News

First Marietta Votes "No Confidence" - Withholds All Apportionments

At the meeting on 4-11-99, the Board of Stewards of the Marietta FUMC voted 108 in favor of excrowing ALL apportionments except for the Pastor Retirement Fund...52 voted against.

From: George Don Spruill donspruill@hotmail.com
Sent: Monday, April 12, 1999 4:25 PM
Subject: Marietta First UMC - Current Stance on Apportionments

As you are all aware, Lindsey Davis punished Charles Sineath for being the senior minister at FUMC of Marietta, when the Board voted to REDIRECT about 20% of their apportionments to other legitimate ministries of the United Methodist Church.

At a meeting yesterday by the Board of Stewards of FUMC of Marietta, the Board voted 108 to 52 to escrow ALL apportionments, except for the Pastors Retirement Fund.

If these escrowed apportionments are not paid, the bishop will have accomplished the following:

1. Removed one of the most popular ministers in the North Georgia Conference, who had 22 years of service at one of our largest churches (5,000+ members), and who had the respect of all United Methodist Men, hearing him preach at the North Georgia Conference UMM Retreat at Rock Eagle twice.

2. Lost the confidence and respect of a good portion of the evangelical laity in the conference.

3. Chalked up another reason that so many clergy and lay persons in the United Methodist Church have lost respect for the episcopacy.

4. Caused a lot of evangelicals in the North Georgia Conference to wonder what all the excitement was in 1996, when Lindsey Davis, a supposed evangelical minister, was appointed to the North Georgia Conference.

5. Accomplished nothing, concerning apportionments at FUMC Marietta.

Good job, bishop.

Again, I ask you to resign from the episcopacy.

In Christ,

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Don Spruill, Layperson
St. James UMC
Atlanta, GA
North Georgia Conference

Sola Scriptura
Solus Christus
Sola gratia
Sola fide
Soli Deo gloria

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