The Epic, Pt. 10

The next forum at which we attempted to formally address our concerns was an Elders’ Meeting which was held on Dec. 30, 2007. At that meeting the matter was thoroughly discussed, and an open letter was prepared by the elders which stated five points of concern regarding the action taken to change the governance structure of our congregation and made two recommendations for addressing the matter. The letter was signed by the then head elder.

The catch in this progress was that Pastor DeSilva was not present at that meeting, and since the pastor ranks above the board of elders (though he is to consult and cooperate with them), no action could be taken on the recommendations made by the elders until he had been brought on board. To this end a second Elders’ Meeting was scheduled for the next week, Jan. 6, in order to discuss the matter with Pastor DeSilva. That meeting had a far different character from the first.

The Jan. 6 meeting began with Pastor DeSilva insisting that his wife, who was not an elder, be allowed to be present, even though he had made a big deal about no one but elders being allowed in the room. He further stated that if any elder asked Mrs. DeSilva to leave that he also would walk out. No elder made such a request. Pastor DeSilva then assumed control of the meeting and began to defend the new structure, drawing a chart of the new system on a white board in the room as he “explained” it. His drawing on the white board was faithfully copied down by one of the elders present, and is concluded below.

The explanation was followed by intense debate on the legitimacy of the new structure, in which Mrs. DeSilva took part. Several of the elders who had expressed concerns at the previous meeting were unable to attend the second one, which tipped the balance of voices in the pastor’s favor. Finally, one of the fence-sitting elders gave a “can’t we all just get along?” speech, which was followed by a vote for “unity.” The letter prepared the previous week was completely ignored, and Pastor DeSilva got up before the congregation the following Sabbath to crow that the elders had “unified” behind the new structure.

Next: Long-delayed Business

Religious