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Friday, Sept. 27, 2002
By Steve DeVane
BR Managing Editor
The Woman's Missionary Union (WMU) in the Tuckaseigee Baptist Association has decided to allow membership from churches that have cut ties with the association.
Five churches have left the association.
Black Mountain Baptist Church in Cullowhee and East Sylva Baptist Church in Sylva became the fourth and fifth churches to leave the association. Both made the move with unanimous votes in September.
Cullowhee Baptist Church, First Baptist Church in Sylva and Tuckasegee Baptist Church have previously voted to withdraw from the association.
The association's credentials committee was recommending that messengers from Cullowhee and First Sylva not be seated at the association's annual meeting this month.
Cullowhee had drawn criticism for calling a woman co-pastor. First Baptist was criticized for supporting Cullowhee and passing a resolution that said Jesus, not the Bible, is the final authority on faith and practice.
Nelda Reid, the co-director of the WMU and a member of East Sylva, said the group voted at its fall meeting Sept. 9 to allow participation from members of churches who have left the association.
"That's what we are hoping to be able to do is involve everybody who wants to be involved and keep missions as the main thing," she said.
Reid said WMU has not informed the association of the vote since it wasn't a change in its policy.
"We were basically trying to get our thoughts and ideas together and see where we stood before we were asked by the association," she said. "We wanted to say because we are an auxiliary organization that, 'Yes, we can say who participates and we want to include everybody.'"
Interim director of missions Claude Conrad said he did not expect the policy to cause any problems or impact the associational WMU's ability to use the association's building. "As far as I'm concerned, it's okay," he said. "There's no problem there."
Some churches have left the association because they support Cullowhee's right to call its own pastor. Others say they're tired of the turmoil in the association.
Roger Stewman, pastor of Black Mountain, said his church voted 38-0 on Sept. 18 to leave the association. He said the church wasn't taking sides on the issue.
"The main thing is we didn't agree with other churches coming in and telling us what to do," he said. "That takes away our freedom."
Stewman said church members thought the churches should be concentrating on the salvation of people in the county rather than arguing.
"We just figured the fighting had been going on too long," he said.
Charles Dean, pastor of East Sylva, said his church voted 89-0 on Sept. 22 to cut ties with the association.
"Our folks have really wanted to distance ourselves from all this strife and all this fighting," he said.
Dean said he considers the vote a historic moment for the church.
"I know how the signers of the Declaration of Independence must have felt," he said. "There's a time when you've got to separate if you're going to have the freedom you desire."
Conrad said the association is still in good shape.
"If it's the best for them, it's the best for us," he said. "Our churches are making up the difference in finances, so there's no financial problem."
Conrad said, "Our association is fine. We're staying positive, and I'm proud of them."
Dean said East Sylva church members felt the controversy was hurting their witness in the community.
"We're going to try to get on with what we feel Baptist work is all about," he said.
Dean said his church wished the association well.
Stewman said his church members have no hard feelings toward other churches in the association.
"We love everybody," he said.
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