BY NAJIB SANI, GOMBE
The United Methodist Church (UMC) in Gombe State has dissociated itself from a factional group accused of heresy, regionalisation and acknowledging ‘Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBTQ) rights.
According to Mr Yohana Wesley, Resident Bishop of the Nigeria UMC, the group’s refusal to adhere to established procedures led to the decision.
During the Northern and Central Nigeria Annual Conferences in Gondum village, Shongom local government area of Gombe State, Bishop Wesley stated that the Council of Bishops had attempted to correct the factional group, but to no avail.
He noted that the United States-based Council of Bishops had sent Bishop John School to facilitate reconciliation, but the effort was unsuccessful due to the factional group’s unwillingness to follow established procedures.
Also, Mr Chipau Kiliyobas, Director of Connectional Ministry of Northern Nigeria UMC Annual Conference, uncovered that the bane of contention between the two groups in the church was disagreements over regionalisation which could cause disunity in the church and LGBTQ issues adding that the traditional and majority group in the church deem it as unholy acts.
Our correspondent reports that the conference was marked by protest by members carrying placards rejecting LGBT and regionalisation, emphasising their commitment to a unified church.
But in his remarks, Bishop John School, representing the Council of Bishops from the United States, clarified that his visit was to reconcile the factions and unify all the church members adding that regional decisions on same-sex marriage would be respected, with no imposition from the global church.
