HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) – To include or not to include…That is the question facing Long’s Chapel in Haywood County which is considering joining a growing list of United Methodist churches debating whether to disaffiliate from the formal church over issues regarding gay marriage and gay ordination. Long’s Chapel leadership have been discussing whether to split from the UMC hierarchy since last year, after the broader church suggested that individual churches have until the end of the year to decide to leave the denomination for reasons of conscience. Long’s Chapel is unofficially taking a vote of its congregation for guidance on the potential seperation. A more formal vote is set for this fall when the results could be affirmed by the hierarchy after a specially-called conference in November.
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