Lawsuit Asks Court To Uphold Removal of Church Directors

In Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Common Pleas Court last week, the pastor of a local church filed suit asking the court to uphold a vote last November by the church's board of directors removing two elders. Today's Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that Pastor Roy Aiken Jr. asked the court to uphold a 3-2 board vote to expel Frank Ring and William Grassel from the Christian Fellowship Center of Greensburg's board of directors. The lawsuit says both men violated the church's bylaws by being combative and quarrelsome, contentious and argumentative, and failing to regularly attend church functions. The lawsuit also charges that Grassel did not speak in tongues, a requirement for board membership under the church's bylaws. Both men continued to attend board meetings, and last week, they enlisted the support of one other board member to expel Lewis Gainfort from the board. Gainfort had been one of the votes in November in favor of expelling Ring and Grassel. At last week's meeting, the same three also voted to issue an $18,450 check to Ring's construction company.