January 21 Today in OPC History

On January 21, 1975, the OPC's Committee on Ecumenicity and Inter-Church Relations and the Committee on Fraternal Relations of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod, met to finalize the proposed Plan of Union between the two churches. One of the major items of business was agreeing to the creation of 17 presbyteries (California North; California South; Delmarva; Eastern PA; Florida; Great Lakes; Great Plains; Midwest; New Jersey; Northeast; Northwest; Pittsburgh; Rocky Mountains; Southeast; Southwest; Tennessee Valley; Saharanpur) in the United States, Canada, and India. At the conclusion of the meeting, the two committees agreed to propose to the 1975 General Assembly of the OPC and the 1975 General Synod of the RPCES that the two churches join together to form the Reformed Presbyterian Church. On June 5, 1975, the OPC and RPCES held separate votes at the same time on the campus of Geneva College. The OPC's General Assembly voted up the recommendation to join the RPCES. The RPCES, however, voted down the recommendation to join the OPC.

Picture: CEIR members left to right, LeRoy Oliver, Norman Shepherd, Edmund Clowney, Wendell Rockey, and John Galbraith