March 24 Today in OPC History

The Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Leith, North Dakota, was dissolved on this day in 1977 by the Presbytery of the Dakotas. The congregation had been first organized in 1906. When the Presbyterian Church of America (renamed Orthodox Presbyterian Church in 1939) was formed in 1936, the Leith congregation was unanimous in leaving the Presbyterian Church and joining the new church. The property that the congregation owned was contested and was originally awarded to the congregation. After a decade, the Bismarck Presbytery of the PCUSA challenged the previous ruling and the case was reopened and the property awarded to the PCUSA. The result was that the small Leith congregation had twice to pay for its building. By the 1970s, Leith's membership had dwindled due to the fact that the covenant children who did not stay on or inherit the family farm had to leave the community for employment. The remaining sixteen members were transferred to Bethel OPC, Carson.

Picture: The church building in Leith, North Dakota