(RNS) The largest United Methodist church in the Atlanta metropolitan region announced it is leaving the denomination over the reassignment of its lead pastor.
Earlier this month, Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson reassigned the Rev. Jody Ray, pastor of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church in Marietta, Georgia, to a newly created position related to racial reconciliation in the the North Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Rather than leave the church, where he has served since 2016, Ray announced at a virtual press conference Monday morning (April 26) that he was surrendering his credentials as an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church.
AJ Taylor4 hours agoLast Updated: April 22, 2021
The following are the church services in Forest City and surrounding locations listed in alphabetical order. This is our weekly feature at this time every Sunday. Please check with your church to see if there are online services which you can view.
Forest City:
Calvary Baptist Church at 636 N. Best Street. Services are today at 10:30am and 6:30pm with Sunday School at 9am.
First Baptist Church at 18508 Highway 9. 10am Services-masks are encouraged. No Sunday School at this time.
First Congregational Church at 316 N. 6th Street. Services are today at 10:30am with a 9am Sunday School. (Fellowship at 10am)
Delegates pray before a plenary session at the United Methodist Church s 2016 General Conference in Portland, Oregon. | Facebook/United Methodist General Conference
The United Methodist Church, the third-largest Christian sect in the United States, took another step toward schism over their longstanding debate on LGBT issues when theological conservatives recently unveiled their plan for a new denomination.
Known as the Global Methodist Church, it was the product of the 17-member Transitional Leadership Council, a group of theologically conservative United Methodists.
The Wesleyan Covenant Association, a conservative United Methodist advocacy group, announced the launching of the GMC on March 1, explaining that it will not officially begin operations until a formal separation policy is approved by the UMC.
A Marietta choir director has filed a federal complaint saying he was forced to resign from his job because church members complained about the fact that he is gay.
Ira Pittman had worked at Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church for more than 20 years. His complaint which was filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and shown to WABE comes as the United Methodist Church is in the midst of a debate about possibly changing its rules on LGBT exclusions. The church’s international gathering, the General Conference, in which changes to doctrine are decided every four years, is this month.
AJ Taylor23 hours agoLast Updated: April 7, 2021
The following are the church services in Forest City and surrounding locations listed in alphabetical order. This is our weekly feature at this time every Sunday. Please check with your church to see if there are online services which you can view.
Forest City:
Calvary Baptist Church at 636 N. Best Street. Services are today at 10:30am and 6:30pm with Sunday School at 9am.
First Baptist Church at 18508 Highway 9. 10am Services-masks are encouraged. No Sunday School at this time.
First Congregational Church at 316 N. 6th Street. Services are today at 10:30am with a 9am Sunday School. (Fellowship at 10am)