United Methodist General Conference April 2008

[Steven E. Webster]

Friends,

I'm starting this thread to gather information and provoke dialogue about the struggle for LGBT equality in the United Methodist Church. Once in four years the United Methodist General Conference meets to revise the book of Church Law known as The Book of Discipline. That meeting happens at the end of April in 2008.

Soulforce has a page on the United Methodist Church here:

http://www.soulforce.org/article/97

My hope would be that we can work together with our webmaster to start to update that information.

I'm also hoping that I can draw out some dialogue and support from United Methodists, former-United Methodists and friends of other denominations and faiths who might help us bring the truth in love to the United Methodist General Conference in 2008.

Steven Webster

[Steven E. Webster]

Friends,

The United Methodist Church in the U.S. is organized into something similar to legislative, executive and judicial branches.

Legislature = General Conference (meets for two weeks every four years) they create and amend church policy, law and teaching through changes to the Book of Discipline. Here I am adding a link to the website of LGBT friendly Park Slope United Methodist Church. They have posted a good list of those provisions in the Book of Discipline that effect LGBT people here: http://parkslopeumc.org/docs/etc/discipline.html

Executive = Bishops who are charged with enforcing the [i]Book of Discipline[i].

Judicial = The Judicial Council, a nine-member "supreme court" elected for terms by General Conference. They review all rulings on Church law by Bishops, and they hear appeals from decisions by lower church courts.

In order to achieve change in the United Methodist Church, it is essential to win the votes of a majority of delegates of the General Conference. The delegates are elected by each Annual (i.e. Regional) Conference. There are about 1000 delegates distributed among the various Annual Conferences.

One task individuals can do is to write to these delegates. Nearly all of them have been elected already. They will meet at the end of April in 2008.

Our General Conference is already well-aquainted with Soulforce, which had a very visible presence at both the 2000 and 2004 General Conferences.

I have set myself the task of writing to the ten delegates (five clergy and five laity) who are from the Wisconsin Annual Conference. For the 2004 General Conference the official United Methodist team of Soulforce issued a letter to all of the delegates.

What should we be saying to the United Methodist General Conference? I want your help. Any ideas?

Steven Webster

[Steven E. Webster]

Friends,

Here's a link to a page in Dotti's Gay into Straight America blog.

http://www.gayintostraightamerica.com/236.html

It documents a formal complaint filed back in the year 2000 against a United Methodist pastor who denied her membership in the United Methodist Church because she would not "repent" of being a lesbian.

Unfortunately, Dotti does not tell us on this page how her complaint was handled by church authorities. (The complaint should have been handled by the Bishop appointed to lead her Annual (i.e. regional) Conference.)

It was not until last year that a similar complaint reached the United Methodist Judicial Council ("supreme court"). The Judicial Council, in a hotly contested decision, ruled against the Bishop who had suspended a pastor who had denied membership to a gay man. The President of the Judicial Council who joined with the majority in this ruling is James W. Holsinger, the man George Bush has appointed to be the United States Surgeon General.

The Judicial Council's decision was a shocking one that seemed to run counter to the Book of Discipline itself. The Judicial Council majority has been accused of "legislating from the bench." The only way the ruling can be overturned is for the General Conference (our legislature) to pass legislation clarifying that membership cannot be denied individuals solely for reasons relating to an individual's homosexuality.

I think Dotti's case was probably "swept under the rug" in 2000. Now the same issue will be a hot item at the 2008 General Conference next April.

Steven Webster

[Steven E. Webster]

Friends,
I'm posting here another story by a United Methodist who was denied his right to transfer his church membership from one congregation to another--again, given that this is everyone's right under church law, I'm surpised that his attempt to get help from his District Superintendent and Bishop was to know avail.

Also, Joey Heath was one of our Equality Riders! Here is the link to the Reconciling Ministries Newslwetter that published his story:

http://www.rmnetwork.org/downloads/kat_2007_summer.pdf

MY STORY - BY JOEY HEATH
Baptized in a Tacoma, Washington UMC and confirmed at Hinesville First UMC, I have been a
member of the United Methodist Church my entire life. During middle and high school, I was
really involved with my church youth group, and served as the junior high representative for
the Savannah District. For two years, with a seat on the South Georgia conference council on
youth ministry, I was a part of planning youth events for the South Georgia conference. In
high school, my family switched from the big UMC church in town to a smaller church a little
ways out of town, Mount Olivet UMC, where I currently still hold membership.
At Valdosta State University in the fall of 2001, I joined the Wesley
Foundation. I loved the ministry. That is when I came to the realization that I
had always known about Jesus, but I never really knew him and had not
accepted him as my Savior. So that fall I gave my life to Christ and never
looked back. After my freshman year, selected as a part of Lifeguard, a traveling
youth ministry team of the Georgia Southern University Wesley
Foundation, I spent the summer with youth groups all over Georgia.
Sophomore year included leadership roles at VSU Wesley Foundation and the
youth group at Park Avenue UMC.
Something else happened that summer after my freshman year of college.
That summer, I came to the realization that I was attracted to other men. I
didn't know what do, but at that time "I knew" it was not God's will for me to
be gay. At first I tried to bury the feelings and just ignore them. In time, I sat
down with my campus minister and confessed my deep dark secret, the one
that I had never shared with anyone. He prayed with me promising that
together we could get through this. This began a two-year journey of prayer
and study. I prayed everyday. I cried almost everyday. I didn't want to be
attracted to guys. It went against what I had been taught so I struggled hard.
Sadly, this led me into depression and hurt my relationship with God. I no
longer felt that closeness I had once felt. This struggle had taken over my life
and left little room for actual time with God and growing in Him. Finally I
came to a breaking point. On the outside I looked like the happy good little
Christian, but on the inside I was depressed and struggling. One night I cried
out to God and said "I can't do this anymore. It is tearing me apart inside and is
killing my relationship with you. I don't know if it is the right thing to do but God
I have to stop this. It will destroy me or push me away from my faith." I had been
crying for a while and then I just stopped and got really quiet. That's when I
heard God say to me "That's ok, I love you anyway." So I made the very simple
response "Ok God, I'm gay." It took a little longer before I understood it
from a scriptural point of view but that came in time with study.
My senior year of college I made a decision. I decided it was time to come out
to the Wesley Foundation. In a long conversation with the campus minister,
we disagreed on the issue of homosexuality. He stated clearly that I would no
longer be able to lead canceling a devotion I was to do to not give the appearance
of approving of my "lifestyle." After they informed the youth director at
Park Avenue that I now "considered myself gay", I was told that it would be
best for me not to come back on Sunday nights to help because parents would
not like it. Since I was graduating soon, I felt it wasn't worth fighting.
Moving to Athens, Georgia, following graduation gave me another chance.
After connecting to the UGA Wesley Foundation, I found a community group
for grad students. They really welcomed me and I never hid the fact that I was
gay, but I didn't bring it up either. By spring, my relationship with God was
back on track and I was really trying to live his will for my life. I felt like God
was calling me to share with the group about my sexuality. A group leader
talked to the campus minister who basically questioned my intelligence for
believing that homosexuality was natural, and then questioned my faith for
believing God was ok with it. They threatened church discipline but backed
down saying they wanted me to stay a part of the group, but they could not
create a "pro-homosexuality" forum. To no avail, I tried explaining that I didn't
want to debate Bible passages. I simply wanted to share what it felt like to
be a gay Christian in a community that is not accepting of homosexuality.
Silenced again--rejected by my church family--the family that made promises
to me at baptism.
I tried to go elsewhere, but I kept being called home to my Methodist roots
and traditions. I missed the church that loved me and taught me Jesus loved
me. I moved back to Valdosta. With joy my first Sunday back in town, I accepted
a friend's invitation to a church--The Gathering: A United Methodist
Congregation. I went there and loved it--the praise, the worship, the warmth,
and the welcome. Quickly feeling at home, I became a greeter and usher. When the
pastor announced a membership class, I jumped at the chance. I wanted to
transfer my membership to The Gathering. After the class, I set up the required
one-to-one meeting with the pastor figuring this was more of a formality since I
am already a life-long member of the UMC. At the end of the meeting he said
"Joey I was hoping you would bring it up but since you didn't I will. I understand
you consider yourself to be a homosexual." I told him the truth. He then said
that because I am gay it would not be appropriate for me to join.
He offered two options: ex-gay reparative therapy or celibacy. I said flat out
absolutely not, because I was not willing to put myself through that kind of
pain again that separated me from God. I also knew that lying by keeping my
private life private would cause my spirituality to suffer and that Jesus longs
for us to have integrity. I do not feel called to be single and hope to one day
find and commit to a life partner. At this impasse, he claimed the power to
deny my transfer of membership. In hope, I sent letters to the Valdosta district
superintendent and to the bishop of the South Georgia conference. The pastor
told me that even if they required him to allow me to join, he would
refuse. After discussion between these United Methodist leaders from which
I was excluded, they affirmed his decision to deny my transfer of membership.
Somehow through this long and hard journey, I have clung to God and my
faith. Now I work for inclusion. In our connectional system, I simply want to
go to church--my home church--that I love so much and have given so much
of my time and service and be fully welcomed as the full member I already
am-equally, without hesitation, in whatever neighborhood I choose to live.

[u-dog]

It just makes me want to weep and gnash my teeth -- to rage and smash things. That a fine young man like Joey Heath should be turned away from the church because of who he is an OUTRAGE.

After what happened to Jenna in Iowa, what happened to Joey, and what happened to a UMC pastor friend of mine (defrocked because she is a Lesbian in a committed relationship) All I can say with regard to the United Methodist Church is that it seems to me as though ... Jesus has left the building.

[tpdncr4christ]

Originally Posted by u-dog

All I can say with regard to the United Methodist Church is that it seems to me as though ... Jesus has left the building.

UMC is the church I was raised in. I've seen several pastor's go through my church, most of whom weren't the greatest Shepard's of the congregation. One pastor, the Senior Pastor, had an affair with the Associate Pastor and then left his wife, and the Ass. left her husband and the two got married in our church. The Bishop simply relocated them, due to the many complaints and the sudden lack of Sunday attendance... both of them kept their "frock."

Jesus was never in the building... so He couldn't have possibly left.

[Steven E. Webster]

Originally Posted by tpdncr4christ

UMC is the church I was raised in. I've seen several pastor's go through my church, most of whom weren't the greatest Shepard's of the congregation. One pastor, the Senior Pastor, had an affair with the Associate Pastor and then left his wife, and the Ass. left her husband and the two got married in our church. The Bishop simply relocated them, due to the many complaints and the sudden lack of Sunday attendance... both of them kept their "frock."

Jesus was never in the building... so He couldn't have possibly left.

I'm not suprised there are plenty of former United Methodists here! You certainly can't be faulted for leaving the UMC (if you haven't already been thrown out!) However, I don't believe Jesus has abandoned anyone--Some United Methodists may have abandoned Jesus, but Jesus still wants to redeem them from their hypocrisy, their homophobia, and whatever their shortcomings may be.

There are many fine lesbians and gays like Rev. Beth Stroud and Joey Heath who remain in the United Methodist Church and who, I believe, deserve our support. There are more LGBT kids being born in the United Methodist Church every day, and it would be nice to spare them the pain some of us have experienced.

The United Methodist Church is also potentially significant to us strategically for the following reasons:

1) It's the third largest denomination in the U.S.--after the Roman Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention.

2) Its members hold positions of power in society--John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney are members of the United Methodist Church--illustrating also how wide a spectrum United Methodists come from.

3) Unlike the Roman Catholic and Southern Baptist Churches, the United Methodists actually continue to discuss their policies on LGBT people. The Roman Catholics are not democratic, and the Southern Baptist Convention simply excludes pro-LGBT persons from their governing bodies. In the United Methodist General Conference the policies are somewhat more "moderate" and dissent is alive and well. Many United Methodists have proven receptive to Soulforce's direct actions at General Conference. The pro-LGBT side wins some small victories in General Conference and is on the losing side of a 60-40 split on other issues. There is more opportunity for dialogue in the UMC than in any other of the largest denominations.

I don't fault anyone from leaving the UMC--one needs to do what is spiritually best for oneself first of all, but I am hoping to find support for good folks like Rev. Beth Stroud and Joey Heath who remain in the United Methodist Church. There are LGBT kids being born to United Methodists every day who need our support as well. I'd like to see future generations of UMC kids not suffer (and even die) from the UMC's homophobia.

I am hoping to see both Beth and Joey in Nashville next month at this fabulous pro-LGBT Convocation of United Methodists:

http://www.rmnetwork.org/

Steven Webster

[BrentRichards]

Had the good fortune of meeting Joey on the ER stop at Messiah College ... his faith and gentleness is evident from the moment you meet him. Any church that turns him away is foolish, and a church that turns him away for his orientation has the additional "distinction" of being wicked and un-Christlike.

I grew up in the UMC. I am "ex" UMC for reasons unrelated to my orientation ... Life is not much better for us in the PCUSA, where I currently hang my hat.

[Steven E. Webster]

Friends,

Joey Heath's story (found above in post # 4) was published in the newsletter of the United Methodist Reconciling Ministries Network--a group of United Methodists continuing to work for LGBT inclusion in the church. Joey, for now, is continuing to work for change in the United Methodist Church. Soulforce has worked with Reconciling Ministries to some extent in the past, and I hope Soulforce might do so again in the future.

Soulforce is important because it makes a spiritual home for those who've been thrown out or pushed out of their church homes. It also helps sustain people like me who've been out of the closet LGBT activists working in an anti-LGBT church environment for 35 years now.

I hope we can unite the "insiders" and the "outsiders" to defeat the homophobia that will otherwise continue to hurt more kids like Joey in the United Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist, Roman Catholic and other churches.

Withdrawing from these churches' abusive environments, and staying to work for change from within are both valid responses--these different paths should work together, not against each other.

In Soulforce, back in 2000, I even found pagans, atheists and Jews who shared the passion for justice and believed we needed to unite across creedal boundaries to end the Spiritual Violence which comes from the United Methodist Church (and most other churches, it seems). I hope I can still find that support through Soulforce.

Steven Webster

[Steven E. Webster]

Friends,

Here's an article (link below) about Rev. Drew Phoenix, formerly Rev. Ann Gordon. Pastor Phoenix is a female to male transgender person. As the article notes, he is likely to cause a stir when the United Methodist Judicial Council meets this October (with anti-LGBT Surgeon General nominee, James W. Holsinger as President of the Council), and again at the UM General Conference next April.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/loc...ocal-headlines

Steven Webster

[Steven E. Webster]

Friends,

I'm having trouble with that link to the Baltimore Sun on Rev. Drew Phoenix, so here is the text

From the Baltimore Sun

St. John's and its pastor are reborn
Church advocates acceptance, love -- starting with its transgender
leader
By Liz F. Kay
sun reporter

July 6, 2007

The pastor of St. John's United Methodist Church wasn't worried about
the congregation's reaction to his transition from Ann Gordon to Drew
Phoenix.

A banner reading "Praising God, Seeking Justice," hangs outside the
Charles Village church. Rainbow cloth is draped from poles inside the
Sunday room where members worship. And decades ago, the congregation
became an early advocate for full participation of people within the
church regardless of sexual or gender identity.

Now Phoenix, who chose the reference to the mythological beast for
his last name as a symbol of his rebirth as a man last year, is
helping St. John's rise from its own ashes.

The church's sanctuary was destroyed by a fire in 1981, and the
congregation had dwindled to about eight or 10 dedicated members when
Phoenix -- then known as the Rev. Ann Gordon -- arrived five years
ago.

Today as many as 50 adults and children regularly attend services
there, and the congregation is beginning the first stages of
renovating its building for more community use.

"Everyone can sort of walk in on Sunday, and everyone just sort of
accepts them," says Kara Ker of Wyman Park, who joined in 1998. "He
has definitely created a space where everyone's ideas are heard,
where people have a chance to grow."

And St. John's became the nurturing environment that Phoenix needed
to finally recognize and accept that the female gender he was born
with did not match the male identity he says he believes God had
given him.

"It made it much easier. To be supported by the congregation I'm
serving is pretty remarkable," he says.

The 48-year-old grew up in a small farm town in southern Ohio and
became a Methodist as an adult, while attending graduate school at
American University.

Phoenix felt the call to ordination and entered Washington's Wesley
Theological Seminary in 1986.

He was assigned to several congregations in Maryland before the
Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church placed
him in charge of St. John's in 2002.

"I don't believe in coincidences. It had to be divine intervention,"
Phoenix says.

Founded in 1828, just five blocks north of the birthplace of
Methodism in the United States, St. John's was an early base of
Methodist Protestantism.

It emphasized justice and opposed the establishment of a hierarchy in
favor of power to the laity, Phoenix says.

In the 1970s, it became the 13th congregation to join the Reconciling
Ministries Network, which promotes full participation of gays and
lesbians in ministry.

In addition to inviting in gay, lesbian and transgender members, the
church operates an emergency shelter and has housed political
refugees.

"It had a long history of being inclusive," Phoenix says. "I was
elated to be appointed here."

When he decided to pursue surgery and hormone treatment last year, he
told members individually and then in larger groups.

"I assumed it would not be a problem at St. John's, which it was
not," Phoenix recalls.

The congregation's Web site bills St. John's as "worshipping a
radically inclusive God." Last month, church members marched in the
city's Pride Parade with a float expressing the theme "This ain't
your daddy's church."

But some within the United Methodist Church are raising questions
about the roles transgender people ought to serve, calling for a
broader denomination-wide discussion.

Last month, Phoenix was received with applause when he discussed his
transgender identity and decision to live as a man during the
regional conference's annual meeting.

But some fellow clergy called for a "rule of law" on the decision to
reappoint him to St. John's, although the Methodists' Book of
Discipline -- a compilation of church legislation -- has no
references to transgender issues.

The ruling would be reviewed by the Judicial Council, the
denomination's highest legal authority, which meets in October.

"We've been very thankful that so far the church has had no
restrictions for transgender folks who are called to serve in
ministry," says the Rev. Troy Plummer of the Reconciling Ministries
Network.

Phoenix's transition and reappointment could join a broader
discussion about the place of lesbians and gays within the church.

Methodism does not now allow noncelibate gays and lesbians to be
ordained or appointed as clergy. And the growth of the church in
Africa -- where congregations of all Christian faiths tend to be more
conservative politically and ideologically -- is sure to create more
tension with respect to the issue, Phoenix says, as it has with the
Episcopal Church.

"I think the Council of Bishops is in this very challenging place, of
balancing new constituency and their beliefs and politics,
ideological understandings with everyone else's," Phoenix
says. "There's a [feeling of] not wanting to rock the boat."

The discussion could lead to the examination of questions such as
marriage of trans- gender Methodists. As an unmarried pastor, Phoenix
says he took a vow of celibacy. But he is legally considered a male
in the state of Maryland and can get married here, he says.

Few other Christian denominations have ruled on the matter above the
parish or diocesan level. Catholics have banned trans- gendered
people outright from religious order; there are isolated examples of
ordained transgender clergy in large denominations.

About 60 transgender clergy attended a transgender religious summit
last fall organized by the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in
Religion and Ministry at the Pacific School of Religion.

"There are no real policies on the books of the denominations," says
the Rev. Dr. Jay E. Johnson, the center's acting executive
director. "It's an open question for the U.S. legal system and
states, as well as in religious circles."

While serving at St. John's, the pastor became aware of the
possibility of female-to-male sex changes. The change would end the
dissonance between his birth gender and his perception of himself --
as well as the perception of those around him.

For years, people have yelled at him or called security when he
entered women's restrooms. When he would introduce himself as "Ann,"
they would comment on his interesting family name -- for a guy.

He was even asked to present identification when picking up his
credentials at two annual meetings of the Baltimore-Washington
conference.

Phoenix had initially served as pastor of St. John's as well as
Rodgers Forge United Methodist. After Phoenix told Bishop John R.
Schol about his plans to transition to life as a man, the pastor left
the Baltimore County church and the St. John's congregation increased
its contribution to his salary.

"I was really pleased that Drew was able to do something like this
without fearing for his job and without fearing for his church," says
Lexa Newman, who followed her pastor from Rodgers Forge UMC. "Now
Drew gets to be the gender he has identified as being all his life,
without being a different person than the phenomenal person that Ann
was."

During a recent Sunday morning, about 30 people sat in folding chairs
arranged in a semicircle facing Phoenix, who wore khakis, not
vestments. Children ate snacks at low tables to the side, and piano
music accompanied all four verses of each hymn.

The pastor, standing near an informal altar, led a discussion rather
than a traditional sermon. Afterward the group gathered for what they
described as a "cook-in" due to the bad weather.

Phoenix "has been a wonderful shepherd to this congregation," says
Carrie Frias of Lauraville, noting that God's message hasn't changed
despite the pastor's transformation. "There's a presence. This is
somebody who is happy with who they are and happy to reflect who they
are."

[Steven E. Webster]

Friends,

I'm with a whole bunch (over 400!) of LGBT United Methodists and allies this weekend in Nashville. It's a great time!

I posted the story of Joey Heath a few posts earlier in this thread. Joey spoke to the whole Convocation here last night. He's the sweetest young gay man you can imagine. He's a committed United Methodist and he tried to transfer his membership to a United Methodist Church in the town he had moved to. The pastor refused to accept his transfer of membership! He filed a complaint with the Bishop and District Superintendent, but they still refused.

This still blows my mind! (As it did the rest of the convocation!) Joey was an Equality Rider this Spring. And he says he and his boyfriend are going to keep attending that church. It kind a sounds like the way Mel White keeps attending Jerry Falwell's church.

The Convocation has been a very moving and spiritual experience. There is planning and preparation for the United Methodist General Conference going on. The General Conference is in Fort Worth in late April/early May of 2008. The issue of the membership of LGBT people in the church will be a big issue. I think these people are going to make a really good witness.

The Soulforce Equality Ride was nominated for an award at an Awards Ceremony. The Ride didn't "win," but they did a good job of presenting the story (and that was all in addition to Joey Heath's moving witness). Soulforce is something of an "outsider" here, but folks seem to respect Soulforce and they expect there to be a Soulforce presence at General Conference (as there has been every four years since 2004.)

I gave a small workshop (at their invitation) on Soulforce. It went well.

It's way early in the a.m., I need to get ready for the last day of worship and planning. Then I'm flying back to Madison this afternoon.

Steven Webster

[kara speltz]

Originally Posted by Steven E. Webster

Friends,

I'm with a whole bunch (over 400!) of LGBT United Methodists and allies this weekend in Nashville. It's a great time!

I posted the story of Joey Heath a few posts earlier in this thread. Joey spoke to the whole Convocation here last night. He's the sweetest young gay man you can imagine. He's a committed United Methodist and he tried to transfer his membership to a United Methodist Church in the town he had moved to. The pastor refused to accept his transfer of membership! He filed a complaint with the Bishop and District Superintendent, but they still refused.

This still blows my mind! (As it did the rest of the convocation!) Joey was an Equality Rider this Spring. And he says he and his boyfriend are going to keep attending that church. It kind a sounds like the way Mel White keeps attending Jerry Falwell's church.

The Convocation has been a very moving and spiritual experience. There is planning and preparation for the United Methodist General Conference going on. The General Conference is in Fort Worth in late April/early May of 2008. The issue of the membership of LGBT people in the church will be a big issue. I think these people are going to make a really good witness.

The Soulforce Equality Ride was nominated for an award at an Awards Ceremony. The Ride didn't "win," but they did a good job of presenting the story (and that was all in addition to Joey Heath's moving witness). Soulforce is something of an "outsider" here, but folks seem to respect Soulforce and they expect there to be a Soulforce presence at General Conference (as there has been every four years since 2004.)

I gave a small workshop (at their invitation) on Soulforce. It went well.

It's way early in the a.m., I need to get ready for the last day of worship and planning. Then I'm flying back to Madison this afternoon.

Steven Webster

Dear Steve: Thanks for keeping us abreast of what's happening there. It's good to know that Soulforce was represented. I recall telling all those Methodists that I'd see them in Ft. Worth in 2008, but as Soulforce continues to make changes, I'm wondering if we will. I know I personally have given up on the Catholic bishops and I also know that's against the principles of Soulforce but as I watched Ratzinger move the church, further and further to the right, I just can't see an end. I have much more hope for the Methodists and the Lutherans.

Kara

[BruceChris]

I/we do not believe that being born with the gender attraction that we are born with is a sin. We believe that it is a gift from God/dess.

Even if it were a sin, the people who condemn us are (A) guilty of the sin of being in judgment, and (B) guilty of the sin of election, that is, believing that they are more beloved by God than someone else is.

So in any case, they cannot call us *unrepentant sinners* without falling under the very same judgment.

As Always, Peace and Love, Bruce Chris

[Steven E. Webster]

Originally Posted by kara speltz

Dear Steve: Thanks for keeping us abreast of what's happening there. It's good to know that Soulforce was represented. I recall telling all those Methodists that I'd see them in Ft. Worth in 2008, but as Soulforce continues to make changes, I'm wondering if we will. I know I personally have given up on the Catholic bishops and I also know that's against the principles of Soulforce but as I watched Ratzinger move the church, further and further to the right, I just can't see an end. I have much more hope for the Methodists and the Lutherans.
Kara

Kara,
Maybe you shouldn't look upon Soulforce as having given up on the Roman Catholic Bishops--maybe we're just giving that a rest for now, and others are maintaining a witness in many little ways. I know there was quite a protest from the pews here in Madison when Bishop Morlino tried to tell the faithful how to vote on our so-called marriage amendment last year.

One blessing is that the United Methodist General Conference meets only once in four years. Another blessing is that there is alot more real democracy in the UMC than there is in either the Roman Catholic or Southern Baptist denominations. We have a large number of Methodist Bishops supporting us---unfortunately it is General Conference delegates we must convince, and not Bishops.

Another real attraction to the United Methodist General Conference is the presence of global delegates. There is a real need for us to connect with the global movement for LGBT equality. (I was so pleased to see at Madison's tiny pride parade a float that raised the issue of LGBT oppression in Eastern Europe--I assume by LGBT Madisonians with Eastern European connections.) Our opponents have gone global, so do we.

At the Reconciling Congregations Convocation I saw a lot of strength and hope, and, yes, a place for Soulforce to continue to work. I saw some of the good fruit that was produced by Soulforce's prior actions--even influencing church leaders.

We heard a Hispanic American Southern Baptist Scholar speak to us about how is mind was changed--he grew up in Miami and supported Anita Bryant's campaign. He said he was a "gay-basher." Now he speaks out for LGBT equality. He gave us some real insights into the global struggle for LGBT rights--a tough issue, but one we can't avoid.

More later, I'm back from the Nashville convocation of the Reconciling Ministries Network and I need to get back to my regular employment this morning.

Steven Webster

[Steven E. Webster]

Friends,

I attended a very moving and energizing gathering of LGBT United Methodists and allies (including lots of PFLAG-type parents!) held at Vanderbilt University in Nashville earlier this month. It was a fabulous gathering with over 450 people in attendance.

Here's a link to an article in the United Methodist Reporter that gives a nice overview of the Reconciling Ministries Convocation:

http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=2453

Here is a link to another article that appears in the United Methodist Reporter:

http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=2450

The above article does include an interview with one set of United Methodist parents who do not accept their child's gayness so well--seems like they stuck this part into this story "for balance." Never-the-less the article over all is good. And the fact that the son of the non-accepting parents seems to have succeded in establishing a committed partnership with his lover despite his parents disapproval seems to speak for itself.

The pictures of the rainbow stoles are from the meeting at Vanderbilt in Nashville where the interviews with the LGBT-supportive parents occured. The Parent's Reconciling Network which is an ally-group with the Reconciling Ministries Network is producing huge numbers of these stoles and they plan to use them for a large, visible presence at the every-four-years United Methodist General Conference that meets in Fort Worth Texas next Spring.

I also want to share with you this link--a story in the United Methodist Reporter about the Rev. Beth Stroud, the United Methodist minister who was defrocked in a church trial for being lesbian. I saw her at the same meeting in Nashville, which is where the reporter interviewed her--here's the link:

http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=2455

You know, it's quite impressive that the United Methodist Reporter carried these articles which generally treated LGBT people fairly and sympathetically. This was not always the case with this paper. The United Methodist Reporter is not owned by the United Methodist denomination, but is a private enterprise based in Texas. They used to be very very anti-gay--especially thirty years ago. I think that may be changing a little now--we are making progress in reaching people.

Sorry, I'm going to keep editing this post as I find more articles in United Methodist Reporter coming out of the Nashville Convocation of the Reconciling Ministries Network.
Here's an interview with a transgender United Methodist:

http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=2459

And here's an article on a transgender issue coming before the United Methodist Judicial Council:
http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=2451

And here's an article on a Spanish language resource for LBGT folks and family and friends.

http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=2457

And here's one more--this isn't connected to the Reconciling Ministries Conference, but relates to a more local Texas Methodist story. The United Methodist Reporter has come a long way!

http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=2458

Steven Webster

[Steven E. Webster]

Friends,

The official United Methodist News Service (UMNS) has picked up an article first published in the United Methodist Reporter (an independent paper based in Texas and not officially related to the United Methodist Church).

Here's the link:
http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nl/cont...457&ct=4309509

I was at the Reconciling Convocation in early August where the LGBT supportive parents were interviewed. It was a great event with many PFLAG-type parents who are organized in the United Methodist Church as the Parents' Reconciling Network

For balance the article also contains an interview with parents who do not accept their son's homosexuality and who have been involved in what is called the Transforming movement---the United Methodist version of the "ex-gay" movement. It is interesting that the gay son in this case is depicted as in an 11-year committed relationship, and that he has stood his ground against his parent's intolerance of his sexual orientation.

The article then uses an interview with a third set of parents as a kind of rejoinder that rejects the "love the sinner, hate the sin" approach.

I happened to meet this reporter in the airport shuttle on the way to the airport as we left Nashville. We had a nice chat. I was impressed that she was a real listener (as one would expect from a good reporter). She clearly heard what the parents at the convocation had to say.

Once again we have an example of the powerful witness of PFLAG parents!

Steven Webster

[PittsburghJeff]

When I read the Book of Discipline I am discouraged about the words they use to describe us as "incompatable with Christian teaching", but when I pray about their unkind words I am reminded that the love they give comes from themselves and not from our beautiful Lord whose love has no boundaries. When Jesus died on the cross, one of the things that he said was "Father forgive them for they know not what they do", meaning "Father forgive them they don't understand". It is with that spirit of forgiveness that I am able to serve with my own acceptance and a strong feeling of a call from God to serve in the United Methodist Church. All the people that vote for those words that provide exclusivity of membership, that is all the love they have to give. For we love our neighbor, as we love ourselves. Those words in the Book of Discipline have to do with them and the love they have to give; in their judgement, I believe it becomes a judgement on themselves. When I have discussions with the more seasoned Pastors in the church, they seem to get it. We have alot of friends in the United Methodist Church. Our presence in the United Methodist Church is a wonderful witness of Christ's love in the church and I believe through our presence, God's reminds his church of what it really means to love.

[u-dog]

Thanks Jeff. That is helpful to realize and to remember. Their inability to love us has to do with THEIR sinful nature and THEIR brokeness... not OURS, and our presence in their midst is a tool God is using to bring healing to them.

[antonyh]

I wanted to bump Steve's thread since General Conference 2008 is coming up soon. I wanted to share Reconciling Ministries Network's Flashnet with you. This week's issue is about the membership issues facing the General Conference. It is definitely an important read if you're planning to attend General Conference in Fort Worth.

http://www.rmnetwork.org/Flashnet_sh...FlashnetID=149