Worship group wants independence

LOS ANGELES – An alternative worship service that attracted hundreds of new members to one of the most famous Presbyterian congregations in the nation has split with the national Presbyterian Church after months of controversy.

The service, called Contemporary Urban Experience, attracted some 350 new members to the Hollywood First Presbyterian Church in its 2 1/2 -year existence. Until the service started, the church’s membership had been in decline for 20 years.

But CUE, which was meeting in a dance club and using Christian rock music to attract new worshippers, alienated some members at Hollywood First, who felt traditional worship was being pushed aside.

Members of the alternative service voted Sunday to dissolve their association with Hollywood First, as well as with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Presbytery of the Pacific, the denomination’s regional governing body.

The move came after the Presbytery of the Pacific responded to complaints about dissension in the congregation by appointing an administrative commission to take over Hollywood First.

A Web site for the new, spinoff church said its leaders felt the alternative service was threatened and would cease to exist if they didn’t act.