A Covenant of Conscience: 2018 Update

With a special session of the General Conference set to take place in February 2019, the United Methodist Church stands poised either to embrace or to turn away from a future of equality for all its members. At this historic moment, Methodists in New Directions and the Queer Clergy Caucus of the New York Annual Conference invite the individual laity and clergy members of the annual conference and each of our individual congregations to take a stand in support of full and equal inclusion of all persons, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation, in the life of our church. 

As a way of encouraging individuals and congregations to take such a stand we are circulating A Covenant of Conscience, originally published in 2011, with an updated preamble. The updated language follows.

You can download a printed version of the 2018 revised Covenant to sign and return to MIND here.

A Covenant of Conscience 

Published October 17, 2011, With updated Preamble January 1, 2018

Preamble:

In February 2019, a Special General Conference of the United Methodist Church will convene to discern A Way Forward for our church with regard to the inclusion or exclusion of LGBTQI+ persons. After long struggle, and in a defining moment in our history, each of us, as United Methodist lay persons or clergy, and each of our congregations face an inescapable challenge: where do we stand?

The stand taken by the New York Annual Conference is clear: “our way forward is the way of a just, inclusive, loving church that embraces the full spectrum of the children of God. We seek to embody the beloved community of hope by openly and joyfully affirming the lives and loves of all United Methodists, regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression.” (2016 NYAC Resolution, A Way Forward Together).

While the rite of Christian marriage officiated by our clergy and celebrated in our church buildings is now denied by UMC law to same-sex couples, the New York Annual Conference urges its clergy “to minister equally to all members of their churches and to consider the conference’s call to inclusive ministries in deciding how to honor their congregants’ covenantal commitments.”   (2010 NYAC Resolution,Ministering to All in Covenantal Relationships)

And while gifted LGBTQI+ clergy and candidates face exclusion and are subject to complaint and even to trial in the United Methodist Church, the New York Annual Conference Board of Ordained Ministry and the New York Annual Conference have declared that “lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, questioning, intersexed, and straight candidates will be given equal consideration and protection in the candidacy process.”   (2016 NYAC Resolution, Celebrating the Journey to Equality)

By remaining silent in these matters, we offer tacit consent to the injustice done to LGBTQI+ persons in the church. This a critical moment for United Methodist to declare to the world our conviction that pastoral care and the sacraments and rituals of the church are means of grace by which the lives of all Christians are blessed by God, and that therefore we, as congregations and as individual lay persons and clergy, declare our commitment to offer such means of grace to all persons on an equal basis.

By adding our individual names and the names of our congregations to this public covenant, we affirm our commitment to the pastoral care of all persons. We commit ourselves to “a just, inclusive, loving church that embraces the full spectrum of the children of God.”  We simply refuse to discriminate against any individual on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity as we make this covenantal commitment:

We, United Methodist clergy, in accordance with our ordination vows to “seek peace, justice, and freedom for all people,” commit to marrying all people, regardless of sexual identity or gender expression, who seek the blessing of the church, without bias or discrimination.

We, United Methodist laity, in accordance with our membership vows to “resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves,” commit to supporting our clergy in faithfully ministering to all, including through any consequences of their living fully into that duty.

We, united Methodist congregations, refuse to discriminate in the sacraments and rituals provided to our members and pledge the full and equal use of our facilities as we welcome and celebrate equally all couples and the families they may choose to create.

Further, each of us, clergy, laity, and congregations, pledge to one   another our spiritual and material support in fulfilling this covenant of conscience.

LGBTQI+ Clergy Plan Witness in Los Angeles as Denomination’s Judicial Council Meets

LGBTQI+ Clergy Plan Witness in Los Angeles as Denomination’s Judicial Council Meets

#NoMoreCrumbs #CalledOUT
23 October 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Co-Convenors
Rev. Alex da Silva Souto <pastor.alex.souto@gmail.com> 415-706-5397
Rev. Lois McCullen Parr <gizhilois@yahoo.com> 224-436-0769

"The United Methodist Church's ongoing policies and practices of excluding and discriminating against LGBTQ people are causing horrible harm to queer lives and loves, and also horrible harm to the wider church,” says Rev. Anna Blaedel, a member of the United Methodist Queer Clergy Caucus (UMQCC), United Methodists who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and intersex. The Caucus will bear witness to their ministries as the denomination’s Judicial Council gathers in Los Angeles October 24-27, 2017. The clergy will pray, celebrate Holy Communion, and remember the Saints of the justice movement during the week as the Church’s official judicial group’s docket includes cases that affect queer lives.

The group says they are often talked about as an issue, and that their presence is a reminder to those who are in legal deliberations “that we are real people – people created by and called by God to be in ministry in Christ’s Church,” says Rev. Frank Wulf. Wulf says that nearly 200 individuals are now a part of the Caucus, and that the Caucus Leadership Team will also hold a daylong meeting during the week.

The UMQCC is organizing its own leadership and operations for its public witness as the denomination anticipates two General Conferences in 2019 and 2020 (the global gathering of the denomination where polity and policy are determined). The 2019 specially-called General Conference is anticipated to be “about us,” says the Caucus:

The UMC Council of Bishops established a ‘Commission on A Way Forward’ to set the course for the future of a church divided over its discrimination of LGBTQI people.

The UMC’s official Book of Discipline names “the practice of homosexuality incompatible with Christian teaching,” and one of the Judicial Council’s cases will examine whether this phrase, added in 1972, is actually unconstitutional within the denomination’s structure and guidelines. Two other cases reflect Annual Conference matters where a lesbian’s candidacy for ordination and a queer Elder’s status have been called into question.

“Putting people on trial for being, loving, and being in vibrant ministry is incompatible with Jesus' teachings,” says Blaedel. “This process is dehumanizing, divisive, and undermines our mission of making disciples and transforming the world. The way forward, if it is faithful, must be a way of justice and liberation, where the gifts, graces, lives, and loves of LGBTQ people are celebrated.”

“We will be present to remind the members of Judicial Council that we have been a part of The UMC and we are faithfully serving,” affirms Rev. Dr. Israel Alvaran. “We’re inviting those members to join us in prayer and in celebrating Holy Communion – we believe that the Table is Christ’s, and that all are called to it to celebrate our common story of salvation.”

UMQCC will focus their witness with a commitment to “resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves,” using language from the liturgy of the Church’s Baptismal Covenant. “As long as injustice and oppression continue, resistance is faithfulness to our Baptism,” says Rev. Alex da Silva Souto.

UMQCC plans Holy Communion celebrations on Thursday and Friday, October 26 and 27, at noon on the Crowne Plaza Hotel grounds, 5985 W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles; a Remembrance of Saints will be held during Thursday morning’s Holy Communion service, and again in an evening vigil at 6:00 p.m. Local members of Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA), Affirmation, Western Methodist Justice Movement (WMJM), Love Your Neighbor Coalition (LYNC), and Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN) will be joining the UMQCC witness.

###

United Methodist Queer Clergy Caucus (www.umqcc.org) is made up of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people who are called, commissioned, and ordained clergy in the United Methodist Church. The Caucus seeks to act in solidarity with one another and with others who have been marginalized in the church.

Join Us for our Fall 2017 Meeting!

Time to Take a Stand!
This weekend is our fall organizing meeting at Memorial UMC in White Plains on Sunday, October 22nd from 3-5pm. We will be electing new officers and developing our plans for the coming year, plus coming together in fellowship and mutual support in what can often feel like an overwhelming cause. Highlights will include a full report and discussion with the Queer Clergy Caucus.

This can feel like an overwhelming time for LGBTQ people. As I write this, Rev. David Meredith is being investigated after 30 years of ministry for marrying his longtime partner and being open about his sexual orientation. The United States President has become the first in that office to address recognized hate groups with an anti-LGBTQ agenda, telling them "the times are changing back again."

This is only a partial list. Challenges inside the United Methodist Church have been joined by increased attacks in civil society, legislative assaults on our rights, and open hostility and violence to women, minorities and LGBT people. We refuse to give in or be silent. We didn't tolerate this before, and we aren't tolerating it now. Please help spread the word, and we hope to see you on the 22nd!

Get Involved, Wherever You Are
The ultimate aim of our movement is to enable all of God’s children to feel welcome, at home, and affirmed in our denomination, in our annual conference, and in our local churches. Every local church needs to be in conversation about how it is (or is not, or can become) a place of welcome and safety.

At our October 22 annual meeting, one of our focus areas is a renewed emphasis on local organizing. We will have organizers working with individuals and congregations in every region of our annual conference. If you are interested in initiating conversation in your local church about inclusiveness, or in connecting with others in the movement in your area, please come to our annual meeting to learn more.

If you can't make it but want to learn more, click here to send us an email. Let us know the name of your congregation, whether you want to work on organizing in your congregation or regionally. We will connect you with others locally who share the vision of a fully welcoming United Methodist Church.

Progress in this movement is made person-by-person. We hope you will consider joining in this vital work!

Drew Theological School Responds to UMC Judicial Council

Drew University Theological School

Drew Theological School Responds to UMC Judicial Council.

29 April 2017

Dear Bishops, Members of the Judicial Council, and Members of the Commission on a Way Forward,

As the faculty and staff of Drew University Theological School, we write pained and in grief because of the recent rulings of the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church. This statement is a response to those actions that bring into question the validity of the consecration to the episcopacy of our alumna, Bishop Karen Oliveto, and threatens the effective and faithful ministries of LGBTQI clergy and candidates in the UMC, including many of our students, alumni, and faculty.

We recognize that the United Methodist Church has wrestled deeply for decades with matters of inclusivity with regard to marriage and ordination of other than self-avowed, practicing heterosexual people, and that we hold different understandings of human sexuality and orientation. We read scripture differently. We see God powerfully at work in the world in differing ways. Yet, we are bound together by our profound faith in Christ and our conviction that the grace and mercy he taught still has the power to heal and restore a broken world and a broken Church. So, especially now, we speak out on behalf of those in the United Methodist Church who fear for their status and influence as church members, candidates for ordained ministry, clergy, and as episcopal leaders, celebrating their ministries and their divinely given sexual identities and orientations.

Our Church has been at difficult crossroads throughout its history. It was not that long ago, 1968 for example, that a sizable contingent within our Church strongly advocated for the continuation of the jurisdictional system–created in 1939 to formalize white supremacy in the Church–so that regions would have certain autonomy and “protection” to make their own decisions, in that case to secure racial hierarchies and prejudices. Yet today many in those regions that insisted on jurisdictional autonomy question the legitimacy of the Western Jurisdiction to elect the person they most believed the Holy Spirit was prompting them to select as their next episcopal leader—an Elder in good standing, with a proven track record of faithful, effective leadership, and the senior pastor of one of our most thriving congregations. The irony is not lost on us. We commend the Judicial Council for recognizing these restraints by preserving the right of the Western Jurisdiction to freely nominate, elect, and assign their bishops.

Yet, we believe that the Council’s decision that may subject Bishop Oliveto’s consecration to further review, and that expands the impact to other LGBTQI sisters and brothers now equally at risk of review, is not a sign of the revolutionary love and mercy that was revealed in Jesus Christ. Instead, it seeks to extinguish that love and mercy. We are reminded of that powerful moment in the early 19th century when Jarena Lee went to Bishop Richard Allen of the AME Church to ask him to license her to preach. Bishop Allen told Lee no, that the Book of Discipline “did not call for women preachers.” In response, Lee prophesied, “O how careful ought we to be, lest through our by-laws of church government and discipline, we bring into disrepute even the word of life.”

It is difficult to appreciate or even conceive of a judiciary process that leaves the United Methodist denomination in such a precipitous position and brings into disrepute “the word of life.” As the Drew University Theological School community, we stand in unity with a United Methodist Church that values God’s people in the many ways that we all contribute to the missional and evangelical aspirations of the Church, and to the wellbeing of the Church and the world. We long for the United Methodist Church to be one in which all of its candidates for ministry, clergy, and episcopal leaders are assessed not in terms of sexual orientation and its expressions, but by whether they, as John Wesley implored, love God and stand with the ones who have no one else: the lonely, the brokenhearted, the impoverished, the voiceless, the imprisoned, the widows, the children.

We believe that this denomination, if we will return to our Wesleyan roots, can and will be a place where all people encounter the love and transformative grace of God. Scripture clearly teaches us that God’s ways are wonderfully mysterious and that God’s mission is passionately and effectively advanced by those who sacrificially and faithfully respond to the call of God on their lives. Establishment leaders were regularly surprised, even appalled, by those God used to advance the cause of love and grace. Yet that never seemed to deter God, and it should not deter us.

At Drew we celebrate the ministry of our alumna, Bishop Oliveto, all our students, faculty, and alumni threatened by the actions of the Judicial Council, and all LGBTQI clergy, candidates, and allies who are concerned for their future ministry and service in the Church. We will not tire in our advocacy and prayers on their behalf and on behalf of our beloved Church. Instead, we take this moment to recommit ourselves to them, to the love and mercy of God in the world, and to call the Church to greater faithfulness and justice as together we proclaim “the word of life.”

We also take this moment to invite further dialogue with those who may disagree with us. Let us truly be an Acts 15 church that comes together to engage our differences honestly, in love and respect, united by our mission to manifest the radical love and transformative mercy of God in the world.

Respectfully and prayerfully,

The President, Deans, Faculty, and Staff of Drew University Theological School

MaryAnn Baenninger
President of the University

Javier A. Viera
Dean of the Theological School

Melanie Johnson-DeBaufre
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Tanya Linn Bennett
Associate Dean for Vocation and Formation

Chris Boesel
Associate Professor of Christian Theology

Katherine Brown
Director, Theological School Center for Language and Learning

Robert S. Corrington
Henry Anson Buttz Professor of Philosophical Theology

Morris L. Davis
Associate Professor of the History of Christianity and Wesleyan/Methodist Studies

Heather Murray Elkins
Frederick Watson Hannan Professor of Worship, Preaching and the Arts

Danna Nolan Fewell
John Fletcher Hurst Professor of Hebrew Bible

Kimberleigh Jordan
Director of Craig Chapel

Laurel Kearns
Associate Professor of the Sociology of Religion and Environmental Studies

Catherine Keller
George T. Cobb Professor of Constructive Theology

Susan Kendall
Director of Doctoral Studies

Hyo-Dong Lee
Associate Professor of Comparative Theology

Annie Lockhart-Gilroy
Assistant Professor of Christian Education

Jesse Mann
Theological Librarian

Mark A. Miller
Associate Professor of Church Music and Composer-in-Residence

Stephen D. Moore
Edmund S. Janes Professor of New Testament Studies

Kevin Newburg
Assistant Professor in the History of Christianity

Kenneth Ngwa
Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible

Elias Ortega-Aponte
Assistant Professor of Latino/a Religions and Cultural Studies

Kate M. Ott
Assistant Professor of Christian Social Ethics

Arthur Pressley
Associate Professor of Psychology and Religion

Carl Savage
Associate Professor of Biblical Archaeology

Gary V. Simpson
Associate Professor of Homiletics

Angella M. Pak Son
Associate Professor of Psychology and Religion

Althea Spencer-Miller
Assistant Professor of New Testament

1. Terry Todd
   Associate Professor of American Religious Studies

Traci C. West
James W. Pearsall Professor of Christian Ethics and African American Studies

Nancy Lynne Westfield
Associate Professor of Religious Education

Drew

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Drew Theological School Responds to UMC Judicial Council.

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29 April 2017

Dear Bishops, Members of the Judicial Council, and Members of the Commission on a Way Forward,

As the faculty and staff of Drew University Theological School, we write pained and in grief because of the recent rulings of the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church. This statement is a response to those actions that bring into question the validity of the consecration to the episcopacy of our alumna, Bishop Karen Oliveto, and threatens the effective and faithful ministries of LGBTQI clergy and candidates in the UMC, including many of our students, alumni, and faculty.

We recognize that the United Methodist Church has wrestled deeply for decades with matters of inclusivity with regard to marriage and ordination of other than self-avowed, practicing heterosexual people, and that we hold different understandings of human sexuality and orientation. We read scripture differently. We see God powerfully at work in the world in differing ways. Yet, we are bound together by our profound faith in Christ and our conviction that the grace and mercy he taught still has the power to heal and restore a broken world and a broken Church. So, especially now, we speak out on behalf of those in the United Methodist Church who fear for their status and influence as church members, candidates for ordained ministry, clergy, and as episcopal leaders, celebrating their ministries and their divinely given sexual identities and orientations.

Our Church has been at difficult crossroads throughout its history. It was not that long ago, 1968 for example, that a sizable contingent within our Church strongly advocated for the continuation of the jurisdictional system–created in 1939 to formalize white supremacy in the Church–so that regions would have certain autonomy and “protection” to make their own decisions, in that case to secure racial hierarchies and prejudices. Yet today many in those regions that insisted on jurisdictional autonomy question the legitimacy of the Western Jurisdiction to elect the person they most believed the Holy Spirit was prompting them to select as their next episcopal leader—an Elder in good standing, with a proven track record of faithful, effective leadership, and the senior pastor of one of our most thriving congregations. The irony is not lost on us. We commend the Judicial Council for recognizing these restraints by preserving the right of the Western Jurisdiction to freely nominate, elect, and assign their bishops.

Yet, we believe that the Council’s decision that may subject Bishop Oliveto’s consecration to further review, and that expands the impact to other LGBTQI sisters and brothers now equally at risk of review, is not a sign of the revolutionary love and mercy that was revealed in Jesus Christ. Instead, it seeks to extinguish that love and mercy. We are reminded of that powerful moment in the early 19th century when Jarena Lee went to Bishop Richard Allen of the AME Church to ask him to license her to preach. Bishop Allen told Lee no, that the Book of Discipline “did not call for women preachers.” In response, Lee prophesied, “O how careful ought we to be, lest through our by-laws of church government and discipline, we bring into disrepute even the word of life.”

It is difficult to appreciate or even conceive of a judiciary process that leaves the United Methodist denomination in such a precipitous position and brings into disrepute “the word of life.” As the Drew University Theological School community, we stand in unity with a United Methodist Church that values God’s people in the many ways that we all contribute to the missional and evangelical aspirations of the Church, and to the wellbeing of the Church and the world. We long for the United Methodist Church to be one in which all of its candidates for ministry, clergy, and episcopal leaders are assessed not in terms of sexual orientation and its expressions, but by whether they, as John Wesley implored, love God and stand with the ones who have no one else: the lonely, the brokenhearted, the impoverished, the voiceless, the imprisoned, the widows, the children.

We believe that this denomination, if we will return to our Wesleyan roots, can and will be a place where all people encounter the love and transformative grace of God. Scripture clearly teaches us that God’s ways are wonderfully mysterious and that God’s mission is passionately and effectively advanced by those who sacrificially and faithfully respond to the call of God on their lives. Establishment leaders were regularly surprised, even appalled, by those God used to advance the cause of love and grace. Yet that never seemed to deter God, and it should not deter us.

At Drew we celebrate the ministry of our alumna, Bishop Oliveto, all our students, faculty, and alumni threatened by the actions of the Judicial Council, and all LGBTQI clergy, candidates, and allies who are concerned for their future ministry and service in the Church. We will not tire in our advocacy and prayers on their behalf and on behalf of our beloved Church. Instead, we take this moment to recommit ourselves to them, to the love and mercy of God in the world, and to call the Church to greater faithfulness and justice as together we proclaim “the word of life.”

We also take this moment to invite further dialogue with those who may disagree with us. Let us truly be an Acts 15 church that comes together to engage our differences honestly, in love and respect, united by our mission to manifest the radical love and transformative mercy of God in the world.

Respectfully and prayerfully,

The President, Deans, Faculty, and Staff of Drew University Theological School

MaryAnn Baenninger
President of the University

Javier A. Viera
Dean of the Theological School

Melanie Johnson-DeBaufre
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Tanya Linn Bennett
Associate Dean for Vocation and Formation

Chris Boesel
Associate Professor of Christian Theology

Katherine Brown
Director, Theological School Center for Language and Learning

Robert S. Corrington
Henry Anson Buttz Professor of Philosophical Theology

Morris L. Davis
Associate Professor of the History of Christianity and Wesleyan/Methodist Studies

Heather Murray Elkins
Frederick Watson Hannan Professor of Worship, Preaching and the Arts

Danna Nolan Fewell
John Fletcher Hurst Professor of Hebrew Bible

Kimberleigh Jordan
Director of Craig Chapel

Laurel Kearns
Associate Professor of the Sociology of Religion and Environmental Studies

Catherine Keller
George T. Cobb Professor of Constructive Theology

Susan Kendall
Director of Doctoral Studies

Hyo-Dong Lee
Associate Professor of Comparative Theology

Annie Lockhart-Gilroy
Assistant Professor of Christian Education

Jesse Mann
Theological Librarian

Mark A. Miller
Associate Professor of Church Music and Composer-in-Residence

Stephen D. Moore
Edmund S. Janes Professor of New Testament Studies

Kevin Newburg
Assistant Professor in the History of Christianity

Kenneth Ngwa
Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible

Elias Ortega-Aponte
Assistant Professor of Latino/a Religions and Cultural Studies

Kate M. Ott
Assistant Professor of Christian Social Ethics

Arthur Pressley
Associate Professor of Psychology and Religion

Carl Savage
Associate Professor of Biblical Archaeology

Gary V. Simpson
Associate Professor of Homiletics

Angella M. Pak Son
Associate Professor of Psychology and Religion

Althea Spencer-Miller
Assistant Professor of New Testament

1. Terry Todd
   Associate Professor of American Religious Studies

Traci C. West
James W. Pearsall Professor of Christian Ethics and African American Studies

Nancy Lynne Westfield
Associate Professor of Religious Education

Drew

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• Emergency Information

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MIND Statement on Judicial Council Ruling Against LGBTQI United Methodists

April 29, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
J. Michael Cobb, MIND Communications Director
203-512-1059

“No Matter What People Say: Decisions, Pronouncements On Me;
I Am A Child Of God!”

The spring 2017 meeting of the United Methodist Judicial Council has ruled that the consecration of an openly gay bishop violates church law.

Methodists In New Directions (MIND) has released the following statement in response to this and additional Judicial Council statements on LGBTQI clergy and laity:

“The United Methodist Judicial Council has spoken and its rulings against LGBTQI persons are contrary to the teachings of Jesus and to will of God. They do grave psychic and spiritual harm to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex persons among the clergy and laity of the United Methodist Church. While we review the specific language of its decisions and their implications for the UMC and for the New York Annual Conference, Methodists in New Directions reiterates its outrage at the way the church, through its General Conference and Judicial Council, continues its institutional oppression of LGBTQI persons, their families, and their allies. While the Judicial Council seeks to make LGBTQI persons even more vulnerable, we, like Jesus, stand with the vulnerable and oppressed. Of course the New York Annual Conference knew it was breaking the law by commissioning and ordaining LGBTQI persons. That was the point!

“An unjust law is no law at all. We will resist, ignore, and discredit the Judicial Council decisions, as we have of all the discriminatory language and practices of the UMC. We are confident that the New York Annual Conference will stand on the side of justice for LGBTQI persons, including LGBTQI clergy and candidates for ministry. The only way forward is non-conformity with the UMC's discriminatory rules. We continue to call on the NYAC Board of Ordained Ministry and Bishop Thomas Bickerton to stand behind decisions and expressed desires to affirm the callings of LGBTQI people for ordained ministry. We urge the bishops of United Methodist Church and Boards of Ministry across the church to do the same.”

The decision is available at http://www.umc.org/decisions/71953

Methodists in New Directions (MINDny.org) is a grassroots organization of United Methodists working to end our denomination’s doctrinal prejudice and institutional discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. We are a regional group, organizing on the conference level within the New York Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church, committed to living more fully into God’s radical welcome right now and right here.

An Open Letter to the UMC from the United Methodist Queer Clergy Caucus

Click here to sign and express your support

Click here to read the press release about the letter.

April 16, 2017, Easter Sunday

Dear United Methodist Church,

In a week, our Judicial Council will be called into session to decide on the worthiness of the ministries and lives of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Questioning and Intersex (LGBTQI) clergy persons who have been examined, voted upon, and overwhelmingly affirmed by faithful United Methodist clergy and laity. These cases stem from questions of legality and briefs filed after the licensing, commissioning, and ordination of queer clergy in New York Annual Conference, Northern Illinois Annual Conference, and the consecration of Bishop Karen Oliveto. We, your LGBTQI clergy, write to you before their session begins to respond in love to this harm.

We, as the community of queer clergy that represent over 170 persons in 26 annual conferences, stand together: we are all one body and one church. Together we affirm and are proud of our denomination's core beliefs and mission. We are deeply committed to introducing new people to the Way of Jesus, challenging all people (ourselves included) to grow in holiness and justice, and taking missional risks for the Gospel. While these questions, briefs and complaints are filed against some LGBTQI individuals, we consider them to be against all of us. These actions can also be considered as a general attack on the evangelism, discipleship, and mission potential of the United Methodist movement. They are hurtful to us, and they are hurtful to the whole Church. We write on behalf of our full queer clergy connection, acknowledging all those who identify as LGBTQI within and beyond our denomination who feel rejected and alienated from the church, a place purported to be the epicenter of Christ’s radical, unconditional, and unbounded love.

As a guiding principle of our Wesleyan tradition, we value and hold ourselves to do no harm. These briefs, along with complaints and charges filed against LGBTQI persons based solely on one’s sexual orientation and gender identity, are harmful. They not only fracture the body of Christ and dehumanize LGBTQI persons, but do harm to Creation, preventing a path to God’s “more excellent way” of love (1 Corinthians 12:31). These words and actions should be considered divisive by our ecclesiastical leaders and bodies. Hateful and narrow language, such as “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” does not define our sacred selves. These cases use our beloved families as weapons against us and reduce our loving relationships to sexual acts. They also drive seekers of Christ away and distract from our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We lead truthful, full and loving lives, some of us in relationships with cherished partners and spouses. We are mothers, fathers, siblings, children, and grandchildren. We are all ministers, who have been called by God, certified as candidates, licensed, commissioned and/or ordained, and consecrated.

We respond to God’s Great Commission to proclaim the good news to all people, and we intend to live into the reality of the beautiful, bold, diverse, and inclusive Body of Christ. We uphold our denomination’s call to inclusiveness. “Inclusiveness means openness, acceptance, and support that enables all persons to participate in the life of the church, the community, and the world; therefore, inclusiveness denies every semblance of discrimination” (¶ 140 Book of Discipline). In following that vision and God’s call in our own lives, we answer to a higher authority than earthly institutional power and will not accept unjust laws when they run contrary to the Gospel.

We stand firm in our baptismal vows “to confess Jesus as [our] Saviour [and] put [our] whole trust in his grace” and “..to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.” With humility and courage, we commit ourselves to Christ’s command that we love God and love one another.

We stand in support of every clergy person threatened by unjust actions, and our sibling, Bishop Karen Oliveto, as her standing is being challenged before the Judicial Council. Bishop Oliveto’s election is a visible demonstration of what is possible within The United Methodist Church when the gifts, graces, and call to ministry of LGBTQI persons are recognized and fully valued. We pray that the Judicial Council upholds clergy/episcopal fair process protections and our right to trial.

Whatever determinations are made by the upcoming Judicial Council, we will continue to run with perseverance the race set before us, looking to Christ, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2). We continue to hold our entire United Methodist Connection in prayer, seeking God’s grace and wisdom in the coming days.

Your siblings in Christ,

United Methodist Queer Clergy Caucus Representing over 170 persons in 26 Annual Conferences (including our Hidden Faithful siblings)

UMQCC Open Letter Signatories:

Rev. Jeanelle Nicolas Ablola
Rev. Brian Adkins
Rev. Austin Adkinson
Rev. Dr. Israel I. Alvaran
Rev. Elyse Ambrose
Rev. Douglas A. Asbury
M Barclay
Pastor Denyse Barnes
Rev. Bonnie Beckonchrist
Rev. Ann E. Berney
Rev. Rachel Birkhahn-Rommelfanger
Rev. Anna Blaedel
Rev. Daryl Blanksma
Rev. Jan Bolerjack
Rev. Thomas R. Boller
Rev. Elizabeth Brick
Rev. Tony Brown
Rev. Kristan Burkert
Rev. John Cahall
Rev. Dr. Joanne Carlson Brown
Rev. Dana Carroll
Rev. Jim Carter
Rev. Ronna Case
Rev. Karen Cook
Angie Cox
Rev. Britt Cox
Rev. Karen Dammann
Rev. Randa D'Aoust
Rev. Jani Darak-Druck
Rev. Alex da Silva Souto
Pastor Sean Delmore
Rev. Amy E. DeLong
Rev. Dr. James A. Dwyer
Rev. Greg Eaton
Rev. Dr. Janet Everhart
Rev. Renae Extrum-Fernandez
Rev. Anthony Fatta
Pastor Alexis Francisco
Rev. Rock Fremont
Micah Gary-Fryer
Rev. Ruth Ann Charlotte Geiger
Rev. Nestor S. Gerente
Rev. Sandy Gess
Rev. John Girard
Rev. Becca Girrell
Pastor Kaiyra Greer
Rev. John Edwin Griffin
Rev. Gregory D. Gross
Pastor Taylor Gould
Rev. Nancy Goyings
Rev. Will Ed Green
Rev. Dr. Emily B. Hall
Rev. Trey Hall
Rev. Dr. Edward J. Hansen
Rev. Janet Hanson
Rev. Marcia Hauer
Pastor Ashley Hawkins
Rev. Michael A. House
Rev. Betty J. Howard
Rev. Ann Hunt
Rev. Brittany Isaac
Peter Jabin
Rev. Dr. David Jenkins
Rev. Marguerite K. Jhonson
Rev. C. Michele Johns
Jacey Johnson
Rev. Elizabeth Jones
Rev. Lindsey Kerr
Rev. Dr. Jeanne Gayle Knepper
Rev. Katie Ladd
Rev. Bruce Lamb
Rev. Sue Laurie
Rev. Ardis Letey
Rev. Dan Lewis
Rev. Fred Lewis
Rev. Samantha Lewis
Rev. Dr. Pamela R. Lightsey
Pastor Christine Lindeberg
Pastor Rolly Loomis
Rev. Kelly Love
Adam Marshall
Rev. Dr. Joretta L. Marshall
Rev. Lea A. Matthews
Rev. Lois McCullen Parr
Rev. Courtney McHill
Rev. Ralph A. Merante
Rev. David. W. Meredith
Rev. Cynthia S. Meyer
Pastor Kathleen Meyerson
Rev. Jerry M. Miller
Katelyn Miller
Rev. Sharon L. Moe
Rev. Dr. Richard W. Moman
Rev. Deborah Morgan
Rev. Jeffrey S. Mullinix
Rev. Rachel Neer
Rev. Joshua M. Noblitt
Rev. Catherine Noellert
Rev. Gregory Norton
Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker
Rev. Matthew Alexander Pearson
Rev. Drew Phoenix
Emily Pickens-Jones
Rev. Jay K. Pierce
Rev. Jeanne Audrey Powers
Kendall Protzmann
Pastor Kathleen Reynolds
Pastor Jonathan Rodríguez-Cintrón
Rev. Maggie Roe
Rev. Daniel Sailer
Rev. Siobhan Sargent
Kenneth Schoon
Rev. Tyler Schwaller
Pastor Kimberly Scott
Pastor Ryan J. Scott
Rev. Patricia Simpson
Rev. Kim Smith
Rev. Dr. Althea Spencer Miller
Rev. Nea Stepp
Rev. Terri Stewart
Rev. Katie Stickney
Rev. Kristin Stoneking
Pastor Charles Straight
Rev. Mark Sturgess
Grant Swanson
Rev. Sara Thompson Tweedy
Rev. Ronald D. Tompkins
Rev. Adrienne Trevathan
Rev. Dr. Frank E. Trotter, Jr.
Dr. Joan Van Dessel
Rev. Martha E. Vink
Anna Voinovich
Rev. Vivian Ruth Waltz
Rev. Kathleen Weber
Rev. Dr. David Weekley
Rev. Judy WestLee
Jennifer Weyenberg
Rev. Jay Williams
Rev. Dr. Mark Williams
Rev. Brenda S. Wills
Rev. Jarell Wilson
Rev. John R. Wooden
Rev. Vicki Woods
Rev. Wendy Joy Woodworth
Rev. Frank D. Wulf
Rev. Laura Young
Rev. Nancy Kay Yount

Click here to sign and express your support
Click here to read the press release about the letter.
The original letter is published here.

www.umqcc.org

MIND Spring 2017 Organizing Meeting

MIND will be hosting a general meeting at five different locations. We encourage everyone to attend the meeting date and location that works best for you.

The MIND steering committee is grateful to the following hosts of the Spring 2017 meeting from 3:00-5:00 p.m.:

April 30th
New Paltz UMC (1 Grove St, New Paltz, NY 12561)
Park Avenue UMC (106 E 86th St, New York, NY 10028)
Katonah UMC (5 Bedford Rd, Katonah, NY 10536)

May 7th
St. Paul's UMC (270 Main St, Northport, NY 11768)
Cheshire UMC (205 Academy Rd, Cheshire, CT 06410)

More information will be coming through this newsletter and via social media. We hope you are able to attend one of these meetings, and offer a special invitation to those of you who have never attended a MIND meeting. YOU are a part of this movement, so please come meet some friends and learn how YOU can help make the United Methodist Church a more welcoming, inclusive place that celebrates all God's children, without exception!

General Conference 2016 – God Is Better Than The Church

“I believe in the sun / even when it’s not shining / I believe in love / even when I don’t feel it /I believe in God / even when God is silent.” At General Conference 2016, these words from Mark Miller’s song “I Believe” became our mantra of sorts. Wednesday, May 18th was supposed to be the big day that all “human sexuality” (their term, not ours) legislation came to the floor for a vote. On Wednesday morning, queer clergy as well as LGBT allies gathered outside the convention center for a silent protest. Queer clergy were robed and joined by allies holding crosses with stoles from the Shower of Stoles Project, representing the lives of LGBT people of faith.

As delegates and bishops entered the convention hall they walked by queer clergy and allies standing as a witness with signs that read, “I am your sister” and “I am a queer pastor.” Many of the people that walked by thanked us for our witness and several were in tears as we stood strong, basking in the bright rays of the morning sun, knowing that we are all God’s children and that God called us here. It was a powerful witness to the fact that LGBTQI individuals are people and not issues. As worship ended, we processed in the convention hall through the bar (where the delegates are seated) and gathered around the table that sits in the middle of the hall. All of this occurred while the session was taking place--there was no way anyone in the hall could miss our powerful silent witness--where we faced the bishops, then turned and faced the crowd, offering both a blessing before walking out singing.

Shortly after, Bishop Bruce Ough, president of the Council of Bishops, presented a plan designed to keep the church from splintering over its discriminatory stance on LGBTQI rights titled, “An Offering For A Way Forward.” Ough said the bishops continue to hear from people “that our current Discipline contains language which is contradictory, unnecessarily hurtful, and inadequate for the variety of local regional and global contexts.”

An Offering for a Way Forward #UMCGC

Bishop Ough was careful to note that support for this plan was not unanimous within the Council of Bishops.

The plan would:

• Create a diverse commission to research and revise the Book of Discipline’s language about LGBTQI people
• Call for a special session of General Conference. Should they fail to complete this work in time for that special General Conference, there will be a two-to-three day gathering before the 2020 General Conference for this purpose.
• Finally, the plan would also defer votes on all human sexuality petitions coming before the 2016 General Conference.

The General Conference passed this plan by a narrow margin (428-405 votes).

“An Offering For A Way Forward” prevented any new legislative action that would further harm LGBTQI people, but does not stop the current harm that is already being done. Nothing in the Book of Discipline has changed. Harm is still being done. No moratorium was called on church trials. The Bishops need to call on a complete moratorium on disciplinary actions against LBGTQI people and any clergy who marry them, as we believe that unity without justice is a false unity. We are calling on unity that is honest, respectful and inclusive of all persons.

During morning worship on the last day of General Conference, Bishop Elaine Stanovsky reminded us that, “The church is of God, but the church is not God. The good news is that God is better than the church.” God is better than the church. Additionally, Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey reminded us on Pentecost that, “We’ve got to obey God rather than the Book of Discipline.” As the Bishop's Commission starts its process, we pray that they would keep Bishop Stanovsky’s challenge for us to get out of the tomb and look for a true way forward including all voices at the table. Bishop Stanovsky said, “If you believe the Bible condemns homosexuality, but you’ve never asked a gay Christian how they read the Bible, you’ve got to get out of the tomb.” We’ve got to get out of the tomb as a United Methodist Church. We firmly believe that any change that happens is a result of our movement’s pressure on the institutional church to create change.

We will continue to work to create change. We did not let the last day of General Conference go by without one more reminder that we are still here, with one final protest, and singing, “I am not forgotten / you are not forgotten /God knows your name.”

Bruce Lamb
MIND Steering Committee
Associate Minister
Mt. Calvary/St. Mark's United Methodist Church

Join MIND Marching in the 2016 NYC Gay Pride March

Save the date: Sunday, June 26^th

More information to come as we get closer to the date about meeting location and time. Gather your church groups and friends as we MIND and many other UMCs join together to march in the NYC Gay Pride March. Let’s join together in a prophetic witness. There will be singing, communion and of course fun!

2016 NYC Pride Theme: EQUALITY NEEDS YOU

We’re getting closer, but we aren’t there yet. Just ask the bisexual homeless youth on the Christopher Street Pier, the trans worker trying to achieve the American dream, or the gay refugee escaping certain death in his war-torn homeland. The Supreme Court's affirmation of marriage equality marked progress in the national and worldwide LGBT movement, but it was not a finish line. Equality needs you now more than ever. In 2016, we are making sure that some of the world’s largest and most visible LGBT events are helping to amplify our continued fight. EQUALITY NEEDS YOU, and you can answer the call.

Why do you call it a March rather than a parade?

The first LGBT Pride was held on the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. It was an unpermitted, explicitly political protest of anti-LGBT policies and attitudes. Our commitment at Heritage of Pride is to continue recognizing our Pride event as a March until complete and full equality has been achieved for all LGBT people.

For more information contact MIND Gay Pride March Organizer Bruce Lamb.

Union Seminary Alumni Council Supports LGBTQI Clergy

MIND has received a letter written to Bishop Jane Allen Middleton in response to the Call to declare “We Are!” Open letter to the people of The United Methodist Church from the co-chairs of the Alumni/ae Council of Union Theological Seminary, expressing their "deep appreciation for the faithful and courageous witness of the 15 signatories of the Open Letter." 

The letter reads as follows:

Dear Bishop Middleton:

As co-chairs of the Alumni/ae Council of Union Theological Seminary, we are writing to express out deep appreciation for the faithful and courageous witness of the 15 signatories to the "'We Are' Open Letter to the People of the United Methodist Church."

We applaud their determination to call the church to greater inclusivity and hospitality, especially with regard to its LGBTQ leaders and members, and we commit to stand in solidarity with them from within our own faith traditions, offering our support, encouragement, and ongoing prayers that justice and compassion will win the day.

It is a matter of pride that we note that two of the signatories, Bruce Lamb and Lea Matthews, will be graduation this month with their M.Div degrees from Union, and we urge you and other UMC leaders to welcome them as full colleagues in ministry in good standing.

The New York Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church has had a long and impressive record of justice making for LGBTQ and other persons who have straddled against discrimination, oppression, and various forms of injustice. We urge you to keep the faith and continue the struggle, which is of life-and-death importance not only to the 15 who signed the Open Letter, but to all of us. May gospel values prevail!

With best wishes, and in good faith,

Sincerely,

Rev. Dr. Seth Pickens '06

Rev. Dr. Linda Thomas '81

You can download the full letter here.

In addition to this letter, Union released the following public statement applauding the "courage and conviction" of the signers, noting that two Union students are among the signers. The statement reads as follows:

Statement from Union Theological Seminary:

The students of Union Theological Seminary have a long history of standing on the cutting edge of faith and justice work. In this tradition, we applaud the courage and conviction of the 15 United Methodist New York Conference clergy and candidates who last week came out as LGBTQI, including two Union students – Lea Matthews and Bruce Lamb. We recognize that in doing so, they challenge the denomination’s ban on openly gay and lesbian clergy, and we celebrate their living witness and recognize their full compatibility with Christian teaching. We are grateful for all they bring to the church and its many ministries.

We support their future ministry and believe that, through their witness, new generations of leaders will be inspired to proclaim the Gospel in a fully inclusive manner. In a day and age when it seems so hard to find hope, they are beacons of light for the future of the church and the world. Their courage is contagious and they show us that the Gospel is truly grand, indeed big enough to hold us all.

Hundreds of Christian Moms Support LGBTQI Clergy

MIND received the following open letter in response to the Call to declare “We Are!” Open letter to the people of The United Methodist Church from the manager of a large private Facebook group for open minded Christian moms of LGBT kids. The members of the group were very encouraged by this, and sent the following response addressed to the clergy and candidates who signed the Open Letter.

May 9, 2016

Dear Clergy and Clergy Candidates in the New York Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church who signed the open letter to the people of The United Methodist Church.

We are a part of a large private Facebook group of more than 1,000 Christian moms of LGBT kids.

Our group was created for Christian moms who have LGBT kids and want to develop and maintain healthy, loving, authentic relationships with their LGBT kids.

More than 250 of us are signing this letter because we want you to know that we support your brave stand for grace and love, and commend you for seeking to follow Christ’s example.

Many of us have left our local faith communities because we no longer found them to be safe places for our family. We understand how difficult it can be to make the kind of public statement you have made. We are very encouraged by your actions and want you to know that we are praying that God will protect, strengthen, guide and bless you.

We believe that your call for the church to fully include, love and accept ALL God’s children truly reflects the idea that Paul put forth in Galatians 5:6 when he wrote “the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” We are forever hopeful that others will follow your wonderful example of faith expressing itself through love.

May God bless you all abundantly!

Abby De Fiesta Cortez

Adele Berardi

Alise D Chaffins

Alison Defrese

Allena Brown

Amanda Curtis Dwyer

Amy Hansley Moorehead

Angie Laws

Angie Silver

Anita Jewell Carter Cockrum

Ann Zweckbronner

Barb Cressy

Becky Cantrall

Beth Breems

Bethany Kirwen

Betsy Bruce Henning

Billie Jo Marrs

Bonnie Miranda

Bridget Murphy

Carie Poynor Downes

Carla Iturregui Picasso-Brown

Carla Short Spivey

Carol Beth Wiggins Baswell

Carol Fuss Reed

Carol Mason

Carole Bass

Caroline Williams Joyce

Carolyn Cage Johnston

Carrie Garske Shank

Cassy Taylor Campos

Cathleen Frantzen Schaber

Chasity Davis

Cheri Nill

Cheri Simpson

Cherie Walker

Cheryl Bakkila-Perkins

Chris Behne

Christie Hoos

Cindy Morgan

Colleen Kane

Crista Mason

Cyndi Silva Raugh

Cynthia Corsetti

Dana Huntington-Smith

Danette Mohring

Dawn Bellotti

Dawn Bennett Jones

Dawn Pulley Ervin

Deb Gallagher

Debbie McCullough Hayhurst

Debbie Wasielewski Tavarez

Debby McCrary

Debi Jackson

Debi Tucker Boland

Deborah Carlyle Enman

Dee-Ann Bodenheimer-Enslin

Deena Corwin Pfahler

Deleise Carper Brewer

Denise Ramirez-Tatum

Denise Trainer Webb

Derry Cronin Gleason

Diana Dermit McCarthy

Diane Blevins Smith

Diane Simms

Donna Holmes

Dorene Rose

Doris Wright

Elaine Falk Parker

Frances Lavender

Gena Rogers

Genell Brown

Georgi Persons

Gerry Phifer

Greta Medrano

Gretchen Doornek Mueller

Heather Clevenger

Heather Gee-Thomas

Heather McCracken Bottoms

Irene Gilliland

Jacqueline Rutledge

Jamie Hovland

Jammie Risley Hahn

Jan Pezant

Jan Roberts

Jan Wightman

Jane Clementi

Jane Moody

Janet Phillips

Janine Sarah Moore

Jaron Terry

Jennie Young-Walczyk

Jennifer Dunnam Stringfellow

Jennifer Hancock

Jennifer Schaffner Burkhardt

Jennifer Seeger

Jennifer Stake White

Jerri Surles Collins

Jessica Fahlgren

Jill Spicer

Joani Lea Jack

JoAnn Forsberg

Joann Thompson

Jody Miller Vanderzell

Joy Denton

Judie Brown Gordon

Judith K Volkar

Judy Witzel Harper

Julia Lunardo

Julie Bean Bisgaard

Julie Elliott O'Neal

Julie Greene

Julie Kennedy Eaton

Karen Adams

Karen Decker Kusserow

Kathi Nicholson

Kathryn Zentner

Kathy Green

Kathy Reim

Kathy Renne Post

Katie Jenifer

Katie Willhite Brooks

Katrina Black

Kay Kelley

Kay Otting

Kay Whistler

Kelli Henry Alamond

Kelli Lewis Decker

Kelly Beane

Kelly Rae Holiday

Kim Freeman Weill

Kim Kendall

Kim Lue

Kim McMahon

Kim Sonntag

Kimberly Jones

Kimberlyn Graham

Kori Pavkov

Kristi Kodos

Kristina Gromm

Kyle Jump

Lannette Sargent

Laura Beth Taylor

Laura Sparks Turner

LeAnn Fenner

Lenora Lea Gill

Lesa Edwards-Schepers

Lesley Davis

Leslie Jones Webster

Linda Baker

Linda Ling

Linda Rooney

Linda Slater Tow

Linda Wiebe Dickinson

Linda York O’Connell

Lisa Bray

Lisa Giordano Bontemps

Lisa Golden Dugger

Lisa MacGregor

Lisa Maniscalco Hildebrand

Lisa McCrystal Holley

Lisa Osborne

Lisa Reinhart Hard

Lisa Schramm

Lisa Scott Wofford

Liz Dyer

Loretta Davila

Lori Black Manning

Lori Bradley-Lewis

Lori Love-Wise

Lori Rogers

Lynette Joy

Lynn Kato

Madai Girard

Maleea Shaver Castillo

Mally Shell Hatch

Marcie Castiglione

Margi Wilmans

Margie Candler

Maria Breeden

Marianne Minier Walker

Marjorie Rudolph

Marlene Hoefer Brummond

Marlene Lund

Marsha Ladd

Martha Maust

Marti Parsons Grahl

Mary Estelle Montgomery

Mary Jo Whitley

Mary Kay Weil

Melea Broekers

Meredith Webster Indermaur

Merryl Dietz

Michele Freemyer Grabbe

Michele Manuel Fuselier

Michelle Bradshaw McComb

Millie Donnell

Miriam Pendley

Monica Maday

Monica-Niki Elenbaas

Morven Roberts Baker

Nancy Barron Booher

Nancy MacDonald

Nancy Thompson Flikkema

Nancy Villegas

Nancy Wance

Nichole Byers

Nicole Havlen Hair

Paige Gant

Pam Ensinger Antos

Pam Swendig

Patricia Sjöberg

Patti Atwood Grossman

Patti Mercer Churner

Patti Stratton

Paula Unrau

Pauline Carlson

Pauline Daly

Phyllis Barber

Rachel Drouillard

Rachel Sargent

Rebecca Hedges Lyon

Regina Pitts Woods

Renee Utley Bennink

Rev. Mally Baum

Rhonda Hartzell

Rita Daruvala

Rob Ullinger

Robin Gowan

Robinette Nacca-Cooke

Ʀosaııie Ĺane

Rose Stucchio

Roseanne M. Shannon

Rosemarie Varrichio Campbell

Roxanna Villars Gambrell

S. Anderson

Sandra Cathers

Sandra Van Dyne

Sandy Collins

Sandy McClure

Sara Cunningham

Sara Hoel May

Sarah Mills Holbrook

Sarah Thacker-Estell

Shannon Eaton

Shay Bisbee Haude

Shelley McBride

Sheri Martin

Sondy Eklund

Stacey Frazier

Stacey Jackson Baeumler

Stacy Gouge Drake

Sue Tresatti

Susan Berland

Susan Cloys Seaman

Susan Foss Naranjo-Stultz

Susan Hammontree Fortney

Susan Ledbetter

Susan Metcalf

Susan Wardzinski

Susy Rowe Barnhill

Suzanne Lambert Mann

Tamara Totoro Dick

Tammi Perkins

Tammy Flowers Mejdrich

Tammy Watson

Tammy Wenzinger

Tammy Wylie Barnes

Tamra Jennings

Tana Lightbown Hendricks

Teresa Medlin Poston

Teresa Parker

Teri Stueland Kay

Terri Cook

Terri Nolt

Terri Schempf

Theresa Moore Martinez

Tonda Campbell Hoyt

Tracie Sells

Tricia Johns Baumann

Tricia Kaufman- Waddell

Tricia Willard

Vicki Kemp Whorton

Vicki Westphal

Vicky Barnes

Zaneta Salde Encarnacion

Zenia Robertson

Serendipitydodah for Moms is a private Facebook group created as an extension of the Serendipitydodah blog. The group is secret so that only members can find it or see what is posted in the group. The group was started in June 2014 and presently has more than 1,000 members. The space was specifically created for open minded Christian moms who have LGBT kids and want to develop and maintain healthy, loving, authentic relationships with their LGBT kids. In addition to providing a space for members to share info and support one another, a special guest is added each month for a few days. The guests include authors, pastors, LGBT people, bloggers and public speakers.

For more info email lizdyer55@gmail.com

Group of LGBTQI Methodist clergy comes out, in defiance of church law

PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT:
Dorothee Benz, 718-314-4432

Group of LGBTQI Methodist Clergy Comes Out,
in Defiance of Church Law

Fifteen members of the New York Conference sign letter, risking credentials

May 2, 2016, New York – In an unprecedented challenge to the United Methodist Church’s discriminatory policies excluding “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” from ministry, 15 UMC clergy and clergy candidates in the New York Annual Conference today released an open letter “to the people of the United Methodist Church” declaring, “We are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer clergy and candidates.” The public announcement is a chargeable offense under UMC law and exposes them to possible church trials, sanctions, and defrocking. While numerous individual clergy and clergy candidates in the denomination have come out in the past, this is the first time a group of ministers have taken action together. The move comes a week before the UMC’s quadrennial General Conference, which is expected to affirm the exclusionary rules amidst anticipated protests.

“The UMC demands that we lie about who we are in order to be in ministry,” the letter explains. “It does violence to our souls. It is the very opposite of the integrity that is foundational to ministry. This demand is fundamentally unjust, and we can no longer be complicit in upholding and reinforcing it. It is premised on a lie, codified in our Book of Discipline – that our lives are ‘incompatible with Christian teaching’ – and it does immense harm both to those whom it forces to harm themselves and to countless others to whom it communicates that there is something wrong with the way God created them.”

Said Rev. Sara Thompson Tweedy, the chair of Methodists in New Directions, which organized the group effort, “To stay silent and to stay closeted is to support our church’s unjust status quo. We cannot do that.” Tweedy faced an official complaint for being a “self-avowed practicing homosexual” in 2013, which was dismissed after 14 months of investigation. “Given the intransigence of General Conference, the only way forward is for us to be the church we hope and pray our beloved denomination will one day become. Transformation of the church comes from below.”

Since 1972, the UMC has declared in its Book of Discipline that homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching.” In subsequent General Conferences, it has added numerous discriminatory rules barring LGBTQI people from serving in ministry, minsters from performing weddings for same-sex couples, and church funds from being used to defend LGBTQI people’s human rights. Additionally, a 2005 UMC Judicial Council decision made it permissible for UMC pastors to bar LGBTQI people from membership in the church.

The UMC General Conference is the only body that can undo this systemic codified discrimination, but that body is dominated by a combination of U.S. and international conservatives that have blocked all efforts at reform for 40 years.

The institutional dead-end for equality advocates in the church has fueled the growth of an ecclesial disobedience movement, drawing inspiration and instruction from civil disobedience tactics and the non-violent resistance philosophy of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. Since 2011, thousands of clergy and lay supporters across the denomination have banded together in annual conference networks to do weddings for all couples on an equal basis, in open defiance of the church’s rules.

Today’s collective action by New York Conference clergy represents the extension of that ecclesial disobedience strategy to the issue of ordination in the UMC.

“I'm inspired and encouraged by my colleagues of the New York Conference for their bold action today,” said Rev. Cynthia Meyer. “I'm grateful that we stand in solidarity together, in obedience to the Gospel, and in the strength of our call to ministry. Authentic, prophetic leadership requires challenging our denomination when it clings to rigid legalism, when it is wrong. The United Methodist Church is wrong when it continues to discriminate against the God's beloved LGBTQI children.” Meyer is currently facing church charges for coming out to her congregation as a lesbian.

Bishop Melvin Talbert expressed a similar sentiment on April 23 when he told Buzzfeed, “I have to make a choice between my church and God, and I am choosing God," referring to his decision to officiate at the wedding of Jim Wilborne and John Romano.

Talbert popularized the phrase “Biblical obedience” for the ecclesial disobedience movement in the UMC. The national Reconciling Ministries Network, with which MIND is affiliated, has started an “It’s Time” campaign in the run-up to General Conference.

The New York clergy letter ends with a call to action to others in the church:

“We call on LGBTQI United Methodist clergy and candidates everywhere to come out and join us in the refusal of further acquiescence to a system that silences and excludes queer people.

“We call on boards of ordained ministry to refuse to discriminate any longer and to publicly declare their refusal.

“We call on bishops to refuse to process complaints against LGBTQI people for being themselves.

“We call on all United Methodists everywhere to refuse their own complicity in our denomination’s systemic oppression of queer people and to protest this injustice at General Conference and elsewhere until it is finally ended.”

Board of Ministry Votes Equal Consideration for LGBTQI Candidates

A New Day In the New York Conference!

“All persons who seek to glorify God in word and deed and live under the Lordship of Jesus Christ are invited to discern and explore their call toward ordination or licensing in the New York Annual Conference.  Sexual orientation and gender identity are not and will not be considered in the evaluation of candidates by the Board of Ordained Ministry...  Quite simply, discriminating against married persons regardless of the gender of their spouse or against those who hope to be married is not the path we believe God is calling us to walk.”

The Rev. Dr. William B. Pfohl, BOOM Chair, NYAC, March 1, 2016

Methodists in New Directions (MIND), a New York Annual Conference organization working for full inclusion of LGBTQI people in the United Methodist Church, commended their local Board of Ordained Ministry this week for taking the historic action on February 20 of voting as a body to welcome LGBTQI candidates into the ordination process without fear of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.

Toward this end, the Board of Ministry of the New York Annual Conference:

• Declared that “LGBTQI candidates will be given equal consideration and protection in the candidacy process.”
• Informed the District Committees on Ordained Ministry who are amendable to the Board of Ministry of these affirmations and instructed them to abide by these guidelines.

MIND responded to the action, saying “It is exciting and deeply gratifying to know that the members of the Board of Ordained Ministry of the New York Conference heard these voices and responded graciously, prophetically, and bravely. MIND commends the NYAC Board of Ordained Ministry and its leaders for their vision and boldness. The action they have taken encourages us all to continue the witness, the dialogue, and the prophetic work that will one day bring about a transformation in the United Methodist Church.”

The full text of the Board of Ordained Ministry announcement is here.

“We are grateful to The New York Annual Conference Board of Ordained Ministry for taking this historic, momentous step to ensure equal treatment for LGBTQ candidates for ministry. I know I speak for many LGBTQI United Methodist pastors who are happy to know that those who come after us will not have to suffer in the silence of the church imposed closet nor will they have to redact the one they love from their autobiographical narratives.”

Rev. Sara Thompson Tweedy
Chairperson, Methodists In New Directions

"Finally, the New York Conference Board of Ordained Ministry will assess candidates on the primary basis of their gifts and graces for the ministry of Jesus Christ instead of making heterosexuality its primary, gate-keeping criteria. This decision by the board represents an embrace of Christian gospel values of love and justice over discriminatory practices and prejudice too prevalent elsewhere in our society that can foster bigotry and violence.”

Traci C. West
James W. Pearsall Professor of Christian Ethics and African American Studies
Drew Theological School

“I applaud the Board of Ordained Ministry for taking this prophetic step. The church is now truly welcoming all God's beloved children and no longer letting the message be to our LGBTQI brothers and sisters that their relationships aren’t valid, that their call to minister is not of God, and that they cannot be ordained. It's spiritually suffocating to live in the closet. I am thankful that I can now continue to follow God in faith as my full authentic self in the ordination process without having to be in the closet. This is a day of new beginnings.”

Bruce Lamb
Candidate for ordained ministry in the New York Annual Conference

"God has been using LGBTQI persons to bless the Church’s ministry, perhaps for longer than we can imagine. The New York Annual Conference Board of Ordained Ministry has opened the closet door for the work of God to flourish with honor. No more will, we, LGBTQI persons have to truncate our testimony, insult our relationships through occlusion, deprive ourselves of the fullness of our humanity in the presence of the people we serve, and be false in our witness. In this decision we have the beginnings of liberation. What a relief to know that this God-blessed constituency can candidate for ministry on equal, standard terms. Thank you NYAC Board of Ordained Ministry. May the wisdom of your decision be emulated within the UMC. Today, I am joyful and profoundly thankful."

Althea Spencer Miller
Asst. Prof. of New Testament Studies, Drew Theological School
Steering Committee Member, Methodists in New Directions

The full text of the 2014 resolution of the New York Annual Conference:

 Our Vision of a Beloved and Just Community:

Whereas, despite institutionalized discrimination in the United Methodist Church against LGBTQ persons and despite punitive actions and threats of further punitive actions by individuals and groups opposed to the full rights of LGBTQ persons in the United Methodist Church, LGBTQ people are finding welcoming communities in the United Methodist Church and in the New York Annual Conference; they are finding clergy, laity and congregations embracing them joyfully as members of the body of Christ, as United Methodists in good standing, and as gifted children of God entitled equally to all the ministries, ceremonies and sacraments of the church; and

Whereas, this welcoming spirit represents the future of the United Methodist Church and brings to life our conference’s decades-long commitment to inclusive ministry; and

Whereas, our ministry as an annual conference is set in a global context where, despite recent dramatic gains in LGBTQ rights in the United States, in many places LGBTQ persons face horrifying persecution, often encouraged by and sanctioned by Christian leaders from the U.S. LGBTQ persons face wide ranging social and legal discrimination. LGBTQ youth are at great risk for bullying, violence, homelessness, family ostracism, sexual abuse, suicide, and poverty. These dimensions of oppression disproportionately affect LGBTQ people of color, who are at the intersection of racial prejudice and prejudice against LGBTQ people; and

Whereas, the grave and continuing harm done to LGBTQ persons is an injustice which the church whose mission is to stand with “the least of these” must actively and passionately oppose; and

Whereas, the gift of an inclusive community is a gift of God to be embraced and celebrated; therefore

Be it resolved, that the New York Annual Conference declares itself to be the place where LGBTQ persons can find safe space, an arena for the expression of and celebration of their individual gifts in service and ministry, enjoy the blessings of family and marriage, and participate fully, openly, and equally in the full life of the church.

Contact:
Scott Summerville
914-980-7176
sumvil@aol.com

Can You Imagine Another Four Years Of Discrimination?

MIND has to be at General Conference in Portland, Oregon from May 10 through 20th when the United Methodist Church delegates gather to write the rules that will govern the church for the next four years. MIND is going so that we can hold the church accountable for discriminatory policies and hopefully prevent the codification of those policies for another four years.

Imagine what another four years will do to transgender youth struggling to find their place in the world and in the church…

Imagine the strain and difficulties placed upon LGBTQ clergy who are forced into a closet because the church does not affirm their committed relationship and is only concerned if two people are “practicing”…

Imagine another four years of ministerial candidates sitting before District Committees on Ministries and Boards of Ordained Ministries wishing they could can be honest about who they are and their call to serve the church…

Imagine another four years of irreparable harm perpetuated against sincerely committed gay and lesbian couples who are turned away from the rite of marriage in the very church that they attend and help to sustain…

Now imagine an inclusive United Methodist Church.

In order to send people to Portland, MIND needs your help. Sending an activist to General Conference for 10 days will cost approximately $1,000 per person. MIND would like to send a delegation of at least ten people. As of today, we have one person paid for! Nine more to go—and we can do this!

Here are ways you can help!

1. If you can make a donation to MIND to fund activists to attend General Conference please give via this button:

• Please note in description: “MIND GC2016”

2.  Mail your donation to Asbury United Methodist Church, 167 Scarsdale Rd., Tuckahoe, NY, 10707. Attn: “MIND GC2016”
3. Organize a fund drive in your congregation to sponsor someone to go to Portland in May.
4. If you are planning to attend General Conference for any reason and want to work with MIND on the ground, let us know that you are attending.
5. Share news from MIND about General Conference on social media!
6. Pray for our MIND activists and for change within the church.
7. Stay tuned!  We will have much more news in the coming months.

Annual Conference 2015 recap

Annual Conference 2015 Recap 

There are many reasons for MIND to do a victory lap at the conclusion of the 216th Session of the New York Annual Conference. We passed key legislation committing our conference to be “a place of safety, equality, and welcome for LGBTQI lay persons, clergy, candidates for ministry and their families.” Other legislative efforts were successful too, including our petition to General Conference to amend Paragraph 161.F of the Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church. This petition removes all language which would exclude LGB persons from ministry in or with the church.

Revered Dr. Althea Spencer Miller gave an outstanding address to a packed room at MIND’s annual luncheon. She reminded us of the many ways that injustice in the struggle of others must not be allowed to go unchecked. She cautioned us that “any one form of social oppression cannot be overcome in isolation from other forms of oppression.” Her words remind us all that we must not only be committed to LGBTQI justice, but for all those who are marginalized and oppressed.

With all of the good that came out of conference, however, MIND is not running that victory lap.

Get the full story, including much more on Annual Conference petitions, and how some of the worst hate speech we've seen in years was handled, at our full Annual Conference 2015 page here.

Who We Are

MIND is a grassroots organization of United Methodists working to end our denomination’s doctrinal prejudice and institutional discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and committed to living more fully into God’s radical Welcome right now and right here. More about us >>

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MIND is a membership organization. Becoming a MIND member is one way that every one of us can witness to God’s Welcome, a way we let people know—our bishop, our conference leadership, other churches and most of all LGBT people who are wondering whether they can find a church home through our doors—that God welcomes everyone and so should we.  Join us today >>