NEWS - August 30, 2023
The transition committee adjourned their final meeting on August 29, 2023. Thanks to all of the committee members for their diligent efforts over the past six months!
NEWS - July 17, 2023
Contact Information:
Contact Church office (336-292-3360) or Lynda Hodges with any pastoral needs (336-407-6946)
Transitional Updates:
- SPPRC is actively searching for our new pastor. Guest pastors are speaking at both services.
- Pastoral updates will be provided by SPPRC.
- Filling the pastoral position will take time to ensure the church and pastor are a good fit.
- We are blessed to have various pastors stepping in to help us during this transition
- Changes are almost complete to remove UMC from literature, website, social media and other areas.
- New church logo will be approved soon and the Trustees are working on changes to the sign on the front lawn.
- The check for the cost to disaffiliate has been sent to Conference Trustees. We are waiting for the property deeds to be transferred to Rehobeth Church.
- This is the final step for disaffiliation from UMC.
- Due to many disaffiliations and the banking regulations associated with large amounts, the transfer process could take several weeks.
- A Special Church Conference will be held once the deeds have been transferred.
Moving forward at Rehobeth:
- You may request copies of the Bylaws, Church Officials and new church policies by contacting the church office or email disaffiliation@rehobeth.org. The Bylaws and Church Officials can be download from this website. They are located under "Resources".
- New church checking accounts have been opened. Please make your checks payable to: Rehobeth Church
- Updates to our website online giving is coming soon with enhanced features for donations to the church.
- Homecoming will be held Sunday, September 17 at 10:30 in the sanctuary.
Fund Updates:
- Disaffiliation Funds received $176,791
- The proceeds from Fundraisers:
- BBQ Dinner - $3,849
- Spaghetti Dinner/concert - $6,747
- Golf Tournament - $5,000
- Additional funds will be used to update the sign on the front lawn and cover any additional cost that is associated with the transition. Any excess donations will go into the budget.
Reach out to anyone on the Transitional Team for questions or concerns: Jerry Clark, Dino Hackett, Carl Jobe, Andrew Allen, Sandy Johnson, Jennifer Moser, Wally Forrest, Vicki Miller or email at: disaffiliation@rehobeth.org
NEWS - May 7, 2023
Members of Rehobeth UMC voted Sunday, May 7, for several essential items needed to move forward with establishing our new church.
The following was determined by the majority vote of the ballots submitted for each item:
· To move forward as Independent Church (99 voted for Independent, 4 for Global, 2 abstained)
· Our church name will be Rehobeth Church (58 voted for "Rehobeth Church", 29 for "Rehobeth Methodist Church", and 18 for "Rehobeth Church: An Independent Methodist Church")
· The Church Officials nominated were approved (104 voted to approve, 1 to disapprove)
Our Final Charge Conference will be held this afternoon to approve motions for:
· Our property transfers from Rehobeth UMC of Guilford County to Rehobeth Church of Guilford County
· Filing articles of dissolution with the NC Secretary of State for Rehobeth United Methodist Church of Guilford County.
Upon approval, the Transitional Committee, and other committees within Rehobeth will begin with legal aspects and other tasks towards establishing Rehobeth Church. The various committees will communicate information to keep you informed.
The following was determined by the majority vote of the ballots submitted for each item:
· To move forward as Independent Church (99 voted for Independent, 4 for Global, 2 abstained)
· Our church name will be Rehobeth Church (58 voted for "Rehobeth Church", 29 for "Rehobeth Methodist Church", and 18 for "Rehobeth Church: An Independent Methodist Church")
· The Church Officials nominated were approved (104 voted to approve, 1 to disapprove)
Our Final Charge Conference will be held this afternoon to approve motions for:
· Our property transfers from Rehobeth UMC of Guilford County to Rehobeth Church of Guilford County
· Filing articles of dissolution with the NC Secretary of State for Rehobeth United Methodist Church of Guilford County.
Upon approval, the Transitional Committee, and other committees within Rehobeth will begin with legal aspects and other tasks towards establishing Rehobeth Church. The various committees will communicate information to keep you informed.
NEWS - April 28, 2023
The Transition Committee realizes there may be frustrations in not knowing where we are at this point in the transition process. We are diligently putting the pieces in place for our new church ministry. Communications regarding plans to find a new pastor and what is needed to operate as a new church will be shared in more detail at the appropriate time. We are careful not to cross any boundaries within the United Methodist Conference guidelines (of which we are still obligated) until we can move forward after our May 7th meeting with the District Superintendent.
The plan is to keep committees in place using our current organizational standards. A few committee members have requested to be removed from certain obligations, and we honored their request. Please note that there are no plans to replace any staff positions.
Below is a link to the updated list of our 2023 New Church Officials that will be effective once we are no longer a United Methodist Church.
(Copies will also be available at our upcoming Sunday church services.) The remaining Advisory Committees will be updated in the near future. Church members will have the opportunity to cast their ballot on Sunday, May 7, anytime between 10:00-10:50am in the sanctuary to vote on the 2023 New Church Officials, along with selecting our new church name and choice of becoming an Independent or Global Methodist Church.
Thank you for your continued prayers for our church as we move forward at Rehobeth.
Please feel free to reach out to any member of the Transitional Committee with your questions or concerns.
The plan is to keep committees in place using our current organizational standards. A few committee members have requested to be removed from certain obligations, and we honored their request. Please note that there are no plans to replace any staff positions.
Below is a link to the updated list of our 2023 New Church Officials that will be effective once we are no longer a United Methodist Church.
(Copies will also be available at our upcoming Sunday church services.) The remaining Advisory Committees will be updated in the near future. Church members will have the opportunity to cast their ballot on Sunday, May 7, anytime between 10:00-10:50am in the sanctuary to vote on the 2023 New Church Officials, along with selecting our new church name and choice of becoming an Independent or Global Methodist Church.
Thank you for your continued prayers for our church as we move forward at Rehobeth.
Please feel free to reach out to any member of the Transitional Committee with your questions or concerns.
Disaffiliation Pledge Campaign
As Rehobeth moves toward establishing our new church, we are kicking off our 2023 disaffiliation pledge campaign. We must pay the Western NC Conference $150,909 by the beginning of July, 2023 to complete the disaffiliation from the United Methodist Church. The payment includes unfunded pensions and two years of conference and district apportionments. To account for donations, we may receive, we would like you to prayerfully consider pledging to the disaffiliation fund. All pledge information will remain confidential and only be used for gathering the amount pledged. Individual pledges will not be shared or used for tracking purposes.
You may place your cards in the offering boxes, mail or bring to church office by April 30.
You may place your cards in the offering boxes, mail or bring to church office by April 30.
Sample Pledge Card
CHURCH VOTE – Sunday, May 7 from 10:00am-10:50am
Members of Rehobeth will cast their ballot to decide our church name, confirm new church officials (committees), and our decision to become a Global Methodist Church or Independent Church on Sunday, May 7. You may cast your ballot anytime between 10:00am – 10:50am in the sanctuary. Please contact a member of the Transitional Committee for any questions you may have.
NEW CHURCH NAME
We value your thoughts and input in deciding our new church name. If you have suggestions, please complete and place it in the offering boxes, mail or bring it to the church office along with your pledges by April 30. You may also email your pledges or thoughts to: disaffiliation@rehobeth.org
We have heard many of our members prefer to include Rehobeth in our new name. (We have listed two prominent names). Our church members will officially vote on the top 3 suggestions and our preference to become an Independent or Global Methodist Church on Sunday, May 7 anytime between 10:00am-10:50am in the sanctuary.
We have heard many of our members prefer to include Rehobeth in our new name. (We have listed two prominent names). Our church members will officially vote on the top 3 suggestions and our preference to become an Independent or Global Methodist Church on Sunday, May 7 anytime between 10:00am-10:50am in the sanctuary.
- REHOBETH CHURCH
- REHOBETH METHODIST CHURCH
- OTHER ______________________________________
IMPORTANT NOTIFICATION
During the Transitional Meeting on Sunday, March 12th, the discussion surrounding the decision to move to an Independent vs. Global structure resulted in a recommendation for a straw vote (unofficial vote). The straw poll indicated the opinion of the majority of those present was for the Transitional Committee to move forward with the next steps to obtain our Independent status.
However, the committee recognizes that several people were not able to attend this meeting and although the vote was well represented and will allow the committee to focus their research going forward, the vote was not clearly announced prior to the meeting and did not give everyone the opportunity to voice their opinion. It’s important that this be a church-wide decision!
We will call a church-wide meeting for a more formal vote to be announced at a later date. Our committee will continue to keep you up to date as we gather more information. If there are any thoughts or concerns, please contact the Transitional Committee. We appreciate everyone’s input as we chart this course together!
However, the committee recognizes that several people were not able to attend this meeting and although the vote was well represented and will allow the committee to focus their research going forward, the vote was not clearly announced prior to the meeting and did not give everyone the opportunity to voice their opinion. It’s important that this be a church-wide decision!
We will call a church-wide meeting for a more formal vote to be announced at a later date. Our committee will continue to keep you up to date as we gather more information. If there are any thoughts or concerns, please contact the Transitional Committee. We appreciate everyone’s input as we chart this course together!
Church Transitional Meeting Minutes - March 12, 2023
Vicki Miller welcomed everyone and opened the meeting with prayer.
She introduced the Transitional Committee members and explained that their purpose was “to create a transitional bridge to lead us forward” through the disaffiliation from the United Methodist Church.
We are working with our lawyer Randall Holcomb to understand any legal responsibilities in these final steps. We are under time constraints to make important decisions.
One of our goals is to connect with those individuals who are serving on current committees to see who would be willing to serve on a mirrored committee for the new church body and operate under the guidance of the Transitional Committee. Sandy Johnson will be reaching out to our committee members to determine what capacity they will serve. The current committee and transitional committees will co-exist until the final Charge Conference when we officially exit the United Methodist Church.
The transitional committee understands the importance of communication and we will share updates using email, Rehobeth.org/resources and mailing information to those that do not have electronic access.
We will begin receiving donations to our “Disaffiliation Fund” that has been established. The costs for disaffiliation from the UMC is $168,094; however, we have apportionments budgeted for January -June of $17,185. The remaining $150,909 will be raised through donations and fundraisers by July 2023.
Vicki presented information on pros and cons of The Global Methodist Church vs. Independent. There were numerous thoughts, questions and comments about each structure from the congregation. The discussion surrounding the decision to move to an Independent vs. Global structure resulted in a motion for a straw vote (unofficial vote). Those present were handed ballots to mark their choice of either Global Methodist or Independent. The ballots were tallied, with 80 votes for Independent and 0 for Global Methodist. The straw poll indicated that the opinion of the majority of those present was for the Transition Committee to move forward with the next steps to obtain our Independent status. It was decided that the minutes would reflect this decision and ask those were not in attendance or feel differently to please get in touch with Transitional Committee member.
Jerry Clark shared information about our new legal church name and the church name that we will go by. He shared that we have been Rehobeth on this corner for over 200 years and will continue to be Rehobeth. We must have decision regarding our new legal name by April 1. The two church names can be different. There were several suggestions for our new church name.
After much conversation, we felt we could determine our legal name and have further discussion on what name we would call ourselves for the new church. Jerry Clark suggested our legal name be Rehobeth Church of Guilford County. This was agreed to by those in attendance.
The Transitional Committee wanted everyone to know they are available for any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact them.
Ben Shepherd closed meeting with prayer.
She introduced the Transitional Committee members and explained that their purpose was “to create a transitional bridge to lead us forward” through the disaffiliation from the United Methodist Church.
We are working with our lawyer Randall Holcomb to understand any legal responsibilities in these final steps. We are under time constraints to make important decisions.
One of our goals is to connect with those individuals who are serving on current committees to see who would be willing to serve on a mirrored committee for the new church body and operate under the guidance of the Transitional Committee. Sandy Johnson will be reaching out to our committee members to determine what capacity they will serve. The current committee and transitional committees will co-exist until the final Charge Conference when we officially exit the United Methodist Church.
The transitional committee understands the importance of communication and we will share updates using email, Rehobeth.org/resources and mailing information to those that do not have electronic access.
We will begin receiving donations to our “Disaffiliation Fund” that has been established. The costs for disaffiliation from the UMC is $168,094; however, we have apportionments budgeted for January -June of $17,185. The remaining $150,909 will be raised through donations and fundraisers by July 2023.
Vicki presented information on pros and cons of The Global Methodist Church vs. Independent. There were numerous thoughts, questions and comments about each structure from the congregation. The discussion surrounding the decision to move to an Independent vs. Global structure resulted in a motion for a straw vote (unofficial vote). Those present were handed ballots to mark their choice of either Global Methodist or Independent. The ballots were tallied, with 80 votes for Independent and 0 for Global Methodist. The straw poll indicated that the opinion of the majority of those present was for the Transition Committee to move forward with the next steps to obtain our Independent status. It was decided that the minutes would reflect this decision and ask those were not in attendance or feel differently to please get in touch with Transitional Committee member.
Jerry Clark shared information about our new legal church name and the church name that we will go by. He shared that we have been Rehobeth on this corner for over 200 years and will continue to be Rehobeth. We must have decision regarding our new legal name by April 1. The two church names can be different. There were several suggestions for our new church name.
After much conversation, we felt we could determine our legal name and have further discussion on what name we would call ourselves for the new church. Jerry Clark suggested our legal name be Rehobeth Church of Guilford County. This was agreed to by those in attendance.
The Transitional Committee wanted everyone to know they are available for any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact them.
Ben Shepherd closed meeting with prayer.
The Transition Team
A transition team has been established to help lead us through our final phases in the disaffiliation process. This group will gather information to present to our church this Sunday as we discuss the benefits of going with the Global Methodist, or moving forward as an Independent Church. We will also look at possibilities of our new church name.
Please know that our only purpose thus far was to get us to the vote. There have been no decisions yet on what happens after – we will do that as a church. With that, we need to get through these next steps, build our church up and grow our ministries together!
Please know that our only purpose thus far was to get us to the vote. There have been no decisions yet on what happens after – we will do that as a church. With that, we need to get through these next steps, build our church up and grow our ministries together!
The transition team consist of the following members:
Joan Landreth
Greg Thompson
Wally Forrest
Jennifer Moser
Carl Jobe
Vicki Miller
Dino Hackett
Sandy Johnson
Jerry Clark
Andrew Allen
Joan Landreth
Greg Thompson
Wally Forrest
Jennifer Moser
Carl Jobe
Vicki Miller
Dino Hackett
Sandy Johnson
Jerry Clark
Andrew Allen
Global Methodist vs. Independent
There are Pros and Cons to consider going Global or Independent. Here are a few thoughts to consider as you do your research on each option - please look over and let me know if there are any other considerations.
Global Pros
Independent Pros
Independent Cons
Global Pros
- Similar to UMC
- Same basic theology
- Same rules as current UMC Book of Discipline (BOD) regarding Sexuality
- Same structure (committees) that we are used to with more flexibility
- connectivity with other churches and mission/building teams More accountability for Leaders to follow BOD
- Pastors are vetted by the Global
- We will have more involvement with selection of pastor
- We will be given names of several pastors to interview and we make the selection
- Much lower apportionments than UMC – approx ⅓
- Eventually more leadership training sponsored by Global
- We would eventually have access to program materials
- No restrictions to leave Global and go Independent if desired – would involve some costs, bank accounts, accounting system, changing name and signage, etc.
- No trust clause or loss of property
- Global Methodist church is in its infancy – we would be a part of the beginning.
- This is a new organization which is still being organized and many hurdles to consider as they get established.
- If we find a pastor we like that is not Global then that person would need to be vetted by Global and join Global within a year
- Apportionment would be approx $10,000 + per year
- More involved definition of sexuality could alienate people
- A complicated BOD with much that does not apply directly to our church and can’t be changed
- We would be required to pay Global Health Insurance on pastor
- We would be required to pay Global Retirement on pastor
- We would be encouraged to follow Global guidelines on salary based on the pastor’s previous salary or minimums
- Expectation of some “push” from Global Leadership
- Required Leadership Training
- Pool of pastors to select from is limited
Independent Pros
- Total freedom to:
- specify theology and practice
- design structure and operation
- express our social views
- select pastor of our choice (expanded pool to choose from)
- determine all pastor compensation issues
- No apportionments
- No one telling us what we can and can’t do
- Support available from other independent churches
- No restrictions to leave independent and go Global if desired – would involve some costs, bank accounts, accounting system, changing name and signage, etc.
- No trust clause or loss of property
- No direct focus on sexuality which has been in the spotlight with Methodist
Independent Cons
- It will take time, effort, and wisdom to develop our theology, structure, etc. (we can use other independent church info to help with this
- We will have to do vetting/selection of potential pastors. This can be exhaustive and may lead to descension.
- No connectivity – although we could join with other independents for projects, mission work, etc.
- We would need to find our resources for programs, studies, etc.