‘Friends of Mt. Bethel’ growing more vocal against church leaders

A group of members of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church opposed to the church’s leadership in its legal battle with the regional denomination have begun speaking out in greater numbers in recent weeks.

Several dozen individuals have listed their names in the About page of a new website called the Friends of Mt. Bethel, which began earlier this summer in newsletter form.

They include “member stories” written by individuals expressing their concerns about the situation that’s been brewing since the spring, when senior pastor Rev. Dr. Jody Ray refused a reassignment by the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Ray turned in his UMC credentials and has stayed on as a lay pastor and CEO, in defiance of what the Conference has said is a violation of the denomination’s Book of Discipline governing document.

Mt. Bethel also was accused by the Conference of refusing the reassignment of Rev. Dr. Steven Usry and declining to provide him office space or pay his full salary.

After Mt. Bethel declined to turn over property and assets, a mediation process was attempted and when that failed, the Conference filed suit in Cobb Superior Court on Sept. 8.

In a newsletter issued to church members shortly after that, Ray compared Mt. Bethel’s situation to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, saying the struggle is over more than appointments and properties and “it’s about contending for our faith.”

Until recently, only a few Mt. Bethel members opposed to church leadership had gone public with their concerns. One of them is Donna Lachance, whom East Cobb News interviewed in June.

But with a lengthy and likely expensive legal battle only beginning, others have been speaking up.

Some of the Friends of Mt. Bethel members have been in the church for decades, including Charlotte Hipps, whose membership dates back 53 years, long before Mt. Bethel grew to having nearly 10,000 members, the largest congregation in the conference.

In her testimonial, she wrote about the pre-suburban days when that part of East Cobb was known as Mt. Bethel, and that church members openly embraced newcomers to “this loving farm community.

“The spirit of Mt. Bethel has not been extinguished completely, but for the last five years it has been dimming rapidly,” Hipps wrote, referring to the length of Ray’s tenure as senior pastor. “Now, it has become unbelievably divided. So many have given up and walked away.”

Member Terry Dubsky wrote that “Frankly, with no insult to anyone, I believe we’ve lost our focus. I feel we are playing politics, instead of keeping Christ first.”

Mt. Bethel has declared an intent to disaffiliate from the UMC, but a vote cannot happen until next fall.

That’s because the national UMC has delayed a vote on allowing conservative congregations to leave amid theological disputes that have centered largely on gay and lesbian clergy and same-sex marriages.

The UMC currently prohibits both, though Mt. Bethel is a leading member of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, a consortium of conservative UMC churches formed in 2016 in anticipation of a split.

Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, Mt. Bethel members received another newsletter from church leadership accusing the Friends of Mt. Bethel of “inaccurate and misrepresentative third-party communications” about the disaffiliation request and litigation:

“We also have reason to believe that this group may be in contact with the Trustees of the North Georgia Conference, as they shared a document this week, related to pending litigation, that was not part of the public record. Our concern is whether the Friends of Mt. Bethel may be acting as an extension, facilitator, or possibly an agent of the very party that is suing Mt. Bethel and attempting to seize its property. As such, we recommend cautious and careful review of any further statements and communications from this group.”

The e-mail was written by Robert Ingram, a prominent Marietta attorney Mt. Bethel has hired to handle the lawsuit, and with Ray and eight other church leaders also listed as signatories.

In response, the Friends of Mt. Bethel issued their own newsletter saying that the church was upset that it got out the word about the lawsuit before the church. “The documents we shared are public documents and you have a right to see them.”

The Friends group said it was comprised of church members who “who disagree with the path of civil disobedience our leadership has chosen for our church.”

They further insisted that “the attacks, derision, and downright bullying of church members who simply oppose the path we are on have got to stop. Mostly, we seem to have differences of opinion and interpretation, which should be allowed in civil society.”

On Wednesday, the day the Friends of Mt. Bethel site went live, Mt. Bethel Church posted on its Facebook page a note of thanks for:

“Continued prayers and support we have received over the past several weeks and months. God has given us an incredible community to walk beside us during these uncertain times. No matter what we may face, we take comfort knowing we will never walk through it alone. If you, too, are navigating the unknown today, rest assured we serve a faithful God that is bigger than our circumstances.”

Related stories

• Mt. Bethel pastor likens church’s saga to Civil Rights movement
• Mt. Bethel sued by UMC denomination
• Mt. Bethel, North Georgia UMC enter mediation
• At prayer service, Mt. Bethel urged to prepare for ‘spiritual warfare’
• Mt. Bethel blasts ‘false declarations’ to seize assets
• North Georgia UMC to seize assets, take over management of Mt. Bethel
• Appointed Mt. Bethel pastor “disappointed” with church leaders
• Mt. Bethel church members fears “that we’re being torn apart”
• Mt. Bethel Church files grievance against Methodist leaders
• Mt. Bethel announces intent to leave United Methodist Church
• Mt. Bethel UMC opposes reassignment of senior pastor

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