The Epic, Pt. 30

Two weeks later, on August 5, 2008, Brother H was surprised by the following email from Elder Ramirez:

“Hello [Brother H],

“After further review of the correspondence between Bill and [Elder B], I have come to the conclusion that for the purpose of process and clarity, it will be best that I meet with only one representative of the group in question. In addition, I am also requesting that we meet here in the Conference office at your earliest convenience. I am sorry if this will create confusion, but I believe this was part of the understanding from the last correspondence between Bill and [Elder B]. Please let me know when you or another representative of the group would like to meet.

“I pray that God will continue to guide us all to a healthy resolution.

“Jorge Ramirez
“Vice President for Administration
“Potomac Conference”

Brother H wrote back on August 6, 2008 that the Group would like to stick to the original agreement of having three representatives present and holding the meeting in the Washington area. On August 12, 2008 he received the following response:

“Hello [Brother H],

“I am in total agreement with you as to the importance of this initial meeting. This is why we must be careful how we proceed as we seek to review process. As stated in my previous email, the reason for modifying what we had previously discussed is based on careful review of the last correspondence between [Elder B] and Bill. In his last response to [Elder B]’s letter, Bill clearly states the details of the next step. She or a “designee of the disaffected party” was to contact me to set up a meeting to discuss process. I need to respect this. That is why I am asking to meet with one representative of the group. Now as to the location, I am willing to meet with you or whoever you appoint in the Washington area. I want to be sensitive to your work related and financial burdens. Please let me know if we can move forward with these arrangements.

“Praying for you and the Takoma Park Church,

“Jorge Ramírez
“Vice President for Administration
“Potomac Conference”

This is a totally bogus line of reasoning. The initial contact that Elder Miller stipulated in his letter was made by Brother H when he placed the first phone call requesting the meeting. Even if we assumed all statements made by Elder Miller to be binding (which we don’t) the requirement of the initial contact was already fulfilled and had nothing whatsoever to do with how many people should be included in the actual meeting. This was a simple case of the conference looking for an excuse to renegotiate the agreement for more favorable terms.

Next: Reinterpreted

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