Council Corner
Year in Review-
2025 was a memorable year for St. John Methodist. In February, the Trustee Committee and then the Church Council voted to separate from the United Methodist Church (UMC). This decision was followed by a nearly unanimous (a single dissenting vote) congregational vote to affirm the Trustee and Council decision. Immediately following the vote, St. John hired an attorney and completed the necessary steps to separate from the UMC including drafting and approving Bylaws to govern our church. Since then, the UMC has brought suit against our church and the actions completed by the Church Council. There currently are several motions in process concerning our case, but there has been little news to report concerning the progress of the proceedings. Please continue to pray for our church, its leadership, and the overall separation process.
2026 Council Meetings –
The Church Council will meet at 6pm in the educational building on the following dates:
January 29th (normal council meeting)
February 26th (meeting to discuss any needed changes for the Bylaws)
April 16th (normal council meeting)
July 23rd (normal council meeting)
October 15th (council meeting to approve committee/council membership for 2027)
The church directors are expected to attend these meetings, but the meetings are open to other committee or congregational members who are interested in the leadership discussions and decisions for our church.
2026 Congregational Meetings –
The congregational meetings will normally occur shortly after each of the normal council meetings but may also occur following special council meetings if deemed necessary by the council. The congregational meetings are scheduled for the following Sundays in 2026 so please mark your calendars with these dates:
February 15th
May 3rd
August 9th
November 1st (annual congregational meeting)
The exact time of the meeting will be determined by the information to be discussed. The meetings may occur shortly before the church service (~10:45am), immediately following the service (~12pm), or later in the afternoon (~3pm). The exact timing of the meeting will be announced in advance of the meeting.
As always, if you have any questions about the above information, please discuss them with me when you next see me or give me a call.
Peyton Northington
803-645-6396