At its May 4, 2013 meeting, the Great Lakes Presbytery (GLP) of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) approved an overture asking the General Assembly to direct the Standing Judicial Commission (SJC) to hear the complaint from Missouri Presbytery (TE M. Jay Bennett vs Missouri Presbytery, SJC 2012-09).

The complaint was filed by TE M. Jay Bennett against the action of Missouri Presbytery (MOP) in connection with the Presbytery finding TE Jeffrey J. Meyers not guilty of the five charges cited in the indictment of March, 22, 2012. The SJC officers recommended to the full SJC that the complaint be found administratively out of order in that TE Bennett did not have standing since he was no longer a PCA teaching elder after he had had accepted a call in another Reformed denomination. When a complaint is found administratively out of order it is not assigned to a SJC panel to hear the case and the case is dismissed.

The overture from Great Lakes Presbytery disagrees with the SJC action to find the complaint administratively out of order and asks the General Assembly to direct the SJC to find it in order and adjudicate the case. Specifically, the overtures requests:

The Great Lakes Presbytery hereby overtures the 41st General Assembly to direct the Standing Judicial Commission to find the case (SJC 2012-09) administratively in order, appoint a panel or have the case heard by the whole Standing Judicial Commission, and render a decision in accordance with the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church in America and for the peace and purity of the Church. Read more»