Gulfside United Methodist Assembly - The Effects of Unification

The Effects of Unification

Progress at Gulfside was slowed in 1968 with the formation of The United Methodist Church. Then Black Methodists were finally accepted on an equal footing by White Methodists. But, as was the case with some other Black institutions, integration hurt rather than helped Gulfside. The segregated, all-Black Central jurisdiction, created with Northern and Southern church union in 1939, was disbanded. The Black membership was integrated into the existing White conferences and Gulfside ceased to serve as the core meeting place for Black Methodists. During the civil rights movement of the 1960s, Gulfside served as a meeting place for the region. Civil rights activist, Hollis Watkins, of Jackson, Mississippi says: "there were only three places where Blacks could meet in Mississippi during the movement—Toogaloo College, Rust College, and Gulfside.