Moving Forward as a Church
On Sunday, February 21st, professing members of the Chebeague United Methodist Church met with District Superintendent Karen Munson and officially voted to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church denomination. Special thanks to the non-members who joined us for the meeting. This was a large step forward for a small church. Next, we will negotiate our exit with the New England Annual Conference which actually holds our assets (including buildings) in trust for the denomination. We'll post additional information over the next several days as we continue the process.
Ahead of the vote, we will meet on Saturday, February 13th at 10 AM, to listen to one another’s thoughts and concerns about this historic decision. This “public forum” will be open to all. We in church leadership want to hear from everyone.
Our information document can be accessed here. It is a Google Doc - and anyone can leave comments. It is a working document as we look to identify important information to help us make a decision about whether to leave the United Methodist Church.
You can find the access info for these meetings at the bottom of the page.
Ahead of the vote, we will meet on Saturday, February 13th at 10 AM, to listen to one another’s thoughts and concerns about this historic decision. This “public forum” will be open to all. We in church leadership want to hear from everyone.
Our information document can be accessed here. It is a Google Doc - and anyone can leave comments. It is a working document as we look to identify important information to help us make a decision about whether to leave the United Methodist Church.
You can find the access info for these meetings at the bottom of the page.
BackgroundIn October 2019 (pre-pandemic), members of the Chebeague United Methodist Church began an eight-month discernment process to examine our relationship with the International United Methodist Church and to determine how that relationship is a liability and an asset to the island church. In part this action was prompted by the February 2019 Special General Conference of the International United Methodist Church where the body voted to enforce injunctions against LBGTQ members.
The United Methodist denomination has been moving steadily toward barring LBGTQ individuals from ministry for over 40 years. In June 2016 our New England Conference became a “non-conforming” conference stating that it would not comply with the General Conference’s ever more conservative stance avowing that homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. The New England Conference basically ignored the anti-LBGTQ rules and continued to operate in a more liberal manner. However, the February 2019 vote forces our church and New England Conference to follow the mandated exclusion of LBGTQ individuals and punishments for clergy who officiate same sex marriages. Because there was a huge outcry in the U.S. after the February 2019 vote, these provisions are currently not being enforced and the whole issue is to be discussed again at the next General Conference currently scheduled for August 2021. The 2019 Special General Conference offered a process for local congregations to leave the United Methodist Church with their property if they disagreed on issues of human sexuality and if they acted by December 2023. No one knows what will happen at the August 2021 Conference, but there are several plans for the United Methodist Church to split into conservative and inclusive theological denominations. Of concern, is that not only may the UMC denomination split (and our congregation would need to choose an option at that time), but also that our church could lose the opportunity to leave with our property. |
Disaffiliation SurveyThe rules for disaffiliation require a vote by members present at the charge conference scheduled for February 21st. Even though only members can vote, we want to hear from all who care about this church. Please complete the survey below, whether or not you are a professing member. If you aren’t sure of your membership status, please call the church office 207-846-6987. If you’d like to learn more about the process for becoming a member of the church, contact Melissa at ml.yosuadavis@gmail.com.
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The Chebeague UMC became a Reconciling Congregation in May 2019, voting to join a national movement of UMC churches and ministries accepting LBGTQ individuals as equal participants in church life and work. As a forward-thinking Reconciling Congregation, we needed to examine our position. By engaging in the discernment process, we examined the role of Chebeague UMC as a congregation with deep roots in various denominations as well as deep island roots.
We also examined the support that we have received over the years from the New England Conference of the UMC as well as the cost of remaining part of the UMC. This year we will pay $12,761 to our New England Conference in Mission shares, 21% of which is forwarded to the International United Methodist Church. In order to leave the denomination, we must satisfy our financial obligations to the New England Conference which include our share of the conference’s unfunded pension liability (dependent on the stock market) and an additional year of Mission Shares. A high estimate of that number is $200,000. Leadership is considering a mortgage on the parsonage to raise the funds. Monthly payments on a 30-year mortgage are estimated to be $1,000. Annually, that would be less than the Mission Shares we pay right now. The time to make a decision is running out. We can wait and see if new options will be offered by General Conference 2021 or if they will continue to exclude LBGTQ individuals and punish clergy. But if we are to make a stand against these exclusionary policies, we need to act. This is why we are considering leaving the UMC, and forging a new way forward. You may find it helpful to view a video of the November 29, 2020 Information Session of the Alliance of Inclusive Methodists (a new network for independent Methodist churches). A recording of the event is also available on our website (see the sidebar). Please stay tuned to our FaceBook page, Beverly’s chebeague.org, and our weekly e‑newsletter for further information regarding our public forum as well as for the charge conference vote, both of which will be held via Zoom. If you have any questions, please contact one of us. May we continue to prayerfully seek a path forward that embodies our commitment to and welcome of all God’s children. |
Dates and Meeting Access InfoBoth meetings are open to all. At our public forum, we are inviting questions and comments from the entire Chebeague community. At our Charge Conference, all are welcome with voice, members only are allowed to vote.
Please use the meeting access info below for our:
Public Forum on February 13th at 10 AM Charge Conference on Sunday, February 21st at 1 PM https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8152000968?pwd=d3pMc051dTFLT3ZkcFlldWJTTmNTZz09 Meeting ID: 815 200 0968 Passcode: 20152020 One tap mobile +13017158592,,8152000968#,,,,*20152020# US (Washington DC) +13126266799,,8152000968#,,,,*20152020# US (Chicago) Dial by your location +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 815 200 0968 Passcode: 20152020 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcKYrPqrce What is the Alliance of Inclusive Methodists?To watch an informational video from the Alliance of Inclusive Methodists, outlining hopes for a network of support for churches leaving the United Methodist Church, visit here. This meeting was held on Sunday, November 29th, 2020.
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