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Happy Birthday Free Methodist Church!

It was August 23, 1860 when the Free Methodist Church was born. She was 9 pounds, 8 ounces....wait, no she wasn't. She was a young upstart, founded by Benjamin Titus Roberts, proud owner of a neck-beard. (Link to FB group)

It was on this day in history that the FMC adopted a Discipline and elected B.T. Roberts as the general superintendent. This happened in Chesbrough Farm, Pekin, New York. A month later a second FMC was founded in Buffalo. A month after that, the Genesee Conference was organized with two districts.

From there they spread across the United States. North and East and South and West, much like a contemporary praise and worship song. Then they went Southeast to the Sunshine State.

In the 1970's a young pastor and his family moved to Cape Coral, Florida and began a community church connected with the FMC. Though somewhat hidden, this church grew and extended its arms to families through youth and children's programs. It was somewhere in 1986 that a young girl invited another young girl, her next door neighbor, to a midweek activity. She had a great time and told her family how friendly this church was.

The entire family visited the next week and stopped looking for a church home. That young girl was my sister. It was at the Cape Coral Community Church that I grew in my teen years, meeting friends who would challenge my faith in a good way. It was there that a youth pastor would challenge me to answer the call of God on my life. It was from there that I would attend a couple of different Free Methodist colleges, Central Christian College and Spring Arbor University.

I have never been an apologist for the Free Methodist Church. I would never say that we have the only market on Jesus. But it was through the FMC that I have come to be where I am. For that, I am very thankful.

Happy Birthday, Free Methodist Church.
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