In response to the recent changes made by General Conference, The Ridge Leadership Teams have decided to ask the church membership to take a vote on whether or not to stay connected to The United Methodist Church.
Before we make this decision, we want to make sure we are sharing as much information as possible. You may remember that we have narrowed our focus to these three points: Faith, Framework, and Finances. The Ridge Discernment Team has found that there is considerable cause for concern within the UMC in each of the categories mentioned above. For more information on these topics or why this vote is important, please check the links below.
Our vote will take place on July 29th. Check-in will begin at 5:30pm. The vote will take place promptly at 6:00pm. Only members in attendance will be able to vote. The Leadership Team has asked that each adult member present an ID for voting.
Future dates for group question/answer sessions:
July 10th – Group session: 5:30pm – 6:30pm
July 21st – Update in church
July 24th – Group session: 5:30pm – 6:30pm
To schedule a meeting with Pastor Jimmy, please email: jimmy@theridgecolumbus.com. Special note: If you have a concern or question, please schedule a time to meet. We cannot respond to long texts or messages that require a complicated response. We prefer to have these conversations in person. Pastor Jimmy is happy to meet with anyone/everyone!
Membership at The Ridge:
In order to check your membership status at The Ridge, please stop by the black high-top table after service this Sunday.
Here are a few helpful links to review:
*What is going on in The United Methodist Church? In order to inform our congregation, The Ridge has held four different Ridge Rallies. Here is a link to the most recent Ridge Rally (Sunday evening, Feb. 29th): click here.
*What happened at The United Methodist General Conference? Here is a link to a Sunday morning update on May 19th: click here.
*The Ridge appointed a Discernment Team to study the upcoming decisions on taking a church vote to depart. Here is a link to the Discernment Team update on Sunday, June 2nd: click here.
*Our District Superintendent Doreen Smalls gave a presentation for the UMC on June 23rd. Here is a link to Rev. Smalls' presentation for the UMC: click here.
*If The Ridge were to depart the UMC, the Leadership Team has decided to hold a vote to join the Global Methodist Church. Here is a link to Rev. Maddocks' presentation for the GMC: click here.
*Please see this link for the differences between the UMC and the GMC: click here. (Since this article has been written, the UMC now allows same-sex marriages and the ordination of practicing LGBTQ+ persons.)
*For more information on the United Methodist Church: click here.
*For more information on the Global Methodist Church: click here.