Claim: “The 72nd United Methodist Church has been renamed 72nd Global United Methodist Church.”
Source: Facebook Social Media blogs
Verdict: Misleading
Full Text: On Monday, February 17, 2025, several social media blogs posted that the 72nd United Methodist Church has been renamed to the 72nd Global Methodist Church. The circulated claim linked this to an alleged decision taken by the Liberia Annual Conference on Globalization and same-sex marriages in that denomination.
The claim is here, DN News, Margibi Liberia, and FOXX TV As of the time we checked, the posts generated over 500 reactions, 200 comments, and over 20 shares.
It can be recalled that on Sunday, October 13, 2024, residents of the 72nd Community joined Members of the Church in protest of an alleged "gay marriage" that was taking place at the church edifice.
Social media got flooded with news that the proposed same-sex marriage ceremony was being held at the 72nd United Methodist Church. The situation remained tense as local law enforcement maintained a significant presence to ensure safety amidst the unrest.
The fact is that the church was not conducting a gay marriage, according to the church's statement.
Samuel J. Quire, Bishop of the United Methodist Church, allegedly attempted to compel Rev. Kenneth Jackson, pastor of the 72nd United Methodist Church, to be replaced, but it was resisted.
Jackson refused, denouncing the church’s decision to support same-sex marriage as an act fundamentally immoral and contrary to ethical standards, echoing widespread sentiments among community members.
Verification: We contacted the church; according to them, the LAC/UMC did not build the church, but families contributed bricks while members contributed bundles of zinc.
The church said the women's church did the floor with other members donating glass windows and the ceiling. The church claimed that no amount of the annual conference was added to the construction of the church’s edifice.
We contacted Bishop Quire, who said that disaffiliation with the church properties is not applicable and will not be allowed by those wanting to leave the church.
His statement follows several districts and churches’ disaffiliating from the United Methodist Church following the end of the general conference in Gbarnga.
Weala and Gompa districts, New Georgia UMC, 72nd UMC, J.E. Marshall, Refuge, New Life, and E.D. McGill are some churches and districts under the LAC that have either been disaffiliated or have filed for disaffiliation.
“I want to inform these churches and districts that they are totally out of order. Quire said, “The decision by the General Conference in May was that paragraph 2553, which was created during the special session in 2016, expired on December 31st, 2023.”
He said, “This means that the legal route for disaffiliation through this paragraph is no longer applicable. Any individual member of the church is free to leave, but a group of persons, a district conference, or an annual conference cannot leave the denomination.”
A visit to the facility showed that there is current green paint on the building that is different from the circulated image that the church is now painted with 72nd Global Methodist Church.
Conclusion: Based on our research, we conclude that the circulated claim that the 72nd UMC is renamed the 72nd Global Methodist Church is false. However, there is an ongoing crisis at the church that has led to an attempt to change the name from United Methodist Church to Global Methodist Church.
