The Presbyterian Church at Franklin Lakes

The Presbyterian Church of Franklin Lakes was founded in 1960 as a “counter-culture” church. Pastors have led us in societal concerns, and building a church that cares for neighbors. We are active in Paterson Habitat for Humanity, the Center for Food Action, and the Interreligious Fellowship for the Homeless.

The organizing pastor of the church was Robert Strom, a dramatic and creative leader who lived in Greenwich Village and commuted to Franklin Lakes. He welcome “saints in suburbia, unhappy pagans, freethinking believers, religious doubters, lovers of God and humanity, and all ordinary people” to worship in the auditorium at Ramapo High School and in dispersed “house-churches” in members’ homes.

After a considerable internal debate the church decided to build a structure that would serve the community as well as the church. The sanctuary is a multipurpose room without pews. In addition to Sunday worshipers, the space hosts yoga mats, cots for the homeless and voting booths. In July, we host “Heavenly Treasures,” a glorified garage sale that recycles tens of thousands of dollars worth of used items. We also support the Creative Living Counseling Center, a Men’s AA discussion group, daycare and nursery school, and a monthly art show.

Pastor from 1963 to 1976, Donald Purkey was very popular in both church and community. He went on to serve in a variety of ministries in churches and as pastor to the National Presbyterian Center in Louisville, KY.

The church’s third pastor was Ruth Ann Clark, who taught a feminist theology and a love of visual and verbal arts. She had an active counseling ministry and now works full-time as a counselor in CA.

Pastor Jack Lohr served from 1985 to 2008. He oversaw a renovation of the church building and a deepening of our spiritual life to complement our mission to others. He welcomed the increasing variety of spiritual practices at home in this community, including yoga and meditation.

From 2000 to 2008, Associate Pastor Esther Yung Sun Kim has helped us to become in fact as well as in faith a truly multi-racial and multicultural church. Through English-language teaching ministries and a more Evangelical perspective in her work in membership outreach, she has broadened and deepened our spiritual community.


	Presbyterian Church at Franklin Lakes Statement of Noncompliance with G-6.0106b The church we love has been an inclusive, open and accepting denomination, with room for a great diversity of belief and opinion, grounded in a common loyalty to Jesus. We are deeply concerned that this spirit has been damaged by a law (G-6.0106b or “Amendment B”) that sought to decide, once and for all, the question of homosexual ordination. The Constitution guarantees to individual Presbyterian congregations the right to decide whom its leaders shall be. Since 1978, the General Assembly's "Definitive Guidance" (declaring homosexual acts sinful and prohibiting ordination of practicing homosexuals) has divided the heart and conscience of the Presbyterian Church. We are asked to welcome gays and lesbians into the church and then refuse to ratify God's choice, when some of them are gifted and called to ordained ministries as deacon, elder or minister. And since 1997, we have been encouraged by G-6.0106b to inquire into the private lives of potential leaders in a way that we have never done before. This law encourages hardness of heart, and substitutes legalism in place of sensitivity. It requires us to abandon our practice of evaluating leaders as a whole, and focus particularly on sexual behavior. That is not the way we learned Christ! As a session, we shared these concerns with the Moderator of the 208th General Assembly, and our conscientious practice in these four years has been consistent with our beliefs. We are convinced that when Jesus and the early church abolished the ancient purity codes of Scripture, they implicitly removed homosexuality from the category of sin. We believe that homosexual behavior should be evaluated by the same criteria as heterosexual behavior. We believe that the love of Jesus Christ includes all people regardless of race, sex, age, marital condition, national origin, economic class, or sexual orientation. Though Paul did not say it, the inclusive Spirit of God is teaching us that in Christ there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female, straight and gay. We are all one in Christ Jesus. [Galatians 3:28] Our calling as ordained leaders in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is to lead this congregation in becoming even more inclusive, not less. We cannot in conscience implement the requirements of G-6.0106b, and we cannot keep silent about this matter. We support the action of the 213th General Assembly to strike G-6.0106b, and we make this statement as a witness of that support and its rationale in Christ to the Presbytery. --Jack Lohr, Moderator; Gary Hauenstein, Clerk June 21, 2001


	We are an open, caring community striving to follow Jesus Christ. Our ministry is to share the Word of God's grace and love as we worship, learn, and seek wholeness. Our calling is to serve each other and all creation, demonstrating justice and kindness in our lives. As a congregation of many races and conditions, our vision is to practice the realm of God. "Vision Statement" Revised, July, 2001 Session of the Presbyterian Church at Franklin Lakes




	Support Presbyterian Ministries Worldwide



	Recent strong earthquakes have affected the nations of Chile and Haiti. Your generous gifts to the One Great Hour of Sharing offering allow an immediate response to disasters such as these.