During a special session of the Arkansas United Methodist Churches’ Annual Conference on Saturday, a vote was taken to allow several congregations to dissociate from the denomination.
The vote marked the disassociation of 100 congregations within the past six months, with 67 of them choosing to do so during Saturday’s session.
The disassociations primarily stemmed from dissatisfaction with the church’s stance on matters such as same-sex marriage and the ordination of gay clergy.
Presiding Bishop Laura Merrill acknowledged the challenging nature of the day for the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church. She expressed gratitude for the grace displayed by conference members toward one another and herself as they fulfilled their responsibilities. (Click here to read more from the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church.)
“I look forward to healing and continued ministry with United Methodists who lost their church home today, and I trust that God will open a new and fruitful path before us. We will move forward in faith, sharing the love and hope of Jesus Christ with our neighbors,” Merrill said.
The following Arkansas United Methodist churches were approved by a block vote to ratify their disaffiliation requests at the Saturday conference:
Adona, Almyra, Alpena, Altheimer, Bayou Meto, Bearden, Bismarck, Bradley, Brasfield, Briggsville, Buena Vista, Caraway, Cecil, Cedar Grove (Yellville), Chickalah, Christ United, Congo, Dardanelle First, Dumas Memorial, Everton, Gillett, Good Hope, Griffin Memorial, Harmony (Emmet), Harmony Grove, Hartman, Hebron (New Edinburgh), Hickory Ridge, Holiday Hills, Horatio First, Hunter, Junction City, Leachville, Liberty Hall, Little Missouri, Mabelvale, Manila, McNeil, Midland Heights, Morning Star, Mount Olivet, Mountain View (Mena), Naylor, New Salem, Norman, Piggott First, Plainview, Pleasant Hill (Texarkana), Pleasant Ridge, Plummerville, Red Hill, Rondo, Salem Palestine, Shiloh (Dry Fork), Shiloh (Jonesboro), Tilton, Trinity (Gurdon), Vesta, Wesley Cotter, and Wye Mountain.
The Arkansas United Methodist churches that were voted upon individually included the following: Good Faith Carr, Greenbrier, Greenwood, Hope First, Pine Bluff First, and Wheatley.
Click here for more information on this story from the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
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