Petition to Determine the Future Of Buncombe Street

As concerned lay leaders of Buncombe Street, we have formed the Friends to Preserve Buncombe Street to address how the inevitable split of the United Methodist Church and the continued delay of the General Conference vote affects our beloved church.

In the summer of 2019, a mediation team was formed by some leaders of the United Methodist Church. Early in 2020, a vote was to be called for passage of a compromise called the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation.

Due to the pandemic, the vote was rescheduled for 2022, then recently was postponed again until 2024. With another postponement, there are a number of United Methodist clergy and congregations who believe we will not be able to amicably resolve the decades long disputes within the United Methodist Church.

The fate of the Protocol mentioned above, which provided a way to an amicable separation, is very uncertain. Due to increasing theological differences, many believe we have reached the point in which separation is likely the only path for the United Methodist Church. There are indications that some United Methodist bishops and annual conference leaders are proposing separation terms that are no longer amicable, but are instead political, burdensome, and bureaucratic.

With the further delay of the General Conference vote in 2024, we feel that waiting two more years could be devastating to our membership and ministries at Buncombe Street. We believe it is time for our church to explore the issues, have open discussions about our vision for Buncombe Street, and decide whether our church should continue to be a part of the United Methodist Church, affiliate with the Global Methodist Church, or consider other alternatives. We have observed many growing and thriving United Methodist Churches who are months or a year ahead of us in this process. Many of these churches have already voted on whether to leave the United Methodist Church.

The petition, linked below, is not a vote to determine our church’s theological preferences at this time. It is simply a formal request seeking approval for full consideration of the issues and the opportunity to vote and determine the preferred option for our church going forward.

We believe that now is the time for our church to be in communal prayer and conversation about the future of Buncombe Street. We also believe now is the time for Buncombe Street to become educated about our options, determine what we believe, and prepare to call for a vote this fall so we can continue to grow, thrive, and make disciples for Christ!

We hope you will join us by clicking here (or on the link below) and signing the petition, which will help us begin the process of determining our future.

Please feel free to share this information with others in our congregation. All signatures must be submitted no later than noon on April 12, 2022.

Sincerely,

Jim Bannister
Jim and Lou Barnes
Tom and Julie Buchanan
Pat and Beverly Duncan
Wally and Dorene Fridy
Danny and Amy Grover
Michael and Mary Helms
Happy and Janice Holliday
Edward and Erin Mercer
Tim and Katherine Morrissey
Les and Bobbie Pritchard
Bill and Debbie Shaughnessy
Stephen and Faye Shaughnessy
Mike and Nancy Orders Smith
Doug and April Stambaugh
Fred and Judy Suggs
Josh and Liz Tew
Ross and Julie Turner

Jonathan and Melissa Anderson
Steven and Katie Barber
Brock Bauknight, Jr
Clarence and Harriett Bauknight
Archie and Carole Black
Andrea Bolger
Glen and Glenda Boylston
Kyle and Dawn Brown
Jody and Jenni Bryson
Will, Jennings and Ben Bryson
Curtis and Shannon Bull
Andrew and Mandy Bullock
Stephanie Burnett
Reed and Meredith Cole
Mike and Robin Cornish
Michael and Sara Cornish
John and Dulcie Creech
Rosemary Creech
Michael and Ashley Douglas
Derek and Renee Dunlap
Wes and Kimberly Few
Camilla, Charlotte, and Thomas Fridy
Martin and Hunter Fridy
Rob and Angie Gage
Mary Houston Gaston
Bill and Kerri Griffith
Earl and Dianne Grubbs
Todd and Kristen Harris
Paul and Rebecca Harrison
Edward and Leigh Heidtman
Dale and Jennifer Heflin
Susan Hoag
Jay and Katie Howle
Kyle and Hayley Jarrio
Tom and Joanne Jones
Lee and Katie Kiser
Jim and Darlene Knight
William and Laura Lynn Luce
Jake and Emma Mace
Josh and Rachel Malpass
Nate and Stephanie Manning
Ryan and Betsy McCart
Mike and Kim Morris
Danny and Telisa Moyd
Steve and Judy Mulkey
Bill Mulligan
AJ and Kelley Norris
Larry and Susan Patterson
John and Jane Peden
Mike and Leisa Pope
Jason Pritchard
Suzanne Pyle
Louis and Kim Redmond
David and Barbara Rheney
Rachel and Margaret Shaughnessy
Robert Shell
David and Georgie Simmons
Lynn and Melissa Solesbee
Melissa and Donnie Smith
Mickey and Laurie Smith
Lu Smith
Brett and Brandee Sponseller
Alex and Lee Stalvey
Parker Stambaugh
Stephen and Caelin Stambaugh Jr
Lou Smith
Craig and Ginger Stratton
Joe and Nancy Stephenson
Michael and Kathy Taylor
Laura Teer
Scott and Anna Thompson
Matt and Julie Tindall
Sean and Leigh Turner
John and Carolyn Tomlinson
Dale Troyer
Clay and Courtney Turner
Carol Underwood
Jim and Allison Warren
Scott and Melanie Williams
James and Robin Wilson
Jeff and Julie Wilson
Tommy and Brenda Young