Westminster
Presbytery
A Timeline of the Formation of Westminster Presbytery:
24 April 1973 - The following churches that had separated from
the Presbyterian Church, U.S. sent representatives to a meeting at Dickenson
First Presbyterian Church, Haysi, VA to form Westminster Presbytery: Coeburn,
Dickenson First (consisting of four preaching points: Haysi, Sandlick,
Big Ridge and Bartlick), and Mt. Olive. At that meeting the Rev. Frank
Chapo, pastor of Asbury Church in Johnson City and Rev. Frank Smith, assistant
pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Johnson City joined the newly formed
presbytery. At this meeting a resolution was passed adopting the Westminster
Confession of Faith of 1878 and the Book of Church Order of 1933. Clynard
Belcher, an elder in Dickenson First Church, was the convenor of the meeting
and was elected the first moderator of Westminster Presbytery. The Rev.
Frank Smith was elected Stated Clerk.
4 May 1973 - Westminster Presbytery met at Asbury Presbyterian Church
in Johnson City and received Rev. John Whitner, pastor of Dickenson First,
into membership in the Presbytery.
18 - 19 May 1973 - During the Convocation of Sessions in Atlanta,
Westminster Presbytery met with Vanguard and Warrior Presbytery. Because
of the strong affirmative action of the Convocation, it was decided to
hold off forming a synod and wait for the birth of the new church at the
convention to be held later this year. The Rev. Joe Morecraft, pastor
of the Fairmount Church in Bristol, Tenn. was received into Westminster
Presbytery at this meeting.
25 May 1973 - Westminster Presbytery met at the Coeburn Presbyterian
Church and received Rev. Sidney Anderson, pastor of the Jewell Ridge Church,
Jewell Ridge, Va., Rev. Pete Hurst, pastor of the Coeburn and Mt. Olive
Churches of Coeburn, Va. and Rev. John Sartelle, pastor of the Cedar Bluff
Church in Cedar Bluff, Va. Also, two candidates for the ministry, Frank
Joseph Smith, member of the Midway Chapel in Jonesboro, Tenn. and James
A. Jones, member of the Fairmount Church in Bristol, Tenn. were taken
under the care of Presbytery.
1 July 1973 - A Commission of Presbytery, consisting of Rev. Frank Chapo, Fonso Sutherland and Rev. John Whitner organized the Midway Presbyterian Church from a chapel and installed elders and deacons and the pastor, Rev. Frank Smith.
21 July 1973 - Westminster Presbytery met at the Sandlick Church in Birchleaf, Va. (part of the Dickenson First field). The Cedar Bluff Presbyterian Church was received into Presbytery. Rev. Basil Albert, pastor of the Trinity Church in Alcoa, Tenn. was also received pending a letter of transfer from Knoxville Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church, U.S. Two candidates for the ministry from Cedar Bluff Church, George Alder and Carl Hankins, were taken under the care of Presbytery.
7 -
9 August 1973 - Westminster Presbytery was in session during the Advisory
Convention in Asheville, N.C., to take any action arising out of the meeting.
Records of Westminster Presbytery are located in PCA Stated Clerk Records, CE&P Records and MNA Records:
| Subject | Box | File |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1975 – 1976, Minutes | 397 | 27 |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1975 - 1980, Minutes of 11th, 15th, 30th, 31st, 32nd and 33rd Stated Meetings; Minutes of Haysi Judicial Commission, 11 February, 1980 | 373 | 43 |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1975, Minutes | 392 | 21 |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1975, Theological Committee on Stewardship, Report | 397 | 33 |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1976 – 1977, Stated Meetings | 385 | 37 |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1977 - 1978 | 400 | 26 |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1977, Resolution before the Fifth General Assembly | 385 | 36 |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1978 – 1979 | 386 | 12 |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1978 – 1979 | 386 | 13 |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1979, Minutes | 20 | 37 |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1980 – 1981, Minutes | 18 | 51 |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1980, Minutes | 18 | 50 |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1980, Minutes | 20 | 38 |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1982, Minutes | 15 | 46 |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1983 – 1984, Minutes | 22 | 38 |
| Westminster Presbytery, Manual | 397 | 11 |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1986, Manual, as Amended prior to 1 February 1986; The Usefulness of Creeds, by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr. [11pp.] | 357 | 125 |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1990, Minutes, Folder 1 | 512 | 5 |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1990,Minutes, Folder 2 | 512 | 6 |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1991, Minutes | 378 | 23 |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1992 - 1993, Minutes | 514 | 19 |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1993 - 1994, Minutes | 517 | 13 |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1973 - 1976, Presbytery Clerk's File | 538 | 27 |
| Westminster Presbytery, 1974 - 1976, Correspondence; Church Data | 538 | 28 |