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The WorldPeace Sign
John WorldPeace
March 6, 2003
Barbara Renton
Chair of General Assembly
Re: The illegal actions of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A.
Specifically the Presbytery of New Covenant at Heights Presbyterian Church
WorldPeace would show that the entire Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. is corrupt as evidenced by the actions of the Presbytery of New Covenant in Southeast Texas. The Presbytery of New Covenant has no intention whatsoever of abiding by the Book of Order which elder Art Greer, a member of the Presbytery of New Covenant, has stated is the Bible of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A.
When there is no law in any society, there is chaos, anarchy, survival of the fittest, dictatorship and there is certainly disharmony.
On December 5, 2002, a complaint went up to Presbytery of New Covenant from myself (an ex-member of Heights Presbyterian Church according to Joe Delgatto, as opposed to an active member due to the fact that Joe has manipulated the church records to delete the fact that I am a member) and Joyce Wolter, my mother, and Irma Jenke both of whom are session members as an official request to Presbytery to require Joe to hold a special session meeting regarding activating my membership in Heights Presbyterian Church. Joe has refused to call that session meeting.
Joe Delgatto has refused to allow me to reactivate my membership at Heights Presbyterian Church. Per the Book of Order Rule G-5.0103 it states, no person shall be denied membership because of race, ethnic origin, worldly condition, or any other reason not related to the profession of faith. Each member must seek the grace of openness in extending the fellowship of Christ to all persons. Failure to do so constitutes the rejection of Christ himself and causes a scandal to the gospel.
Not only has Joe, the minister of Heights Presbyterian Church, refused to allow me to reactivate my membership based upon the fact that I have undeniably been a member of the church in the past and was baptized at Heights Presbyterian Church and the fact that my family has been members of the church for over 60 years, Joe still refuses to allow me to become an active member.
A complaint regarding Joe’s blocking my membership was sent up to Presbytery of New Covenant over 90 days ago and there has been no action on that request. Consequently, this matter must now go up to the Synod per the Book of Order Rule D-3.0103. We have requested that the higher body take up this issue at this time.
Rule D-3.0103 states, when a lower governing body fails to act in a particular remedial or disciplinary case for a period of 90 days after the filing of a complaint in a remedial case or charges in a disciplinary case, the higher governing body on a request of any party may assume the jurisdiction in the case.
It is unfortunate that Dr. Renton (Chair, General Assembly) and her apathetic stance and inactivity has allowed Joe and the Presbytery of New Covenant to deliberately and intentionally and maliciously, and as an abomination to the gospel of Jesus Christ, shut down the membership of the church. There can be no act more contrary to the mandate of each of these governing bodies than to shut down the membership of any church or deny membership to any Christian who has professed a faith in Christ and asked to be a member. These kinds of acts show the pettiness of the church bureaucrats and they show that the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. is infected with the same arrogance as is the Catholic Church in regards to their pedophile priests. However, even the Catholic Church does not deny people membership into the body of Christ.
I would submit that there has been a total failure of leadership at the top of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. This lack of leadership on this fundamental issue of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. is truly tragic and an undeniable rejection of Christ.
Further, the Presbytery of New Covenant’s stated clerk, Lynn Johnson, came to Heights Presbyterian Church in January 2003 and stated that per the Book of Order Rule G-9.0503 (which states, the functions ordinarily entrusted to an administrative commission are: 4) to visit particular churches, governing bodies, or other organizations of the church reported to be affected with disorder, and to inquire into and settle the difficulties therein, except that no commission shall have the power to dissolve a pastoral relationship unless such power has been specifically delegated to it by the appointing body) that an administrative commission was taking over the session.
There is nothing in the Book of Order under chapter nine authorizing the Presbytery to take over the session of Heights Presbytery Church. Lynn Johnson has breached his fiduciary relationship with the Presbyterian Church by deliberately, intentionally, and maliciously lying to the congregation of Heights Presbyterian Church regarding the authority of the Presbytery of New Covenant to take over the session.
About one week later, in the 280st District Court, Harris County, Texas, Reagan M. Brown, the attorney-representing Presbytery of New Covenant, stated that the session had been taken over by the administrative commission of the Presbytery of New Covenant based upon Rule G-11.0103(s).
That rule states, The Presbytery is responsible for the mission in government of the Church throughout its geographical district. It therefore, has the responsibility and power: (s) to assume original jurisdiction in any case in which it determines that a session cannot exercise its authority. Whenever, after a thorough investigation, and after full opportunity to be heard has been accorded to the session in question, the presbytery of jurisdiction shall determine that the session of a particular church is unable or unwilling to manage wisely the affairs of its church, the presbytery may appoint an administrative commission (G-9.0503) with the full power of a session. This commission shall assume original jurisdiction of the existing session, if any, which shall cease to act until such time as the presbytery shall otherwise direct.
The reality is that there has been no investigation. The preliminary steps required by the Book of Order have not been adhered to and yet the administrative commission still, in its arrogance, and with the support of Dr. Renton, continues to violate the Book of Order. There has been no mandate from the Presbytery of New Covenant as to what the authority and mission of the administrative commission shall be. None of the nine members of the administrative commission have made any attempt whatsoever during the one month that they have been involved with Heights Presbyterian Church to even make the slightest or weakest explanation regarding their authority to be there.
One of the members of the administrative commission is an attorney named Roy Keezel. He is a licensed attorney in the state of Texas. Mr. Keezel knows full well that there is a court order enjoining any discussion of the Independence Heights Project at Heights Presbyterian Church until such time as Joe Delgatto’s deposition is taken. Mr. Keezel has admitted in the administrative commission’s First Interim Report, which he delivered for Rev. Douglas Harper, that the administrative commission did in fact discuss the Independence Heights Project. Little else has been talked about by the administrative commission but the Independence Heights Project. This is the corrupt HUD project which Joe attempted to obligate the church to without authority from the session, the Presbytery or the congregation.
The attorney for Presbytery as well as Roy Keezel know that there is a temporary injunction enjoining all discussions of this project without WorldPeace’s presence and yet the Presbytery has come in and tried to cram this project down the throats of the congregation and has done it illegally. Not only are the Presbytery and the administrative commission and the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. not abiding by their own Book of Order, they have also frequently violated the order of a civil district court.
There can be no question but that the Presbytery and the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. give only lip service to the Book of Order which is a meaningless document to them because it is selectively quoted and used by the Presbytery to accomplish whatever goals they are trying to accomplish at any particular moment.
The bottom line of the alleged Presbytery take over of Heights Presbyterian Church has been that Joe Delgatto and his committees which were formed by him without authority of the session, which has allegedly been suspended by Presbytery, has made Joe a dictator of the church. Since there is no session, Joe now does whatever he pleases. He preaches with a large grin on his face as he feels that he has out maneuvered 60% of this congregation.
There is no question but that by his own sworn testimony in open court that he as minister signed off on the Independence Heights Project; a $4.7 million HUD project without authority from the session, Presbytery, or from the congregation. Only a trustee can sign off on a project like this per the Book of Order. Joe is not a trustee.
Yet the administrative commission of Presbytery of New Covenant in their First Interim Report have not even spoken to the issue that the real problem at Heights Presbyterian Church is that the minister, who is deemed a representative of Jesus Christ, has deliberately, intentionally, and maliciously lied to the congregation for two years about the Independence Heights project.
The real problem is over the heads of Presbytery or they are intentionally apathy to it. The problem at Heights Presbyterian Church is not the Independence Heights Project, it is not really the fact that through Delgatto’s administration over the last five years that the budget is each year more than $100,000 than is being brought in through contributions. In fact, Joe’s salary is greater than the contributions that come in. All of these things are problematical.
However, the core problem is that Joe Delgatto is an undeniable, through his own sworn testimony in court, a liar. How can anyone who is a liar, who has made absolutely no efforts to justify any lies that he has told, be allowed to continue on as minister of any church?
There is also no question but that Joe Delgatto has split the congregation almost exactly in half. He has failed to minister to the one half. He has his small cadre of individuals to whom he ministers and discusses the church. There is a majority of the congregation which he does not even acknowledge. This is the problem at Heights Presbyterian Church.
Yet, we do not have a mandate as to what exactly the administrative commission is supposed to accomplish at Heights Presbyterian Church. It appears that the administrative commission is putting on a dog and pony show which is designed for only one purpose and that is to back the minister. One can hardly deny that Presbytery is little more than a preacher’s union designed to back the preacher no matter what.
All of this is a rejection of Christ. It is a scandal on the gospel and it is an abomination to every Christian church in the world and it is an affront to God.
Dr. Renton seems to want to deny any responsibility and wants to deny any involvement in this and I am consequently required to bring this to the attention of all of the Presbyteries, Synods, and governing bodies of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. I am doing this through direct emails to these officers and through posting these matters on the internet.
It is time that the Presbyterian church lives up to its mandate to spread the gospel of Jesus and to reject its primary mandate at this point in time to preserve the bureaucracies of the church by supporting the corrupt and lying ministers who hide their evil acts under their titles as ministers of the gospel of Jesus in the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A.
It is time for Dr. Renton to purge the Presbyterian Church of its rogue ministers who are an affront to the gospel or it is time for her to vacate her position as chair of the General Assembly.
In Jesus’ name,
WorldPeace
cc:
All Presbyteries in the United States and all Senates in the United States have been notified either directly or through the internet at www.johnworldpeace.com/heightspc.html
Presbytery of New Covenant
Synod of the Sun
How can we manifest peace on earth if we do not include everyone (all races, all nations, all religions, both sexes) in our vision of Peace?
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