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36 She had been the instigator. Ed was also asked whether he hadn't come to Mississippi to infiltrate this church, wasn't he an "outside agitator," and did he know certain persons then named. At the latter, he laughed, because they were known, acknowledged communists. All his answers were in the negative. Five other families were also requested to meet later with the Session, families which, in the Session's words, "have constituted most of the difficulties we are presently having in the church." They were Mr. and Mrs. Coover, Mr. and Mrs. John Landon, Mr. Robert Taylor, and Mr. and Mrs. John Mefford. All did so, Mrs. Taylor accompanying her husband, except for the Meffords, who instead transferred to the Long Beach Presbyterian Church. The Session determined, after these meetings, that only the Ling family was really troublesome and thereafter referred to this as the "Ling Affair." Some weeks later, therefore, a letter dated March 20, 1967 was received by the Lings. It was addressed to only Ed, but called upon both him and Ingrid to "submit [ylourselves to the government and discipline of the Church," in writing. Otherwise, penalties would be imposed, which included their excommunication, they were advised. This they refused to do, in the belief that there were only two persons who dominated the Session and they weren't about to do that which had so arrogantly been demanded, as they saw it. The other men on the Session were good men, simply ill-advised and dominated by the other two, they thought. Withal, they were leaving town and would soon be leaving all this behind them. Let it lay, they thought, no problem for us any more. However, on their last Sunday in town, when Ed was at the hospital with the couple's youngest daughter, who at the time was thought to be suffering from meningitis (it turning out only to be a massive infection, luckily), this same letter was read to the entire congregation during the church service. Ingrid sat there at the organ with tears in her eyes and with clenched fists as it was read. Not a single member of the choir she had served with so long said good bye to her at the
First Presbyterian Church History-of-the-First-Presbyterian-Church-40