Council Corner
Separation Update
I reached out to our NCLL lawyer in late January for an update and received a reply within a few hours indicating that there would soon be a conference call updating all of the South Carolina churches as to the status. Since that time there has been no further information received by our church concerning the conference call. Since he is representing approximately sixty (60) churches in SC as well as churches in other states, I have not checked with him since that communication. However, if we have not heard anything by early March, I will reach out again to attempt to get an update. So please continue to be patient as I am trying to be, and remember that NCLL believes that time is our greatest ally in this process – the longer the process takes, the less likely that the courts will rule in against our church and the other SC churches attempting to gain independence. Please continue to pray for this process and our lawyers.
Congregational Meeting
Our first congregational meeting for 2026 was held on Sunday, February 15th at 10;45AM before the normal church service began. The information discussed during the meeting is attached below and was passed out to the congregation in a handout prior to the meeting. Our next congregational meeting is scheduled for Sunday, May 3rd – time to be determined. Please make every attempt to attend once the time is announced.
Church Council Meeting Summary – January 29, 2026 Highlights
• Council approved the budget for 2026. Weekly budgeted needs for 2026 are now approximately $3000 per week which is a reduction as compared to the 2025 needs. This reduction is primarily due to the elimination of the apportionment amount to our previous affiliated organization.
• The PPRC is continuing its search for a more permanent pastor with the understanding that we need to proceed with caution due to our current legal status and with the understanding that the parsonage cannot presently be a part of any compensation package associated with the pastor’s hiring.
• The Worship and Music committees are evaluating hymnals for a potential replacement of our existing blue hymnals.
• The annual review and potential revision of our bylaws is in progress by the Council Board of Directors (committee chairpersons and Lay Leader). If anyone has a specific comment concerning the bylaws, please pass it on to one of us.
Other Topics
• SC House of Representatives Bill H4754 – A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 33-31-1709 SO AS TO ESTABLISH NEUTRAL PRINCIPLES OF LAW GOVERNING THE OWNERSHIP, TRANSFER, AND RELEASE OF TRUST INTERESTS IN REAL PROPERTY OF LOCAL CHURCHES DIS
AFFILIATING WITH STATE OR NATIONAL RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS WHICH ASSERTS A TRUST INTEREST IN THE REAL PROPERTY IN CERTAIN
CIRCUMSTANCES.
○ This bill if passed will have a significant role in our separation process and the court rulings in our current lawsuit. The Bill is currently with the House Judiciary Committee for evaluation and potential further action by the House.
○ Please consider contacting your current representative to ask him/her to provide any support to this bill that he/she can. As mentioned, the bill is presently in the House, but it cannot hurt to reach out to both the house and senate representatives to lend any support that they possibly can.
○ You may contact your representative through the scstatehouse.gov website. If you are not sure who your representative is, you can also use this website to determine that as well.
○ Our church is located in the district which is represented by Shane Massey (Senate) and Bill Clyburn (House). So if your representatives are different, please also consider reaching out to these two as well as a member or attendee of our church.
○ If you have any problems with the website or with making the notifications, please contact me or Lynn Chapman for assistance.
• New Hymnals – The cost of the new hymnals will likely be in the $30 per book range. If you wish to contribute towards the effort of replacing our hymnals, please consider making an additional donation. Just mark your donation envelope indicating the portion of the contribution that you wish to be applied towards the hymnal replacement. If you wish to purchase one for the church in memory or in honor of someone, we expect to be able to accommodate those requests as well once we have settled on which hymnal to purchase.
Please continue to pray for our church and its leadership as we continue down our path of independence. If you have any questions about this information or other concerns that you wish to discuss, please reach out to me when you see me or give me a call/text.
Peyton Northington
803-645-6396
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