Laurence Windham’s Fund-Raising Letter

On March 2, 2006, deposed minister Laurence Windham emailed this fund-raising letter to a number of friends and supporters. Please notice that he requested that donors send him money via Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church, which was a member of the CREC.

Dear Friends,

As you may have heard, the elders of St Peter Presbyterian Church have been deposed from the ministry, without censure, by our former denomination. This action was done without a trial, called witnesses, cross-examination, or opportunity for a defense. The result has plunged our beloved sacred community into the quagmire of congregationalism. The elders have been maligned and slandered incessantly by the cowardly in the lawless realm of the internet. The ensuing gossip and fallacious commentary, even by some misguided good people, have added to the confusion.

We hold out hope that we will soon be exonerated by godly men in another denomination. Even now, plans are going forward that will bring our plight before the entire Reformed world for evaluation. This will be most welcome by the entire deposed session of St Peter. In this interim, I am appealing to you for financial support for my family. The situation has left the church, the session and the Highlands Study Center’s viability in question. Each of us who labor in this part of the kingdom is hopeful that things will be back to normal in a few months.

But in the short term, in the spirit of Antioch helping out Jerusalem, any support you could send this way would help us give our attention to rebuilding the walls and preparing ourselves for the regathering of the sheep.

Send all contributions for the Windham family to:

Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church
P.O. Box 30315
Knoxville, TN 37930

Thanks for your timely consideration,

Laurence

Highlands Study Center website, dated February 7, 2006

On February 7, 2006, the deposed elders of Saint Peter Church removed the previous note from the Highlands Study Center website and uploaded this one in its stead. One day later, on February 8, 2006, they removed this note.

Dear Friends,

The Westminster Presbytery of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, General Assembly has found the session of Saint Peter Church to be guilty of what they saw as grave sin against the church. Our brothers there were concerned about the elders’ failures in pastoral care. They were likewise concerned that our practice of admitting young children to the Lord’s Table, if they had made what we deemed to be a credible verbal profession of faith was against their standards, and the Westminster Larger Catechism. The session has repented to the presbytery for our pastoral failures, and repented for violating the standards of the presbytery as it applies to the Lord’s Supper. The presbytery has in turn, with great grace and kindness, deposed us from our offices in the denomination without censure, and has released us from their jurisdiction. We are grateful to have these issues resolved, and are thankful for those of you who endeavored to both reserve judgment, and who prayed so faithfully. If you have any questions, please email lnawindham@aol.com.

The Highlands Study Center

Highlands Study Center website, dated February 4, 2006

The deposed elders from Saint Peter Church uploaded this note to the Highlands Study Center website on February 4, 2006, and kept it there until February 7, 2006, when they replaced it with another message.

Dear Friends,

As many of you have read, Dr. Sproul Jr., along with the entire session of Saint Peter Presbyterian Church, has heard from the moderator of the Westminster Presbytery of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, General Assembly, that they have been deposed from their offices as elders in the church. This action was taken without a trial, indeed without even a conversation. We disagree with the action taken, and are considering our options as to how to respond. What we will not do is take shots against our accusers over the internet, and would encourage you not to do so, either. Please be patient, and please pray for the peace and purity of the church.

The Highlands Study Center

CRE Minutes

Providence Church:
Covenant Reformed Church — Knoxville, TN
Motion to receive Covenant Reformed Church as a fraternal delegation into the CRE (Hurt, Hatcher)
Mr. Hurt gave an overview of Covenant Reformed Church and his relationship with them. R.C. Sproul’s church will provide pastoral oversight

• Mr. Strawbridge asked for clarification on the relationship with the PCA. Mr. Queener took the floor to give an explanation. Mr. Queener took the opportunity to give a brief overview of Covenant Reformed Church and her relationship to other churches in the area.
• Mr. Shade asked for clarification on the status of the ordination of the leadership.

The motion passed unanimously. (MINUTES, Sixth Annual CRE Presbytery, Bellevue, WA — 8:00 AM — 5:00 PM, Friday, October 18, 2002)