Seven churches discontinued

On recommendation from the Conference Board of Trustees, 2009 Annual Conference members voted to discontinue seven churches, with sales proceeds and other assets from five discontinuances going to the appropriate district “for new or existing ministries.”

All discontinuances were recommended “because only a small number of members remained and they could not continue to support the church financially and physically.”

Joy UMC, Slidell UMC,and Grant Street UMC were discontinued from the Wichita Falls District. Merit UMC was discontinued from the Paris-Sulphur Springs District. Spring Creek UMC was discontinued from the Sherman-McKinney District.

Seven Hills UMC was discontinued from the Wichita Falls District, but the Conference Board of Trustees will hold the property for a potential new church start site, or liquidation if deemed appropriate.

Munger Place UMC will be discontinued from the Dallas Northeast District, but the Conference Board of Trustees will transfer title to the property to Highland Park UMC for a new ministry “in that historic location in East Dallas.”

In the Dallas South District, Lambuth UMC and Crest-Moore-King UMC will merge and become Community UMC. The property of Lambuth UMC will be sold, and proceeds and other assets will be used for new and/or existing ministries within the newly merged congregation.

The sole speaker regarding any of the discontinuances was Rev. L. Charles Stovall, Jr, who completed his third year at Munger Place UMC and was appointed an associate at St. Luke “Community” UMC, Dallas.

“I am excited for the possibilities in East Dallas,” he said. To put the discontinuance in context, he said Munger Place UMC had been in decline for 40 years but, in the last 30 months  or so had received 42 new members.

“It has one of the most diverse memberships in this conference,” he said. “Whites, blacks and Hispanics and immigrants are there. We need to affirm people who really want to be diverse. The church has a long, hard history, but it could not continue. A truly divergent church is emerging.”

Conference members applauded his remarks.

Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe responded, “We do plan to be different. But just continuing as it was or closing was not the right way to go. The new church will be under the direction of Highland Park.”

A small number of conference members voted against the actions proposed for Munger Place UMC.