MONROVIA: The Secretary General of Liberia Annual Conference Delegation to the 2020/2024 United Methodist Church (UMC) General Conference, Mr. L. Olando Boyce, has disclosed that United Methodists individually and collectively are contemplating legal action against Bishop Samuel Quire and the leadership of the LAC/UMC.
He accused Bishop Quire of subjecting the annual conference and local churches to be part of homosexual/gay denomination.
The United Methodist Church in Liberia has been embroiled in crisis over failure of the LAC to take definite position following the latest decision of the global annual conference of the UMC, legalizing same-sex marriage across its denominations.
It can be recalled that the global United Methodist Church recently repealed its 50 years ban on LGBTQ clergy, and approved new language opening doors for same-sex marriage.
Mr. Boyce, who served as Secretary of the LAC Delegation to the 2020/2024 UNC General Conference held in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, from April 23, 2024 to May 3, 2024, told a news conference in Monrovia that Bishop Quire refused to call for a special annual conference session to take a decision regarding the future of the UMC in Liberia in the wake of the General Conference passage to legalize homosexuality and other unchristian acts.
Mr. Boyce also said that on June 7, 2024, Bishop Quire and Layleader Tolbert G. Nyenswah returned to the country and had a press conference, deciding for United Methodists in Liberia that they will regionalize homosexuality as a practice and way of life in their denomination and that the LAC will be part of such arrangements.
He added that paradoxically, Liberian laws do not support homosexuality for which reason the LAC will not practice same-sex marriage.
“Since our return from the GC in early May of this year, Bishop Quire has refused to call the special session instead, on May 9, 2024, barely 5 days after the end of GC, he sent out a video message to all United Methodists in Liberia to support the “Regionalization Plan” of the worldwide denomination without providing a forum where members of the church would discuss the concept behind the “Regionalization Plan.”
He quoted Bishop Quire as saying he does not support same-sex marriage, but insist that the UMC in Liberia MUST ENDORSE THE DECISION OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE TO LEGALIZE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, THE ORDINATION OF LGBTQ people as pastors and leaders within the worldwide denomination, and the new definition of marriage as a union between two consenting adults and two persons of faith, in addition to marriage being between a man and a woman.”
Bishop Quire has not commented on the accusations levied against him by Mr. L. Olando Boyce.
However, in a recent statement, the LAC of the UMC through its Bishop clarified that Mr. Boyce and Rev. Dr. George Wilson are not elected officials and spokespersons of the UMC in Liberia.
The LAC of the UMC refuted all allegations against Bishop Quire, and described them as unfounded, unwarranted and baseless.
The statement advised the general public and United Methodists including the press not to buy into Mr. Boyce and others misinformation, myths and disinformation campaign against the UMC in Liberia.
The statement added that Mr. Boyce is not the conference secretary of the LAC, as he is self-proclaimed as such both he and Wilson along with a few other disgruntled members of the LAC/UMC, were involved in the formation of a new breakaway denomination called “the Global Methodist Church (GMC)”.
“The baseless allegations made by Olando Boyce and Rev. Dr. George Wilson during a press conference on September 27, 2024, and attempt to cover their actions under the pretext of homosexuality. During the conference, they falsely accused Bishop Samuel Quire of accepting money from the GC during the 2024 UMC General Conference in USA to promote regionalization and endorse homosexuality within the UMC in Liberia. We categorically reject these claims as unfounded and designed to mislead the public and tarnish the reputation of our church leadership. It appears that Boyce and Wilson are motivated by a desire to undermine the UMC in Liberia in favor of the GMC”. Writes Linda Gbartie
