Philadelphia renamed the street in front of Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church as Bishop Richard Allen Way, honoring the formerly enslaved Methodist preacher who founded the denomination in 1816.
Bishop Rubén Saenz Jr. is making plans to care for Highland Park members who wish to stay United Methodist. In letters to both Highland Park lay leaders and congregants, he also maintained that this week’s congregational vote to cut ties with the denomination is not valid under church law.
For the first time, organizers plan for The United Methodist Church’s top lawmaking assembly to take place across two locations, and in another historic move, one of those locations will be on the African continent.
The United Methodist Judicial Council will continue deliberations on Nov. 16 concerning a decision of law by Bishop Dottie Escobedo-Frank regarding the closure of La Trinidad United Methodist Church in California.
