Highland Park Presbyterian Church withholds financial support in protest of the possible ordination of homosexuals

by Kaitlin Parker

God bless ye merry, (straight) gentlemen

Changes made last summer within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have left some churches believing that the General Assembly has given the go-ahead to the ordination of those who are actively homosexual--and some of the conservative congregations are not happy about it:

The churches are beginning to protest, with Highland Park Presbyterian suspending payments that support the denomination.

So far, the 4,300-member congregation – one of the largest in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) – has held back about $33,000.

"We're trying to make a statement," said the Rev. Ron Scates, senior pastor.

"We hate to play that card, but it's the only one we have left in the deck."

The Highland Park Presbyterian Church offers a further explanation of their response to the PCUSA General Assembly 2006 on their website under the title, "A Commitment to Biblical Truth."

HPPC's website also includes a picture with the caption "Worship at HPPC includes everyone!" When you click on the picture, the link appears to be broken.