Church in Harrisville changes denomination
HARRISVILLE — The congregation of the Harmony United Presbyterian Church was at a crossroads.
The Presbyterian Church of the United States, the governing body of the denomination, had adopted new stances many in the congregation did not feel aligned with their beliefs.
For the congregants of the Harrisville church, it was time for a change.
“We found ourselves out of accord of the theological and ethical position taken by the Presbytery,” said the Rev. Jeffrey Jones, pastor of the church.
The church became the Harmony Evangelical Presbyterian Church last year after two years of careful deliberation by the elders of the church.
“The Evangelical Presbyterian Church most closely aligned with what the congregation has been and continues to be,” said John Elmer, a 30-year church member and elder, who was involved in the search for a new denomination.
The red brick church has been a fixture in the tiny town for nearly 200 years. The building was moved to the present spot at 234 N. Main Street since 1920.
Jones is quick to add the change in the name doesn't mean the church's message will change, noting the “people in the pews” would not notice a difference.
“Our name has changed, but our beliefs and convictions did not change,” said Rebecca Miller, who has attended the church for nearly 40 years and serves as its secretary.
The search for a new denomination began in the summer of 2013 when church members and the pastor began to “look at various issues with our (now-former) denomination,” Jones said.
Elmer said there were three areas in which the beliefs of the Harrisville congregation did not dovetail with the Presbyterian Church USA, known as the PCUSA, including the authority of the Scripture and its views on the sanctity of marriage and of life.
The PCUSA is the largest Presbyterian organization in the United States with more than 1.6 million members. The organization, which has a progressive view of the Scriptures, has voted in recent years to allow the ordination of openly gay people to the ministry and has redefined marriage as a union between two people as opposed to one between a man and a woman.
After much discussion and many meetings, the Harrisville congregation took a straw poll in 2013 and most members had the desire to part ways with the PCUSA, according to Jones.“It was a journey of faith,” Jones said, comparing it to the journey of Abraham in the Bible. “We didn't know exactly where God was going to lead us.”The church elders explored several denominations, examining their teachings, statements of faith and “what was important to them,” said Gene McCandless, an elder involved in selecting a new denomination.He said the elders were in “constant communication” with the church's 101 members through each phase of the process.After much discussion and prayer, elders decided the Evangelical Presbyterian Church would be the right “spiritual home” for the congregation. The congregation voted to leave the PCUSA in 2014, a decision that had to be approved by that organization, and became members of the EPC a year later.The Evangelical Presbyterian Church was formed in 1981 and has a more traditional view of the authority of the Scripture, Jones said. It comprises more than 500 churches and nearly 150,000 members.The EPC believes that the Bible “contains eternal truths” that speak to members' lives, doctrine and mission, according to EPC.org“We didn't do it hastily. It was not without a lot of thought, a lot of prayer, a lot of communication with the Presbytery and ourselves. It went well, it was not contentious at all,” Elmer said. “I think we understood each other's perspectives.”Jones said the only thing left is to get a new sign for the church.“We are excited about our new denominational affiliation,” he said. “We look forward to a new chapter in the history of our church and to serving God and Harrisville.”
