GORDON, Ga. — People in Gordon are trying to figure out what will happen Thursday night at a called meeting of the city council.
The agenda says they'll talk about pending litigation, and then adjourn. Members of a nearby church say they believe it has to do with an ongoing legal battle between them and their pastor.
"We're the ones that built this building," Senior Deacon Thomas Cleveland said.
Cleveland and his family are very proud of New Corinth Green Grove Missionary Baptist Church.
"My father passed, but he told me then, when he said, he said, 'This is the community church,'" he said.
They're determined to keep it that way, but they say the pastor, Larry Thomas, is trying to make it his church even though they don't want him in the position.
"We are the members of this church," Vice Deacon Melvin Cleveland said. "A pastor does not control this church."
In 2021, the congregation first tried to remove Thomas from his position. Thomas took it to court, and in April, a judge ruled Thomas could stay as pastor.
Last month, the congregation again tried to remove Thomas with a vote. Thomas sued again, arguing they did not follow church bylaws.
Law enforcement officers were there to act as 'mediators,' the suit said. Thomas argued they should not have been there, and his legal team says it violates Georgia law.
"They were here to watch the members vote, and make sure everybody was in their rightful place to do what was right," Wayne Ross, the church's deacon board chairman, said. "And that's the only thing that took place."
Thomas' lawsuit specifically mentions Gordon Police Chief Mike Hall and Deputy Chief Andy Hester.
Now, members of the congregation say they hear members of the city council will vote on whether to put both on suspension Thursday at their called meeting. A large group, including many from the congregation, say they plan to be there just in case.
"We are Corinth. We always will be Corinth. And we're going to stand for Corinth," Ross said. "And Corinth will stand behind the Gordon Police Department."
We tried to reach out to city council members to confirm the information, but there weren't any phone numbers or emails listed for them on the city website. We did have contact information for Council Member Terry Eady, but he was not available to speak with us.
Thomas said he'd rather speak to his attorney before officially commenting for this story.
Thursday's called council meeting is scheduled to start at 5:30 at Gordon City Hall.