PRESS RELEASE: September 2, 2022
Vero Beach FL: The Wesleyan Covenant Association-Florida regional chapter (“WCA-Florida”) confirmed it has now been over four (4) months since the WCA-FL partnered with the National Center for Life and Liberty (NCLL) and requested formal negotiations with Bishop Carter for fair and equitable terms of departure from the United Methodist Church.
On Tuesday, August 30, 2022, Bishop Ken Carter posted a letter on the Florida conference website entitled “A Letter from Bishop Carter on the recent Judicial Council ruling.” In that letter, (link: https://www.flumc.org/newsdetail/a-letter-from-bishop-carter-on-the-recent-judicial-council-ruling-16617712) Bishop Carter announced that: “Our trustees, superintendents and the Episcopal office want to join in a dialogue with you to make this departure as painless, as graceful and as reverent as possible.” Jeremy Rebman, President of the WCA Florida, responded, “We would love to see this happen. This is what we have been asking for and praying for. To this point, the Conference has been unresponsive to our pleas to negotiate.” Rebman added, “Making demands that many churches cannot meet is not a dialogue.”
“The provisions and requirements added to the Paragraph 2553 process are unfair, too costly and too onerous for the majority of the churches wishing to exit the denomination. I hope that the bishop is now signaling a willingness to ensure churches are not held hostage,” Rebman said.
This echoes the sentiment represented by the ever-growing list of signers on the recently penned proclamation entitled “Let Us Go.” Those signing the proclamation (found at www.letusgo.world) are asking respectfully and reverently for a dialogue with the UM leadership concerning a fair exit for those churches that: “want to freely and voluntarily be connected to other congregations in the Global Methodist Church.” The closing line of the proclamation is: “We call upon Bishop Ken Carter and our Conference leadership to let us go.”
Pastor Nako Kellum, who helped to pen the proclamation, is hopeful that Bishop Carter truly wants to: “extend an open hand of friendship to those churches and leaders seeking to disaffiliate.” Kellum went on to say: “the Lord is making a way when there is no way, and those traditional churches that feel trapped or held hostage certainly want to open a dialogue of negotiation.” Kellum concluded remarks on Bishop Carter’s announcement about “joining in a dialogue” with this prayer: John 17:17, “Sanctify them in truth your word is truth.”