The contraction of Mississippi’s United Methodist Church for 2023 will conclude on Saturday.
That is when around 16% of all of Mississippi’s United Methodist Churches that were members coming into 2023 are likely to be allowed to leave the fold.
That process will take place Saturday morning as part of the session of the Mississippi Annual Conference at the Anderson United Methodist Church in Jackson. There are 142 churches that will be submitted for ratification to disaffiliate. That is in addition to 189 churches that were ratified to disaffiliate in a similar vote in June.
The 142 churches have completed the required steps to leave the denomination and are seeking ratification to disaffiliate that will be voted on in eight separate ballots. Results will not be released until results of all eight ballots are in.
This is the latest in the nationwide split of the church, which has been described by some as the largest denominational schism in the last 50 years.
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The issues for the United Methodist Church, in general, center around, but are not limited to, a difference in opinion about whether someone who identifies as LGBTQ should be ordained in churches. Other denominations, including the Episcopal church, have faced similar challenges in recent years. Amid issues surrounding human sexuality, hundreds of Episcopal churches splintered off nationally to move to the new, more conservative Anglican Church in North America, though no Mississippi parishes left the Episcopal fold.
This year is not the first time churches have chosen to leave the denomination over the same issues. It is just the largest group to do so as a combined 331 of the 856 (38.7%) fully connected members are expected to be allowed to disaffiliate in 2023.
Leading up to this year, a total of 55 churches disaffiliated from the conference with seven leaving in 2019, 11 in 2020, 23 in 2021 and 14 in 2022.
Mississippi Bishop Sharma Lewis did not respond to attempts for comment for this story ahead of the conference. Several other United Methodist ministers also chose not to make comments.
Leaving the church is a two-step process. First, a church must vote to disaffiliate from the Mississippi Conference. If two-thirds of the church members present for a vote then vote to leave, the church is then disaffiliated. But the Mississippi Conference must still ratify that church’s departure.
In this round of voting, Mississippi churches had until the end of October to have a church vote.
In this latest round, Mississippi’s largest Methodist church, Jackson’s Christ United Methodist Church, voted to part ways with the UMC
It was reported to its members by email by Christ United Methodist Church that more than 86% voted to disaffiliate while a little more than 13% voted to remain United Methodist.
The vote required a 66.7% majority to move forward with disaffiliation.
A total of 830 votes were cast with 717 choosing to disaffiliate and 112 voting to remain United Methodist.
Others that held similar votes by October were St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church in Madison, which voted not to split as did West Point and Starkville. However, in the same timeframe, Merigold, Ellisville and Brandon United Methodist Churches made the decision to switch to leave the United Methodist Church. Most are choosing to join with the Global Methodist Church.
In the first round of voting in March, the largest church to vote to disaffiliate was Madison United Methodist Church. There, an overwhelming majority of the MUMC members present voted to leave the church umbrella.
Of the 664 votes cast at the church conference, only 57 (8.6%) were cast to remain with the United Methodist denomination, while 605 votes (91.4%) were cast to disaffiliate. There were two abstentions.
Here is a list of all 142 churches within the Mississippi United Methodist conference, which are seeking ratification for disaffiliation from the conference on Saturday.
Brookhaven District
East Jackson District
East Jackson District (cont.)
Greenwood District
Greenwood District (cont.)
Hattiesburg District
Hattiesburg District (cont.)
Meridian District
Meridian District (cont.)
New Albany District
New Albany District (cont.)
Seashore District
Senatobia District
Starkville District
Starkville District (cont.)
Tupelo District
West Jackson District
Here is a list of all 189 churches within the Mississippi United Methodist conference, which were ratified in June to disaffiliate from the conference. Included is the church, votes for disaffiliation, again and the percentage.
Brookhaven District
East Jackson District
Greenwood District
Hattiesburg District
Meridian District
New Albany District
Seashore District
Senatobia District
Starkville District
Tupelo District
West Jackson District
Ross Reily can be reached by email at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.
It’s been the story of Mississippi State’s season, as the Bulldogs yet again missed a chance to lock up a host spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Diamond Dawgs now head to Hoover needing to make one final statement to assure that Starkville will be home to postseason baseball once again. Brian Hadad and Robbie Faulk discuss why it’s not a done deal for State, and what needs to happen this week to lock up a regional.
Many locals say that the entire American South is underappreciated, but big cities like New Orleans, Austin, Atlanta, and Jacksonville certainly get their due. This list is about small Southern communities that plenty of Americans, including some Southerners, have not even heard about. And yet, these places are percolating with beaches, parks, caves, springs, museums, restaurants, sea turtles, and spaceships. Here are seven such gems hidden deep in the Deep South.
The forgotten coastal state of Mississippi has more than 60 miles of Gulf of Mexico coastline stuffed with scenic communities. The best of these is Bay St. Louis. Named for the adjoining Bay of St. Louis, this 9,000ish-person “city” has one of the state’s highest-rated beaches and many associated activities. Beachgoers who do not skip Mississippi in favor of Texas or Florida can enjoy swimming, sunbathing, kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, boating, fishing, and beachcombing on the gorgeous Bay St. Louis waterfront. Then, they can head downtown for sights at the Alice Moseley Folk Art Museum and bites at The Blind Tiger. Lastly, if you thought Bay St. Louis could not be any less Mississippi-like, it sits about 20 minutes away from NASA’s Stennis Space Center. This astronomically amazing facility can be toured on certain days.
Considered the most underrated town in South Carolina, Port Royal makes Beaufort seem like Charleston. Though Port Royal and Beaufort have similar populations and sit side by side on the SC coast, the former gets less attention and respect, according to Port Royal town manager Van Willis. It also gets less respect than other Beaufort County neighbors like Hilton Head and Bluffton. This is despite Port Royal having a mix of aesthetic homes, excellent amenities, and beautiful nature. Visitors can tour the Old Village, dine at Fishcamp, glimpse birds and gators at the Port Royal Cypress Wetlands and Rookery, and then crash at Cabana Madrid. Port Royal’s downtown streets are elegantly named Madrid Avenue, Paris Avenue, and London Avenue.
Is there anything quainter than receiving your mail by motorboat? Magnolia Springs, a riverside town in Alabama, is the only residential community in America with year-round USPS water delivery. Between mailboxes lining the Magnolia River and sprawling oaks lining Magnolia Springs’ streets are lots of attractions for a town of approximately 800 people. Delectable eateries include The Mag: Dive Bar & Grill and Jesse’s Restaurant, while comforting inns comprise the Magnolia Springs Bed and Breakfast. That cozy retreat sits inside the Tunnel Of Trees, where the aforementioned oaks are so immense as to wrap their limbs around multi-story buildings. Appropriately, the tunnel is on Oak Street.
Another Southern town enmeshed in Spanish moss-draped oak trees, St. Francisville, has some of Louisiana’s prettiest buildings in its verdant clutches. This 1,500ish-person community thrived during the Antebellum era, so when slavery ended, its prosperous plantations were preserved as historic sites or turned into bed & breakfasts. Visitors can tour the Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site and then stay at The Myrtles, an expansive 18th-century estate with a hotel, restaurant, cafe, and even a lake. Although underrated to most Americans, The Myrtles is perhaps overrated to ghost hunters since it has been named the most haunted house in America.
After a hauntingly scenic survey of St. Francisville, you can cleanse your mind at numerous nearby refuges like the Afton Villa Gardens, Tunica Hills Wildlife Management Area, Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge, and Clark Creek Natural Area, the last of which is in Mississippi.
A true Texas oasis, Wimberley is home to the Blue Hole, a natural spring-fed swimming pool centering the scenic cypress forest of Blue Hole Regional Park. In addition to swimming, visitors can go hiking, biking, picnicking, sunbathing, and swinging from a rope to plunge into the blue-tinged water. But that is not the only colorful lagoon in the Wimberley area. Just north of town sits Jacob’s Well, another blue, spring-fed hole connected to an enormous underwater cave system. It, too, has its own nature preserve for recreation and sightseeing, but the well is closed for swimming.
Colorful in a much different way, Wimberley proper has around 2,800 residents, who join smatterings of tourists at the EmilyAnn Theatre, Pioneer Town, Creekside Vintage, and Lodge at Cypress Falls, all of which pay homage to different American eras.
Still serene despite constant encroachment from its Krameresque neighbors, Juno Beach has roughly 4,000 residents and arguably the most pristine beach in Palm Beach County. The Loggerhead Marinelife Center is partly responsible for keeping West Palm Beach bums at bay since it protects a large portion of the waterfront for sea turtles, especially during the nesting season from March to October. Turtle walks and beach cleanups are available for environmentally conscious tourists, as are private hikes in the Juno Dunes Natural Area at the north end of town. For commercially inclined visitors, Juno Beach offers delicious restaurants like Captain Charlie’s Reef Grill and Cathy’s Beach Connection, plus recreation at Seminole Golf Club and Bert Winters Park.
Sure enough, Cave Spring has both a cave and a spring. Yet neither of those breathtaking attractions, which are located in Rolater Park, have turned the “city” into a tourist trap. Instead, Cave Spring is called “A Hidden Gem Off The Beaten Path.”
After spelunking in the 57-degree cave and collecting mineral-rich spring water, travelers who were lucky enough to find Cave Spring can mine more of its gems downtown. There, they can dine at Linde Marie’s Steakhouse on the Square, A&B Creekside Restaurant and Catering, Lee’s Donut Shop or Local Joe’s before they decide to shop at Evergreen on Broad or Cave Spring Market. Lastly, they would be wise to stop at the Vann Cherokee Cabin, which was built in 1810 by Avery Vann of the Cherokee Nation and is located on the Trail of Tears. This place in Georgia will definitely be on your mind.
The American South is a diverse and dynamic region that can be underappreciated, especially outside of urban centers. In those vast areas between cities lie small, scenic haunts perfect for a real deal getaway with real deal Southern charm. Bay St. Louis in Mississippi, Port Royal in South Carolina, Magnolia Springs in Alabama, St. Francisville in Louisiana, Wimberley in Texas, Juno Beach in Florida, and Cave Spring in Georgia can fill the holes in your wannabe Southerner’s heart.
STANFORD, Calif. – A series of weird and unlucky events put an end to Mississippi State’s season late Saturday night at the hands of Cal State Fullerton.
Facing elimination after losing 2-1 to Stanford earlier Saturday, the Bulldogs had to wait until just before 10 p.m. in Starkville for their fight to stay alive in the Stanford Regional of the NCAA Softball Tournament. Unfortunately for their fans, the Bulldogs lost that fight against Cal State Fullerton 7-0 in a game that ended after midnight in Mississippi.
A little more than 24 hours before Saturday’s game, MSU defeated Cal State Fullerton 1-0 to open the NCAA Regional. It seemed the elimination game would be a repeat of that game. MSU’s Josey Marron and Cal State Fullerton’s Haley Rainey had allowed just five total hits and struck out eight batters prior to the bottom of the fifth inning.
That’s when Cal State Fullerton turned a series of lucky hits and a successful challenge into a seven-run inning.
KK Christie led off for Cal State Fullerton with a ground out to third base, but Megan Delgadillo slap-hit a blooper single to shallow left field, just out of reach of MSU shortstop Kylie Edwards and outfielder Brylie St. Clair.
The wind kept it in, but we’ve got a leadoff baserunner!
📺 https://t.co/RyfSTm3aYU#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/ZCx6ai2oVO
— Mississippi State Softball (@HailStateSB) May 19, 2024
The next batter, Bailey Wallace, appeared to reach base on bunt, but was called back to the batter’s box. On the very next pitch, Delgadillo was initially called out on a steal attempt, but a coach’s challenge overturned the call. After the challenge, Wallace was hit by a pitch, putting runners at first and second base.
Cal State Fullerton loaded the bases on a hard hit ground ball to Edwards and a scored the game’s first run on another hard hit ground ball to third baseman Nadia Barbary, who kept the ball in front of her but wasn’t able to record an out.
With the momentum fully on its side, Cal State Fullerton’s offense came to life. Peyton Toto drove in a pair of runs with a single through the left side of MSU’s defense. Aspen Wesley, who had pitched 10 innings in the Stanford Regional already, came in to relive Marron and gave up a single to her first batter, which loaded the bases once again.
Colby McClinton took full advantage of the situation for the Lady Titans and smashed a grand slam home run to left field that put her team up 7-0.
The Bulldogs had their own bases-loaded opportunity in the sixth inning, but it ended on Ella Wesolowski’s first-pitch double play ground out.
Cal State Fullerton advances to face Stanford in the NCAA Regional final at 4 p.m. Sunday.
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