Monthly Newsletter

Council Corner Separation Update I reached out to our NCLL lawyer in late January for an update and received a reply within a few hours indicating that there would soon be a conference call updating all of the South Carolina churches as to the status. Since that time there has been no further information received by our church concerning the conference call. Since he is representing approximately sixty (60) churches in SC as well as churches in other states, I…

Ash Wednesday and Lent Why We Begin the Journey to Easter This Way As we approach the Christian season of Lent, let us take a moment to look at what this special season means and why it is important. Lent is a time when believers intentionally prepare their hearts for Easter – turning from distractions, returning to God in prayer, and renewing their devotion to Jesus Christ. The season begins with Ash Wednesday and carries us through several key holy…

Looking Ahead with Hope at St. John Methodist Church As we look back on 2025, we do so with gratitude for God’s faithfulness and for thesteadfast spirit of the people of St. John Methodist Church. This past year brought significant change—calling for patience, flexibility, and trust. While change can be challenging, it has also revealed the strength, resilience, and deep commitment that exist within our church family. As we move into 2026, we do so with hope and confidence, trusting…

Council Corner Congregational Meeting – Our first annual St. John Methodist congregational meeting was held on 11/2/2025 at 3:00 PM in the sanctuary with eighteen (18) members present. I wish that more members had been present but hopefully we have more attend future meetings. We discussed the status of our separation lawsuit as was discussed in November’s monthly newsletter and introduced our committee/council members for 2026. We especially thank John White for his years of service as our Lay Leader…

Council Corner First of all, I apologize for not being present in church on October 5th when it was announced to the congregation that our lawsuit had finally been filed. LuAnne and I had previously made plans to visit our daughter in Tennessee. I also want to thank Alan Hayes for being the one who passed the initial information on to the congregation. At any rate, our lawsuit was filed in late September, and it alleged that the church council…

Council Corner Separation process –I told you in July about the intent to have the “Status Quo Stipulation and agreement” that was prepared and approved to prevent the conference from interfering with our services or use of our facilities recorded at the county courthouse. However, it turns out that according to South Carolina requirements the signatures were not witnessed by two (2) parties so it could not be recorded. This does not affect the legality of the document justit’s ability…

Status of Separation Process – As I announced at the start of our church service on 8/17, we received some disappointing news recently. The SC Supreme Court ruled in the favor of the favor of the UMC conference regarding original jurisdiction and pre-trial consolidation of the various cases across the state. This means that one judge (Honorable Brian M. Gibbons) will try all of the cases regardless of the county or community where the church is located and that he…

A Word of Thanks and Encouragement Dear Church Family, Over the last few months, my family and I have been truly blessed to assist in the worship services at St. John Methodist – Graniteville. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve this ministry. Each Sunday has been a joy and a privilege as we’ve gathered together to lift up the name of Jesus. From the moment we arrived, you welcomed us with warmth, kindness, and open hearts. That spirit…

Council Corner Separation Update –Very little has changed during the past month. The lawyers for the SC conference did file a Lis Pendens (Latin legal term meaning suit pending) document at the Aiken County courthouse against our church’s real property. We are still expecting another lawsuit from the SC conference against the church for our separation. When that occurs, we will let the congregation know as soon as possible Congregational meeting –There will be a brief congregational meeting following the…

Council Corner May 2025 Litigation with the United Methodist Church –Our National Center for Life & Liberty (NCLL) lawyer, Jonathan Bailie, held a conference call on April 15th, and I spoke with him briefly again on April 16th. Here is the information provided.• As of mid-April, NCLL has filed paperwork for forty-three (43) South Carolina churches to separate from the United Methodist Church. Another ten (10) SC churches are going through the same process that St. John went through in order…

Remember Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion Of Christ? That movie illustrated just how violent a crucifixion was. Crucifixion was a form of execution that originated in the East and was practiced by the Medes, Persians and Semitic peoples (with the exception of the Jewish people). Later the Greeks and Romans adopted the use of this form of execution. (T N S H R E. p. 312). It is believed that the practice of crucifixion originated with the Persians. “Alexander the Great, introduced the practice…