United vs. Presbeterian.

[The_Reginator]

Here’s a question.

Is there some animosity between the two communions?
Or is it just local?

Today we had our Good Friday procession with all the local parishes. (We can do it - I live in a town of only 3000 souls.)

Missing? The United congregation.

Talking to a friend today I told me that years ago there used to be monthly ‘ecumenical’ services, rotating between churches. A lot of Catholics thought it was OK to come. At some point the United congregation stopped attending – there was some serious disagreement and the fellow I spoke with suggested it had to do with the Presbyterians.

Has anyone ever heard of any problems? (As I say, it could be a local problem.)

 

[Bob_Crowley]

Here’s a question.

Is there some animosity between the two communions?
Or is it just local?

Today we had our Good Friday procession with all the local parishes. (We can do it - I live in a town of only 3000 souls.)

Missing? The United congregation.

Talking to a friend today I told me that years ago there used to be monthly ‘ecumenical’ services, rotating between churches. A lot of Catholics thought it was OK to come. At some point the United congregation stopped attending – there was some serious disagreement and the fellow I spoke with suggested it had to do with the Presbyterians.

Has anyone ever heard of any problems? (As I say, it could be a local problem.)

As a former Presbyterian I’m not surprised. We’ve got a Uniting Church in Australia also, formed in the 1970’s by a merger of Methodist, Congregationalist and some Presbyterian churches. The Methodists and Congregationalists went in holus-bolus, whilst the Presbyterians voted parish by parish. Some joined, some didn’t.

My original Presbyterian pastor was in fact a Methodist by training, who had no choice but to become Uniting. He felt uncomfortable there, partly due to some liberal theology I suspect (he was fairly conservative), but also he told me they seemed to play politics with their pastors, putting a right-wing and left-wing pastor together in the same parish for example. So he went Presbyterian, but I don’t think that any better. In some cases, it was probably worse. In any case, that’s how I came to meet him - he just “happened” to be the pastor of the local parish at the time I became Christian (although I think the Lord wanted me to meet him, as I learned a lot from him).

I think I remember the Presbyterian Assemly voting once not to attend a Bible Society conference as the Catholic Church had been invited as observers - something like that. My old pastor thought the ruling was stupid. It was a long time ago, so I may not be quite accurate. One of his sons later told me that the Assembly could spend two hours debating a point of order. That’s Presbyterian evangelism for you, Queensland style.

I wouldn’t be in the least surprised if your United presence has been missing on account of the Presbyterians.

 

[SyCarl]

As far as I am aware there is no animosity between the United Church and the Presbyterian Church and the United Church. The two churches have can have shared ecumenical ministries where buildings and clergy can be shared. This involves not only the Presbyterian Church in Canada and United Church of Canada but also the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Anglican Church.

If there is a problem in your area, it may be just a local situation.

 

[TriuneUnity]

As far as I am aware there is no animosity between the United Church and the Presbyterian Church and the United Church. The two churches have can have shared ecumenical ministries where buildings and clergy can be shared. This involves not only the Presbyterian Church in Canada and United Church of Canada but also the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Anglican Church.

If there is a problem in your area, it may be just a local situation.

Unless the Presbyterian you’re talking to is a member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, then they’d probably have a few words about the United Church!

 

[SyCarl]

Unless the Presbyterian you’re talking to is a member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, then they’d probably have a few words about the United Church!

I am talking about the Presbyterian Church in Canada. There was some animosity for a period following the union of the Methodist, Congregational and many Presbyterians, but that is long in the past now.