Mt. Bethel UMC to hold community prayer event Sunday

Mt. Bethel Church

Leaders of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church have organized a community prayer event Sunday as members of the East Cobb congregation “navigate the challenging circumstances facing their church community.”

A 90-minute guided prayer session will be led by 18 leaders of faith communities in the Marietta area “and around the world,” according to a release issued Thursday morning by Mt. Bethel.

The prayer event starts at 6 p.m. in the main sanctuary at Mt. Bethel (4385 Lower Roswell Road) and is open to the public.

Wednesday marked the deadline given Mt. Bethel by the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church to turn over property and assets in a long-running dispute between the two parties.

Last Monday, July 12, Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson of the North Georgia Conference gave Mt. Bethel 10 days to make that transition in announcing that denominational leadership will be overseeing day-to-day operations of the church.

Instead, Mt. Bethel fired back three days later, saying the bishop was making a “false declaration” to seize assets, and that the church was prepared to defend its legal rights in court if she acted on the seizure.

East Cobb News left messages Thursday with the North Georgia Conference and Mt. Bethel seeking comment.

A spokeswoman for the North Georgia Conference would say only that “as I have a status update or helpful information I’ll share.”

The conference and Mt. Bethel have been feuding since Haupert-Johnson reassigned Senior Pastor Jody Ray in April, exacerbating longstanding theological issues and the prospect of Mt. Bethel disaffiliating from the UMC.

Mt. Bethel, with nearly 10,000 members, is the largest of the 800 congregations in the North Georgia Conference.

Mt. Bethel has refused to provide newly appointed Senior Pastor Steven Usry office space and his full salary, and Ray, who turned in his UMC ministerial credentials, is remaining as the church’s CEO and chief lay minister.

The North Georgia Conference said those actions, and others, violate the UMC’s Book of Discipline governing structures.

Mt. Bethel, which claims the bishop did not properly consult with Ray over the reappointment, declared in May its intent to disaffiliate.

Mt. Bethel is a charter member of the Wesleyan Convenant Association, which is aiming to form what’s being called the Global Methodist Church made up of conservative congregations.

The United Methodist Church was scheduled last year to begin implementing a “Protocol for Reconciliation through Grace and Separation.”

That’s a formal split in the second-largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. (around 12 million members), in which some churches would pull away over theological differences, including issues involving the ordination of gay and lesbian clergy and allowing same-sex marriage.

In a sermon delivered after his reappointment, Ray looked at his children and said “I want you also to remember this day, that your Daddy didn’t bow the knee, or kiss the ring, of progressive theology. . . . which is no theology.”

In her actions on June 12, Haupert-Johnson said Mt. Bethel also was not a church in good standing. Churches that are not in good standing in the UMC are not eligible for disaffiliation.

In announcing Sunday’s community prayer event, Mt. Bethel said that those attending “will focus on a particular aspect of heavenly-minded HOPE as a confident expectation and dynamic assurance of things unseen providing strength, courage and boldness for the future. ”

Nursery services will be available for those attending in person. The event also can be seen on four of the church’s streaming platforms: live.mtbethel.orgonline.mtbethel.org, Mt. Bethel Church Facebook Live, and Mt. Bethel North Facebook Live.

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Mt. Bethel UMC blasts ‘false declaration’ to seize assets

Support Mt. Bethel button
Mt. Bethel leaders are asking members to update their social media accounts to show their support for the church.

The leadership of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church has provided a lengthy update to members about the decision by the Bishop of the North Georgia Conference to seize the East Cobb church’s property and assets.

In an FAQ format posted on the church website, Mt. Bethel claimed that Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson made a “false declaration” in declaring that “exigent circumstances” were present in order for her to seek an asset seizure, and for the conference’s board of trustees to take over church operations.

The decision was announced late Monday, and Mt. Bethel issued a heated response via a press release.

In the FAQ posted Wednesday, Mt. Bethel said that declaration “has been refuted in complaints that are presently under review by a higher authority,” a reference to the Southeast Jurisdiction College of Bishops of the United Methodist Church.

“As such, her actions are in disobedience to the order and discipline of the UMC,” read the Mt. Bethel update.

It continued that there are three complaints before the College of Bishops, and that Mt. Bethel has been seeking a “civil mediation process” that Haupert-Johnson has ignored.

In her announcement Monday, Haupert-Johnson said while the asset seizure and management takeover are immediate, Mt. Bethel has 10 days to make the transition.

In its update Wednesday, Mt. Bethel said that if the bishop “chooses to take legal action, we are prepared to defend our rights through the Georgia courts.”

The statement concluded:

“Mt. Bethel’s leadership remains undeterred in their trust of the Lord’s providence and protection, and faith in the protocols and processes of due process afforded the Church by the UMC Book of Discipline, and are grateful for the prayerful support of members, local ministry partners and community faith leaders,” read the statement.

East Cobb News has left messages with North Georgia Conference and Mt. Bethel leaders to get more information about some of these issues and others.

But neither side has responded to requests for interviews or information. Both continue to issue competing, strongly-worded statements, through the media and, in the case of Mt. Bethel’s Wednesday statement, directly to its membership.

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North Georgia UMC to seize Mt. Bethel assets, manage church

Mt. Bethel Church

The Board of Trustees of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church has voted to seize the assets of Mt. Bethel UMC and will operate the church effective immediately, the latest move in an escalating crisis with the East Cobb congregation.

In a statement issued late Monday, North Georgia Conference Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson said that “exigent circumstances” prompted the move, after Mt. Bethel strongly and publicly refused to accept the appointment of a new senior pastor, and made other moves she said violated the denomination’s Book of Discipline governing document.

Other details of the “exigent crisis” were explained at this Q & A, which include claims that Mt. Bethel leaders signed a 20-year lease of property to its Mt. Bethel Christian Academy “without complying with the policies outlined in the Book of Discipline” and planned “to use credit lines, transfer interests in assets, and sell property” without getting proper approval from the Conference.

The North Georgia Conference statement said that Mt. Bethel leaders and attorneys were notified Monday by Conference attorneys that the property seizures are immediate, and that the church has 10 days to complete the transfer.

According to UMC policies, individual congregations do not own properties or assets but are held in trust for the denomination.

The Monday decision means, according to the Conference, that it holds title to real, personal, tangible and intangible property.

“Unless this crisis is resolved by that time, the annual conference in June 2022 will decide whether to formally close the local church,” the Conference said. “In the meantime, the conference Board of Trustees will control all of the assets.”

Mt. Bethel church activities and operations will continue under the management of the trustees, according to the statement. This is the first time the North Georgia Conference has undertaken such a seizure.

Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson, North Georgia Conference UMC
Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson

“The Trustees are mindful of the concerns of employees, families, and members of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church and the families connected to the Mt. Bethel Christian Academy,” according to the statement, which you can read in full here. “Employment, instruction, activities, and worship at the church and Academy will continue, but under the direction and control of the Conference Board of Trustees.”

A Mt. Bethel statement issued Tuesday accused Haupert-Johnson of “engaging attorneys to go to civil court to seize assets that the faithful people at Mt. Bethel have freely and joyfully given for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed: assets which will become property of Mt. Bethel once it completes a process for disaffiliating from the United Methodist Church, initiated in April 2021. The Bishop is purposely delaying that process.”

The Mt. Bethel statement said the bishop “continues to escalate a crisis of her own” and that the church “will do all in their power to resist the aggressive actions against their church, and they will do all they can to restore the reputational damage Haupert-Johnson is inflicting on many local United Methodist churches that simply want to do ministry without the drama of her intrusive and threatening actions.”

The Mt. Bethel statement also said that she “hastily initiated an ill-timed and an ill-considered move that not only jeopardizes great ministry and missions at Mt. Bethel but also the health and reputation of her entire annual conference.”

East Cobb News has contacted the Conference and Mt. Bethel for further comment and information on the transition process.

The Conference statement Monday said that Mt. Bethel was notified on June 18 to resolve the issues surrounding the appointment of Rev. Dr. Steven Usry as the new senior pastor, effective July 1. They included the church’s refusal to provide office space and pay him a full salary.

In addition, Mt. Bethel retained senior pastor Dr. Jody Ray, who had been reappointed by the bishop to a non-ministry role with the Conference on racial reconciliation issues.

He refused, turned in his UMC pastoral credentials and was named the Mt. Bethel CEO.

In a pastoral letter sent out in late June, Haupert-Johnson said these moves were not in accordance with the Book of Discipline.

The Conference statement on Monday said Mt. Bethel leaders did not respond to the June 18 letter.

The Mt. Bethel Q & A prepared by the North Georgia Conference said Mt. Bethel also has been notified that it is not a church in good standing.

Mt. Bethel held a press conference in April announcing its intention to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church, but that action cannot happen until after the UMC General Conference in September 2022.

UMC churches not in good standing are not eligible for disaffiliation, according to denominational policies.

The UMC, the nation’s second-largest Protestant denomination, has been roiled by theological disputes in recent years.

In 2019, it announced it would begin a process of Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation, allowing congregations to methodically leave the UMC.

That vote was to have taken place in 2020, but due to COVID-19 concerns the UMC General Conference has been delayed until next year.

Mt. Bethel, with 10,000 members, is the largest church in the 800-church North Georgia Conference and is a founding member of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, which is made up of more theologically conservative congregations.

Should Mt. Bethel disaffiliate, it is likely to join the Global Methodist Church, a theologically conservative organization that is not an official denomination but that is planning to begin operations after the Protocol is approved.

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Marietta Campmeeting returns after 2020 hiatus due to COVID

Marietta Campmeeting returns

After being cancelled last year for the first time since the Civil War, the Marietta Campmeeting resumes this week through July 18.

The 183rd edition of the religious revival starts Friday with an opening picnic from 6-7 p.m., followed by the opening service at 7:30 p.m.

The full schedule can be found here, with two services daily and three on Sunday.

As in years past, the schedule includes children’s services, an ice cream social and tentholder meetings. After Saturday night’s service, there will be a watermelon-cutting.

Some of those events had been dropped last year when campmeeting organizers proposed a shortened, socially distanced schedule, but that also was scrapped as COVID-19 cases surged in Georgia last summer.

The campmeeting dates back to 1837, shortly after Cobb County was formed out of Cherokee County. During those times, Methodist ministers traveled widely as “Circuit Riders,” since many communities did not have their own clergy.

Most of the events are free and open to the public. The Campmeeting grounds are located at 2300 Roswell Road, across from East Cobb United Methodist Church.

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Appointed Mt. Bethel pastor ‘disappointed’ by church actions

Steven Usry, appointed Mt. Bethel pastor
Rev. Dr. Steven Usry

The Rev. Dr. Steven Usry was to have been a part of “moving day” on Thursday in the United Methodist Church.

July 1 is the calendar date that UMC clergy take up new appointments, and Usry was to have moved into space at Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church in East Cobb.

He was appointed to oversee the largest congregation in the UMC’s North Georgia Conference in April by Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson.

But Mt. Bethel leadership’s dramatic and public decision to oppose his appointment has led to Usry having limited responsibilities for the time being.

The 10,000-member congregation has been roiled by Haupert-Johnson’s decision to reassign Dr. Jody Ray, the congregation’s senior pastor for the last eight years, to a non-ministerial role in the North Georgia Conference.

While Usry’s appointment is being accepted under protest by Mt. Bethel, he has been told there’s no office available for him at the main church campus on Lower Roswell Road. He’s also being paid only a portion of his salary while his Ray, his predecessor, remains in a prominent role.

Usry sent out a letter on Thursday addressed to the “Mt. Bethel family” expressing his disappointment with the opposition and his hope that the dispute can be resolved.

“For the past few months, I have been concerned that the present crisis would only get worse,” Usry wrote in the letter, in which he identifies himself as the Mt. Bethel senior pastor.

“Unfortunately, the actions by some at Mt. Bethel only exacerbate an already unhealthy situation,” he continued in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by East Cobb News.

He wrote that “the best path forward would have been to embrace healthy and Biblical pastoral tradition. Yet I know Mt. Bethel to be a great church. I am FOR Mt. Bethel. I will continue to seek solutions to the present crisis and will not be deterred.”

(You can read the full letter by clicking here.)

How many of Mt. Bethel’s nearly 10,000 members got the letter is uncertain. In sending his letter to those members for whom he has contact information, he noted in an e-mail that he had not been provided the church’s official e-mail address list and membership database.

Sybil Davidson, a spokeswoman for the North Georgia Conference, told East Cobb News that “the situation at Mt. Bethel is developing” and said that “the Conference is supportive of Rev. Dr. Steven Usry and appreciative of his faithfulness. Conference leaders are assessing the situation.”

She later provided East Cobb News a copy of a pastoral letter written Friday by Haupert-Johnson and addressed to “North Georgia United Methodists.”

She responded to Mt. Bethel’s actions by saying that “the United Methodist Church does not handle decisions, staff structure, nor compensation in this manner.”

The bishop wrote that “I am deeply concerned about the decisions being made by a small group of leaders at Mt. Bethel. These decisions appear to be in violation of the Book of Discipline [the denomination’s governing and doctrinal document]. I am also troubled that these decisions by a small group of leaders may not reflect the will of the Mt. Bethel congregation.”

She further stated that “I would emphasize that this crisis is unrelated to disaffiliation or theology. What has occurred is simply a rejection by the leadership at Mt. Bethel of the rules and procedures for our church as outlined in the Book of Discipline and amount to an obstruction of the appointment process and polity of The United Methodist Church. The appropriate Conference agencies are evaluating the proper response.”

(Haupert-Johnson’s full pastoral letter can be read by clicking here.)

On Thursday East Cobb News contacted Mt. Bethel leadership for a response to Usry’s letter, but has not heard back as of mid-afternoon Friday.

Part of the dispute concerns doctrinal issues regarding gay clergy and same-sex marriage that has been splitting the United Methodist Church in recent years.

Ray and Mt. Bethel also have protested that the bishop made the reassignment without proper consultation, and filed a grievance against her and a superintendent of the North Georgia Conference.

Ray also surrendered his UMC ministerial credentials and has been retained by Mt. Bethel as a pastor and CEO.

Larger concerns by Mt. Bethel and other conservative UMC churches stem from what they view as the denomination moving away from traditional interpretations of Christian scripture.

The denomination was to have held a conference this year to begin a disaffiliation process for churches wishing to leave, and Mt. Bethel, a conservative congregation, has been considered likely to do that.

But the conference has been postponed to 2022 due to COVID-19 measures, and in a press conference at the church in May Mt. Bethel announced its intent to disaffiliate.

Mt. Bethel is a founding member of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, a conservative organization created in 2016 that wants to establish what it calls the Global Methodist Church.

While disaffiliation cannot happen for another year, some Mt. Bethel members have urged the leadership in the interim to accept Usry, who resigned as senior pastor at Sugarloaf UMC in Duluth in May.

He’s considered a conservative theologically and among his supporters is Randy Mickler, who was Mt. Bethel’s senior pastor for 28 years.

But a Mt. Bethel member who spoke with East Cobb News said the church is being unfairly portrayed.

He said that while Usry “seems like a nice guy, he’s forcing himself on us.”

The Mt. Bethel member, who called Haupert-Johnson a “heretic,” claims a vast majority of members support church leadership and said there’s nothing draconian going on within the congregation.

“We’re a good-hearted church,” he said, adding that he’d be inclined to find another church home if Usry’s appointment is upheld, and many others would follow.

“They’re playing hardball,” the member said, referring to the North Georgia Conference. “They’re not giving me a choice.”

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Mt. Bethel Church member fears that ‘we’re being torn apart’

Mt. Bethel Church

During her lengthy recovery from a hiking accident last summer, Donna Lachance said fellow members of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church lavished food and other offers of help upon her and her family.

“The community smothered me with love,” said Lachance, identifying herself as the hiker who was assisted off the Gold Branch Trails last August after hurting an ankle.

The social and civic bonds of belonging to one of East Cobb’s biggest faith communities are a major part of the draw for Lachance and her husband Frank, who’ve been Mt. Bethel members for 15 years.

She’s also served on the church staff as a photographer and in communications, and has been involved in other ministries.

What Lachance hadn’t done until recently is delve into the politics of a church with nearly 10,000 members.

But for the last two months, Mt. Bethel leaders, clergy, staff and members have been in an uproar over a decision by Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church to reassign Senior Pastor Jody Ray.

In dramatic fashion, Ray declined the reassignment and turned in his credentials as a UMC pastor. Mt. Bethel’s governing board announced it would not accept a new pastor, then declared its intention to disaffiliate from the denomination.

Mt. Bethel leaders also filed a formal complaint against the North Georgia Conference and said Ray would be staying on as CEO and lead minister.

Mt. Bethel is the largest of the 800 congregations in the North Georgia Conference, which has more than 340,000 members.

Mt. Bethel leaders have been vocal about theological disputes that have roiled the United Methodist Church in recent years, and that have prompted the denomination to set up a process to allow conservative congregations to leave.

This year, the United Methodist Church was to have considered adopting the “Protocol for Reconciliation through Grace and Separation.” Due to COVID-19 precautions, that process has been delayed until 2022.

Ferrell Coppedge, a member of the Mt. Bethel Executive Committee, also serves on the governing council of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, a group of conservative UMC churches that formed in 2016. Mt. Bethel was the host for the WCA annual conference in 2018.

In April, in his first sermon since the dispute began, Ray addressed his children by saying that “your Daddy didn’t bow the knee, or kiss the ring, of progressive theology. . . . which is no theology.”

‘Divisive like we have never seen’

Next Friday, July 1, the pastor reassigned to Mt. Bethel, Dr. Steven Usry, formerly of Sugarloaf UMC in Duluth, is set to begin his duties in East Cobb.

With that deadline approaching, Lachance, her husband Frank and Mt. Bethel members Bob and Janet Graff distributed an open letter to several hundred other members, concerned that the church leadership’s refusal to adhere to the UMC Book of Discipline—the denomination’s governing and doctrinal document—could trigger legal action and escalate continuing battles that have been brewing for years.

“I hope we can come together and get it to stop before it destroys our 180-year old community of faith,” they wrote in the first paragraph of their letter.

“If we don’t accept Dr. Usry, the Bishop will have no choice but to invoke the exigency clause and sue to take control of all Mt. Bethel property which, as with all UMC churches, is held in trust by the conference,” according to the letter, a copy of which was obtained by East Cobb News.

“Both sides agree she will likely win.”

The letter, entitled “A Different Perspective,” accuses the Mt. Bethel Executive Committee—made up of seven church leaders—of trying to “drag this fight out, hoping to run out the clock, until the Protocol is passed. . . .

“We don’t know about you, but we haven’t asked for this fight, and we don’t want it,” the letter continued. “We don’t know who is going to pay the substantial legal costs. We do know that we will all pay the costs in terms of discord, uncertainty, and suspicion among people who, until this started, were loving Brothers and Sisters in Christ.”

East Cobb News has contacted the North Georgia Conference and Mt. Bethel leadership seeking comment.

Dr. Jody Ray, Mt. Bethel UMC senior pastor
Dr. Jody Ray turned in his UMC ministerial credentials after refusing a reassignment.

In an interview with East Cobb News, Lachance said she’s met with Usry, who’s considered a theological conservative, but not on the main Mt. Bethel campus on Lower Roswell Road.

She said he’s not been allowed to do that, and had been meeting with Mt. Bethel members at their request at nearby Mt. Zion UMC and neighborhood clubhouses in the East Cobb area.

“Saying you won’t accept a pastor isn’t something you can do,” Lachance said, adding that when Mt. Bethel leaders initially announced that decision, she wasn’t aware of that. “This is the bishop’s appointment to make.”

Lachance signed the open letter by citing Romans 13:1, which says, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.”

After attending a special town hall meeting held by church leaders last month, Lachance said her concerns grew.

“There was more to this story than what was being said,” she said, adding that she had kept an open mind about the dispute.

‘Not what Mt. Bethel is about’

Lachance said she admires Ray, calling him inspiring and saying he has been of great pastoral assistance to her family.

“I love Jody, he’s been great for Mt. Bethel,” she said. “But at this point we’re still United Methodists.”

What’s more, the full Mt. Bethel membership hasn’t weighed in on the matter, and a congregational vote would be required to disaffiliate. That can’t happen for at least another year.

“Basically, we’re being torn apart,” Lachance said. “I don’t know why we’re fighting this now.”

If that vote comes, Lachance predicted, “it will be divisive like we have never seen.”

Currently the Book of Discipline doesn’t allow for the ordination of gay clergy or performing same-sex marriage, but that could change should a new Protocol be approved.

Lachance said that “I don’t believe this is something our church should leave the denomination over.”

The Book of Discipline also has a specific paragraph allowing for disaffiliation for reasons concerning human sexuality.

“[Mt. Bethel leaders] will say it’s not just about that issue,” Lachance said. “But that’s how I feel it comes across.”

But she said her concerns are less about theology, but the procedural steps Mt. Bethel is taking now.

She said since her open letter went out this week, she’s heard from Mt. Bethel members who agree with her, but are reluctant to come forward.

“This is not what Mt. Bethel is about,” Lachance said. “We’re fighting ourselves instead of winning souls.”

‘A big test of our faith’

Church leadership created a petition against Ray’s reassignment that nearly 5,000 people have signed, but Lachance said there’s a considerable difference of opinion about how to proceed.

In their open letter, the Graffs and Lachances wrote that while Mt. Bethel leaders “are all good people, doing what they think God called them to do . . . we do not believe they should be taking us down this contentious path without a full, transparent discussion of the costs and benefits of doing so, and without listening to those who disagree.”

They also pleaded with their fellow members to tell the Executive Committee to pursue a different course: “If enough of us speak up, perhaps it will make a difference.”

Lachance said when she was picking up her husband on Friday from an activity at the main Mt. Bethel campus, she saw a fellow member who’s been a good friend, someone with whom she disagrees about how to resolve the congregational dispute.

“We just hugged and said we loved each other and had a very civil conversation,” Lachance said.

That’s the Mt. Bethel fellowship that she says has long nourished her as an evangelical Christian.

She thinks a lot of Mt. Bethel’s divisions “would go away” if Ray were to tell church members to embrace the new pastor, but she doubts that will happen.

“We are not winning a soul for Christ right now, and that’s what we’re called to do,” she said.

However, Lachance also is optimistic that Mt. Bethel will not stay this way.

“This is a big test our faith, but I do believe that we will get past this,” she said.

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Mt. Bethel UMC files complaint against North Ga. Conference

Dr. Jody Ray, Mt. Bethel UMC senior pastor
Dr. Jody Ray, Mt. Bethel UMC senior pastor, is surrendering his ordination credentials and remaining with the church.

The day after announcing it was leaving the United Methodist Church, Mt. Bethel UMC filed a formal complaint against leaders in the denomination’s North Georgia Conference.

Mt. Bethel sent out out a release Tuesday morning saying a complaint had been lodged against North Georgia Conference Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson and Jessica Terrell, District Superintendent of the Central West District of the North Georgia Annual Conference.

The complaint alleges “Disobedience to the Order and Discipline of The United Methodist Church” for the reassignment of Mt. Bethel senior pastor Dr. Jody Ray. The complaint also accuses of Haupert-Johnson of “Relationships and/or Behaviors that Undermines the Ministry of Another Pastor.”

Mt. Bethel is saying that the North Georgia leaders went against stated UMC requirements (“Discipline”) to consult with congregations and pastors before making new appointments in reassigning Steven Usry of Sugarloaf UMC in Duluth to Mt. Bethel before either Dr. Ray or Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church were informed that a change in appointment was projected.

“Such notification and failure to consult denied the Committee on Pastor-Parish Relations of rights assured it by the Discipline and constitute disobedience to the order and discipline of The United Methodist Church.”

The Mt. Bethel statement on Tuesday said the complaints were filed to seek “a just resolution between the parties.”

Mt. Bethel leaders held a press conference Monday saying they were beginning the process of disafilliation from the United Methodist Church, the second-largest Protestant denomination in the United States, with more than 12 million members.

Mt. Bethel has around 8,000 members and is the largest of the 800 congregations in the North Georgia Conference.

During Monday’s press conference, Ray said he was told he was given two options when informed of his reassignment to a racial relations role within the North Georgia Conference: Accept the new position or resign.

He said he was surrendering his credentials as an ordained minister in the UMC, and Mt. Bethel is retaining him as its CEO and lead minister.

The UMC has been riven with theological differences for several years and is in the process of beginning a “Protocol for Reconciliation through Grace and Separation” that is being delayed to 2022 due to COVID-19.

In her response to the Mt. Bethel disaffiliation decision, Haupert-Johnson said the East Cobb congregation leaders threatened to “withhold compensation, benefits and any reimbursement for a new pastor. They warned that upon his arrival the church, its ministries, and its school will ‘most certainly be unstable and likely hostile.’ “

Her pastoral letter can be found here; Mt. Bethel is providing updates on the situation here.

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Mt. Bethel to leave United Methodist Church; pastor staying on

Mt. Bethel UMC, Dr. Jody Ray
Dr. Jody Ray has been senior pastor at Mt. Bethel UMC since 2016.

Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church of East Cobb—the largest congregation in the North Georgia Conference—will be leaving the denomination.

Rustin Parsons, a lay leader of the 8,000-member church, said during a news conference Monday morning that Mt. Bethel was doing so over the North Georgia Conference’s decision to reassign senior pastor Dr. Jody Ray.

“We have begun the process to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church,” Parsons said in reading a statement in the church sanctuary.

“It’s time for us to part ways with the denomination.”

Ray also said at the news conference (you can watch it and read statements here) that he is surrendering his credentials as an ordained minister in the UMC. He will continue serving Mt. Bethel as CEO and lead minister.

The announcements come a week after Mt. Bethel leadership said the church “is not in a position to receive a new senior minister at this time.”

Ray had been reassigned out of the ministry to a role with the North Georgia Conference staff in Atlanta involving racial reconciliation. The North Georgia Conference has 800 churches and more than 340,000 members, and every spring routinely reassigns clergy.

Steven Usry, the senior pastor at Sugarloaf UMC in Duluth, was appointed to succeed Ray at Mt. Bethel, starting in July. Usry was not mentioned at the Mt. Bethel news conference on Monday.

Parsons said that he was “dismayed” by the “abrupt” decision of Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson of the North Georgia Conference to remove Ray from Mt. Bethel.

“Despite our repeated requests to reverse course, she has refused,” he said, “or provide a reason or rationale for her capricious action.

“We have no intention of accepting another pastor.”

Ray, who came to Mt. Bethel in 2016, said he was told by Haupert-Johnson on April 5 of the reassignment, and said that her “hasty and ill-conceived action” has “undermined her credibility with the people of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church and jeopardized the health and vitality of this great congregation that is a beacon of hope and light in this community and beyond.”

More than 4,000 people signed a petition started last week by church leaders to oppose Ray’s reassignment.

He said he was not given a reason for his reassignment. In the United Methodist Church, ordained ministers are subject to what’s called the “itinerant ministry,” in which they are reassigned at the behest of the denomination.

“Unfortunately, my options were to accept the move, take a leave of absence, or surrender my credentials,” Ray said. “That’s not consultation, it is merely notification, and it violates both the spirit and letter of the covenants that bind us together.”

Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson, North Georgia Conference UMC
Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson

In a statement issued by the North Georgia Conference, Haupert-Johnson said that “while it is painful for any church or pastor to leave the denomination, there are protocols in place to allow clergy and congregations to depart. These protocols include having at least two-thirds of the congregation vote for disaffiliation and the regional governing body approving the measure.”

In a pastoral letter she issued on Monday, Haupert-Johnson said Ray hung up on the North Georgia Conference superintendent who called him about the reassignment, saying he was interested only in staying at Mt. Bethel.

With more than 12 million members, the UMC is the second-largest Protestant denomination in the United States, behind the Southern Baptist Convention.

Before the COVID pandemic, the United Methodist Church nationwide was in turmoil over a number of theological issues, including the ordination of gay and lesbian clergy.

The denomination was to have met in 2020 to begin a “Protocol for Reconciliation through Grace and Separation.” That process has been pushed back to 2022.

During his sermon last week, Ray addressed his children by saying that “your Daddy didn’t bow the knee, or kiss the ring, of progressive theology. . . . which is no theology.”

In her pastoral letter, Haupert-Johnson said Ray’s sermon “cast this as a ‘hostile takeover’ by an evil, ungodly woman bishop and denigrating The United Methodist Church.

“This reckless behavior has caused a great deal of pain to the congregation and threatens its covenant with The United Methodist Church.”

She further said that Mt. Bethel leaders:

“Refused to have any meaningful conversation, and instead threatened that $3-4 million would walk out of the church if they were not allowed to deviate from the appointive process and keep their pastor. When asked to further the consultation by submitting written concerns to the Cabinet, they gave no missional reasons against the appointment. The leaders wrote that they would withhold compensation, benefits and any reimbursement for a new pastor. They warned that upon his arrival the church, its ministries, and its school will ‘most certainly be unstable and likely hostile.’ “

Some UMC churches have made similar disaffiliation decisions as Mt. Bethel, including seven congregations in South Georgia last August.

In recent weeks Mt. Bethel, which is more than 175 years old, has changed some of its branding, calling itself “Mt. Bethel Church” on its website and social media channels.

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Mt. Bethel UMC opposing reassignment of senior pastor

Dr. Jody Ray, Mt. Bethel UMC senior pastor
Dr. Jody Ray, Mt. Bethel UMC senior pastor, during his sermon on Sunday.

UPDATED, MONDAY, APRIL 26: Mt. Bethel announced it is leaving the United Methodist Church, and senior pastor Dr. Jody Ray is surrendering his credentials as an ordained minister in the denomination.

ORIGINAL STORY:

A new senior pastor has been appointed for Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church in East Cobb, but the congregation’s leadership announced Sunday it is opposing the move.

A posting on the church’s Facebook page said that the church is informing Sue Haupert-Johnson, the bishop of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church, that Mt. Bethel “is not in a position to receive a new senior minister at this time.”

Dr. Jody Ray, Mt. Bethel’s senior pastor since May 2016, was among those reassigned in North Georgia Conference changes formally announced on Monday in what’s called “Clergy Move Day.”

Around 70 clergy were reassigned by the North Georgia Conference, which has 800 churches and more than 340,000 members.

Sybil Davidson, a spokeswoman for the Conference, told East Cobb News that reassignments are made every spring and that this is a lower figure than normal.

Appointed to succeed Ray, who was reassigned to a non-preaching position with the Conference staff in Atlanta, is Steven Usry, the senior pastor at Sugarloaf UMC in Duluth. The appointments are effective July 1, according to the North Georgia Conference.

Mt. Bethel is one of the largest churches in Cobb County with around 8,000 members and is the largest congregation in the North Georgia Conference.

“It’s always hard on congregations to lose a beloved pastor,” Davidson said, but that the appointment of Usry to Mt. Bethel stands.

East Cobb News has left messages with Mt. Bethel seeking comment.

The Mt. Bethel Staff Parish Relations Committee and Administrative Council are urging members to read and sign a petition “that affirms the SPRC’s and Administrative Council’s position. Our goal is to have as many signatures as possible by 5pm on Tuesday, April 20 – time is of the essence.”

More than 3,300 people have signed the petition, which says that having a new senior pastor would be too disruptive as Mt. Bethel is only recently returning to in-person services due to the COVID-19 pandemic and that “it is no secret these are very fragile times for our denomination.”

The United Methodist Church was scheduled last year to begin implementing a “Protocol for Reconciliation through Grace and Separation.”

That’s a formal split in the second-largest Protestant denomination in the U.S., in which some churches would pull away over theological differences, including issues involving the ordination of gay and lesbian clergy and allowing same-sex marriage.

The UMC has delayed taking up the Protocol until its 2022 General Conference. Here’s more about the issue from Christianity Today.

During an emotional sermon on Sunday (you can watch it here), Ray announced that he declined his new appointment, and that the North Georgia Conference has not offered him another position.

“To those who helped orchestrate the events of today, I want you to know forgive you and I love you,” said Ray, who was stopped several times by applause.

He also directed a message from the pulpit to his family, saying, “I want you also to remember this day, that your Daddy didn’t bow the knee, or kiss the ring, of progressive theology. . . . which is no theology.”

With that, the audience gave him a standing ovation.

The Mt. Bethel petition indicated that “in the spirit of that Protocol, people of theologically diverse opinions and goodwill are striving hard not to disrupt the mission and ministries of those with whom they disagree. We, the people of Mt. Bethel UMC, are honoring that spirit in word and deed.

“So, in light of the challenges of the pandemic and in anticipation of an orderly and amicable separation of the United Methodist Church, we feel strongly that this is not the time for disruptive change in the senior leadership of our church.”

Mt. Bethel, which also oversees the K-12 Mt Bethel Academy on two campuses in East Cobb, employs around 300 people.

 

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Chestnut Ridge Christian Church to open sanctuary for Good Friday

Chestnut Ridge Christian Church Good Friday
Submitted information:
Chestnut Ridge Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) will open its sanctuary for Good Friday, April 2, 2021, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the community to drop in. COVID-19 precautions will be followed, including requiring masks and spacing the chairs in the sanctuary. The sanctuary will be open for a quiet and reflective time of prayer. The church will provide individual reflections on Bible stories during Jesus’ last week, focusing on who is speaking and who is staying silent. 

There will also be space for a community response to the question “What breaks God’s heart?” Let’s take time to listen to each other and to sit with sorrow. 

Chestnut Ridge is an Open and Affirming congregation that celebrates the spirital gifts and human dignity of all God’s children. You can see more details about the Good Friday event at chestnutridgechristianchurch.com/good-friday-2021

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Atlanta Israel Coalition to begin free virtual tours of Israel

Submitted information:

The Atlanta Israel Coalition is hosting Re-Discovering the Land of Israel, a series of five FREE virtual tours beginning Sunday, March 28 at 10:00 am.

The Atlanta Israel Coalition, in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, the Consulate General of Israel to the Southeastern U.S., Herut, and the Evans Family Foundation, is presenting Re-Discovering the Land of Israel, a series of five FREE virtual tours of Israel beginning Sunday, March 28 at 10:00 am. These virtual tours, led by David Sussman Israel Tours, will be engaging for families, students, and individuals of all ages.

Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to connect to and learn more about Israel. You may register for all five tours or just pick specific tours. Register at https://bit.ly/TourIsrael-AIC. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Can’t attend on the specific dates? Register anyway and you’ll receive a recorded link of the tours.

Sunday, March 21st @ 10 am – The Biblical Heartland of Gush Etzion: This tour includes the Path of the Patriarchs, an ancient mikvah, biblical agriculture, Roman roads, and stunning landscapes

Sunday, April 25th @10 am – The Holy City of Hebron: Tour the tombs of our Patriarchs and Matriarchs, the ancient stairs and city gates where Abraham purchased the cave to bury Sarah, 1st & 2nd Temple period ruins, we will meet a soldier, and discover the modern development of Hebron

Sunday, May 23rd @10 am – The Artist Colony of Tzfat:  Let’s walk the winding ally ways of this mystical city together as we tour the city of Kabbalah. We will visit important synagogues, meet local artists, learn about Jewish mysticism from a leading Rabbi, and delve into its history both ancient and modern.

Sunday, June 6th @10 am – The Old and the New in Tel Aviv/Jaffa:  Described as the city that never sleeps, Tel Aviv is Israel’s financial capital. Let’s discover its roots, beaches, diversity, and the place where Israel’s independence was discovered.

Sunday, June 27th @10 am – The Golan Heights;  One of Israel’s most scenic areas. It boasts extinct volcanoes, Israel’s largest mountain, sits along the border of Israel, and has a rich Jewish history. This episode will feature Major Ya’akov Selevan who will discuss with us the political climate of the Golan Heights.

Atlanta Israel Coalition virtual tours

 

 

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East Cobb church issues ‘For Our Teachers’ COVID pledge

East Cobb UMC

An East Cobb church that’s been a site for COVID testing in recent weeks posted a message Wednesday urging support for teachers and efforts to reduce the spread of the virus.

On its social media channels, East Cobb United Methodist Church called for a “For Our Teachers” initiative following the deaths of three Cobb school teachers.

Last Thursday, nearly 100 teachers protested outside Cobb Board of Education meetings to demand all-virtual learning. Last week the district went fully remote but this week returned to face-to-face instruction.

A school employee chided two board members and Cobb County School District Superintendent Chris Ragsdale to wear masks during an emotionally-charged public comment period

The board did not discuss COVID response at those meetings and Ragsdale only briefly mentioned the dead teachers by name during those meetings. Neither he nor board members David Banks and David Chastain of East Cobb put on masks.

Following “the blatant disrespect for teachers’ health and safety at last week’s school board meeting, silence for us is no longer an option,” said the East Cobb UMC message, which continues:

 

For our teachers, we listen.

They are saying this is the “craziest, most difficult, most frustrating school year” of their careers, and they feel “unsupported and unacknowledged” (a direct quote from a long-time county educator).

For our teachers, we pray.

We ask God to grant all educators the strength and perseverance needed during this difficult year.

For our teachers, we give thanks.

Thank you for the endless hours you have spent reworking the curriculum to fit modified and hybrid classrooms. Thank you for the extra time spent scrubbing desks and sanitizing markers. Your care and creativity do not go unnoticed.

For our teachers, we wear a mask.

Not just once-and-awhile, but every time we leave the house. We must #StopTheSpread.

For our teachers, we get the vaccine when we can.

Ultimately, this is the only way the dreadful pandemic will ever end.

For our teachers, we advocate.

We will contact our school board representatives and implore them to take the same actions we pledge to take.

For our teachers, we do better.

After all, our children would not have an education if it was not… For Our Teachers.

Add the “For Our Teachers” frame to your profile picture and join us in solidarity with educators everywhere: https://tinyurl.com/xz1n4lp2

Along with this, we invite you to post a tangible way you will support teachers in your community. You may model ours or create one of your own. #ForOurTeachers

 

In November, East Cobb UMC became a pop-up site for COVID testing by a private company, and that part of the church parking lot has been busy ever since. The public can drive up without an appointment to get a test. There are no out-of-pocket costs and insurance is accepted.

On Monday three Cobb school board members signed a letter sent to Gov. Brian Kemp demanding more safety measures at schools, including prioritizing vaccines for teachers.

On Wednesday, the Cobb school district announced that Ragsdale had signed a similar letter from metro Atlanta superintendents.

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East Cobb churches deliver Christmas messages of hope

East Cobb Christmas messages
“Every day is a gift of Christ’s presence,” said Father Joseph Aquino of the Catholic Church of St. Ann.

Christians in East Cobb gathered in-person and online Thursday for Christmas Eve services hearing a familiar topic in a new light.

Celebrations of the birth of Jesus Christ were conducted in different formats by many congregations in the community.

Some had limited worship in-person due to COVID-19 social-distancing protocols, with attendees wearing masks, saying “the peace” without touching and limiting music to designated vocalists and instrumentalists.

A few services were done outdoors under protective coverings on a cold and rainy day. Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church decided on Wednesday to hold its Christmas Eve services online-only after an emergency meeting of its COVID-19 task force.

At a Thursday afternoon Mass at the Catholic Church of St. Ann, senior pastor Father Joseph Aquino delivered a message of hope that is the essence of the arrival of Christ. 

“Tonight we celebrate the final fruit of that hope,” Aquino said. 

While he didn’t reference current circumstances, Aquino said that even through “all kinds of pain, all kinds of ailments and illnesses . . . there is hope.”

The message was similar at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, which held its Christmas Eve in a virtual-only format

The service included music from socially-distanced choir members and bell ringers. Rev. Harden Hopper said in his sermon that “God wants to leave no one lost in the dark and that one day he will lead us into his light.

“For some, this season is the hardest of all. But take heart because there is refuge in the Wonderful Counselor, Our Savior.”

Johnson Ferry Baptist Church offered in-person services, and also produced a virtual candlelight service (video below).

Rev. Clay Smith said that “2020 has been a dark year for many,” referencing COVID-19, death and loss, political strife, racial protests and economic devastation.

“It’s exposed the reality that a lot of us are still scared of the dark,” Smith said. “We need the light, and that light is what Christmas is all about. Christmas is God’s light breaking into a dark world.”

Another large East Cobb church scrapped plans for in-person services on Wednesday. The COVID-19 task force at Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church decided to conduct all services in virtual format.

On its Facebook page the church has been showing a prerecorded service, and on Christmas Day will be airing a “marathon” of previous caroling performances and other special programming.

Rev. Ricky Ray said the decision was based on the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the community.

“This has been an extremely difficult season and an extremely difficult decision to make,” he said in a video message. “I hope that you’ll be safe and have a very Merry Christmas.”

St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church, which has had limited in-person services outdoors since the late fall, led a late-afternoon candlelight service under an awning at its entrance, with attendees and clergy bundled up.

A later outdoor service on Christmas Eve and another in-person service on Christmas morning were cancelled for weather reasons.

St. Catherine’s designated three local charities to receive its Christmas Eve offering proceeds: Cobb Communities in Schools, Family Promise of Cobb County and Simple Needs GA.

Some churches are having online and in-person services on Christmas Day. For details, visit the East Cobb News Christmas schedule page

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East Cobb Christmas 2020: Online worship schedules and more

Catholic Church of St. Ann, sexual abuse allegations

Every year we update out Christmas Worship Schedule page with a summary of services at selected East Cobb churches, plus links for more information.

Due to very different circumstances this year, we’re obviously changing the format, but not all that much.

What you’ll find on that link is information about virtual services—most of them on Christmas Eve—and links to other details and livestream access.

Most churches have been requiring reservations for in-person worship, and a good number of those we checked are at full capacity. We’re linking to the main church website and other appropriate links for you to check if you’re interested in attending in person.

On Christmas Day we’ll round up some of the special messages, music and other programming that East Cobb churches have put together. Some of them have been posting beforehand, such as the Sing-Along at the Catholic Church of St. Ann below.

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Johnson Ferry Baptist’s Polar Bear Run scheduled for Jan. 30

Polar Bear Run, Johnson Ferry Baptist Church

After so many events that didn’t happen in East Cobb in 2020, the organizers of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church’s Polar Bear run dropped some good news recently:

The 2021 Polar Bear Run WILL GO ON! Check out our safety precautions at www.polarbear-run.com, and make sure to get registered as live-runners are limited!

The event is scheduled for Jan. 30, and you can register online at www.itsyourrace.com, or download a registration form at www.polarbear-run.com.

Now through Jan. 8 the cost for the 5K & 2K is $30. From Jan. 8-17 it rises to  $35. Cub runs are $25. Phantom is $35.

The 5K is a qualifier for the Peachtree Road Race and gets underway at 8 a.m. The Cub Runs starts at 9 and the Cub 50-yard dash (ages 2-3 and indoors) starts at 9:15.

The Polar Bear Run, which started in 1989, will be in its 33rd year. The proceeds for the Polar Bear Run benefit students in the Johnson Ferry Academy’s high school music group who need financial assistance to attend an annual summer mission trip.

 

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East Cobb Church donates new box truck to Simple Needs GA

Simple Needs GA box truck

Submitted information and photo:

Members of East Cobb Church have responded to the pressing needs of the poor in Cobb County by buying Simple Needs GA a brand-new box truck for picking up and delivering furniture. 

In addition to the donation of the 16-foot GMC Savana box truck, the congregation also made a large financial donation that will cover the cost of insurance and maintenance for the vehicle over the course of its lifetime.  

More than 250 church members also purchased about 3,000 full-sized toiletries and other useful items for distribution by SNGA to shelter check-ins and people experiencing homelessness in Cobb County.  

Taken together, the gifts are by far the largest donation in the history of the Marietta-based nonprofit. 

As a result, SNGA will no longer need to spend large sums of money to rent box trucks for picking up and delivering furniture and household items as part of its Simple Household Needs program, said Brenda Rhodes SNGA Founder and President. 

“The donation of the box truck gives our volunteers much more capacity for picking up and delivering furniture as needed,” she noted. “We’ve already been making pickups and deliveries with the truck and have seen firsthand how being more efficient will allow us to help many more people over time.” 

Located at 2450 Lower Roswell Rd., East Cobb Church was founded in January 2020.  

The donation came as part of its first-ever “Be Rich” campaign, which gets its name from 1 Timothy 6:18 (“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”). 

The goal of the fundraising portion was to help SNGA with its furniture logistics challenges. “Our volunteers often had to scramble to find a way to get much-needed furniture and household items to our clients in Cobb County,” Rhodes noted. 

Initially, though, Pastor Jamey Dickens assumed the campaign would bring in enough money to buy the nonprofit a used pickup truck—not a far-more-expensive, brand-new box truck, he said. Dickens and Katie Peters, a pastoral counselor at East Cobb Church who coordinated the campaign, asked the church’s roughly 800 members to each donate at least $39.95. 

 The outpouring of generosity that resulted was remarkable, Dickens said. “The money just came pouring in,” he said.  

On October 23, East Cobb Church delivered the truck to SNGA’s Marietta warehouse near Cobb Parkway to the applause and tears of SNGA board members, volunteers and other contributors. 

Already deeply involved in community service, members of East Cobb Church were well aware of the disproportionate effects of the pandemic on the poor and were eager to answer the call when the Be Rich campaign was launched, Dickens said.   

“Our people deserve a major shout out and so does Katie, who did a fantastic job leading this effort,” he said. “We’re grateful, too, for how God has led and moved in our church.” 

As Dickens sees it, the successful campaign illustrates the power of people coming together as a community to help others. 

“I loved that it was a very large group effort,” he said. “The ask was just basic, but people stepped up and did what they could—and look at what happened. People give where their heart is engaged.” 

Hearts at Simple Needs GA were touched as well, said Yolanda Kingsberry, a member of SNGA’s board and frequent furniture volunteer. 

“We’re so fortunate to live in a community of generous supporters who value our work and want to help us help others,” she said. “We will make East Cobb Church proud by using this truck to bring comfort to many more deserving families.” 

In a reflection of the generosity of our community at this time, the largest prior donation to SNGA also came during the pandemic when Linked UP Church in Powder Springs donated $14,250 to SNGA this past summer. 

Founded in 2010, SNGA has distributed thousands of duffel bags of full-sized toiletries to shelter check-ins and people experiencing homelessness. Among other activities, the Marietta-based nonprofit last year brought birthday presents and other useful items to more than 270 homeless children; brought furniture and household items to 151 clients; and provided 166 children in 64 families with $100 in requested Christmas gifts. 

For more information about SNGA, email brenda@simpleneedsga.org.

 

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East Cobb Ecumenical Thanksgiving Celebration to go virtual

Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service

Submitted information:

For the past 15 years, people from dozens of faith-based groups have gathered together at Temple Kol Emeth in Marietta, GA to celebrate Thanksgiving by sharing uplifting messages, singing and laughing together, and supporting interfaith charities. In 2020, this unifying event will be hosted online with inspiring speakers, beautiful music, and an online chat to share your feelings and thoughts.

This year’s theme, “Act Now: Silence Is Not An Option,” is the inspiration for messages from various religious and community leaders about speaking up for compassion and humanity, a common value of people of all faiths. The event will also spotlight the non-profit The National Center for Civil and Human Rights, one of the recipients of donations made to the Ecumenical Thanksgiving Give-A-Gobble program.

Event facilitator Hal Schlenger says, “Our transition from a large in-person gathering to a virtual event is an example of the multiple religious’ belief that, ‘Silence is not an option.’ Christian, Jews, Muslims, Hindu and so many others believe that we are responsible for our words, our actions, and the success of our community. Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world.’ Now is the time not to be silent.” 

Please join us on Thursday, Nov. 19th for this one-of-a-kind 16th annual Ecumenical Thanksgiving Celebration—an event organized by twenty faith-based groups in the Cobb, Fulton and Cherokee counties—because people of faith need to stand together and serve others now more than ever. The event will take place online at http://bit.ly/TKEstream at 6:30pm for musical performances, and the program begins at 7pm.

As we gather together, we collect funds through the Give-A-Gobble program to purchase turkeys and Thanksgiving dinners for our neighbors in need.

Please donate today at: https://www.kolemeth.net/gobble. Give-A-Gobble’s  success depends directly on your generous donations of which 100% goes toward purchasing turkeys, food staples, and Thanksgiving dinners to those in need. The organizations we support that provide help to those in need during Thanksgiving all promote peace and good-will, and this year’s featured organization, The National Center for Civil and Human Rights, is prominently included.  

Participating religions in this year’s Ecumenical Thanksgiving Celebration:

  •  Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
  • Art of Living Foundation
  • Baha’i Faith Center
  • East Cobb Islamic Center
  • East Cobb UMC
  • Emerson Universalist Unitarian
  • Faith Alliance of Metro Atlanta
  • Interfaith Community Initiatives
  • Islamic Center of Marietta
  • Masjid Al-Muminum
  • Pilgrimage United Church of Christ
  • Roswell Community Masjid
  • Sandy Springs Christian Church
  • Sikh Educational Welfare Association
  • St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church
  • Temple Beth Tikvah
  • Temple Kol Emeth
  • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Roswell and Marietta
  • Transfiguration Catholic Church
  • Unity North Spiritual Community

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Anti-Semitic incidents in East Cobb ‘are not who we are’

East Cobb anti-Semitic incidents
Rabbi Larry Sernovitz of Temple Kol Emeth said “the strength of the community is how we respond” to recent incidents of anti-Semitic graffiti in East Cobb. (ECN photos and video)

A rash of anti-Semitic incidents in East Cobb in recent weeks has jarred an area with a sizable Jewish community.

In response, representatives of that Jewish community, along with other East Cobb faith leaders and local public officials, said Monday their message will be that such actions won’t be tolerated.

With the Southern Division of the Anti-Defamation League they announced the launching of an education campaign that will include bias training and a chance for the larger public to become allies with those unlike themselves.

The first of those sessions will take place virtually on Sept. 9 starting at 7:30 p.m. It’s free to attend but you must register and can do so by clicking here.

Most of all, their response is that love and understanding are the only ways to overcome hatred.

“I want to say ‘I love you,’ ” said Rabbi Larry Sernovitz of Temple Kol Emeth, one of three synagogues in East Cobb, and where Monday’s gathering was held.

East Cobb swastika
Graffiti found in the Kings Farm neighborhood of East Cobb on Aug. 23. Source: ADL

“I don’t need to know you to love you.”

He said those who scrawled graffiti in East Cobb—there are at least a half-dozen known incidents since the middle of August—were educated that such expressions can be tolerated.

What’s needed again and again, Sernovitz said, is “a million acts of kindness,” and he referenced the Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, who “believed that redemption can save the world.”

The gathering was prompted by swastika and other graffiti discovered in a neighborhood near Post Oak Tritt Road and Holly Springs Road. Residents there cleaned the spray-paint quickly.

On Sunday, Sernovitz told his congregation that at least five more similar incidents are being investigated.

Cobb Police Chief Tim Cox, who attended Monday’s event at Kol Emeth, said the first incident took place on Aug. 16, and investigators are not sure if the other incidents happened at once or on separate dates.

Lt. Bruce Danz, an investigator with Cobb Police Precinct 4, said all the incidents were in East Cobb. They included anti-Semitic graffiti being spray-painted on road signs on Post Oak Tritt Road that was removed by Cobb DOT.

He said in two-and-a-half years in Precinct 4, this is the first time he’s known of such incidents.

Danz said that “right now, we don’t have any leads,” but that police are “actively investigating.”

Cox said that anyone in the public who may have information about these or similar incidents should contact Lt. Abbott of the Precinct 4 Criminal Investigations Unit at 770-499-4184.

East Cobb anti-Semitic incidents
East Cobb faith leaders have pledged to send a message of love to combat hatred and intolerance.

Several clergy members of the East Cobb faith communities were invited to speak, including Congregation Etz Chaim, Emerson Universalist Unitarian Congregation, Unity North Church East Cobb Church, the Church of Latter-Day Saints and the East Cobb Islamic Center.

Also speaking were U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, Cobb District Attorney Joyette Holmes and Commissioner Bob Ott of East Cobb.

Ott said Cobb County Manager Jackie McMorris will be presenting a measure in September to reconstitute the county’s dormant Human Relations Commission.

Those plans had been in the works before the anti-Semitic attacks, but Ott said the timing of these events makes it more imperative to build bridges of understanding in the community.

“This is not who we are,” Ott said. “This is not what we are about.”

The human relations panel was created in the early 1990s, after county commissioners approved a controversial anti-gay resolution.

Among those leading the outcry against the resolution was Steven Lebow, the longtime Kol Emeth rabbi who retired this summer.

Sernovitz started in July as Lebow’s successor, and calls one of his first public actions in his new role “a teachable moment.”

“This can happen anywhere,” he said. “The strength of our community is how we respond.”

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East Cobb synagogue informed of more anti-Semitic incidents

East Cobb swastika
Swastika graffiti in an East Cobb neighborhood last weekend. Source: Anti-Defamation League

The leaders of the Temple Kol Emeth synagogue told their congregation Sunday that following the discovery of swastika graffiti in an East Cobb neighborhood last weekend, they’ve learned of other similar incidents.

Rabbi Larry Sernovitz and Rachel Barich, president of the congregation, said that “through our connections with local law enforcement, we are now aware of at least five similar incidents that have occurred over the past few weeks. This is a serious concern to us and to the Cobb County Police.”

They didn’t elaborate on the specifics of the incidents or when and where they took place, but said that “we know that the actions of a few do not represent East Cobb.”

Their message comes a day before Kol Emeth will be holding a gathering to announce a community response to acts of anti-Semitism.

That meeting will include representatives of the Anti-Defamation League of Atlanta, Atlanta Israeli Consul General Anat Sultan-Dadon, Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott and Capt. James Fincher, commander of the Cobb Police Precinct 4 in East Cobb.

The initiative is to include bias training and other educational programs:

“Through a partnership with the ADL, we will present to the wider East Cobb community a comprehensive program of education which will include bias training and how to be ally. Our fellow Jewish congregations and the interfaith community support this initiative with a high amount of interest. This is the spirit of Cobb County!”

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Monday’s gathering, which begins at 10 a.m., is not open to the general public. Sernovitz and Barich said an educational program to follow will be available to all via Zoom in the coming weeks.

“We also know that we cannot be silent, as silence does not make these things go away. Rather we are drawing on our friendships and ties with so many others in our community to provide a teachable moment, an opportunity for everyone to come together, speak together, and learn together.”

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East Cobb synagogue to begin anti-bias training initiative

East Cobb swastika

UPDATED, Sunday Aug. 30.: Temple Kol Emeth leaders said they’ve learned of “at least five more” similar incidents in recent weeks.

Following Monday’s story about swastikas and other graffiti found in an East Cobb neighborhood comes word of an event next week that will launch a new community initiative a local Jewish leader said is designed “to build understanding and allyship.”

Allison Padilla-Goodman, vice president of the Southern division of the Anti-Defamation League, told East Cobb News that a gathering at 10 a.m. Monday at the Temple Kol Emeth synagogue in East Cobb will include a developing list of partners in the interfaith effort.

She said “we have several confirmed Cobb County officials and interfaith leaders in the area.” Larry Sernovitz, the new rabbi at Kol Emeth, said “it is a growing list and we are so blessed to know that so many organizations, including the Cobb County Government and Police Department, will be present.”

The event isn’t open to the general public due to physical distancing issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the event will consist of plans to conduct anti-bias training events in the community over the coming weeks.

Sernovitz sent out a message to his congregation on Monday that “multiple swastikas” were found in a neighborhood in the area around Holly Springs Road and Post Oak Tritt Road, and that residents of that community worked to remove the graffiti.

Also spray-painted on a decorative slab was “MAGA 2020,” or “Make America Great Again,” a slogan for President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign.

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