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Celebrating 50 Years of The United Methodist Church

The United Methodist Church was officially formed on April 23, 1968 with the unification of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, along with the dissolution of the Central Jurisdiction, a segregated group of African American congregations.

Fifty years ago, 1,300 delegates and 10,000 visitors met in Dallas, Texas on April 23, 1968 to celebrate the formation of the newly-constituted United Methodist Church. This merger of 10.3 million Methodists and 750,000 members of the EUB Church resulted in one of the largest Protestant denominations in the world. Flags from fifty-three countries testified to the breadth of the new reality.

As we celebrate this anniversary throughout 2018, especially around Heritage Sunday on May 20, return to this page (www.umcom.org/umc50) for the latest resources to help your congregation remember this important anniversary of our church.

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