How i'm feeling...

i'm feeling a little overwhelmed now that i've finally arrived here at general conference....first off, i'm used to annual conference being all about comfortable clothing since it is held in the summer time at lake junaluska, nc in an open air auditorium that is usually hot and humid...thus people dress to minimize being hot and bothered.  once i finally got to the hotel and checked in, i strutted over to the convention center in my trendy jeans, shirt and shoes (complete with accessories) only to realize fairly quickly that i was somewhat underdressed compared to most of the rest of the people here.  nontheless, i kept my head up and registered as a visitor and proceeded on to one of the committees dealing with the social principles (making a mental note to be sure to wear my kakis tomorrow...).  i was pleasantly surprised to see the amount of racial, age and gender diversity in the room.  having never been to a general conference before, i was led to believe that the majority of people who can logistically manage being at general conference this time of year were retired or were employeed by the UMC who were here for work (and had their way paid).  i'm glad to see that people from many walks of life care enough to be here regardless of the burden it creates. 

I was excited to read about the drumming circle that the young people led, and how the reconciling parents lined up between the young people drumming and the people who showed up to speak hatred toward them, so that the witness of the drummers would go on even stronger....i wasnt present to witness this amazing act of love, but i felt tears in my eyes as i heard accounts of it.   

i got to the committee during what appeared to be a recess and learned that some pretty good stuff had made it out of committee...i was happy to hear that, but disappointed that i had missed all of the debate and voting....i was assured that this was only the beginning and that it was a long journey between now and the end of the week.  more debate will surely follow.  nonetheless, i'm cautiously opimistic that indeed "all means all" to the good people who are voting delegates at this general conference.  afterall, the United Methodist Church i love does not discriminate and in fact when people are excluded from membership, ordination, or full participation in any aspect of the church because of who they are, we all suffer together whether we realize it or not.  a church member at my home church said in a meeting recently that the collective body of christ in the United Methodist Church has been wrong before...most glaringly on issues of race and gender, and that it is currently wrong about the issue of sexual orientation.  i pray that the holy spirit continue to move among us this week that our polity not get in the way of the work that God is doing in the world but rather we come alongside and join in the work that God is already doing.  I for one believe that work is the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people in the life of the United Methodist Church. 

Comments

[Will]

Thanks for the post. May the Holy Spirit move us toward an open, fully loving church