Moderator Ufford-Chase Leads Group Intruding on Worship Service (PCUSA Intimidates Congregation)

With tempers flaring and many congregants bursting into tears, a contingent led by Rick Ufford-Chase, the moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA), tried unsuccessfully to take over the June 26 worship service being conducted by the majority of First Presbyterian Church in Torrance, Calif.

The service verged on pandemonium as Ufford-Chase and his allies milled around the chancel area, some of them talking loudly during prayers and hymn-singing and one, on at least two occasions, trying to forcibly grab the microphone, which was broken during one attempt. Church officials filed a police report, accusing the intruders of vandalism.

Three security guards hired by the majority stood near the pulpit to maintain peace, but they did not handle anyone roughly, according to a video of the service provided to The Layman.

At least twice, Ufford-Chase, wearing the moderator's stole, joined a minority faction of the Torrance congregation in the chancel area and appeared ready to lead the service, which was being conducted in Korean, but he remained quiet as he stood among the throng and was given no opportunity to speak.

Meanwhile, senior elders representing the majority of the congregation, the largest Korean church in the PCUSA with 2,700 members, buffered their pulpit leaders from attempts by Ufford-Chase and others to take over the service.

The Rev. Peter Min, a member of the church staff, said none of the younger members of the church were assigned the duty of standing with the worship leaders for fear that they might lose their temper when the minority group began intruding into the chancel area. "Everybody was waiting for something stupid to happen," Min said, who has been ordered by a synod-presbytery administrative commission to "cease immediately your relationship and work with the schismatic (majority) group now occupying" the church's campus. The commission threatened to revoke his ordination if he fails to leave by August 4.

There was some shoving, loud talking and milling around during prayers and hymns. Several members of the congregation also went to the chancel area to take photographs of the confrontation – some possibly to use as evidence in an upcoming trial over who owns the Torrance property; others simply to record the confrontation.

In all, seven of the sixteen members of the minority faction, who walked onto the pulpit area, surrounded the Rev. Song Kyu Pak, the senior pastor, and repeatedly asked the question, "Are you denying us access to worship? If you say the word, we will immediately leave." The question was an obvious attempt to "entrap" them into violating a court order to allow the minority faction to attend the service. The TFPC leadership repeatedly assured the intruders from the presbytery, synod and denomination that they were welcome to worship, but not to take over.

At times, some of the intruders stood in front of the worship leaders and shouted their own messages to the congregation.

Some observers believe the intruders may have violated Section 302-310.5 of the California Penal Code. That law says, in part: "Every person who intentionally disturbs or disquiets any assemblage of people met for religious worship at a tax-exempt place of worship, by profane discourse, rude or indecent behavior, or by any unnecessary noise, either within the place where the meeting is held, or so near it as to disturb the order and solemnity of the meeting, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail for a period not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment."

Accompanying Ufford-Chase were Margaret Wentz, stated clerk of the Synod of Southern California and a member of the General Assembly Advisory Committee on the Constitution; the Rev. Sung Hwan Kim, a former member of the Torrance pastoral staff; the Rev. Christopher Pae, the stated clerk of the Presbytery of Hanmi (who is was voted out of his office by Hanmi after being accused of instigating so many problems at Hanmi); and Paul Kim, the moderator of the joint synod-presbytery Administrative Commission that has been appointed to assume original jurisdiction.

The issue in this battle is not primarily theology, but whether First Presbyterian in Torrance, a Confessing Church, will continue its institutional commitment to the Presbyterian Church (USA). Together, the presbytery, synod and PCUSA are arguing in civil court that that the majority of the congregation, by voting 781-144, had forfeited its right to the church's property.

On June 6, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Yaffe made a preliminary ruling in the case, enjoining the majority from preventing the plaintiffs and dissident members of the congregation from attending worship services there. He also ruled that the majority could not sell or transfer the church property while the case is pending.

But Yaffe ruled in favor of the majority on a number of issues, including recognizing the legitimacy of the session as the governing body and denying the "national" church its request that it be allowed to install its own pastor immediately. All of the rulings are provisional, pending the outcome of a trial.

While he has made no final decision, Yaffe did say in the June 6 ruling, "The court agrees with the national church that the local congregation holds its church property, real and personal, in trust for the national church, and that it cannot revoke such a trust without the consent of the national church, pursuant to section 9142 (c) and (d) of the [California] corporations code." However, Yaffe did raise the question of constitutionality of 9142 during the hearing.

That ruling seems to conflict with a California appellate court's finding in a United Methodist case that the local church had the right by majority vote to revoke a denominationally imposed property trust clause. The appellate court also cited California corporate law in ruling that a local congregation could revoke a denominationally imposed property trust requirement. The Supreme Court of California let the appellate court decision stand.

The minority faction did not repeat its attempt to take over the worship service the following Sunday, July 3.

Before he led a denominational effort to take over the service at First Presbyterian Church in Torrance, Calif., on June 26, Moderator Rick Ufford-Chase received a fax asking him not to intrude.

"We would be pleased to welcome you to any of our regularly scheduled services," said the leaders of the Torrance Church. "However, we are unable to invite you to participate directly in our services. While our congregation is determined to weather the disruptive and rather unpleasant controversies that have arisen involving the PCUSA, it would be detrimental to the healing process and the serenity of the congregation for a visible figure such as yourself to demand inclusion in the TFPC services."

TFPC told Ufford-Chase that a "very substantial majority" had elected "to withdraw from the PCUSA for reasons of utmost personal, ecclesiastical and theological importance" and that "any attempt to preempt them would obviously be inappropriate and harmful."

In addition to the TFPC's fax, Young Lim, the attorney for the majority faction, wrote to George S. Burns, the attorney for the higher governing bodies, urging him not to let his clients "instigate a conflict. … If there are any problems on Sunday, there will be no one to blame but you and your clients."

Moderator Rick Ufford-Chase enters sanctuary with plan to take over the pulpit role for the minority faction. He did not succed.

Opposition deacon Ko Heum Paik and opposition steering committee leader Peter Ki Sung Lee (holding Bible) prepare to lead march into sanctuary in attempt to take over service.

Opposition elder Funung Park leans over shoulder of the praying presiding pastor, Philip Park, while majority elder Joon Ho Kim tries to restrain him from disrupting the service.

Member of the choir sheds tears of sadness while minority faction disrupts service.

Two security guards – far left and far right – were hired by majority to try to maintain peace.

Scene depicts brief scuffle instigated by minority group's attempt to grab microphone. The microphone was broken.

Majority pastor Philip Park prays. To his left is majority elder Jesoo Kim. Opposition leaders mill around chancel area in background.

There are a few more pix on the link. All this is about the property rights, you won't convince me PCUSA gives a rip about the congregation itself.

But who knows, maybe a developer will decide to build a hotel on the church....(/sarc)

One of the saddest things I've read today. This is NOT what should be going on in our churches.

Well, at least they aren't Sikhs. In a similar split in a local congregation a couple of years back the knives came out!

Which raises an interesting question ~ how is it you can combine Hinduism and Islam and manage to come up with a religious body that tends to display the personal level conflicts so frequently found in small Christian bodies?

Is this a consequence of abandoning all the structures and "traditions" in the parent bodies, or something else.

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