson, newtonac@presbyteryofboston.org

Samuel Chung

Catherine MacDonald

Mary Lou Smith

Alexander Wei 

To Our Brothers and Sisters in the Presbytery of Boston:

As you may have heard, the Administrative Commission for the Newton Presbyterian Church found it necessary on January 12, 2017, to respond to certain actions of the church’s Session by formally declaring that the congregation is in schism, with the Commission then assuming original jurisdiction of the Session. The Commission’s decisions to do so were made with deep regret for their necessity, but were arrived at prayerfully and in keeping with the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as it faithfully expresses our Presbyterian membership in this Reformed part of the Body of Christ.

The Administrative Commission is sending out this letter in order to provide accurate information about its decisions to our presbytery community. In addition, documents relating to its work will soon be made available on the Presbytery of Boston website; this material will be updated periodically as the Commission continues to serve in accordance with its charge from the Presbytery.

———

Background:
In September 2015 the Session requested that a Response Team from the Presbytery be sent to assist in the Newton Presbyterian Church’s consideration of its future (Presbytery of Boston Standing Rules E.14-15); that effort was to include studying the option of requesting that the Presbytery dismiss the church to another Reformed denomination. The Response Team worked with the church as it soon focused on various possibilities for dismissal, as well as on an option to enter into an agreement for joint congregational witness (Form of Government, G-5.05) with a church belonging to the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). It is important to note that both the Stated Clerk and the Response Team had informed the Session that the ECC is not a Reformed denomination to which the Presbytery can dismiss a member church from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) under G-5.05c. In Fall 2016, with the congregation sharply split rather than united, the Session voted to seek dismissal of the Newton church to the Evangelical Covenant Church denomination.

At its November 14, 2016, stated meeting, the Presbytery of Boston voted unanimously to approve this Administrative Commission to work with the Newton Session to resolve issues dividing the congregation as it sought to complete discernment of how God is calling them forward together.

Commission’s Charge:
(1) The Administrative Commission has the power to enter a time of discernment with the session and congregation and recommend next steps to the Presbytery.

(2) The Administrative Commission has the power to determine if there is a remnant and recommend how the two groups, the remnant and the schismatic group might move forward.

(3) The Administrative Commission has the authority to assume original jurisdiction over Newton Presbyterian Church. (Book of Order G-3.0303e)

(4) The Administrative Commission has the power to declare schism as well as declare which of the two groups is the true Newton Presbyterian Church. (See Book of Order G-4.0207, See also, Advisory Opinion on Schism from 2013)

(5) The Administrative Commission may recommend that the Presbytery dissolve the congregation, but does not have the power to actually dissolve it. That power is reserved for the Presbytery (Book of Order G-3.0109b)

(6) It has the power to participate in session meetings, including when the session goes into executive session.

(7) It has the power to meet with representatives of the Evangelical Covenant Church on behalf of the Presbytery.

(8) It has the power to interview any person involved in Newton Presbyterian Church from the past and from the present time.

(9) It has the power to work with legal representation if necessary retained by the Presbytery Council.

From the Commission:
On January 10, 2017, the Administrative Commission wrote to the members of the Newton congregation in response to published notice that a special meeting of the Corporation of the Newton church had been called for January 15, 2017, to vote on (1) withdrawing from the PC(USA), (2) affiliating with the ECC and (3) amending the Corporation’s bylaws to remove existing denominational references. The Commission reminded that under our Constitution the relationship to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) of a congregation can be severed only by constitutional action on the part of the presbytery (G-4.0207); that the Presbytery of Boston may not dismiss a church to the ECC; that a church’s corporation cannot and may not take the church into the ECC; and that a vote to edit the corporation’s bylaws would not remove a church from the PC(USA).

On January 13, 2017, the Administrative Commission wrote again concerning the Session’s intentional and irregular permission of the Newton corporation for the stated purpose of trying to disaffiliate the con- gregation from the PC(USA). “...Therefore, as you are permitting the meeting of the NPC Corporation in order that it might take steps which it and you have held out as disaffiliating from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Administrative Commission now finds it necessary to declare that the Newton Presbyterian Church is in schism (Form of Government, G-4.0207) and to assume original jurisdiction in accordance with G-3.0303e in the Form of Government. The Commission took these actions on January 12, 2017. ... We inform you of these actions of the Administrative Commission in hope that you will understand that they were taken out of our concern for the whole Newton Presbyterian Church, in fellowship with you in the spirit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and in response as Presbyterians to the ‘mission of God in Christ that gives shape and substance to the life and work of the Church’ (from the Constitution of the Pres- byterian Church (U.S.A.), Foundations of Presbyterian Polity, F-1.01).’”

January 15 meeting:
The Newton Corporation met following the worship service on January 15, moderated by the Corporation’s elected moderator. Following opportunity for church members to speak, there was a 107:26 vote in favor of a motion “That the Newton Presbyterian

Church withdraw from the PC(USA) effective immediately, commence the process to be accepted into the Evangelical Covenant Church, authorize the trustees to take the necessary steps to do so and use our property for our ongoing ministry.”

Situation today:
Under the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) a congregation cannot dismiss itself to another denomination. The vote taken on January 15 does not change this, despite insistence by the Newton trustees that it does. The Newton Presbyterian Church continues to be a member church of the Presbytery of Boston. The Administrative Commission continues to be working to assist the church in its work of discernment of its future, and will at the appro- priate time be making recommendations to the Presbytery.

Individual members of the Newton church continue to have the freedom to change their own church membership; the Administrative Commission will provide letters of transfer to other Presbyterian church- es or to churches in other denominations, including in the ECC. Those church members previously or- dained as deacons and elders in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) continue to be set apart for those min- istries when elected to active service by their congregation; the Newton elders who were serving on the Session on January 12 continue to meet as they wish, but they are not empowered to act as the Session at this time. The officers and staff of the Newton church continue to provide for services of worship there; the Administrative Commission with the Committee on Ministry will help provide for the administration of the Sacraments.

The Presbytery of Boston through this Administrative Commission is addressing the matter of the invalid vote of the NPC Corporation to withdraw the church from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and to take ownership of church property. The Presbytery and its member churches are governed by and function under the provisions of the Form of Government in the PC(USA) Constitution, which states: