Action against church trio discontinued

Press, 2 April 1979, Page 7

Action against church trio discontinued

PA Auckland In a surprise move, two former members of the Church of Christ (Four Square Gospel) have dropped their claim in the Supreme Court at Auckland for $50,000 against the church pastor and two members. Bruce Campbell Smith and his son, Warwick, were each claiming $25,000 for alleged wrongful dismissal from their lay jobs over a disagreement about church matters. The first defendants were Patrick James Skinner and Charles Ross Davidson, both Auckland, company diretcors. Second defendant was Frederick Arthur Wilson, a minister of religion. Counsel .’or Wilson. Davidson, and Skinner moved thaj there was no case to answer. Counsel for the plaintiffs, Mr Michael Williams, read an agreed statement before Nr Justice Barker saying the parties to the action tad decided to discontinie their differences and the Smiths would discontinie their action. The statement said all

parties would bear their own costs except Warwick Bruce Smith. His ocsts would be met by a payment from Wilson in acceptance of the fact that Smith, jun., had been involved incidentally in the events leading up to the action. The case was struck out by consent. Smithson had been “axed when he promoted a potential palace revolt,” his counsel said earlier in the Supreme Court. The allegation was made by Mr Williams when the relevancy of questions he was asgking a church official about the assets of the church were challenged Questioned by Mr Williams, the secretary of the Church Trust Board, Peter Hargreaves, told the Court that neither the church nor the board was either an incorporated society or a charitable trust. The church group provided an excellent book of accounts but did not produce an annual balancesheet. Balance-sheets were usually related to business concerns. No list of assets had been drawn up, said the witness, in answer to an-

other question by Mr Williams. The plaintiffs claimed that Mr Wilson, the supers intendent of the churchhad actively and secretly tried to organise a take-over of the Mount Roskill Borough Council. They further claimed that Mr Wilson planned to use church funds to achieve his aim. In his statement of defence, Mr Wiison denied the allegations made by the Smiths. The Smiths also claimed that they were wrongly dismissed from the Saeco Bearing and Transmission Company, Ltd. Mr Skinner and Mr Davidson were said to be directors of the company. Earlier during the hearing a church trustee, Bryce Helg, told the Court that there had been doctrinal difficulties between the church elders and Mr Smith sen. The doctrine related to the Amplified Bible. Mr Smith sen. had been undermining the translation in his teachings. The church believed the Amplified Bible to be correct.