Gridley and Biggs UMCs get interim pastoral support

Pastor exits denomination, surprising District Superintendent

The departure of Gridley and Biggs Community UMC pastor Ben Kelly from the denomination, Sunday, Aug. 27 came as a total surprise to Shasta District Superintendent Ruth Ocera Cortez. She had spoken with him last week, before she went on vacation, "and never had an inkling" that Kelley planned to leave.

His departure follows other conservative pastors who are unhappy about what they consider "liberal" attitudes within the Cal-Nevada Annual Conference. Kelley was a Licensed Local Pastor, and had been serving both congregations since 1998, according to the 1999 Journal.

Cortez said providing pastoral care to the members of the two churches is her first priority.

Retired pastor William Jefferies will drive down from Chico to preach in both churches Sunday, Sept. 3, Cortez said, August 30. Yuba City First UMC's Lois Black and Chico-Aldersgate UMC pastor Neal Neuenburg will handle pastoral care for the churches on an interim basis.

Gridley UMC listed 53 members in the 1999 Journal statistics, with an average of 24 people in attendance at principal weekly worship services. The church traces roots to the United Brethren Church (later Evangelical United Brethren). Biggs Community UMC listed 86 members, with an average 46 in attendance at principal weekly worship.

The initial story was the front-page local item with three pictures.(See: http://www.appeal-democrat.com/082800/0828pastor.shtml) There are several errors in the story, including paragraph five, which mistakenly says that Bishop Talbert refused to take action against 68 pastors who were involved in a holy union for two women.

The Bishop did act as outlined in the denomination's law book–the Book of Discipline–by referring complaints against the pastors to the Conference's Committee on Investigation for Clergy Members. After three days of hearings and several more of deliberation, the Committee announced that "it did not certify the Judicial Complaint as a charge proper for trial". That action and Talberts comments in support of the Committee and full inclusion for gays and lesbians in the church led to more friction between Conference leadership and conservative-evangelical pastors and church members.

Yuba City pastor also leaves UMC

Former Yuba City First UMC minister Peter Cremer has turned in his elders orders.

In an e-mail to friends, Cremer said he'd driven from Yuba City to the Conference office in West Sacramento on Monday, Aug. 28 to do so. He confirmed his resignation for the Review, but said he didn't want to make a big deal out of it. He has been on sabbatical for more than a year.

Cremer is the sixth California-Nevada Conference elder to resign since Annual Conference in June. He follows his former boss, ex-Yuba City First UMC senior pastor John Shepperd, II who left the United Methodist Church in July. (See July 21, 2000 Review)

Cremer had been a UM pastor since 1981, and served as the Yuba City church's Minister of Congregational Life until requesting sabbatical in 1999. He did not say what he planned to do now.