C.O.G.A. Proposal to Close Historical Society’s
Montreat Location Stirs Presbyterian Emotions

by Jane Hines, editor

So far, no one has claimed to be happy with the action of the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) that would result in closing the Montreat location of the Presbyterian Historical Society.

In the official news release from the office of the General Assembly that followed the meeting in Sacramento, CA September 22, General Assembly Moderator Rich Ufford-Chase is quoted as saying: “COGA has been wrestling with these difficult decisions for five years. Even as we make what we judge to be the best decision possible, we mourn the loss of this important legacy at Montreat.”

In the same news release, General Assembly Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick says: “I know this will be difficult for many who dearly love Montreat, but I do believe the arrangements we are making will better serve the goals of preserving and sharing the heritage of this church and will do it in a way that is fiscally responsible.”

On a positive note, COGA Moderator Steve Grace was quoted in that news release: (The alternate proposal to establish a program on the Columbia Theological Seminary campus) “demonstrates COGA’s commitment to both helping to make the church’s archival history come alive for Presbyterians and insuring a strong and effective historical society for the 21st century.”

But, as we go to press, the board of trustees at Columbia Theological Seminary has not announced a commitment to COGA’s request “to make plans to establish a program for the Study of Presbyterian and Reformed History and Theology at its campus in Decatur, GA, with educational programming at the seminary and the Montreat Conference Center.”

George Barber III, President of Montreat Conference Center, issued this statement at the request of the VOICE: “The recent decision made by the Committee on the General Assembly (COGA) to close the Presbyterian Historical Society in Montreat, NC, was sad, but not unexpected. It was the end result of a Herculean effort to save a muchloved facility that has enhanced our lives here in Montreat and throughout the southeast for many years. We share the disappointment of many Presbyterians and will work hard in the coming months to make the transition as smooth as possible.”

During a five-year process that has involved feasibility studies, petitions, an overture, letters, agreements, disagreements, surprises, proposals and counterproposals, rumors, forays from Philadelphia, meetings, emails and phone calls by the hundred, much of the attention given to the Presbyterian Historical Society situation has come from the churches nearest to Montreat in North and South Carolina. There has been very little information in the church press before now. But the news has finally reached the Synod of Living Waters and now, Presbyterians in Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi are joining the list of those not happy with the latest COGA action.

Memphis historian Dr. George Apperson, who writes historical articles frequently for the VOICE (See page 8 of this issue), heard the news of the COGA action in a phone call from his daughter in Austin, Texas. He notes that many historical documents from Tennessee had been placed at the Historical Foundation for “safe keeping”, many of them sent from Memphis churches before the Civil War. Dr. Apperson said, “Destruction of the Historical Foundation at Montreat, to my mind, is a dreadful action. To replace it we have the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia, which I contend from fifty years’ membership, to be the worst managed denominational archive I know. In recent years I have used Methodist, Baptist and Roman Catholic facilities around the country and our presence in Philadelphia suffers by comparison.”

In 2003, Dr. William G. McAtee, former executive of Transylvania Presbytery in Kentucky, completed a six-year oral history project on the Union Presbytery Movement, consisting of 98 interviews, resulting in 2,500 pages of transcription, which he donated to the Presbyterian Historical Society at Montreat. He has written a book, to be published early in 2006 by Witherspoon Press, called Dreams, Where Have You Gone? In the book, McAtee confronts the polity of winners and losers, which he says is threatening the dream that brought the Presbyterian Church (USA) into being. He said, “There is something about dislocating the records and artifacts from where most people can access them, that does not seem wise to me. I suspect in the long run it may even create a negative cost factor, and not merely in dollar terms. What is at stake here is how historic faith symbols of a people are cared for and made accessible to inform and regenerate future generations in a continuation of living history.”

The COGA recommendations on September 22 include the hope that Columbia Theological Seminary plans would be shared with COGA at its February meeting. They also include a request to the OGA staff to bring a transition plan for the PHS facilities to the February 2006 meeting.

Between now and February 2006, the story will continue to unfold. The board of the Friends of the Historical Foundation at Montreat, Inc. will meet on October 25 to respond to the COGA action. Look for another report in the December, 2005 issue of the VOICE.