Court dismisses Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church lawsuit against NC Methodist Conference
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Congregation of Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church’s lawsuit against the NC Conference of the United Methodist Conference has been dismissed by a civil court in New Hanover County.
This comes over two months after the lawsuit was initially filed on June 27th.
“We respectfully disagree with the court’s ruling, and we are considering all options to include an expedited appeal,” a statement from the church read.
The church is located blocks from the Cape Fear River waterfront in Wilmington’s Historic District. It celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2022 with a yearlong celebration. Church members were locked out of their building in late March after the United Methodist Conference declared exigent circumstances and closed the church.
In their court filing, church members say they are seeking:
– To reopen the doors of Fifth Avenue to its congregation for worship services
– The right to continue with the process of disaffiliation while retaining its property as promised by the United Methodist Church
