“In order to uphold our ordination vows, before God, our Father, the Lord Jesus, our Savior, and the Holy Spirit, who guides us into all truth, and to adhere to the Holy Scripture with utmost honesty and integrity and therefore obey God over the ungodly whims of hierarchal human manipulations, this new presbytery is being constituted on this day, Monday, 19 August, in the year of our Lord Christ Jesus 2024.”
On August 19, 2024, five ministers in good standing of Second Presbytery, Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, gathered in Greenwood, SC, along with elder representatives from three former ARP churches to constitute Veritas Presbytery, an independent unaffiliated presbytery. These founding ministers, Tony Locke, John Paul Marr, Peter Waid, Mark Wright, and Seth Yi, took a page out of the ARP Church history books in following the pattern of the Associate Presbytery of Scotland which was organized at Gairney Bridge, near Kinross, on Dec. 6, 1733. Ebenezer Erskine, James Fisher, William Wilson, and Alexander Moncreiff seceded from the Church of Scotland and therefore were sometimes called “Seceders.”
The roots of Veritas Presbytery stem from a properly called Second Presbytery meeting on August 13, 2024, in Due West, SC. The stated purpose of the meeting as notified by the Stated Clerk, David Griffin, was to “provide for open response and any actions related to the dissolution of Second Presbytery for congregations and ministers.” During that meeting, the following motion was approved (25 Yes, 19 No) by Second Presbytery, “That Second Presbytery grant dismissal or transfer to any minister or congregation who requests so in writing to the Stated Clerk of Second Presbytery prior to September 1, per FoG 9.65 and 10.3.E, K.” (Minutes pg. 1) This motion enabled congregations to be dismissed from Second Presbytery and ministers to be transferred into their respective Presbyteries with the authority of Second Presbytery.
On August 18, 2024, the Newberry, Troy, and Unity congregations at their properly called congregational meeting voted to be dismissed from Second Presbytery. From the three congregations, there was only one dissenting vote, and five abstentions. That evening, an email was sent by the respective clerks of session to Mr. Griffin notifying him of their congregation’s vote to be dismissed. The next day, a hardcopy letter of the same notice was delivered to Mr. Griffin.
Prior to the constitutional assembly on August 19, all five of the founding ministers had secured a letter of good standing from Mr. Griffin. A service of worship was conducted in which hymns were sung, Scripture read, as well as the Westminster Confession of Faith 20.1-4, prayers offered, and a sermon preached on 1 Peter 5:1-4. Several items of business related to the constitution of Veritas Presbytery were accompanied. The following declaration was proclaimed:
“In order to uphold our ordination vows, before God, our Father, the Lord Jesus, our Savior, and the Holy Spirit, who guides us into all truth, and to adhere to the Holy Scripture with utmost honesty and integrity and therefore obey God over the ungodly whims of hierarchal human manipulations, this new presbytery is being constituted on this day, Monday, 19 August, in the year of our Lord Christ Jesus 2024.”
Included in the business was the reception of the Newberry, Unity, and Troy congregations into Veritas Presbytery. Elders from these congregations presented their transfer paperwork in accordance with the actions they took at their congregational meetings.
That afternoon, August 19, the newly elected Moderator, John Paul Marr, notified Mr. Griffin in writing of the five ministers’ transfer and reception into Veritas Presbytery via email and a certified letter. However, Mr. Griffin replied in an email of his unwillingness to remove these transferred ministers from the roll of Second Presbytery. He concluded by stating, “If you are not properly transferred to another ecclesiastical body by September 1, you will no longer be considered ordained.”
Similarly, Mr. Griffin sent the following email to the clerks of session of the newly received congregations. [email]
“I am writing to let you know that I received your communication regarding your congregation’s vote to leave Second Presbytery and the Associate Reformed Presbyterian denomination. However, be advised that a Complaint has been filed against Second Presbytery’s actions, accusing Second Presbytery of violating the Standards of the ARP Church. As such, I would advise you to refrain from any legal action until such time that the appropriate church court can act upon this Complaint. There may be legal ramifications given the constitutionality of your actions, based not on the action of Second Presbytery, but instead on the Standards of the ARP Church. As such, I cannot remove your congregation from the roll until such time that this matter is adjudicated.”
There has been no additional communication from Mr. Griffin or anyone else from General Synod regarding the Complaint (see Minutes above) that was filed against Second Presbytery which was dissolved on September 1.
Since its constitution, Veritas Presbytery has met on two other occasions. At those meetings, two more ministers in good standing from Second Presbytery, Jonathan Cook and Stacey Cox, were received into membership. Other ministers and elders have attended as guests where they have been allowed to ask questions about Veritas Presbytery.
Since September 1, Catawba Presbytery of the ARP Church has unilaterally assumed the role of Second Presbytery in presuming authority over the ministers and congregations of Veritas Presbytery. The State Clerk of Catawba Presbytery, Benjamin Glaser, has circulated the following email and letter to an unknown number of stated clerks of Presbyteries in SC:
Good Morning,
Pray y’all are doing well. This email serves as official correspondence from Catawba Presbytery of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church to let you know that the following men in the attached letter have demitted office and are no longer to be considered ordained ministers in Christ’s church. Likewise it is the position of Catawba Presbytery and the ARPC that the congregations recognizing themselves as the “Veritas Presbytery” are in fact member churches of Catawba Presbytery and should be treated as such.
If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.
Blessings in Christ,
Rev. Benjamin Glaser Pastor, Bethany ARP Church Stated Clerk, Catawba Presbytery
[Attached letter]
September 3, 2024
To Whom It May Concern:
Greetings in the name of our common Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This letter is to inform our NAPARC brothers that the following men have demitted their office due to their failure to transfer their credentials by the September 1st date allotted through actions of the 220th ARP General Synod in June of 2024 and are no longer to be considered ordained ministers in Christ’s Church.
Jonathan Cook, Eldredge Kelley, Peter Waid, Craig Weiberdink, Mark Wright, Seth (Soku) Yi
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at you leisure.
Blessings in Christ,
Rev. Benjamin Glaser Pastor, Stated Clerk of Catawba Presbytery
John Barron, Moderator of Catawba Presbytery
Furthermore, Mr. Glaser mailed the following letter to the sessions of Veritas Presbytery congregations.
Good Morning,
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the pure hope of His gospel grace we greet you in the beauty of His love. Catawba Presbytery in its dedication to serve our common Savior welcomes you to the fellowship which has only been broadened in blessing to now encapsulate all of the State of South Carolina. As we seek to find ways to grow in mutual beneficence I wanted to send this letter as a word of welcome and provide you with contact information if you have need or have any particular questions when it comes to our new bond.
As part of this witness it is our duty to inform you that it is the position of Catawba Presbytery that your pulpit is considered vacant due to the failure of your pastor to follow the proper transfer procedures as provided for in submission to our Form of Government (FOG 9.62A-B, 10.3A, 10.3S). Because he has failed to maintain his ministerial credentials in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church or a recognized denomination it is our understanding that he is now not an ordained minister and therefore unable to fulfill the requirements of his duties, including overseeing the sacraments. While we understand that your congregation voted to join another group, and while we have no desire to hold anyone captive, we must strive to follow the spirit of 1 Corinthians 14:40 and do all things decently and in order in the keeping of the vows we took as officers in Christ’s Church.
We look forward to working with you in order to name an interim moderator and be of help in this time of transition.
Blessings in Christ,
Rev. Benjamin Glaser, Stated Clerk of Catawba Presbytery
John Barron, Moderator of Catawba Presbytery
Despite the proper steps that these congregations and ministers have taken in accordance with the will of Second Presbytery (at the time of action) and the ARP FoG, the Stated Clerk and Moderator of Catawba Presbytery are refusing to accept these actions and allow these congregations to live in peace. These officers are using their office to “hold captive” these congregations who were dismissed from Second Presbytery and the ARP Church. What sort of brotherly love and charity is this overreach of presumed authority? To what lengths will these men go to keep harassing these Veritas congregations? Are these men acting any differently than the PCUSA, UMC, or the Episcopal Church in trying to rule over these congregations? How is this advancing the work of Christ’s Church?
Veritas Presbytery along with her member congregations are moving forward. They desire nothing more than to focus their time, energy, and resources to advance the Kingdom of Christ. Those who are interested in learning more about Veritas Presbytery can visit https://veritaspresbytery.com or email [email protected] to communicate with our moderator.
Seth Yi is a Minister in Veritas Presbytery and is Paster of Newberry Reformed Presbyterian Church in Newberry, SC.