Ash Wednesday

Smoke and Fire

A phoenix is a mythical bird with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet. It has a 500 to 1000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again. The new phoenix is destined to live as long as its old self. – From Wikipedia

Using Ashes to Kindle a New Fire

W. Astor K

William Astor Kirk played an historic role in ending institutional racial segregation within the church when he served on a five-member committee that worked to end the Central Jurisdiction, the structure that segregated African-Americans within the denomination. He made the resolution to the 1964 General Conference of the Methodist Church that ended the segregated Central Jurisdiction. After lengthy debate, the motion, known as “The Kirk Amendment,” passed 464 to 362, establishing the denomination’s commitment to end institutional segregation.

New RCs

First United Methodist Church of Pasadena, California

RUM Profile

I am a woman blessed. I have a loving family with a new addition due to arrive in July, as well as a church family that surrounds me with love, support, encouragement, and guidance. I have friends, old and new, who share my interests and concerns. I have a job, as a part-time college instructor, that allows me to teach and be taught by people who are powerfully motivated to change their circumstances, while giving me time to spend with my precious little boy. I am often overwhelmed with gratitude for all that I have in life. 

In 2009, shortly after embarking on my dream career as a teacher, I was laid-off from my position as a reading teacher in an affluent suburb of Chicago. It was devastating to feel so unwanted, particularly because I saw my job as social justice work. My philosophy is that a literate, expressive person is an empowered person, and I felt that it was my job to empower young people. Clearly, my district didn’t see value in that at the time. I struggled with depression over what I saw as my failure to prove my worthiness. It was my church, very new to me at the time, which brought me through that difficult time . . . by, of course, putting me to work! I served as chairperson of our Leadership Council for about two years. This surprised no one more than myself. As a person who had only begun attending church regularly two years before, I saw myself as ridiculously inadequate for the job.

It was during this time that I began to see how much work and struggle lies before the church as a whole today. Poverty. Immigration and refuge issues. Human Trafficking. AIDS. Hunger. So many problems affecting so many lives. And not one had a simple answer. . . except (as I thought at the time) LGBTQ rights. I thought to myself, “This one is easy, right? I mean, it’s so obvious!” But for many people it is not obvious. For many people, it is a great struggle to accept that LGBTQ people are God’s beloved people, just as heterosexuals are.

I realized that, for me, the fundamental issue at the core of all those problems is a lack of love for our brothers and sisters, and that nothing exemplifies that issue as clearly as the issue of LGBTQ rights, both within the church and in society. Before we can say who deserves food, who deserves citizenship, who deserves medicine, who deserves dignity, who deserves freedom, we need to answer the more basic question: Who deserves our love? Christ’s answer was “everyone.” I see this as the true reconciliation that our church needs so badly today. We need to make ourselves right with God by making love our top priority in all arenas. How can we tackle the very complex problems of suffering throughout the world when we can’t follow Christ’s very uncomplicated command to love one another? How can we extend our love and help to the suffering people of the world when we can’t extend our selves to the gay couple next door? 

But this issue is about more than just a first step toward giving ourselves over to the love that Christ envisioned. It is also about justice and truth. In his letter from Birmingham Jail, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Similarly, we cannot say that we love our neighbors while denying and excluding our homosexual brothers and sisters. To continue to fail to love and accept them is to deceive ourselves and to invite the threat of injustice and bigotry into our church family. We all know that to continue to degrade our brothers and sisters is unquestionably wrong. How can we claim to “act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with” God while perpetuating a doctrine of exclusion? This is the kind of moral contradiction that is planting seeds of distrust in the hearts of members and friends of The United Methodist Church, not to mention those seeking a spiritual home. Therefore, I can’t think of anything more important to the survival of the church than to bridge this divide.

I am still, after four years of membership in a Reconciling Congregation, just now learning how to put my beliefs into action. I have signed petitions, I have endorsed same-sex union ceremonies in the church, and I have walked in the Pride parade. But there is so much more to be done. I joined the Reconciling Ministries Network as an individual to help me learn where to start.

Back in 2009, I lost my job and, in a way, my sense of purpose. But I see now that I was just being redirected. I’m still teaching and I’m still learning. But I feel more useful to my brothers and sisters than I ever have before. What a blessing!

I have great hope that this will be the year that we will remove the discriminatory language from all our church guidelines. But, more than that, I hope that this will be the year that we can stand together as a church, united in love, and show that we are not just talking about loving our neighbors, but we are doing it. That won’t be easy for many of us. But with support and guidance, I think we can all learn to let go of those biases that we were taught and go instead with the message that Christ brought to us, even on the cross:  that while not one of us can “earn” it, we are all blessed with God’s love.

My resolve in any area of social change is always focused by my son, and, more recently, by thoughts of the new little one to come. I think about the world as it is today and I think about the world I want them to grow and blossom in. I ask myself, “If my son is gay, can I stand by and allow him to be excluded from my church? If my daughter grows up and loves another woman, does God love her less? If my children shun or bully another child because of his or her orientation, am I okay with that?” The answer to all of these questions is a loud “no.” I am energized by the thought of a world where parents no longer have to ask themselves these questions and where children don’t even realize that these questions ever troubled us. 

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Mission Trip: Tampa

Dave Goss     

Walking in Truth

– Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey 

On January 26, 2011, gay rights activist David Kato was bludgeoned with a hammer and left dying in his home in Uganda. His death was as brutal as the many assassinations carried out under the regime of Idi Amin. Our dear brother had lived under the threat of his death since the introduction of a Ugandan anti-homosexual bill in 2009 calling for the penalty of death to all who participated in same-gender sex. Though not yet law at the time of David’s death, the bill caused uproar in the international community and many felt it was motivated by the seeds of bigotry planted by U.S. evangelicals.

I abhor homophobic bigotry and lament the loss of David Kato, but I am not willing to denounce evangelicals in toto – or any religious group, for that matter. A true tribute to David’s life would be to endeavor to live in peace with all persons even as we demand justice.

But there is a much deeper issue here that calls to mind the intersection of race, sexuality, and religion. For too long, Africans and African Americans have declared that homosexuality does not exist in Africa, and if it does it came to Africa as some sort of disease introduced by “the white man.” While sane people know this argument to be false, it has been used too often by Christians to fuel the debate by mixing it with religious diatribe against LGBTQ persons. Such was the case in Uganda and such was the case at General Conference 2008. As a result, the argument is being used in The United Methodist Church as an ingredient to maintain a putrid and poisonous concoction fixed as “medicinal church law.” We should no more sip this tragic elixir than should my white LGBTQ peers sniff the air of racism against their Black LGBTQ comrades. Yeah, racism is as real among the white LGBTQ community as homophobia is among Black Americans. Go figure.

As United Methodists approach General Conference 2012, I am not so naïve as to think it will be absent of racist and homophobic behavior. I am, however, hopeful that people who love the Lord will open their hearts to the truth of that love. Walking in that truth will be evidenced by respectful deliberations, implementation of just and righteous polity, and dynamic moments of reconciliation. By this, we shall honor the word “united” in our name and the world will “know that we are Christians by our love.” Let it be so.

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Extension Ministries Highlight: UMOC

– Rev. Dr. Derrick Spiva

My earliest memories as a child of about four include waking up one night to find a cross burning on the lawn of our new home. This was courtesy of the loyal, local chapter of the KKK in 1965. Later, things calmed down as my two brothers and I admired our father from our bedroom window. He seemed to be calm and unafraid as he provided the police officers that came to our rescue with hot coffee and good conversation. My parents who led our local chapter of the NAACP during the civil rights movement had fought for years to buy a house in town even though they were told many times that blacks could only reside in Sun Village, a community just outside of the small town of Palmdale California. My brothers and I refer to Sun Village as the “God forsaken Desert” because nothing including people seemed to grow there. Selling a home to a black family was treated by the local white community as an act of treason. Violations of this unwritten code were not tolerated.

This aspect of the American dream was deferred for my family until a brave, determined United Methodist member and pastor helped to make arrangements for my parents to purchase the house from a church member. Then it was promptly quitclaimed over to us. The seller had to quickly move out of town to avoid the eminent community backlash. I can’t imagine where my family would be today if this kind United Methodist member had not stepped out and risked his own safety and security and chose to “Love his Neighbor”. The purpose of “Black History Month” is to remember the wrongs of the past so as not to repeat them. More importantly, we must celebrate the accomplishments of the past, present, and future. To that end, we reflect on the dedication of United Methodists of Color to the movement towards a fully inclusive church. The “Love Your Neighbor” coalition campaign will serve as a milestone towards the effort of preparing The United Methodist Church for the inevitable transition to a church that truly lives out the meaning of its creed to love unconditionally.

This year United Methodists of Color for a Fully Inclusive Church endeavors to produce a video documentary to be used among RMN groups, central conference churches and congregations of color. This will specifically explore stories, experiences, biblical references and other issues important to and common among non-Anglo church communities. Additionally, we seek to broaden the power of the story – through the “Love Your Neighbor” campaign by increasing the support of more people and organizations of color. As I am writing this article, we are organizing a team that will attend the pre-General Conference briefing for African delegates in Harare, Zimbabwe in February. Our purpose is to explore more ways we can “Love our Neighbor”.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Will history have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”

Our priority is to provide mentoring and leadership training to young adults and those interested, but new, to the social justice movement. We have scholarships and internships available for general conference and beyond.

May God bless our continued struggle and pursuit of unconditional love, peace and justice for all!

Sincerely,
Derrick Spiva Ph.D.
Committee Chair
United Methodist of Color (UMOC)

**If you are attending the annual meeting of Black Methodists for Church Renewal (BMCR), please contact Rachel Harvey at rachel@rmnetwork.org.

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In the News

Recently, Retired Bishop Melvin Talbert engaged in a conversation with Rev. Janet Edwards, writer of the blog, A Time to Embrace. Below is an excerpt of the conversation.

“As a black person, I’ve always been proud of who I am and the civil rights movement. Early in my journey, I was not sure of who gay people were or what their struggle was. I was not willing to equate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) struggle with the struggle in the Black community. So, when I heard people in the LGBT struggle call it a civil rights issue, I had my differences.

In conversations with LGBT people, I remember asking questions like, “Why do you need to talk about it [meaning their sexuality]?”

I remember one person responded by asking me a question, “Do you know anything about Black Power?”

I said, “Of course I do.”

She said, “Then why was it important for you and other Black people to talk about it?”

That triggered in me a level of sensitivity that I had not experienced before. I understood for the first time why LGBT people need to speak out – because it is who they are. Not to speak out is to deny their identity and orientation.

That was a turning point in my journey. I could no longer bifurcate the issues of race and sexual orientation. I understood it was a civil right.”

Read the entire interview.

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Mission Trip: Tampa

– Ann Craig

It’s time to talk it up! It gets better, even in church!

• Talk it up! Bishops know that the question is no longer IF inclusion will be approved, but WHEN inclusion will be approved. If not in 2012, in 2016!
• Talk it up! More than ten million Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians and members of the UCC are in denominations that have full inclusion.
• Talk it up! We are a global church and when we move, we will move together.
• Talk it up! Young people want to bring their friends to an inclusive church.
• Talk it up! Love Your Neighbor! Love God’s incredibly diverse humanity.
• Talk it up! Prepare the church for “Open Hearts! Open Minds! Open Doors!“
• Talk it up! People around the world are talking. Diversity is everywhere!
• Talk it up! Ask people to sign the “For the Love of God and Neighbor” statement.

Love Your Neighbor! Donate to the Love Your Neighbor Campaign.

• $5,000 provides a video to delegates called “Voices of Witness: Africa.“
• $1,000 provides 2 weeks of ads reaching thousands of United Methodists.
• $500 provides hotel for one full-time volunteer.
• $250 provides a light lunch to 50 delegates and church leaders.
• $100 provides a press release.

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Love Your Neighbor

– Joey Lopez

In normal fashion, I never seem to make it on time anywhere, but for some reason I always seem to get where I am going. A few weeks ago I was on my way to the Love Your Neighbor training for the West Michigan Annual Conference. Since I am from central North Carolina, I am not used to snow. Back home, at the first sign of a flake everyone closes shop and all the milk and bread disappear from the grocery store shelves. So, when Chicago got its first “real” snow of the winter, I rushed through the city streets, covered in six inches of white powder, hoping to somehow make my train to Battle Creek, Michigan. I arrived at the station fifteen minutes before my train was scheduled to depart, stood in the wrong line, and missed my train. Freaking out, I rushed to the ticket counter and begged and pleaded for a ticket on another train – or some other way to make it to Michigan because the airport had canceled all flights for the night. Luckily, the train scheduled to leave before mine had been delayed two and a half hours. I quickly boarded the train with a handwritten ticket from the station manager.

Once I got to Michigan I was terrified that no one was going to be at the training the next day. In central North Carolina no one dares leave their home if there is more than an inch of snow on the ground. Saturday morning came, and the weather didn’t seem to stop anyone from coming. I had only expected a few participants, but we had twenty Michiganders from all over the West Michigan conference. I was surprised to see five young adults from the University of Michigan who were on time and lively. This group of young folks brought so much to the table.

I love seeing young people involved in the coalition, especially as we prepare for General Conference. At this GC there will be some talk about us young folks, especially about getting us to join the church. I have heard the stories of young people echoing through the world. “I am not involved in church because I don’t feel welcome,” they say. “I can do the same good work church does without being judged.” . . . “I am tired of being forced to believe a certain way; I just want to flow with the Spirit.” The harmful language of the Book of Discipline contradicts Jesus’ message to “love your neighbor,” and frankly it is just bad P.R.

As a young person deeply devoted to The United Methodist Church, I think there is a message the church needs to hear if it wants more youth and young adults. We need to know there is a place for us to belong! We need to know that we will be wholly welcomed and acknowledged as a beloved part of the community! We need to know that our callings will be honored, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity! We need to know that we can come to the table and fully participate in the loving experience of God’s marvelous grace as whole persons! We need to know that we can also invite our friends, our families, and our loved ones, and they will feel the same hospitality. The Church must change this year, not in another quadrennium or two. The harmful language of incompatibility must be removed this year at General Conference 2012. I have hope and I invite you to join me in making it a reality!

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RUM Profile

– Marla Marcum, Arlington, Massachussetts

• Co-Lay Leader at Cambridge Welcoming Ministries
• Director of Christian Education at Lexington United Methodist Church
• Director of Programs, Better Future Project

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am called to work for peace and justice for all of God’s creation. I have felt called for a very long time to work on the problem of human-caused climate change, but it was only five years ago that I really committed to answering that call and becoming a grassroots climate movement organizer.

If human beings around the globe fail to grapple with our own power to destroy the very systems that support our lives as we know it, all of our other work for peace and justice will be undermined. We know that when times get tough, people considered on the margins of society are the first to suffer.

In 2008, I began working as a full-time volunteer climate organizer with students, local organizations, and faith communities. The following year, I took a leave of absence from my Doctor of Theological Studies (Th.D.) program in Ecological Ethics at the Boston University School of Theology to start working on climate as a full-time volunteer. One year of leave stretched to two, and when I was denied a third year of leave from the program, I made the difficult decision to withdraw from the program, knowing that working for a just, sustainable human future was much more important to me than securing a terminal degree in my field. I was making this decision while working with organizers around the nation to organize the largest civil disobedience action in the U.S. in decades: the 2011 Tar Sands Action. I am proud to have been one of 1,253 people arrested for sitting down in front of the White House to demand an energy policy that builds a better future rather than the dangerous, short-sighted, job-killing Keystone XL Pipeline.

When I needed to take a second job in order to make ends meet (climate organizing doesn’t pay!), I was blessed to be coaxed into applying for the Director of Christian Education position at Lexington United Methodist Church. This congregation has been on the leading edge of many justice issues since its founding over 60 years ago, and I am grateful to have joined them in ministry.

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When did you first hear about reconciling, and what got you involved?
I first heard about Reconciling in 2001 at the Boston University School of Theology (during my M.T.S. degree program). My friend, Tiffany Steinwert, invited me to join a small group of people who were planning to launch a queer United Methodist congregation the following year. I was excited to become a founding member of Cambridge Welcoming Ministries because although working for full inclusion in the life of the UMC is not my primary call, I cannot in good conscience be part of a denomination that excludes people because of who they are. I remember that as a twelve-year-old in confirmation class at Harper Chapel UMC in Osage Beach, Missouri, I asked my pastor, Rev. Jim Bryan, two questions: what about the dinosaurs, and what about gay people (I’m not sure how I even knew that word)? His answer changed my life: God gave us the creation story to help us understand who we are and whose we are and that God’s will in the world is love. Those who love are following the commandments of God.

My first national event was the Witness Our Welcome conference in 2003 in Philadelphia. Since then, I haven’t missed a Convocation/Sing a New Song. I volunteered at the General Conferences in Pittsburgh and Fort Worth, taking particular leadership roles during each. And I am proud to say that at both of those General Conferences, my childhood pastor, Rev. Jim Bryan, stood with us and with me. It is this reminder of the United Methodist connection and its power that often keeps me going in this work.

In New England, I serve as co-chair of the Reconciling Ministries Committee and as chair of the Climate Change Task Force (both are sub-committees of our Conference Committee on Church and Society).

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What are your passions and how do they relate to our General Conference theme, Love Your Neighbor?
As a faithful United Methodist, I know that love is not an abstract noun – it’s a verb. I try to build my life around recognizing ways that I can embody love in the world by doing love and being love. This often means that I have to live far outside my own comfort zones. I love to learn from other people’s perspectives and experiences in order to expand my own practice of discipleship. My own prayer practice is a contemplative practice: I read scripture and seek the guidance of the Spirit as I engage in concrete actions to bring God’s love into the world. So please don’t ask me to lead a group in prayer without asking me in advance because that’s not the way I pray! In Luke, Jesus is asked (by someone trying to do the minimum required by God), “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus responds with the parable of the Good Samaritan. The final words of the parable motivate me to do this work: “which of the travelers acted as a neighbor to the person in the ditch? Go and do likewise.” Here Jesus turns the question on its head: not who must I love, but how can I be the one who shows love to those who need it.

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What is your hope for General Conference 2012?
Of course, I hope that this will be the year that all discrimination based on sexual orientation is removed from the Book of Discipline and that we continue to refuse to add discrimination based on gender and gender identity. But our response to the Call to Action report will perhaps be even more critical to our denomination and our ongoing ability to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Our response to crisis must not be to grasp onto what we have more tightly by trying to centralize our power structures and exert more and more control over ministries. We must learn to reject the culture of fear and scarcity and live in faith that God provides abundantly. I hope we will live as if we believe the song that we teach our children: Love is Something if You Give it Away!

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What keeps you excited when doing hard social change work?
I cannot bear the thought of failing to try to bring about God’s kin-dom, even if success seems unlikely. The power of the Holy Spirit is sometimes the only thing that keeps me going when doing any of the work to which I am called. The Spirit is always available, always renewing, always doing a new thing. Of course, relationships with others doing this work are of critical importance, and I must mention the support of my husband, Jake. Every time I come home and announce, “I think I have to go get arrested for justice,” or “I need to do this work, but there is no pay,” or “it’s time for me to leave my degree program,” Jake responds with something like, “I know you do.”

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Tell us about some of your hobbies, pets, fun things, or creative endeavors.
I really love my garden, my bike, my two cats, poetry and coaching volleyball!

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New RCs

Aspen Community United Methodist Church of Aspen, Colorado

Aspen Community UMC describes themselves as “A place to worship, enjoy, and belong – if you are in Aspen for a lifetime or any other time.”

Aspen Community United Methodist Church is a Reconciling Congregation of The United Methodist Church welcoming all persons regardless of race, nationality, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any defining factor through which persons have suffered discrimination.

To learn more about this welcoming church in the beautiful Rocky Mountains visit their website at http://www.aspencommunitychurch.com.

Via de Cristo UMC of Scottsdale, Arizona
A young church who has been affirming and inclusive of LGBT persons since its very inception, Via de Cristo met and voted to become a Reconciling Congregation on October 19, 2011 when they adopted this strong reconciling identity statement:

Via de Cristo is a progressive Christian community serving Desert Ridge, North Phoenix and North Scottsdale. We are a Reconciling Congregation, a United Methodist Church that welcomes everyone regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. We have a passion for all God’s people and the spiritual journey our diversity enriches.

Via de Cristo is a fellowship that has become home to many who are seeking the uncluttered essence and vitality of a faith walk based on the life and teachings of Jesus, illuminated by open-minded vitality and exploration of the rich and evolving diversity of Christian thought and practice throughout time. We are passionate about helping others and actively advocating for social justice in the world around us.

Much of our work outside the walls of the church focuses on helping people leave homelessness behind.

If you hunger for conversation around the big questions of faith, or for supportive spaces to rethink and rejuvenate your faith walk, or for a community that is passionate about helping others, you will be in good company as we explore together just how “The Way” of Jesus translates into who we are and what we’re called to do in our world today.

Via de Cristo has an excellent website – a great example for any congregation! Visit at http://viadecristo.com!

First United Methodist Church of Park Ridge, Illinois
After a year of intentional study, discussion and congregational reflection, an all-church vote by the Park Ridge United Methodist Congregation supported the adoption of the welcoming statement below by over 96%.

A Sermon Series on Inclusion planned by the pastoral staff was particularly well attended and elicited involved responses from a variety of participants.
Three guest preachers added variety and perspective to the series, and facilitated interesting discussions for supportive and doubtful community members.

Associate pastor Rev. Carol Hill remarks, “This is a bold step for our congregation to explicitly offer loving welcome, acceptance and full inclusion to everyone, with no strings attached. The general church has caused pain to many gay and lesbian persons (as well as their families and friends) with statements of condemnation. Our vote doesn’t undo the damage that has been done, but it’s an important step forward.”

The new welcoming statement reads:

At First UMC Park Ridge, “welcoming all” means that we see all persons as created in the image of God and bearing sacred worth and dignity. We invite all persons to participate fully in the life of our church regardless of age, race, ethnic background, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental condition, marital status, family situation or economic standing.

Learn more about this enthusiastic congregation at http://www.parkridgeumc.org/.

Simpson United Methodist Church of Minneapolis, Minnesota
Simpson UMC has studied and debated becoming Reconciling for the best part of 20 years. Its primary leaders called the question in January of 2010 and the Church Conference voted to become Reconciling by a vote of twenty-four in favor… three against.

This reconciling mission statement has inspired the church to engage in actively working to defeat an upcoming marriage inequality amendment that will be considered by the state of Minnesota voters in November 2012, and to oppose the current United Methodist language of exclusion regarding LGBT persons.

We, the members of Simpson United Methodist Church, voted to become a Reconciling Congregation on January 31, 2010. By taking this step, we join other United Methodist churches in opening our doors to all persons, with respect to their sexual orientation, age, gender identity, race, disability, and/or culture.

As a congregation, we are in agreement with God’s work as found in Genesis Chapter 1: that God created humankind in God’s image.

We are all equal in God’s sight. Eliminating prejudice in every form, to all people, is a belief we share. The foundation of our faith is to love one another.

To learn more about this active, world changing church, visit them at http://simpsonchurchmn.org/.

North United Methodist Church of Indianapolis, Indiana
North United Methodist church members have dialogued, studied, and built relationships for several years as they grew and learned together. One of the many topics of growth on their journey together has been inclusion, and this past summer the congregation focused on how to make public their welcome to all persons, both locally and in the wider community. On September 28, 2011, the church leadership unanimously voted to adopt a welcoming statement and affiliate with RMN.

Their full welcoming statement reads:

North UMC is an open, inclusive, and welcoming Church. We affirm that through God’s redeeming love, all are one in Christ. YOU are welcome at North.

North United Methodist Church is an inclusive and reconciling community. We welcome all, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, domestic or marital status, physical or mental ability, economic status, political affiliation, faith history, education, and all other ways in which we are human.

We believe that all have received God’s love and grace. We see to transform our church and world into the full expression of Christ’s inclusive love.

We celebrate the diversity of North Church.

We respect the inherent worth and valuable contributions that each member makes to the Body of Christ.

As we journey toward reconciliation, we proclaim this statement of welcome to all who have known the pain of exclusion and discrimination within the church.

We welcome all persons to full participation in the life and ministries of North United Methodist Church.

Learn more about this exciting congregation http://www.northchurchindy.com/.

Argue Sunday School Class at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church of Little Rock, Arkansas
The Argue class is proud to become a Reconciling Community. Sometimes, the grammatical contradiction of a phrase transcends irony and becomes a statement of perfect grammatical beauty.

Isn’t this one of those moments? The Argue class is proud to become a Reconciling Community.

This community began by engaging in a study of social justice issues and became a model of the creative power of a community who are willing to learn and disagree in gentle loving ways together.

After learning more about exclusion from our UMC, the class met with Harold Hughes of Quapaw Quarter UMC (another Reconciling Congregation!) and met with another Pulaski Heights Sunday School Class who is also discerning reconciling.

After a discussion resulting in the reserved support of the church’s pastor, Argue class met to discuss the question of writing a reconciling statement and voted unanimously to do so and become a Reconciling Sunday School Class.

With permission, Argue class used the language of Quapaw Quarter UMC’s reconciling statement and celebrated this new declaration.

Now, members of this class await with baited breath the reconciling statements of other classes from Pulaski Heights and work to support deletion of incompatibility language from the Book Of Discipline.

Drawn together by the loving grace of God, we of the Argue Sunday School Class at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church believe that there are no inherent barriers to living in relationship with Christ. We welcome into our faith community people of all ages, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, physical and mental abilities, economic means and family structures.

Pulaski Heights is a growing congregation in Little Rock. You can read about them at: http://www.phumc.org.

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Resources & Reviews

For additional insight and inspiration:

The Africana Worship Book, Volume 2, Year B

An excellent collection of prayers, reflections, and liturgical resources by communities and individuals from Africa, African-American, and Caribbean traditions.

Resources from The General Commission on Religion and Race:

Black History Month
White Anti-Racism and White Priviledge

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Pray It Up!

Talk it up! Tweet it up! FB it up! Church leaders must prepare the church to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit. Over ten million Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and members of UCC belong to denominations that have already dropped prohibitions against LGBT clergy. We are next. Each General Conference we come closer. Will it happen this time? We are working hard so that this time, next time, or the time after that, church policies will change.

Pray it up! Pray for the movement, and pray for our opponents. We need to be ready to show our opponents the grace that has not been shown to us. It is our calling. All of this is about communication — communicating the love of God for all people. Whether we use the pulpit, our local newspaper, social media, or a chat over coffee, it’s about communicating love. We have spent 40 years in the wilderness and it is time to come home. Pray the church home. Pray that it will receive the change that God is offering.

Facebook ads, Twitter posts, blogs, Google ads, email blasts, and more are reaching United Methodists throughout the world with the message of acceptance of LGBT people.

Reverend Jeremy Smith, renowned Hacking Christianity blogger, is heading up the RMN, MFSA, and Affirmation team. Blog posts are already being pushed out by Facebook, and one online ad generated more than 4,500 views of a video recorded at Sing a New Song. In the next 100 days, through a campaign called “Let’s Talk About It,” we will expand ads targeted at US delegates and produce TV-quality ads for East and West African delegates.

You can be a part of the social media campaign by re-posting and re-tweeting digital posts related to General Conference. Let your whole network know that the Holy Spirit is moving the church toward full acceptance of all God’s children. Whether we drop the prohibitions this General Conference, the next, or the next, we will drop them because God really does love all of us.

Talk it up! Tweet it up! FB it up! Church leaders must prepare the church to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit. Over ten million Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and members of UCC belong to denominations that have already dropped prohibitions against LGBT clergy. We are next. Each General Conference we come closer. Will it happen this time? We are working hard so that this time, next time, or the time after that, church policies will change.

Pray it up! Pray for the movement, and pray for our opponents. We need to be ready to show our opponents the grace that has not been shown to us. It is our calling. All of this is about communication — communicating the love of God for all people. Whether we use the pulpit, our local newspaper, social media, or a chat over coffee, it’s about communicating love. We have spent 40 years in the wilderness and it is time to come home. Pray the church home. Pray that it will receive the change that God is offering.

• Actions you can take:
• Volunteer
• Sign the Common Witness Statement
• Donate
• Pray
• Write
• Forward posts

New RCs

United Methodist Women of Anna, Hannah, Miriam, & Mom’s Coffee Circles of St John’s UMC in Austin, Texas

Within a week, Judith O’Neil read a column by area Bishop James Doerr and the new welcoming statement of one of St John’s Sunday School classes. These writings inspired her to ask the Executive Meeting to consider becoming a part of the Reconciling movement. Their response was encouragingly positive, and the UMW hosted several speakers while individual circles watched several powerful videos and discussed the importance of full inclusion.

After subsequent opportunities for discussion, the entire group voted unanimously on a welcoming statement and affiliation with RMN. Over 91% of the votes were in favor of becoming inclusion, and on November 13, 2011 the Unit became a Reconciling Community.

Each circle wrote affirmation statements to the Unit’s affiliation, and you can read those statements here. The UMW also adopted a Unit-wide statement which reads:

The United Methodist Women of Saint John’s UMC in Austin, Texas affirms that all people are made in God’s image, and as beloved children of God, all are worthy of God’s love and grace. We welcome diversity, recognize the sacred worth and dignity of all, regardless of age, race, ethnic origin, economic reality, family status, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental capacity, or social standing. We advocate for the full inclusion and participation of all in the life of our church and our UMW unit in policy and in practice.

Learn more about this vibrant community online at: http://stjohnsaustin.org.

Wesley United Methodist Church of Cicero, Illinois
In November 2011, the congregation of Wesley UMC unanimously ratified that:

Our hearts, minds and doors are always open to individuals of all races, nationalities, abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, and theological identities. We strive to be a community of spiritual growth that reflects compassion towards all God’s children, engaging in prophetic and pastoral outreach to church and society. At the same time, we recognize that there remain differences of opinion among us. We do not seek to erase our differences. We welcome all in our journey together in faith toward greater understanding and mutual respect.

The process towards ratifying this statement began with a small group who met during coffee hour, always welcoming anyone to attend. Lay Leader Irene Nancy let the group in discussions of what becoming a reconciling congregation would mean, and studying the statements made by other reconciling congregations. After finding a statement which resonated with the group, they shared the proposal with the congregation in worship on a Sunday morning, the September church council meeting, and finally with the entire congregation at the annual Charge Conference where all ratified this welcoming statement and becoming a reconciling congregation.

Wesley Foundation of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas
A longstanding and growing ministry to all persons on the campus of TCU, the Wesley Foundation first adopted this statement of welcing in May of 1995. However, as campus ministries are inherently transient communities, recent events in the community, nation and on their campus led the Board of Directors, students and campus minister to reaffirm their welcoming statement and register as an official Reconciling Campus Ministry in January of 2011.

The Wesley foundation in a ministry to and with the students of Texas Christian University. It offers occasions for spiritual growth that can transform a university fourney into a spiritual quest for wholeness. All are invited to the Wesley foundation to share God as work in their own unique college experience.

We believe that all people are created as whole beings by God. Our belonging-place in the faith community is not determined by any single aspect of our existence, but by the sum of who we are. From the example of the life of Jesus Christ, we have discerned our call to love unconditionally and respect human dignity in life of multifaceted experiences.

We are concerned by the presence of bias in the church as well as in secular society. The fear and hatred which create an environment of injustice oppose the reconciling nature of God. We are frustrated by the church’s ambiguity on issues of sexuality. It disturbs us in that it lends tacit consent to existing patterns of discrimination. We hope our affirmation of the wholeness of all people re-establishes a place for those who have been alienated from the family of God.

The Wesley Foundation at TCU encourages and supports the full participation and acceptance of all persons, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, in our lives together. In our ministry, we seek to utilize the gifts and abilities of all people. Thus, we proclaim God’s grace and dignity for all people.

Learn more about this amazing campus ministry at http://tcuwesley.org/.

3 New Reconciling Communities in TX, IL, and WI

Grace United Methodist Church of Austin, TX
Three words describe  the character, mission and faith of the people of Grace United Methodist Church, a small church in the middle of Austin Texas: Faith, Hope, and Love. These three words hang above the entry way to the church and announce these values to all who drive, walk or cycle by that this is a congregation whose hearts, minds and lives. However, Grace UMC of Austin also understand that too often these words have not been used to support inclusion, so on November 6, 2011 the church voted to adopt the following welcoming statement and become a Reconciling Congregation.

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First United Methodist Church of Elmhurst, IL
After a yearlong process of planning and discernment, and a second year of study and conversation, the congregation at 1^st UMC of Elmhurst are moving forward with an exciting welcoming statement.

During their process, the congregation engaged in a five-week study based on the film For The Bible Tells Me So, invited several area leaders to speak with the congregation, and help several classes and discussion forums. The reconciling tasks force members highlighted two elements of the process that were greatly encouraging during the process:  first, the sharing of rainbow ribbons which were worn in church by all supportive people, and second, a talk by a member of a local United Church of Christ community who had recently completed a similar process.

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The Springs United Methodist Church of Plover, WI
Members at The Springs UMC, a growing congregation in central Wisconsin, are not willing to sit back and watch as the church excludes beloved friends and family members. Therefore, after consideration and discernment, they voted on October 5 at a Church conference to adopt the following statement and become a Reconciling Congregation as an act of leadership in their community and annual conference.

The Springs UMC publicly affirms a commitment to spiritual diversity and individual integrity, believe that our faith compels us to be in intentional ministry to, with and for all people, including those who have not always been accepted because of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender identity, sexual / affectional identity, age, physical abilities/qualities, social/economic status, family makeup, or religious background.

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Take Action: Support Marriage Equality Clergy

More than a thousand United Methodist clergy across the United States have signed statements committing themselves to fulfill their vow to ministry by marrying or blessing couples regardless of their gender. More than a third of the population of the United States lives where marriage or civil unions for gay and lesbian couples are legal. When parishioners come to their pastors to request that they officiate at their weddings, ministers face a conflict between their vow to minister to their whole congregation and their vow to uphold the Book of Discipline which asks them to deny ministry to some of their members.

Join us in showing solidarity with our brave clergy by signing your name to “An Altar for All”. Sign today!

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Obama Administration Makes Case for World LGBT Rights

In a historic address before the United Nations in Geneva, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called on all countries to respect the civil rights of LGBT individuals. The Secretary also announced new U.S. initiatives to support organizations working to protect gay people who are marginalized and targeted with violence.

Secretary Clinton’s speech followed a memorandum issued Tuesday morning by President Obama, who in a multifaceted strategy directed federal agencies engaged abroad to defend LGBT rights. Both developments follow previous State Department and White House pronouncements supporting the global fight against anti-LGBT persecution.

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A New and Holy Song

By Jennifer Welch

This past Saturday, I spent time attending a workshop called “Love Your Neighbor.” Rachel Harvey with Reconciling Ministries Network informed us on how we could make a possible difference at the 2012 General Conference. We learned that the time to work at changing the divisive language in The Book of Discipline regarding homosexuality is now. We reviewed storytelling techniques and developed and practiced those skills because there is great power in our individual stories. Each and every story possesses the potential to transform a delegate’s political stance regarding sexual orientation and gender identity.

As I helped organize the “Love Your Neighbor” event with like-minded friends, I found myself in many interesting discussions on the topics of love, relationship, and marriage. Among these friends, the subject of sex, which is often taboo and off-limits, was suddenly and unabashedly on the table for open and honest discussion. I became so much more informed about alternative sexual practices and love/relationship styles. I had previously bought into the social code of political correctness and like a “good” Southern girl, I have often remained quiet on the topics of religion and politics. But having tread into these conversations with curiosity and respectfulness, I have found that many of us actually have such a deep desire to share each other’s knowledge and opinions. And from these many conversations, I discovered two important truths…

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Advent Reflection: Positive(ly) Living

by Joshua Clough from OnFire Blog

Reflection

My childhood was spent in what would be considered a fairly normal, Christian, white, suburban family. In one moment my two sisters and I “dressed up” in old clothing to play “teacher” or “house” and in the next moment we would fight viciously over who had to sit in the middle seat of the car. Mother and Father cared for us rabble-rousing siblings in the best way they knew.

It is plausible (and, I admit) that my sisters convinced me to wear a dress or two but rarely did I lose the battle of the middle seat.

As normal and Christian as my family was/is my sisters and I did not grow up in a household or church tradition that celebrated the season of Advent. In the Christian tradition this time of reflection, from the Latin Adventusmeaning “coming,” enables us as a people, a community gathered to pause, to in-hale, and ponder the coming of a child born in the filth of a stable. I am still learning to pause, to wait, and absorb the mystery of what is to come despite the various “middle seat of the car” battles that I continue in my young adult life.

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The Shower of Stoles Goes Social

The Shower of Stoles is a collection of over a thousand liturgical stoles and other sacred items representing the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people of faith. These religious leaders have served in thirty-two denominations and faith traditions, in six countries, and on three continents. Each stole contains the story of a GLBT person who is active in the life and leadership of their faith community in some way: minister, elder, deacon, teacher, missionary, musician, administrator, or active layperson.

This extraordinary collection celebrates the gifts of GLBT persons who serve God in countless ways, while also lifting up those who have been excluded from service because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The collection bears witness to the huge loss of leadership that the church has brought upon itself because of its own unjust policies.

The vast majority of the stoles have been sent in by gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people themselves. Some have been sent by family or friends to honor a GLBT loved one. About one third of all the stoles are donated anonymously; in fact over three-quarters of the stoles donated specifically by clergy and other full-time church professionals are done so anonymously.

The Shower of Stoles project has gone social. Find the Shower of Stoles on Facebook and Twitter to receive news, notices of upcoming exhibits, and the “Stole of the Week”.

To learn more about the Shower of Stoles project visit The Institute for Welcoming Resources.

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