My brother Sam has responded to my “Banned from Ashburn” article with an admonition that I didn’t seek out other sources of information and subsequently misrepresented the pastoral transition plan between my dad and Tommy Thompson. Regretfully, I have to admit that he is right. Based on the additional information that he provided for me, I have made corrections to the following two paragraphs in the "Banned from Ashburn" article.
[Vernon C. Lyons has never been easily put off. He wasn’t ready to step aside when his replacement arrived in 2018. Instead he required this seasoned, qualified pastor to start by serving a year as an associate. And then when the year was up and his replacement became the lead pastor, my dad was unwilling to retire, but rather insisted on becoming his associate. And a year later when asked to accept the role of pastor emeritus, he refused and told everyone he was being fired.
So then, why should we expect him to just go away when he was excluded from the church membership. No, he kept attending Sunday morning services and Wednesday prayer meetings. I’m told it was his routine to sit in the back of the auditorium, moving from section to section counting heads in order to keep a personal record of attendance.]
The article now says:
“Vernon C. Lyons had always said he didn’t believe in retirement; and certainly leaving the church he founded in 1951 would have never entered his mind. But he did submit to a plan voted by the entire church to seek a new lead pastor who would be transitioned into his position over one year’s time. At the end of that year he then took the role of associate pastor. But, a year later when asked to accept the unpaid role of pastor emeritus, he refused and stated on Facebook he was being fired.”
“Then, even though he was excluded from the church membership a year later, he kept attending Sunday morning services and Wednesday prayer meetings. I’m told it was his routine to sit in the back of the auditorium, moving from section to section counting heads in order to keep a personal record of attendance.”
I am sorry for giving an inaccurate portrayal of what happened. My apology must also include an appeal for feedback. Every article has a place to leave comments . It would be helpful to me and everyone else if people would use it to correct what’s wrong and tell what they know. But alas, the lack of response leaves everyone less informed and more likely mistaken.
