Hello, Church Family,

81% of the 890 members present at our Called Church Conference on Sept. 21 voted to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church. I know this decision impacts each person differently and the range of emotions being felt is unfathomable. I invite you to join me in praying for healing as we all process this outcome. Please also remember the following:

• Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior yesterday, today and tomorrow!

• We are a loving and welcoming Methodist church that is open to EVERYONE, and that doesn’t change.

• We have more in common than not.

• While you may be pleased with this outcome, there are others in our church who are not. I encourage you to check in and care for those who may be hurting.

• Now, more than ever, is the time to put Jesus’ words into action and “love our neighbors as ourselves,” despite our potential differences.

With the vote now behind us, the final step in the disaffiliation process is for individual church requests to be voted on at a special session of the North Georgia Annual Conference that will take place on Nov. 18. We will continue to keep the congregation updated as we move forward with disaffiliation.

My prayer is that we at Alpharetta Methodist will use this whole experience to continue strengthening our relationships, wrestling with difficult topics together, and keep on loving each other the way that we always have, the way that Jesus wants us to. Church Family, if we can do that, what an amazing testimony that will be!

Chris Day
Lay Leader