Two staffers gone in wake of Hezbollah meeting

LOUISVILLE – Two key Presbyterian Church (USA) staff members were apparently fired November 11 by General Assembly Council (GAC) Executive Director John Detterick – with no clear public explanation for their departures.

Kathy Lueckert, the deputy executive associate director of the GAC, the governing body of the church’s mission program agency, and the Rev. Peter Sulyok, coordinator of the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP), are no longer employed by the GAC.

Leuckert has served the denomination for five years, Sulyok for nearly twelve.

Lueckert supervised Sulyok and both were members of an ACSWP fact-finding delegation to the Middle East last month that included a televised meeting with Hezbollah, an organization that is on the U.S. government’s watch list of terrorist groups.

The meeting and its widespread airing on Arabic television drew immediate protest from Jewish groups and from some within the PC(USA).

In a memo released to GAC staff, Detterick implied that legal reasons prevent disclosing why the two staffers are no longer employed by the PC(USA).  He said that he intends to begin searching for an interim deputy executive director before the year’s end. Staff under Luekert’s  supervision will temporarily report to Detterick.

Oversight of ASCWP has been delegated to the Rev. Curtis Kearns, the director of the PC(USA)’s National Ministries Division.

Detterick’s other published comments were succinct:

‘It is with sadness that I tell you that Kathy Lueckert’s tenure as deputy executive director has come to an end today. Kathy has made contributions to the work of the GAC and for that I will always be very grateful … I am also sorry to tell you that Peter Sulyok is leaving the GAC. Peter, too, has contributed much, especially to the work of ACSWP.’

He concluded, ‘I know these decisions raise many questions for staff, but please realize that all staff have the right to confidentiality regarding their employment. Therefore, this is all I can say. I am keeping Kathy and Peter in my prayers and hope you will also.’

Detterick told the Presbyterian New Service that it is not appropriate to comment further on personnel matters.

The Oct. 14 meeting in southern Lebanon between the ACSWP-led delegation and Hezbollah leaders was immediately declared ‘misguided’ by top leadership here and comments made by Ron Stone, a Pittsburgh elder and member of the delegation, were described as ‘reprehensible’ by Dettrick and others in a post-meeting letter to Jewish organizations pleading with them to remain in dialogue with the PC(USA).

Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick and Rick Ufford-Chase, the moderator of the 216th General Assembly, also signed the letter.