The Rev. Henry Gibson has been appointed, by Bishop Wallace-Padgett, to plant a new ministry in the Roebuck area. With the appointment, Henry will relate to 4 East Birmingham churches: Center Point, East Lake, Huffman and Woodlawn.  Some of you will remember Henry when they came to preach a few years ago.  Henry has been the pastor of Eulaton and Clay UMCs and most recently the associate pastor at Highlands UMC. We are crafting what it means for Henry to “relate” to 4 churches  – but most of it will be  engaging in ministry to the east side of Birmingham.  …

I like to keep the congregation up to date with what’s going on in the United Methodist Church.  As news of our impending “split” can be found in many forms of media, I think it’s important for us to know what is accurate and applicable for our local church. Along with our Lay Leader, Al Coltrane, and Lyn Cosby (Assistant Communication Director for the NAC), I attended the North Alabama Annual Conference June 22-24th.  As our denomination faces changes ahead, it was acknowledged honestly that some congregations are preparing to disaffiliate to either join the Global Methodist Church or other options. …