Good morning and welcome to Montrose Fresh, from The Montrose Daily Press. It’s Monday May 3rd and we’re here to bring you a closer look at our top stories, events and more that matter to us here in Western Colorado. 

Today - The United Methodist Church is heading toward a split over the inclusion of the LGBT community. But Lisa Petty, the pastor of the Montrose UMC congregation, isn’t concerning herself with it for now.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Elevate Internet. Whether it’s for your home or your business they offer the best speeds at the best price. Right now, if you refer a friend you can get $25 off! Give them a call for more information at 844-386-8744 or visit them at elevateinternet.com.

-

Now, our feature story.

The United Methodist Church is heading toward a split, but Lisa Petty, the pastor of the Montrose UMC congregation isn’t concerning herself with it for now.

Back in 2019, the church announced its intention to split after a faction of conservative members disagreed with the rest of the church on LGBTQ inclusion. That group of members are known as the Wesleyan Covenant Association. 

The crux of the disagreement comes down to same-sex marriage and ordination of LGBTQ clergy.

The General Conference was scheduled to meet again in 2020 to debate the issue, but the pandemic pushed it back. And now, the 2021 meeting has also been postponed. It looks like members won’t have the split resolved until 2022.

We spoke with Lisa Petty, who told us that the big thing that the local church has realized is that we have our own ministry here. 

And when the UMC first announced its intentions to split, Petty made clear the local congregation would remain progressive. 

While Petty explained the split is very much about people, the details are less about people and more about splitting up of assets. She said it’s like a divorce.

The Wesleyan Covenant, those conservative members, has made a list of assets and accommodations it wants. 

Some of those assets include all of its buildings as well as $25 million in money to start a Global Methodist Church.

If the General Conference sides with the Wesleyan Covenant Association, then those assets are theirs.

Petty said in that scenario the local congregation would have to try to purchase the building back. Right now, the building is valued somewhere around $8 million.

But if the General Conference refuses to budge to the association’s requests, things will likely be left the same.

So what are the chances of that happening? Well, the conservative faction has some support from the highest rungs.

Petty explained there’s no way of knowing what will happen at this point because there are so many possibilities.

But she said that they, at the local church, want everyone to feel included and loved. But unfortunately, they also realize that just by allowing LGBTQ members and supporting them, they make those that don’t support that stance feel unwelcome.

As a result, the local congregation has lost some members and may continue to lose some.

But Petty says that won’t change how she and the local UMC handle business. And until she knows what will happen she’ll continue to focus on serving her congregation here.

To read more about this story visit us at montrosepress.com

-

And before we go we’d like to highlight  the Black Canyon Gymnastics team. 

These gymnasts had a tougher than usual choice earlier this year. 

“After COVID restrictions relaxed, it was hard for them to emotionally commit because they didn’t want something taken away from them again. 

KJ Almgren is the owner of Black Canyon Gymnastics, and he said it wasn’t until mid-season that the gymnasts started to fully commit. At that point, the rest of the season was secure.

Since then, the season progressed and everything started to pick up speed. The gymnasts have competed in Grand Junction, Highlands Ranch, Arapahoe and Montrose.

Lily Burton, a senior at Montrose High School stepped up to lead the team. Burton often attended extra practices, and though at the diamond level, took time to practice with the younger girls at the silver and bronze level.

On the mat, she showed off a new skill in every event, a difficult accomplishment to complete.

And she did that coming off an injury.

That dedication paid off at state earlier this month, where Burton placed 2nd on vault.

Many other members of the team placed in the top five in their events as well.

Congratulations girls!

-

That’s all for today, thank you for listening! For more information on any of these stories visit us at montrosepress.com.

And don’t forget to check out our sponsor, Elevate Internet. Visit them at elevateinternet.com to learn more.

For more than 137 years, The Montrose Daily Press has been dedicated to shining a light on all the issues that matter to our community. Go to montrosepress.com to subscribe for just $1.99 per week for our digital edition. You’ll get unlimited access to every story, feature, and special section. Thank you and remember to tune in again next time on montrosepress.com or wherever you listen to podcasts.