Settlement gives Londonderry Church to dissenters Conservative majority given 15 acres to build new church

By Eric Parry
Staff writer

August 08, 2008 12:23 pm

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LONDONDERRY — Presbyterian Church USA and 86 members of the Londonderry Presbyterian Church own the keys to the town's oldest house of worship and all its belongings after a settlement to a contentious lawsuit was reached Aug. 3.

The group had been engaged in a legal battle with LPC's Board of Directors, which represented more than 200 members, who voted last year to sever its ties with PC-USA and join the more conservative New Wineskins Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

Under terms of the settlement, the LPC New Wineskins group will receive 15 acres of undeveloped land next to the 126 Pillsbury Road church. They will also receive a fund, handbells, Bibles and recently purchased furniture, according to the settlement approved by Rockingham County Superior Court Judge Tina Nadeau.

The settlement agreement has also been approved by both churches' governing bodies, but it still must gain the approval of each church's congregation by Aug. 31, according to a copy of the settlement agreement.

"We're excited about our future," said the Rev. Kenneth Glasier of the currently unnamed New Wineskins Evangelical Presbyterian church.

The PC-USA group will retain the name of the Londonderry Presbyterian Church, according to the settlement.

Glasier, who was elected pastor of the church in May and gave his first sermon on July 20, said he was looking forward to discussing the agreement with his congregation and was confident it would be resolved.

The Rev. John Mokkosian, pastor of the PC-USA LPC group, did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment for this story. His congregation has been holding worship services at the Tupelo Music Hall in Londonderry for the past several months.

The settlement was the final chapter to a schism that took place last September. Feeling that PC-USA had drifted from traditional Christian teachings, a majority of LPC members voted to switch affiliations to New Wineskins.

The settlement came after a four-day trial in Rockingham County Superior Court. The trial was suspended on Aug. 1, so negotiations on a settlement could resume.