Latest news with #UnitedMethodist
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
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. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Yahoo
Seminary honors slain pastor with scholarship in her name
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A special honor has been announced in memory of a beloved Memphis pastor who was tragically murdered almost three years ago. The Reverend Dr. Autura Eason-Williams was shot to death during a carjacking in her own driveway. However, the tragic end of her life is not her legacy. And now those who worked closely with her have come up with a lasting tribute. Memphis Theological Seminary is where the late Rev. Dr. Eason-Williams got much of her ministry training. ORIGINAL STORY: Pastor shot and killed during Whitehaven carjacking; 2 teens charged 'She had her degree and her doctorate from here at Memphis Theological Seminary,' Rev. Dr. Mark Matheny said. Now, the seminary is honoring Rev. Dr. Eason-Williams by starting a scholarship in her name. The goal is to raise $50,000 by July 31 to equip future United Methodist students and MTS leaders to preach, serve and transform the community. 'We envision future authors coming from this seminary and carrying on her work, especially overcoming racism and nonviolence and many other areas in a well-rounded ministry where she was also a tremendous preacher and pastor,' Rev. Dr. Matheny said. Rev. Dr. Eason-Williams was known for her service in the community. She was tragically killed in June 2022 outside her home by a group of young people who wanted her car. 'I hope misery keeps you company': Slain pastor's loved ones read impact statements in court Rev. Dr. Matheny said that the hope is that the scholarship will allow the type of work that she was passionate about to continue. 'She was the founder of two wonderful things. One was Signposts, which is a very intensive anti-racism course that laity and clergy can take together,' Rev. Dr. Matheny said. 'She also was a founder and co-author of the Soul Force Initiative with my group, United Methodist Neighborhood Centers, which is anti-gun violence.' The seminary will also plan an annual lecture series in Rev. Dr. Eason-Williams' memory. 'She gave sacrificial love and modeled ministry,' Rev. Dr. Matheny said. 'And so our job is to literally be the resurrection through these future students.' To learn more about the Rev. Dr. Eason-Williams scholarship, click here. If you'd like to support the Rev. Dr. Eason-Williams scholarship, click here. If they reach their goal of $50,000 by July 31, the first scholarship will be given in the fall. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Heavy-hitters arrive in South MS as contentious Gulfport mayor's race nears end
Through phone calls, mailers and high-profile endorsements, the candidates vying to become Gulfport's next mayor are making a final push to lure voters this week at the end of what has become an intense and high-stakes campaign. In a rally on Friday headlined by U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, Republican leaders spoke in urgent terms about a race they called tight and too important to lose. 'This will take the extra-mile effort,' Scott said from a private hangar at the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport. How the city votes, he added, 'is going to be a sign for Mississippi.' Scott, who was once floated as a possible running mate to President Donald Trump, appeared Friday on behalf of Republican mayoral candidate Hugh Keating. He spoke alongside U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell and outgoing Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes. The rally came during a tense week of the campaign: Mississippi's Republican Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced an investigation on Wednesday into Democratic candidate Sonya Williams Barnes after Republicans accused some locals of giving restaurant vouchers to voters in what the party calls a violation of state law. Democrats, though, are defiant: Barnes called the allegations false this week and said she has 'not engaged in any form of voter fraud.' Supporters who turned out for her in big numbers during the primary are condemning the news as a politically-motivated distraction and say they have faith their grassroots effort will prevail. Barnes did not immediately return a message Friday afternoon. But she has said her team is knocking on doors and calling voters in a campaign that is 'organized, energetic and grounded in the belief that our city deserves new leadership that listens, leads with integrity and acts in the public's best interest.' 'I'm running because I hear the call for change from every corner of our community,' she said in a statement this week on social media. The Republican rally was billed as an effort to get out the vote and swelled to about 200 people. Republicans there said the Democratic energy behind Barnes campaign was a wake-up call that should galvanize voters. The crowd, some wearing red Trump hats, nodded along. Barnes won the April Democratic primary with 3,316 votes. Mayor Billy Hewes, a Republican who is not running again, won the 2021 general election with 2,680 votes. Keating had no Republican opponent in the primary. City officials said they had received more than 1,000 absentee ballots by Thursday evening. There were 177 absentee voters in the 2021 general election, according to the city. Hyde-Smith said she asked Scott to visit Gulfport after she learned Democratic operative Stacey Abrams was supporting Barnes. Abrams grew up in Gulfport, and she and Barnes are the children of United Methodist ministers who were friends. Republicans have said her support is part of national Democratic effort to turn Gulfport blue. Barnes has said she alone is responsible for running her campaign and called similar statements divisive. At the Capitol on Thursday, a group of legislative Democrats gathered to reject the election fraud claims leveled by the state Republican Party. 'This election has been very fair, very balanced. But these are scare tactics of the Republican party that have been used for years,' said Rep. Cheikh Taylor, Chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party. 'The fact is, she's winning. And she's winning in an area that's uncommon for a lot of Democrats. She's going to make history as the first African American female to become mayor, and I think people are afraid.' The status of the Attorney General's investigation is not clear because the office does not comment on open inquiries. Barnes said she and her attorney met with two investigators from the Attorney General's Office on Thursday. 'I fully cooperated with the investigators and answered every question asked of me,' she said in a statement on social media. 'These accusations are false, and I stand firmly on the truth.' Keating said news of the investigation had not significantly changed Republican voters' absentee turnout. 'We were already energized,' he said. Mississippi Today reporters Michael Goldberg and Geoff Pender and Sun Herald reporter Anita Lee contributed.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Church leaders criticize ICE presence during preschool pickup in Charlotte
CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A United Methodist church in the Charlotte area became the site of unexpected federal law enforcement activity when armed ICE agents conducted an operation during preschool pickup. No arrests were made, but the May 20 incident raised alarm among families and church leaders. PREVIOUS: Details emerge about Mexican national arrested by ICE near Charlotte school The Western North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church (WNCC) condemned the operation in a May 22 statement, calling it a disruption to sacred space. 'Churches should not be staging grounds for law enforcement,' the group said, emphasizing that their facilities are meant to be safe spaces for all people, regardless of immigration status. PREVIOUS: ICE activity near Charlotte East Language Academy drop-off area sparks concern The event comes amid what advocates describe as heightened ICE activity in Charlotte and other major cities since the Trump administration returned to office. Queen City News has reached out to ICE for comment. The WNCC said it remains committed to protecting the sanctity of its spaces and the dignity of those who seek refuge within them. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NC House bills will undercut services to homeless vets
People experiencing homelessness in Raleigh pack to leave an encampment off of Highway 70 near Interstate 40. (Photo: Greg Childress) As a U.S. Navy veteran, I am honored to manage a team that serves other veterans who find themselves without a home in North Carolina. In my role as director of outreach for Veterans Services of The Carolinas (VSC), our team collaborates daily with the faith-based community, mental health and substance use providers, LME/MCOs, law enforcement, housing providers, and others across all 100 counties of North Carolina. That experience has provided us with deep insight into what works and what doesn't. Two pending bills in the North Carolina General Assembly will have a direct impact on our communities, service providers, law enforcement, and those we serve. Both are promoted—as they were in other targeted states —by an interest group out of Austin, Texas, called Cicero Action. Joe Lonsdale, its founder, is a venture capitalist with ties to those in private prison contracting, including technology for the newer field of e-carceration. One bill – House Bill 437 – would criminalize nonprofits like ours by threatening felony charges if drug activity occurs within 100 feet of our facilities — an extreme and unworkable standard that punishes service providers for circumstances beyond their control. The other — House Bill 781 — establishes new requirements on cities and counties to set up state-sanctioned homeless encampments for up to a year without additional funding. Going after nonprofits and supporting unfunded mandates is not on-brand for the state of North Carolina, but neither is disrespecting our faith-based and veteran leaders who the Cicero lobbyists characterize as unserious activists. Representatives for four bishops overseeing 1200 North Carolina Episcopal and United Methodist churches joined VSC and other veterans in sharing concerns about these bills and the impacts they will have at multiple House committee podiums. And yet, the bill passed out of the House and now awaits a round of committee hearings in the Senate. Under the guise of a self-described think tank, the Cicero Institute—in the absence of data—blames the Housing First model for the increase of homelessness. From Texas, it declares there is no lack of affordable housing in North Carolina and glosses over how two out of three of its residents experiencing homelessness in recent years are experiencing it for the first time. Prioritizing housing with wrap-around services—the housing first model—has been the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs approach since 2012. More than 133,000 veterans were housed and provided with supportive services to help them retain housing over the last three years. The practice was first introduced by the George W. Bush Administration and has enjoyed subsequent bipartisan support because of data showing its effectiveness. The average number of returns to homelessness across the state utilizing Housing First is less than 13%. The City of Raleigh estimates it costs $96,000 a year in emergency services, law enforcement and health care for a homeless person living outside. As Raleigh's News & Observer reported recently, putting someone in a home and making services available costs $20,000 — saving taxpayers' $76,000 per person. In contrast, another local government projected the cost of installing just one Greenflow unit to provide the bill's requirement of running water and restrooms at up to $200,000 alone. Will local governments have to add this cost and others in their capital improvement or their regular budgets to meet the state's approval? Will property tax increases be required to move the state-sanctioned encampments around each year? Additionally, legal counsels from local governments have raised concerns about increased liability and incarceration along with decreased local control–as reported by their colleagues in states where the Cicero bills have passed into law. Cicero offers no data to indicate its proposal will do anything to end homelessness—just make it less visible. A month after the Florida encampment law went into effect last year, the first lawsuit was filed, resulting in a hasty sweep of an encampment without a plan for where people would go. Ongoing treatment for substance use and medications for mental illness are interrupted or lost when caseworkers and peer support specialists cannot find those they serve. State-sanctioned, compulsive homeless encampments will drive unsheltered veterans further from the resources needed and further away from sustainable recovery, while putting the onus on our local law enforcement. Especially in the context of yesterday's annual observance of Memorial Day, it makes no sense for our leaders to pass laws that criminalize those who have given up so much for the freedoms we enjoy. Our General Assembly members would serve their communities more effectively by investing in solutions that have been proven to work and are cost effective.
