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Greater New York Conference - April 13, Update

Conference President

rejects request from member
that will allow him to attend his church

You can help - With your prayers

The power of united prayers

On April 10^th we announced that a member who has been complaining to the conference about no business meeting for over 30 months and no elections for almost four years was blocked from entering his church and the police were called to arrest him if he tried to attend the worship service. He left without attending the worship service.
We have learned that the church board recently voted to do this and the pastor filed a complaint with the police department against this member.

“The church board may recommend to the church in a business meeting that removal of a member from church membership, but under no circumstances does a church board have the right to take final action. . .”

Church Manual, page 197 (17^th edition)

"Removing an individual from membership in the church, the body of Christ, is always a serious matter; it is the ultimate in the discipline that the church can administer; it is the extreme measure that can be meted out by the church. Only after the instruction given in this chapter has been followed, and after all possible efforts have been made to win and restore him/her to right paths should this kind of discipline be used. It would be advisable to secure counsel from the pastor of the church or, if he is not available, from the conference/mission/field president before any action is taken by the church, when such a step is contemplated.”

Church Manual, page 194 (17^th edition)

Threatening to arrest a member who enters church property has the same affect as “removing an individual from membership in the church” because preventing the member from entering the church building upon threat of arrest in effect disfellowships that member. They have done this without a business meeting.

The text describes the “ultimate in the discipline that the church can administer” - But this church board has gone beyond that level of discipline and seeks to put a member in regular standing in jail and deprive him of his freedom. They seem to be disciplining their member in ways that are pleasing to Satan and not pleasing to God.

The church board is NOT following the church manual in dealing with this member.

The state laws concerning trespassing gives the right to bar and arrest trespassers to the owner of the property, the Greater New York Conference owns the building not the church board. Therefore, the Conference President is in the position to give permission to this member to be on the property and the police will ignore the church board request.

This seems to be the simple solution, however, on April 12th the President of the Greater New York Conference rejected a request from the member for permission to be on the church property of which he is a member. (Read Appeal to Union)

Church Manual, page 197 (17^th edition)

· "It is a fundamental principle of justice that every member has the right to be heard in his/her own defense and to introduce evidence and produce witnesses. No church should vote to remove a member from church membership under circumstances that deprive an individual of this right. . .”

The church board did not allow the member to present a defense, in fact the church board acted without the approval of the congregation. The church board still has not even informed the member of their decision. They just called the police when he tried to attend the worship service on April 9th.

The President of the Greater New York Conference has not commented on these actions by the pastor and the church board, but he has rejected the member's request for permission to attend his church activities.

Please pray for this situation which gets worse every week

The working policy says this is "a matter of general denominational concern"
- so it is proper for any concerned Seventh-day Adventist to express their concern

If you are impressed by the Holy Spirit to do something

We suggest you ask

G. Earl Knight, President of Greater New York Conference
to render a written decision to the member
not granting or NOT granting him permission to attend his church.

so that it can be appealed to
Don King, the President of Atlantic Union Conference

Here are the e-mail addresses for

Don King [email protected]

G. Earl Knight [email protected]

Please send a copy to [email protected]
and we will keep you informed of developments.

Related pages: Update: Nov. 17, 2011 Grievance Committee hears 22 issues Update: April 10 Member barred from church, police called Update: April 2 Pastor Defies Local Conference decision Update: Feb. 22 Meeting at Conference Office - Pastor agrees to resolution Feb. 9 When did GNYC ask Pastor to call meeting and elections Appeal to Union Conference April 19 Appeal to President of Atlantic Union Conference North American Division - Decision by President, Dan Jackson - Dec. 28th - Revised decision by Dan Jackson - Jan .26 Working Policy L-60 Section 10






	Please pray that The Holy Spirt will convict the church leaders that action is needed. There is power in united prayer

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Additional links on this topic:

Grievance Committee meeting - Nov. 17, 2011

diggingfortruth.org