47 or 100 congregations seeking membership in ECO UPDATED

47 congregations seeking membership in ECO

Ed: Now Layman Online has this story with the 47 number

Also found a new quote from First Presbyterian Church Pastor David Freehling: "Freehling predicted, within a year, at least 100 churches would belong to ECO and the new denomination would continue to grow."

FPC greenville, SC session votes to dismiss.

Greenville Online Story: First Presbyterian Church moves to leave denomination (ED: locked out by pay-wall)

• First Presbyterian Church of Greenville, SC
• 3,400-member
• ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians
• congregation will vote on the issue May 20
• Foothills Presbytery
• Session of Fountain Inn Presbyterian - 346 members also has voted to leave
• Presbytery voted down 10A: 95-64

2 Mississippi Presbyterian churches vote to leave - UPDATED

Sun Herald Story: Presbyterian churches will vote on changing affiliations

Sun Herald Story: Churches vote to change affiliation

• First Presbyterian Church of Ocean Springs - 560 members (240-3-4)
• First Presbyterian Church of Pascagoula - 337 Members (188-16-2)
• Voted Sunday April 29th on whether to disaffiliate
• Evangelical Presbyterian Church
• FPC Ocean Springs reconsidering its relationship with the PCUSA for about 10 years
• Presbytery of Mississippi will vote May 17
• at least two others in the state that will be voted on that day.

Cañon City, Co First Presbyterian Church splits from national church

Canon City Daily Record Story: Cañon City First Presbyterian Church splits from national church

• First Presbyterian Church, Canon City, CO
• 98 percent vote
• 206 Members in 2010
• Pueblo Presbytery
• The mainstream Presbyterian Church will continue to support the local church for three to five years.
• In exchange, the members will be able to keep the property without problems of ownership and trust clauses.
• Freehling said that constitutional changes by the national church have created a complete paradigm shift from the traditional values of Presbyterian government and are in direct conflict with scripture.
• Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians.
• "By June 16, this congregation will be a formal member of the new denomination, along with First Presbyterian of Colorado Springs, and perhaps eight other churches in Southern Colorado."
• Freehling predicted, within a year, at least 100 churches would belong to ECO and the new denomination would continue to grow.

Presbytery of Olympia votes to dismiss four congregations

Tacoma, WA News Tribune story: Presbytery votes to dismiss four congregations

Presbytery dismisses four churches in gay spat

Presbytery of Olympia (49 Churches -> 45)

• Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church in Gig Harbor - 1,660 members 1,440 in worship (biggest)
• First Presbyterian Church of Tacoma - 460 members
• Sumner Presbyterian Church - 365-members to ECO
• Evergreen Presbyterian Church in Graham - 88-members
• Presbytery voted near unanimously in a half an hour.

Two churches reach dismissal settlement with Beaver-Butler

Layman Online Story: Two churches reach dismissal settlement with Beaver-Butler

• Beaver-Butler Presbytery
  • Since 2008, Beaver-Butler has shrunk from 87 to 83 congregations
  • at least six other churches are contemplating a departure,
• Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian Church
  • 157-member
  • $58,500 payment (10% property value)
  • Aliquippa
  • Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC)
• Four Mile Presbyterian Church
  • 561 member
  • $74,100 payment (10% property value)
  • Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC)/ECO: a Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians?
  • Beaver
• Highland Presbyterian Church
  • Slippery Rock
  • requested a meeting with a Presbytery Resolution Team
• Portersville Presbyterian Church
  • 2008 Dismiss to the EPC
  • $42,300
  • 176-member
  • vote of 115-3.
• First Presbyterian Church
  • Beaver
  • dismised In February 2010
  • $133,700
• Chippewa United Presbyterian Church of Beaver Falls
  • dismised in 2010
  • EPC

1st Pres Colorado Springs votes to leave.

• KRDO Story: First Presbyterian Congregation Votes To Leave Denomination
• Colorado Springs Gazette Story: First Presbyterian votes to bolt denomination
• Christian Post Story: Largest Presbyterian Church in Colorado Votes to Leave PCUSA
• 1689 - 80 (95.5%)
• Pueblo Presbytery, votes June 16
• Payments for five years, as much as $700,000.

(Ed Note:) Many of the stories quote "1,769 voted out of the 4,000 members.". The last official PCUSA listing of 2009 shows 4,108 members with attendance of 2,486 and contributions of $6,846,660. The church failed to submit for 2010. If you use the more accurate worship number, 71% voted instead of the quoted 43%. We all know that churches are slow and reluctant to remove members from the roles.

Pittsburgh Presbytery planning to reorganize

Pittsburgh Presbytery planning to reorganize

• Pittsburgh Presbytery
• reorganization that would divide its 145 congregations into four geographical branches
• "With 300 leaders at meetings, "we have congregations and pastors who live in isolation from one another."
• 37,000 members in Allegheny County
• the 3rd largest regional governing body in PC(USA)
• 250,000 of principal from its endowment each year to balance their budget
• $2.8 million budget.
• 50 congregations either can't or won't pay their "per capita"
• Ten of those are withholding money in protest of denominational policies
• Last year the presbytery voted to stop forwarding roughly $30,000 per year to the national church on behalf of the congregations that didn't pay.
• last month the denomination's highest court ruled that the decision violated the constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
• The reorganization plan would cut the presbytery staff from 16 to 11, assigning one staff member to each of the four branches.
• The fact that only a third of congregations now participate in presbytery meetings is due "to decisions that have come out that angered various people who have become disillusioned with the presbytery system as a whole,

Colorado Springs church to vote on whether to leave

The Republic Story: Colorado Springs church to vote on whether to leave Presbyterian Church (USA.)

• First Presbyterian Church in downtown Colorado Springs
• officially vote Sunday April 22 to join ECO
• The church's leaders voted in January to leave
• informal vote in March, the general church membership supported efforts to leave the denomination.
• nearly 4,000 members
• one-third of church members must vote, and 80 percent must favor the split.
• the Pueblo Presbytery, likely in June

PLC files amicus brief in Timberridge dispute

The Layman Online Story: PLC files amicus brief in Timberridge dispute

ECO - A rose by any other name...

ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians New Presbyterian denomination has new name

• OLD: Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians, (ECO)
• NEW: ECO: a Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians
• Webpage
• Effective April 9
• Name collision with Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC)
  • over 800 churches
  • Founded in 1885 by Swedish immigrants
  • Evangelical, but not exclusive
  • Biblical, but not doctrinaire
  • Traditional, but not rigid
  • Congregational, but not independent
  • 

Disaffected churches continue to wait for presbytery dismissal decisions.

The Layman Online Story: Disaffected churches continue to wait for presbytery dismissal decisions.

• First Presbyterian Church (94), Mora, Minn. vs The Presbytery of Northern Waters
• Christ Presbyterian Church of Springfield, Mass.(90) vs the Presbytery of Southern New England
• Presbyterian Church of Old Greenwich (Conn.) (79) vs the Presbytery of Southern New England

The Presbytery of Santa Barbara is leaving the building!

From the GA Junkie Blog: PC(USA) Santa Barbara Presbytery lays the groundwork for a Union Presbytery with ECO

• Presbytery of Santa Barbara
• Letter (PDF)
• web site

Thanks to Layman Online for the link to GA Junkie. I just wish your title was more informative.

Westminster PC in Florence SC ditching PCUSA

SC Now Story: Westminster Presbyterian ditching PCUSA

• Westminster Presbyterian Church
• Church unanimous voted to leave and join the EPC
• New Harmony Presbytery approved
• Florence, SC
• Organized on Dec. 14, 1947
• 2301 Second Loop Road
• 38 Members