Working Together to Determine Our Future

Greetings from the Friends to Preserve Buncombe Street!

In April, over 400 Buncombe Street members signed a petition requesting a church-wide vote on whether to continue our affiliation with the United Methodist Church. This petition was discussed at the Buncombe Street Church Council meeting on April 12, whereby Church Council passed a motion to call for a special charge conference. The purpose of the charge conference is for BSUMC members to vote on whether to remain affiliated with the United Methodist Church.

We are very encouraged and thankful for the support shown by the congregation and the Church Council in our effort to give every Buncombe Street member a say in the future of our church. Thank you to those who supported our efforts by signing the petition.

We will now enter a period of learning and discernment. The focus of our communications will be the changes in the United Methodist Church that necessitate the extraordinary events that are now occurring. Our communications will focus on sharing education about the issues that will prepare everyone for the vote in the fall. We will add content to the website regularly and will notify everyone via email as new information is added to the site.

Each Buncombe Street member will have the opportunity to evaluate the theological changes that are occurring in the United Methodist Church. We need to be in prayer as we evaluate whether the evolving theological beliefs of the UMC align with our own beliefs. The result of the vote in the fall will be determined by the theological beliefs and discernment of each voting member. Our group’s goal is to provide each member with the information needed to make their own personal decision. When we are fully informed, God will guide each of us in our respective votes.

We apologize to those who were troubled by either our email solicitation or the surprise of receiving it. We felt that it was (and is) critical that the information be presented to the entire congregation. Based upon deadlines imposed by the UMC, we realized that time was running out on our ability to effect a change in affiliation should that be the decision of the congregation.

These issues are further detailed in our FAQ section of the FTPBS website, noted below. With regards to the email issue, please click on the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of this email should you wish to be removed from our list.

We have received several excellent questions as a result of the petition solicitation. In our effort to answer these questions and to transition from soliciting petition signatures to educating the congregation, we are adding content to our website and have created a frequently asked questions section to address these questions. These questions and answers are available by clicking here or on the link below.

The intention of Friends to Preserve Buncombe Street is to inform, focus, and unify our church in purpose as we discern His will for our church. We pray for God’s guidance as we work together to determine the future of Buncombe Street Church.