Layhill Community Church 1916 Bonifant Road Silver Spring, MD 20906 (301) 460-3110    Home • who are we?   • weekly schedule   • how to be saved   • contact us   • prayer request     Layhill News • news items • calendar     Multimedia • recent sermons   • today's encouraging word     K Groups   Blog Central   Meet the Staff   Useful Resources   Photo Gallery   One-Eighty Student Ministries   Sonshine Ranch Children's Ministries   Missions	Who Are The Free Methodists?   Free Methodism was born on August 23, 1860 in Pekin, NY. Influenced by the holiness movement, Pastor Benjamin Titus Roberts and others in the Methodist Episcopal Church (the name for Methodism at that time) encouraged a return to the doctrines and practices of early Methodism and its founder, John Wesley. Their views were unwelcome, and a new denomination was formed: the Free Methodist Church. Several key issues of the day helped give the new denomination its name: "Free" Methodists opposed slavery, championing every individual's freedom. Many Methodist Episcopal Church members were slave owners. "Free" Methodists opposed the renting and selling of church pews, a common practice that effectively disenfranchised the poor, relegating them to benches in the back of the sanctuary. (John Wesley had clearly demonstrated a desire to reach and include the poor and down-trodden.) Free Methodists called for free seats for all and emphasized tithes and offerings -- not income collected for seating or raised through bake sales and such -- to support the church's ministries. "Free" Methodists supported freedom in worship, in contrast to the deadening formalism so prevalent in the Methodist Episcopal churches of the day. The newly named "Free Methodists" sought to maintain the heritage of original Methodism with its warm-hearted, biblical message and lifestyle. Free Methodism today continues to follow in the footsteps of its founders, emphasizing faithfulness to the biblical message, personal and social holiness, a deep devotion to Bible study and discipleship, and a conservative outlook that translates into active concern for the poor and lost everywhere. By the end of 2003, our denomination included some 1,000 U.S. churches, fellowships and church planting projects -- with more than 73,000 members -- and a worldwide membership of nearly 800,000.