No less than 12 judges refused to reside following a legal action brought by a congregation of the United Methodist Church in Arkansas seeking control of church assets after the regional conference rejected its disaffiliation vote and suspended its pastor.
Judges have cited conflicts of interest or the need to avoid the appearance of impropriety to recuse themselves from the real estate lawsuit by Jonesboro First United Methodist Church, KAIT reported.
The Craighead Circuit Clerk’s Office sent a request to the Arkansas State Supreme Court for a special judge to be assigned to the case.
The Jonesboro church also requested a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to prevent the Arkansas Conference of the UMC from any attempt to prevent its congregation to use the church building during the trial, the media added.
The lawsuit comes as hundreds of other congregations across the UNITED STATES voted to leave the UMC amid an ongoing debate over the party’s official positionnomination on LGBT issues.
Link to the Post source
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The article was written by: Anugrah Kumar from www.christianpost.com
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Photo: A worship service at First United Methodist Church in Jonesboro, Arkansas on Sunday, December 18, 2022. | Screenshot: Facebook/First United Methodist Church
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