Escaping From Same-sex Or Fighting For Power And Benefit?

Concern Raised About Global Methodist Church

Ramsey N Singbeh Jr

director@news.throngtalk.com

+231772641146 / 880147358

There is a concern raised about the rationale behind the establishment of the Global Methodist Church as the individuals behind it launched the new denomination in Gbarnga City, Bong County on February 14, 2025.

Most of the individuals from Liberia who participated during the program are disenchanted members of the United Methodist Church who are speaking against regionalization which they describe as same-sex marriage or homosexuality in the UMC.

Hundreds of dissatisfied United Methodist Church Members including Dr Jerry P. Kulah, I., Vice President for the School of Graduate and Professional Studies at the United Methodist University, Rev Paye Cooper Mondolo, Suspended Principal of the College of West Africa (CWA), Rev Jacob Methuselah Sackie, former UMC Weala District Superintendent and othe top officials under the banner “Liberia United Methodist For Biblical Christianity (LUMBIC)” at their awareness and mobilization program in Gbarnga City, Bong County made a special declaration that established the Global Methodist Church or GMCin Liberia recently.

Global Methodist Church Members

It now appears that most of these people, though they are kicking against regionalization in the United Methodist Church (UMC) and they are also breaking away from the UMC, they may realistically be fighting to maintain their prestige, protect their positions and benefits.

Some of the people who are not suspended or dismissed from their positions but stand against regionalization also prefer the Global Methodist Church or GMC as an Umbrella to be hosted under religiously. Will their positions, titles and benefits be protected under the GMC?

The ‘Regionalization Plan’ requires people being allowed to carry on the work of the church in their regions according to their cultures and traditions but most of the members in Liberia say this is the same as creating room for same-sex activities in the church.

The sticky issues that initially divided the church in recent time are centered on lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) but as it stands, it is becoming difficult by the day to clearly say if besides the above listed issues, self interest (struggle for power and benefits) or standing with God is the reason behind the breakaways and subsequent joining the Global Methodist Church or GMC.

The definition of marriage according to an amendment made in the church welcomes both same-sex and opposite sexes getting married in the church. One talks about marriage being the union between two adults (male and female) and the other one which is being resisted in Liberia mentions marriage as the union between two consenting adults.

Some of the individuals are suspended from their positions as district superintendents, youth leaders, principals of schools, other key areas under the UMC etc. This has even intensified their disagreement with the UMC’s ‘Regionalization Plan’.

In the midst of all this, is the split in the church not truly directed to retaining positions and some benefits, done in disguise to resisting regionalization?

The Breakaways

The Ganta District of the church earlier on took did its breakaway . This district has thousands of members and a lot of churches. This was followed by the Weala District. The Weala District of the UMC like other districts covers many counties with thousands of members and so many churches.

This district has under it auspices Margibi, Bong, Gbarpolu, Montserrado and Grand Bassa Counties, has forty-one (41) churches and over twelve thousand (12,000) membership. The membership was around fourteen thousand (14,000) but drastically reduced as a result of the current situation in the church.

Rev Jacob Methuselah Sackie

The latest breakaway is the 72nd United Methodist Church which saw a hundred and forty-two (142) out of one hundred and sixty-two (162) members in the church parting ways with UMC against the same ‘Regionalization Plan’.

There are also unannounced breakaways by members who are in the same disagreement. Henceforth, not all the people breaking away from the UMC are headed to the GMC. Infact, all the UMC Members are not leaving the church.

While it is true that some of them don’t trust the UMC anymore, most of them are also uncomfortable to see the GMC as a home.

The Fight For Authority Or Benefits

Some of the officials being targeted in the church for kicking against the ‘Regionalization Plan’ now appears to be fighting back for a couple of things. They are said to be rallying the breakaway churches and members to form part of the Global Methodist Church.

Some are also fighting to maintain their leadership positions over the members who broke away along with them.

One person in Liberia whose name is widely rumoured to be the Bishop of the Global Methodist Church or GMC is the former district superintendent of the Weala District of the United Methodist Church and suspended principal of the College of West Africa (CWA), the Rev Paye Cooper Mondolo.

Rev Mondolo who is also the Executive Director of Hands of Hope Foundation in Liberia spoke in an interview in Kakaka recently while in route to Gbarnga, Bong County for the official launch of the GMC where he neither denied nor confirmed if he is working to become the bishop of the GMC inclusive of some break away UMC’s Churches, Members and new individuals from other backgrounds.

Rev Paye Cooper Mondolo

He explained: “It is not a crime to become a bishop but there are processes that lead to becoming a bishop and even they talk about the break away churches. No church has yet broken away. What the people have said, they’re going to disassociate themselves because of the issues they disagree with. Now if the conference cannot address those issues, they will bring themselves to find a new denomination.”

Rev Mondolo who claimed to have been route to the annual conference of the UMC after his registration for the conference was rejected stated: “I remain a United Methodist and going to the Liberia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church for annual conference though I’m being suspended but I think that my suspension is illegal so I’m going to the annual conference to attend it. If I’m refused, then we will have a different option.”

He made these statements about regionalization: “I reject regionalization, I reject same sex marriage, I made my position known when I was in the states, even when I returned so therefore; I’m not in the process of supporting anything or legalizing sin.” He then described it as being evil and devilish in nature.

Though he says he is totally against the issue but he said when they come together as a church and discuss regionalization, it will work, if not, it would not work. This statement of his has also created room for questioning the legitimacy of his rejection of regionalization: “What we can do as a church is to come together and discuss the issue. If we come together and discuss the issue, it will be settled but if we cannot discuss the issue it will not work.”

One concern in the form of an inquiry anyone will derive from his statement is, will the Rev Paye Cooper Mondolo accept regionalization if he is allowed to form a part of discussion surrounding it or is he rejecting it because he has not been given the chance to discuss regionalization?

The Rev Jacob Methuselah Sackie, former UMC Weala District Superintendent also in a telephone conversation with our news bureau recently denied breaking away to form part of a new establishment which will see Cooper Mondolo becoming a bishop.

Despite his denial, he form a part of the Global Methodist Church official launch in Gbarnga while the UMC at the same time had its annual conference taking place in Gbarnga.

The Relationship Between Rev Paye Cooper Mondolo And Rev Jacob Methuselah Sackie Before Now

When Rev Sackie opted to become a district superintendent, he was heavily opposed by Rev Mondolo but Bishop Samuel Jerome Quire having the authority at all cost appointed him. At that time, Rev Mondolo had ended his tenure as the Weala District Superintendent.

Rev Mondolo relocated the activities of the Hands of Hope Foundation from the Head Quarters of the Weala District then. A team of professional people from the US had always come to Liberia specifically in Weala every March with a free medical outreach and scholarship as well as other assistances.

All the above normally happened under the auspices of Rev Mondolo but they are taking place somewhere else, this is one thing that is unknown to this platform.

Rev Methuselah who is known to be a confidant of the bishop is now teaming up with Cooper Mondolo and others to do the activities of GMC alongside others with hope that his authority remains.

The leadership of the UMC in the country has replaced Methuselah Sackie and some other people who occupied leadership positions in the church under the Weala District Conference but they ( Methuselah and others) have however gone to work and replaced UMC’s Banner and other symbols at the Weala District Headquarters with materials propagating the GMC.

Bishop Samuel J Quire, Jr, United Methodist Church Bishop

Few Weala District Members speaking on anonymity said what will intensify the fight between the break away UMC Members and Churches has got to do with the right to the township of some UMC’s related properties.

The UMC leadership is claiming ownership, while at the same time the some of the break away people are claiming right and ownership too.

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