IS THIS ANY WAY TO CLOSE A CHURCH????????

I was stationed at St.Joseph Church in Macon as pastor from 2004 to 2016 During my first few years there, the pastor of Riverside United Methodist Church befriended me and we did a few ecumenical things together.

The Methodist Church in Macon is of the South Georgia Methodist Conference (Diocese) and more high church than most Methodist conferences as you can see from the interior photo above.

I even preached there for an ecumenical service and joked about being so high over the people as I preached. That’s quite a pulpit. I often thought the building could easily be transformed into a beautiful Catholic Church.

The Church abruptly closed and not in a very nice way. The bishops of the Methodist Church or their conferences wield a lot of power and in some cases more than what the Catholic bishops can do.

I suspect there’s more behind this than meets the eye and more than likely they had few members as the Methodist Church is declining in a dramatic way in the south due to its aggressive and progressive LGBTQ policies. At one time, the United Methodist Church in the south, particularly Georgia, would have been the second largest Protestant denomination with Southern Baptists being first. 

Here’s a news story about the abrupt ending!

Members of Riverside United Methodist Church, located at 735 Pierce Ave, were outraged Friday afternoon when the church abruptly closed its doors and changed the locks, with no warning for the congregants.

An email went out to the members of Riverside United Methodist Church announcing its immediate closure due to unresolved financial difficulties. The closure also affects the Riverside Day Care Center, with families and staff being notified the same day. Congregants with personal belongings at the church were asked to contact church staff to arrange retrieval. 

According to the email, a final worship service will be planned to celebrate the church’s legacy, with details forthcoming. Members were encouraged to transfer their membership to another church in the South Georgia Conference.

Members acknowledged that they knew of plans to close Riverside UMC, but claim they were led to believe that it would be the second Sunday in November. Understandably, they were upset by the sudden and unexpected closure. 

“This is heartbreaking,” said one member. “We knew it was inevitable, but it wasn’t supposed to close until November, after All Saints Day. However, it abruptly closed yesterday. My mom is 88. She’s attended for 60-plus years and didn’t even get to say goodbye. I was Christened there as an infant. I’m 55. I was married there. My Dad’s funeral was there. My daughter was baptized there.”

One source close to The Reporter confirmed that the staff members also had no warning of the closure. The source revealed that parents were told that the daycare was closing at the end of the day, as they were picking up their children to leave. 

The Reporter reached out to District Superintendent Rev. Jeff Cook and Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Nita Crump, who sent the following press release: 

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the immediate closure of Riverside United Methodist Church. A church closure is always painful, and the grief is compounded by the immediate nature of this closure. 

Plans will be made for a final worship service in the coming weeks. This service will be a time to give thanks for the ministry, memories, and faithful witness of this congregation.

We are thankful for the support of nearby United Methodist churches who welcome the Riverside UMC congregation members.”