The congregation of Peters Creek Presbyterian Church voted overwhelmingly Sunday to leave the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. and join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Officials from the Washington Presbytery -- which governs the denomination's 63 churches in Washington and Greene counties -- will decide whether to allow the church to leave. Those officials also will decide whether Peters Creek or the presbytery will keep the church's property. The 273-86 vote is the culmination of differences between the church and its leaders that have grown over 25 years, said the Rev. Rus Howard, pastor of Peters Creek. Howard's congregation and Washington Presbytery officials have been discussing their disagreements for the past 18 months, Howard said. "This has been a very hard process," said Howard, 53, who's served as pastor for 11 years. "We've wrestled with the decision. We didn't want to do this. We've prayed about it. It's been a tough issue, but in the end, it was the right thing to do." Washington Presbytery officials could not be reached for comment. Peters Creek congregants feel leaders of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. have strayed from biblical standards, said Raymond Peterson, 58, spokesman for the congregation and a church elder. "Only through Jesus Christ can one reach salvation," Peterson said. "But some people are teaching that there are other ways to salvation." Howard also cited church leaders' failure to discipline violations of traditional beliefs and practices. As an example, Howard pointed to a same-sex wedding performed by the Rev. Janet Edwards two years ago at the Community of Reconciliation Church in Oakland. Edwards married a pair of women. The Presbyterian Church constitution allows same-sex unions, but not marriages. "(Edwards) was begging to be disciplined and the Pittsburgh Presbytery still can't figure out how to do it," Howard said. Other incidents Howard noted were a Tennessee minister who has said he would tell Jesus to his face that he was wrong about some things and a Texas minister who accepted people who don't believe Christ is God's son. Peterson said he understands the Washington Presbytery will receive a report on yesterday's vote at a Tuesday night meeting. Presbytery officials will provide the Presbytery with a recommendation whether to release the church and its property some time in the future, Peterson said. "We hope and pray that the Presbytery would be gracious enough to hear the vote of the congregation and be guided accordingly," Peterson said. James and Ardeth Simpson, of North Strabane, who have belonged to Peters Creek for 44 years, voted against leaving the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. "We really feel we could solve our problems from within," said Ardeth Simpson, 77. "It's broken up the church terribly. It's very, very sad." "It's hard to know what we'll do," said James Simpson, 80. "We're having a meeting tonight with a group of people to see what our route might be."

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