Now Is The Time
MIND has organized two “how-to” sessions for individual laity and clergy and for Congregational representatives interested in helping their congregations in the process of becoming a Welcoming Congregation.
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Thoughts on Judicial Council Verdicts
We are saddened but not surprised that Judicial Council findings include affirmation of the harm and punishment inflicted by the Traditional Plan, as several of its provisions have been deemed legal and enforceable.
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It’s Time to Take a Stand!
Now is the time to sign a Covenant of Conscience—individually and as a congregation—and Methodists in New Directions can help you!
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GC 2019 – A View From the Halfway Point
by Rev. Jeff Wells
Church of the Village
New York, NY
At a conference called specifically to address the place of LGBTQI persons in the UMC, already on Saturday, February 23, there was great spiritual harm done as an entire morning went by—on what was publicized as a day of prayer and worship—without a single expression of prayer for or even mention of LGBTQI persons. Only when some of our New York delegates and others expressed their pain and outrage was this corrected […]
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The Conversation Couch
This is the conversation couch.
We set it up at General Conference to invite delegates to speak with a queer United Methodist, since many of them may have never done so. So far, the response has been very positive — we pray that ALL voting delegates would speak with us, not about us.
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Conversation at the Crossroads LIVESTREAM
This is the link to the Conversation at the Crossroads panel conversation, offering the perspectives of LGBTQI delegates to General Conference 2019.
The event goes live at 5:30 EST, 4:30 CST. Feel free to leave comments on the YouTube page — some of them will be answered by the panelists.
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The Simple Plan as Grassroots Effort
With no denominational structure to allow wider communication, the Rev. Alex da Silva Souto says supporters of the Simple Plan are sharing its merits by word of mouth.
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An Admonishment of Mediocrity
In an article published late last year, the Rev. Stan Copeland addressed the One Church Plan, one of the three plans being voted on by the United Methodist Church in February to address the issue of homosexuality in the church. Copeland is in support of the One Church Plan, but cites one major concern, that “any time we have a (congregational) vote it’s potentially divisive.” According to the article, “Copeland would rather the pastor and other local church leaders make that call.”
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MIND Supports The Simple Plan
Hello MINDful people! We wanted to call your attention to The Simple Plan, one of the three plans being considered by the Commission on a Way Forward, and the only plan to simply remove the discriminatory language from our Book of Discipline. (It still allows for individual clergy and churches to avoid doing queer weddings, but does not prohibit ordination of LGBTQ people).
This plan was primarily composed by queer people of color seeking to inspire our denominational leaders in the discernment of a way […]
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