3 days ago
Six Wiregrass Methodist churches to close
DOTHAN, Ala (WDHN) — Six churches in the Wiregrass will close after a vote by members in the Alabama West-Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church.
The announcement to close a total of 27 churches came near the end of the conference's annual meeting on Tuesday at the Pensacola First United Methodist Church.
Of those 27 churches, the six in the Wiregrass include:
Sardis United Methodist Church in Hartford
Center Ridge United Methodist Church in Coffee Springs
Williams Chapel United Methodist Church in Brundidge
Epworth United Methodist Church in Barbour County
Memorial United Methodist Church in Covington County
Williams Chapel United Methodist Church in Pike County
The closures took effect on Tuesday, and all property held by these churches was transferred to the Board of Trustees of the Alabama-West Florida Conference.
A speaker cited that most of the closures were due to declining membership, but also stated that some of the churches, including those in the Wiregrass, were closed because 'circumstances existed at these churches that required immediate protection of the local church property for the benefit of the denomination.'
Many in the crowd were crying as the announcements were made.
The other churches that were closed during the conference are:
Friendship United Methodist Church in Jackson County, Florida
Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church in Choctaw County
Mt. Herman United Methodist Church in Hale County
Mt. Carmel United Methodist Church in Hale County
Ramsey's Chapel in Hale County
Pleasant Valley United Methodist Church in Hale County
China Grove United Methodist Church in Hale County
Morris Chapel of Opelika in Lee County
Irvington United Methodist Church in Mobile County
Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Montgomery County
Minerva United Methodist Church in Washington County
Trinity Weoka United Methodist Church in Elmore County
Epworth United Methodist Church in Barbour County
Greenville First United Methodist Church in Butler County
Trinity United Methodist Church in Russell County
Guy's Chapel United Methodist Church in Baldwin County
Fitzpatrick United Methodist Church in Bullock County
Loachapoka United Methodist Church in Lee County
Whitfield Memorial United Methodist Church in Montgomery County
Butler First United Methodist Church in Choctaw County
Flomaton United Methodist Church in Escambia County
McRae Street of Atmore First United Methodist Church in Escambia County
In March, the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church voted to close 20 churches.
The closures come as the UMC faces several pending lawsuits, including one from Dothan's Harvest Church, over land and disafiliation disputes.
Thousands of Methodist congregations split from the denomination over disputes involving the church's LGBTQ-related policies.
United Methodist rules forbid same-sex marriage rites and the ordination of 'self-avowed practicing homosexuals,' but progressive Methodist churches and regional governing bodies in the U.S. have increasingly been defying these rules.
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