Dear United Methodist Church

Dear United Methodist Church,

How to express how I feel right now, hurt, disappointed, disgusted, ashamed, sad, heartbroken. These are only a few of the words that describe how I feel about our church right now. I have spent the past week at our General Conference in Ft. Worth. I have to say I was really hopeful for the future coming to Ft. Worth and the change I felt coming in the UMC. Maybe that was because this was my first General Conference and I have not experienced the hurt and heartbreak of previous General Conferences. Or maybe it is because I believe at its heart our church is a good and loving church. Things started off well with good policies coming out of the committees. The church seemed like it was finally ready to start being inclusive of LGBTQ people, but then came the floor debates. It went downhill from the time the delegates began to debate the primary issues facing the church about homosexuality. I heard people demean and insult myself and other LGBTQ people by retelling the same misinformation that has been used for decades to oppress and belittle us. Then came the votes, a couple went our way but for the most part they were against creating a more inclusive church, including voting down a resolution that would have made the United Methodist Church membership truly open to all people. I didn’t expect to become emotional because of the votes but after the vote on membership I found myself angry and then my heart broke and I just cried. Several more times during the rest of the evening I found myself crying. And it wasn’t just me, a number of members of my church family had similar responses. We are all heartbroken that our church would not vote to be inclusive of all those that are loved and created by God, all those of sacred worth, that we would choose to remain a broken church instead of a church united as we claim to be.

As I sat here contemplating the events of the past week a song began to play. It’s called “Grace and Love” by a band called Kutless. This is the chorus, “It’s by grace and love I am saved. It’s by grace and love you’ve forgiven me. It’s by grace and love I am free.” This inspired me to write this. It reminded me of the truth of the Gospel. Even if our church is not ready to begin the process of reconciling with our LGBTQ brothers and sisters, God has always been ready with arms spread wide open in love. He is the source of salvation and forgiveness because of his great love and grace. This is important to remember because no matter how our church runs itself God is always in control and shows us his power through love and grace. United Methodist Church, I leave you with this challenge. Over the next four years until the next General Conference I encourage to seek God on these issues and to seek to find if Christ’s table is really open to all. I hope we can grow as a church so that in four years more heartbreak will not happen and we can finally reconcile ourselves as one church united under God and we can truly live out our mission of making disciples of all the people of the world.

Joey Heath

  

Comments

[Steven Hawthorne]

Your ability to find hope and encouragement, despite the decisions on this membership petition, indicates just how strong your Christian faith truly is. I congratulate you! People like you will make great church leaders ... and perhaps ministers even!

[Chris Guldi]

Joey, I cried too, for three days. And I'm just a parent.
HOWEVER...
Tonight I read about the constitutional amendment that passed by two-thirds vote (sounds like repentence to me) on Friday. It must be passed as well by two-thirds of Annual Conference delegates; I don't know when or how that vote takes place. If it passes, though, it appears to cancel the pastor's power to reject a member. See http://www.generalconference2008.org/2008/05/constitutional.html

[Candie ODell]

I was so moved by your letter. I will be with you in this struggle until the bitter end. You have an ali in me.

Love and Hugs!!