Making History Today: Division, Union, Reunion, and the Great Speckled Bird

Presbyterian Historical Society of the Southwest

James S. Currie, Executive Secretary

Flynn Long, Jr. once developed a lecture on the evolution of the American Presbyterian Church. He called it “The Great Speckled Bird: A Study in American Presbyterian Heritage” and, according to his obituary, delivered it to over 300 congregations. The son of a Presbyterian minister, a life-long Presbyterian, and student of the Presbyterian Church, Long earned degrees from Davidson College and Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He served churches in Midland, Fort Worth, Dallas, and Big Spring. He also served as associate stated clerk in the Presbyterian Church, U.S. office in Atlanta. Flynn played the bagpipes and, much to the chagrin of residents along the Guadalupe River, he played them at the sunrise services for the Men’s Conferences at Mo-Ranch. His “Great Speckled Bird” presentation served as a review  of or introduction to the path eventually taken to the 1983 reunion. 

In addition, it should be noted that former editor of The Presbyterian Outlook and current PHSSW member Dr. Robert Bullock wrote his doctoral dissertation on several reunion efforts in the 20th century. 

In 2006 William G. McAtee published a volume titled Dreams Where Have You Gone?: Clues for Unity and Hope that focused on the path leading to the phenomen of union presbyteries. McAtee himself served churches in Mississippi in the 1960s. He went on to serve as adjunct professor at Louisville Seminary, McCormick Seminary, and Lexington Seminary. After 26 years he retired as associate presbyter for Christian Education in Transylvania Presbytery in 1997. 

Most Presbyterians in this country know that, and perhaps even remember when reunion between the two major branches of the Presbyterian Church reunited in 1983 after 122 years of division. That event in Atlanta, Georgia was the culmination of a long and complex history, much of which is detailed in William G. McAtee’s book. One of the issues prior to the national reunion was whether reunion should come from the top or from the grassroots. In 1958 the United Presbyterian Church in North America and the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America became one. During the 1960s the proposed union between the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS) and the Reformed Church in America failed to materialize when the RCA failed to get the necessary votes (1969). The fear of being “swallowed up” by the PCUS was seen as Ione of the contributing factors. That fear was also seen as a factor in the hesitation of the PCUS to unite with its northern brothers and sisters, at least at the national level. 

While conversations regarding reunion between the northern and southern branches at the highest levels went on as early as the turn of the 20th century and continued throughout much of that century, it seems that failure to reach agreement at the national level of the two denominations led to the movement toward reunion at the presbytery level which began in the 1960s. Two PCUS General Assemblies that were crucial in the move toward union presbyteries were the 1968 meeting at Montreat and the 1969 meeting in Mobile, Alabama. The failure of the RCA–PCUS attempt at union seemed to provide impetus to the union presbytery movement. 

McAtee notes that there was a group of graduates of Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College) who became leaders in the union presbytery movement (McAtee himself graduated from Southwestern at Memphis), including some who also graduated from Austin Seminary. One of those was Lewis Wilkins, a native of Kerrville, Texas. After serving on the PCUS’ Board of Christian Education (1968-70), he worked for both PCUS and UPCUSA bodies: the Synod of the Mid-South (PCUS), the Synod of Lincoln Trails (UPCUSA), Palo Duro Presbytery (PCUS), and a merger that created the Presbytery of Plains and Peaks in Colorado. 

Some of those working most diligently came from the four states in what is now the Synod of the Sun. One was Flynn Long who in 1971-73 received a grant from the Midland Presbyterian Foundation to do research for what became the Great Speckled Bird. In 1975 he went to work in the PCUS General Assembly’s office of the stated clerk, traveling across the denomination garnering support for reunion and campaigning for union presbyteries. 

On January 1, 1971 Central Texas Presbytery became the first union presbytery in Texas. Reorganization and renaming presbyteries in Texas was to come shortly thereafter. Others involved in efforts to form union presbyteries and union synods were J. Hoytt Boles (synod executive of the northern church in Texas), Bill Fogleman (synod executive of the Synod of Red River of the southern church in Texas), Fogleman, a graduate of Austin College and Austin Seminary, served as executive of Brazos Presbytery (1967-72), then as executive of the Synod of Red River, and then as executive of the union synod. 

The order in which presbyteries in what is now the Synod of the Sun became union presbyteries and some of those serving as presbytery executives in those presbyteries is as follows: 

1972 – Palo Duro (Lewis Wilkins and Paul Young)

1974 – Arkansas (William McLean) (Presumably Pines Presbytery was formed  here also.) 

1979 – Grace (Mac Hart and John Cunningham)

1980 – Indian Nations 

1980 – Tres Rios (Charles Hollingsworth)

1980 – New Covenant (Pete Hendrick and Richard Siciliano)

1980 – Mission (Bob Bass, Exell Coon, Robert Sebesta, Clement Dickey)

1982 – Eastern Oklahoma (Bill Henning) 

No information was found regarding Cimaron Presbytery. Texas churches in Gulf Coast Presbytery (UPCUSA) became part of New Covenant, while the Louisiana churches in Gulf Coast became the Presbytery of South Louisiana. 

There are others who can provide a more complete picture of the division, union, and reunion efforts, but this may provide an initial overview for those living and working in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. 

Someone has said, “We don’t want to live in the past, but we cannot separate ourselves it”. At least in part, the PHSSW seeks to awaken within us our connections to the past from which we cannot separate ourselves. 

The Presbyterian Historical Society of the Southwest exists to “stimulate and encourage interest in the collection, preservation, and presentation of the Presbyterian and Reformed heritage” in the Southwest. If you are not a participating member of the Society and would like to become one, the annual dues are $20 per individual and $25 per couple. Annual institutional and church membership dues are $100. Checks may be made out to PHSSW and sent to: 

PHSSW – 5525 Traviston Ct., Austin, TX 78738.