By Bill W. Cooper and Precious D. Freeman
God’s decision not to spare anyone in Sodom and Gomorrah is gradually creeping in Liberia by the acceptance of same sex marriage in the United Methodist Church (UMC).
What was witnessed as a strategy to endorse pastors who will side with the decision over congregational members at their respective worship centers sparked a serious controversy yesterday leading several members in protests during service hours over the alleged dismissal of their respective resident pastors.
The conflict, rooted in the church’s ongoing struggle with LGBTQ inclusion, has ignited a firestorm of debate within the denomination, highlighting deep divisions that threaten to fracture the community of believers.
The United Methodist Church, one of the largest protestant denominations in the United States, has been grappling with issues surrounding LGBTQ rights for decades or since its founding.
The church’s Book of Discipline, which outlines its policies and practices, has historically prohibited the ordination of “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” and has deemed same-sex marriages as incompatible with Christian teachings.
However, the global United Methodist Church recently, repealed its 50-year ban on LGBTQ clergy, and approved new language opening doors for same-sex marriages within all of the UMC across the globe.
And since Bishop Samuel Jerome Quire returned in May 2024 from USA, he has allegedly refused to call for a session to discuss such critical issue. But he is accused of instead arbitrarily dismissing church leaders that speak against gay marriage/homosexuality.
His action has since sparked concerns amongst the congregation leading them to stand against his appearance in any of their churches, calling on the Bishop to call for a special session and report to members in Liberia on discussion at the General Conference in the US.
According to our reporter who was on the scene, the tension reached a boiling point as members of the two Churches, the New Georgia United Methodist Church and the 72nd United Methodist Church voiced their outrage over an attempt to replace the two pastors who had been vocal against LGBTQ practices in the church.
At the New Georgia UMC, our reporter said normal worship service came to an abrupt end after the worshippers protested the recall of their Rector Rev. Leo Mason by the embattled bishop of the UMC, Rev. Dr. Samuel Jerome Quire.
Our reporter also narrated that the protesters were heard chanting slogan as “give me ‘JESUS’ and take ‘Quire.”
The protest according to report was triggered after it was reported that Bishop Quire had recalled Rev. Mason over his alleged stance against the indoctrination of ‘Same Sex Marriage’ within UMC.
According to some of the worshippers, they will resist any attempt by Bishop Quire to remove their pastor from the New Georgia UMC, stressing, “Rev. Mason will not go anywhere and the full church remains supportive of him and his stance against LGBTQ.”
“We therefore call on Bishop Quire to submit to the holding of the special session as agreed at the 191st session of the Annual Conference to discuss the outcomes of the UMC Global conference,” they added.
Our reporter added that resistance by the protesters which lasted for hours later led to the call-in of the riot Unit of the Liberia National Police (LNP), prompting the closure of the Church.
In a related development, at the 72nd UMC, our reporter explained that while normal worship service was ongoing, an individual whose identity remains unknown up to press time, attempted to prevent the head pastor of the edifice, Rev. Kenneth C. Jackson, from preaching on grounds that he has been dismissed from the UMC.
But the individual, believe to be sent by the UMC Bishop Quire was however heavily resisted by the church congregation. He was allegedly thrown out of the church, thus resulting into the damaging of his vehicle by some angry motorcyclists.
Meanwhile, as the tension grew amongst members of the church, the 72nd UMC, under the leadership of Pastor Kenneth C. Jackson, has officially announced his decision to distance his edifice from the General UMC under the leadership of Bishop Quire pending further action.
In a nine-count resolution signed by the Church leadership and read during yesterday’s worship service, pastor Jackson and team strongly called on Bishop Quire to reinstate their District Superintendent, Rev. Julius YZK Williams, whom the district said was ‘unconstitutionally’ suspended and replaced, as well as the reinstatement of all dismissed or suspended UMC pastors.
The resolution also called for the immediate restatement of the elected chair of the Board of Ordained Ministry, Rev. Dr. George D. Wilson and all members of the Board whom have also been dismissed and replaced.
The 72nd UMC warned in its resolution that if Bishop Quire fail to revert his action, and as the crisis escalates, he might go down in his history as the worst Episcopal UMC leader to ever served in Liberia.
Meanwhile, the church’s leadership in their resolution warns that while they await the bishop to reverse his actions and decisions, every financial support to the district and the Liberia Annual Conference will be immediately cut off.
The church leadership further stressed, “Henceforth, we will not recognize your actions district superintendent in person of Rev. C. Eddie S. Langama, and we will resist your futile attempt to direct our spiritual wellbeing to an unchristian direction where we do not want to go.”
“We will not also participate in all of the district activities until God leads you to bring this conference to reconciliation, and we will resist the illegal removal of our senior pastor and will reject any new pastor, even the current associate pastor,” the resolution added.
Despite the escalation of the situation, the UMC under Bishop Samuel Quire remains tightlipped, thus leaving members frustrated and questioning whether their church can truly embody the value of their old believe of love and unity.
When this outlet contacted the United Methodist Church’s Director of Human Rights, Jefferson Knight, he clarified that the suspensions in the UMC were not directly linked to anti-homosexuality sermons but were attributed to “repeated disrespect towards church authorities.”
Meanwhile, the President of the Liberia Council of Churches (LCC), Rev. Samuel Reeves has called for reconciliation within the United Methodist Church.
He emphasized that the future of the church hinges on unity and dialogue, particularly in light of recent suspensions, including that of Pastor Elijah Dajue, who similarly criticized the church’s progressive movements.
The UMC is at crossroads between a unified or divided UMC under Bishop Quire.
This remains a major leadership test for the Bishop which might not only shape the future of the UMC but may also serve as a precedence for other denominations facing similar challenges in the ongoing fight for LGBTQ rights within religious communities.
