General Council is calling a special meeting of Mission Presbytery on Saturday, September 9, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. 

The meeting will be held at First Presbyterian Church, Kingsville.

First Presbyterian Church

302 W Kleberg Ave.

Kingsville, TX 78363

The purpose of the called meeting is for the Commission on Ministry to present a report about Betania Presbyterian Church, McAllen. 

COM will move that the congregation be dissolved. The rationale is presented after the registration information. 

Rationale

With much sadness, the Commission on Ministry moves to dissolve Betania Presbyterian Church in McAllen, Texas. 

This request is not made lightly, but after long, careful, and prayerful consideration, as well as many years of ineffective interventions on Betania’s behalf. 

While there are many facets behind this motion, the three most significant are: 

1) Betania has not had a consistent functional session or rotating elders for many years;

2) Betania does not carry any form of property insurance after being asked to secure it over the years, placing not only themselves but also the Presbytery at risk in the event of a tragedy on the church property; 

3) The congregation has been resolutely unwilling to work with two Administrative Commissions and one Listening Team, who have visited and done their best to support the life and ministry of Betania Presbyterian Church. Rather, these groups have been met with either unkept promises in the best cases or open hostility in the worst.