In response to the current state of events in our society today, please read the following:
I want the community and my church to know this...
What is Albion Free Methodist? Free Methodism was founded back in 1860 under an apple tree in Pekin, New York, by a group of pastors of what was then the Methodist Episcopal Church. There was concern that the Methodist Episcopal Church had drifted from its Biblical roots. The church had become a place where if you wanted a good seat you actually had to pay to rent a pew! The church had also become very legalistic stifling the “Free” expression of worship. Then there was the issue of slavery. The Methodist Episcopal Church allowed its members to own slaves. So, a group of pastors, led by B.T. Roberts, attempted to change the Church from the inside out, trying to right the wrongs and return the church back to a more Biblical viewpoint. As a result, they were excommunicated from the church! So, these men met in Pekin, New York under that apple tree and formed the Free Methodist Church on August 23, 1860! Dedicated to free pews, free worship, free men and women, and freedom to live holy lives in obedience to the Bible. Today, the Free Methodist Church has grown to almost 1 million members in virtually every country around the globe.
Our mission is simple… “Love God, love people, and make disciples.”
I am the Pastor of a Free Methodist Church. We’re “Free” Methodist because our founding members wanted freedom from certain social issues of their day, one of those issues was slavery. The “Free” Methodist church took a stand against slavery, racism, then…and now.
If you’re a member of this “Free” Methodist church, then you must be willing to align yourself with our doctrine which states… We are committed to the worth of all humans regardless of gender, race, color, or any other distinctions. Acts 10:34-35…
“Then Peter began to speak…“I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.”
We will respect all people who are made in the image of God… Genesis 1:26-27.
"Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness."
All people are redeemed by Christ’s death and resurrection. The Old Testament law commands such respect…see Deuteronomy 5:11-21 Jesus summarized this law as love for God and neighbor…see Matthew 22:36-40. He ministered to all without distinction and His death on the cross was for all…see John 3:16 and Romans 5:8. We therefore pledge to active concern whenever human beings are demeaned, abused, depersonalized, enslaved or subjected to demonic forces in the world, whether by individuals or institutions…see Galatians 3:28, Mark 2:27, 1 Timothy 1:8-10. We are committed to give meaning and significance to every person by God’s help. Remembering our tendency to be prejudicial, as Christians we must grow in awareness of the rights and needs of others.
The Free Methodist Church was born out of a desire to stand against the evil of slavery and we continue to recognize the sin of racism and oppose it in all its forms. We do so with the following convictions: •We commit to lament and repent for the ways that we have been complicit in or failed to recognize acts of racial oppression •We commit to an attitude of ceaseless humility and self-examination, recognizing the ease with which our own limitations can make us blind to the experiences and interests of others…see Philippians 2:3-4. •We shall seek to identify, confess, and redeem thoughts, attitudes, or behaviors that manifest discrimination against a person on the basis of race, ethnicity, or any other distinction between social groups that we create or enforce. •Because systemic racism the way in which human institutions or structures can both actively and passively preserve patterns of discrimination and exclusion – is less perceptible, but no less harmful than overt, individual racist acts, we commit, not just to avoid or sanction individual prejudicial attitudes and actions, but seek to redeem processes, systems and institutions that continue to perpetuate injustice on the basis of race or ethnicity. •In our own churches and denomination we commit ourselves to model the racial redemption and reconciliation we hope to see in the world, proclaiming the transformative victory of Jesus Christ into places of great brokenness, looking forward to the day when all people gather before the throne of God.
These statements have been in the “Free” Methodist church for over 150 years. I stand by them…I support them…I preach them…I believe them.
Welcome to Reclamation Church and Community Center! Formally known as Albion Free Methodist Church. We’re here whether you’re looking for a home church or just traveling in the area! We are a non-judging, loving church that’s open to all people. Please come as you are, both in wardrobe and in life. Worship is at 10:45 Sunday morning. Love God. Love People. Make Disciples.
