CHURCH DICIPLINE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 49, Issue 14960, 11 July 1923, Page 5

CHURCH DICIPLINE.

REV. R. WOOD AND PRESBYTERY. At a meeting of the Wellington Presbytery last night, matters at issue between the Rev. Robert Wood and the Presbytery were considered in committee. A request was made afterwards that the following information should be published:—The clerk, under instructions from the Presbytery, sent to Mr Wood an extract from the minutes of the Presbytery meeting on June 12. This extract included a motion passed by the General Assembly in November last, beginning: “That Mr Wood be instructed that if he has any charges to make against any minister or other member of the Presbyterian Church, he must do so according to the prescribed regulations, and if he brings any charges lightly or maliciously, he will be guilty of a grave offence, and be liable to censure. Further, in view of the conduct of Mr Wood in sending certain letters to members of this church, the Assembly enjoins Mr Wood to refrain in future from such action, and instructs the Presbytery to take notice of Mr Wood’s conduct, and, if the Assembly’s injunction be not obet’ed, to consider whether for contumacy Mr Wood should be suspended from the status of the ministry.” On the ground that-Mr Wood had not complied with this injunction, the Presbytery declared its opinion that his behaviour called for severe censure, and proceeded to give instructions “that Mr Wood be cited to appear at its next regular meeting, to be held in St. Andrew’s Hall on July 10th, .1923, at 7 p.m., and” that this resolution be read to him by the moderator, and that Mr Wood be warned that if he doeVnot undertake at once to cease from his vendetta against the members of the Church, and this Presbytery, this court will, in. accordance with the Assembly’s instructions, proceed to consider whether he should not be suspended from the status of the ministry. ” Mr Wood did not attend the meeting.

The Presbytery resolved: "(1) That the resolution cites Mr Wood to appear before the court and that citation has been ignored by him. (2) That Mr Wood expresses no regret for his defiance of the General Assembly’s injunction passed in November, 1921, or . . . for his abusive personal attacks. .and his divisive courses. (3) That, therefore, in full accordance with the laws of th e Church and the principles’of justice, the Presbytery might proceed to deal with him with a view to liis suspension. (4) In the exercise, however, of a long-suffering charity, and in the hope of a radical amendment of his conduct, the Presbytery agrees to accept the undertaking he has given to desist at once from his past line of action. For the present, it insists procedure in his case, but warns Mr Wood that any further disobedience to the instructions of tlife Assembly’s injunction, or breach of the undertaking in his letter will be immediately followed by action of the Presbytery.” The following is the letter referred to in the last resolution: —

‘‘Karori. ■ I:;ly Bth, 1923. —Rev. Sir,- — The copy of vour notice dated June 12, and addressed to me, has been communicated to me. Without in any way admitting your jurisdiction in th e matter, or that I have in the past done anything unworthy of my position. I hereby undertake for the sake of the peace of the Presbyterian Church to cease what you term 'my vendetta’ against the members of the Church and this Presbytery.—Yours truly, Robert Wood.”