General Conference 2008

Affirmation Out Awards

Affirmation celebrated the Out Awards awards at the 2008 General Conference. The mission of Affirmation: "As an independent voice of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer people, Affirmation radically reclaims the compassionate and transforming gospel of Jesus Christ by relentlessly pursuing full inclusion in the Church as we journey with the Spirit in creating God's beloved community."

Photo Set

Christian Post: Transgender Talks Begin at United Methodist Meeting

According to the Christian Post:

Hundreds of United Methodists have begun looking over some 1,500 petitions that have been proposed by those seeking change in church policies and structures, among other things, during the church's quadrennial gathering.

Much of the media spotlight, however, has fallen on two submitted petitions aimed at changing the United Methodist Church's current position on homosexuality. The church body holds that the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.

One petition would state that homosexuality is a subject about which Christians disagree and the other would define marriage as the union of two loving adults.

To support gay and transgender church members, young Methodists from the Mosaic Youth Network are holding a 24-hour "drumming and rally," which began Friday at noon, outside the Fort Worth Conference Center in Texas, where the United Methodist General Conference is taking place. Recent General Conferences have seen protests by gay-rights advocates, some of whom were arrested for disrupting proceedings.

Full story:
Transgender Talks Begin at United Methodist Meeting
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UMNS Audio Cuts: Young Adult Rally

Joey Heath talks about rejection as a member of the church because he is gay, and about Judicial Council decision 1032.
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Gay rights rally held across from the convention center. Report from Mike Hickcox. [Audio: Miriam, Shaun Delmorre, Joey Heath]
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UMNS: Rally urges inclusion regardless of sexual identity

According to the United Methodist News Service:

“Change is coming,” says one young adult leader who says The United Methodist Church is getting closer to welcoming everyone regardless of their sexual identity.

“Don’t worry; it will happen because nothing can stop the force of this generation,” said Rachel Birkhahn-Rommelfanger, chairperson of the United Methodist Student Movement.

Rachel Birkham-Rommelfanger speaks at a rally at First Christian Church. A UMNS photo by Maile Bradfield.

Birkhahn-Rommelfanger was among speakers who addressed more than 200 people gathered for a noon rally on April 26 to support inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons in the denomination.

The rally took place outside of the Fort Worth Convention Center, where the 2008 United Methodist General Conference is meeting April 23-May 2. The church’s top legislative body will decide policy for the denomination for the next four years and is expected to vote on legislation dealing with membership and ordination of homosexuals.

The church’s law book states “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Therefore self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church.”

The Division on Young People, United Methodist Board of Discipleship, is sponsoring one resolution that asks the denomination to offer membership “to all who have been baptized and those who have professed their faith regardless of age, class, ethnicity, gender, race, and sexual orientation.”

“We are offering bold pieces of legislation,” said Theon Johnson III, co-chair of the division. “We are not called to do church but to be the church.”

Supporters of Reconciling Ministries Network march in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. A UMNS photo by Maile Bradfield.
Shalom Agtarap, a member of Young Adult Seminarians Network, Board of Higher Education and Ministry, asked the young people to remember that General Conference is a “family meeting.”

“How would you speak to your mother or your father?” she asked. “In our discussion, remember you are talking to members of the same family.”

“We all have a special interest in God’s justice,” said Bryan Schlemmer, coordinator of On Fire, a young adult group within the Methodist Federation for Social Action. “My salvation depends on your salvation.”

Young people drummed for 24 hours leading up to the noon rally. After the event, participants went inside the convention center and prayed outside of conference rooms as delegates worked on legislation.

Full story:
Rally urges inclusion regardless of sexual identity
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UMNS: Delegates seek General Conference ethics panel

The United Methodist News Service reports:

Delegates to the 2008 United Methodist General Conference have called for the establishment of an ethics committee after hearing concerns about gifts given to central conference delegates.

On April 26, a motion from Ralph R. Oduor, a lay member of the New England Annual (regional) Conference and retired attorney, asked the Commission on General Conference to establish a General Conference ethics committee to address those concerns. The 992 delegates overwhelming approved the motion, asking the current commission to propose to the 2012 General Conference guidelines for such a committee, including its composition, scope and authority.

The Renewal and Reform Coalition, an entity that comprises the Confessing Movement, Good News/Renew, Transforming Congregations and UMAction, provided free cell phones to more than 150 African and Filipino delegates to use during General Conference. Officials with the coalition have said the cell phones were given to the delegates with no strings attached.

Some church leaders and delegates questioned whether democratic processes had been compromised. Church officials and delegates expressed concern that the coalition might use the phones to offer suggestions on how to vote on particular issues. Coalition officials have denied that, stating instead that the phones were given as an act of kindness and to give the central conference delegates equal access to technology.

Oduor said he "was deeply troubled" by the reports concerning the "possibility that gifts were given to certain delegates in what may have been an attempt to improperly influence their voting stance.”

He said there is no place in the current structure for possible violations of the covenant to be fairly revealed. "It is damaging to the body to have suspicions, charges and countercharges flying in all directions without a means to address the possible offense."

Oduor told the General Conference that an ethics committee is an essential "venue where such concerns can be raised and acted upon."

Gail Murphy-Geiss, chairperson of the General Conference Commission, said an ethics committee would be welcome. "An ethics committee would be an appropriate addition to the commission, and although it would not be working on establishing new rules, it would work on establishing a spiritual statement on holy conferencing and fair play," she said.

The commission already has subcommittees and creates them as needed. The ethics committee would be a subcommittee for the upcoming 2009-2012 General Conference Commission, whose members will be elected by the delegates at the 2008 session.

She said the conference "does not have to legislate ourselves up to the gills," but it would be beneficial to have a statement around which people could covenant and build relationships, "as opposed to having statements on what can or can't be done. The statement would be something from the heart and not from the head."

General Conference is the top lawmaking assembly of the 11.5 million-member United Methodist Church. The central conferences are regions of the church in Africa, Asia and Europe.

Full story:
Delegates seek General Conference ethics panel
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Additional coverage:
Ralph Oduor: "I am deeply troubled."
Windows Media | QuickTime

 

Young Adult March and Rally

MoSAIC and OnFire marched to General Worth Park to hear four speakers: Brian Schlemmer, Joey Heath, Mirriam Wood and Sean Delmore. "I have so many friends that will not come to church with me because they believe the church does not want them and God does not want them," Joey Heath told the crowd.  "If we are going to have policies like [Decision 1032], then we are going to have to stand before God and explain why we turned his children away," he continued.  Joey Heath is the young adult who was denied membership in a South Georgia Church he liked and wanted to join after graduation from college.  Heath told how he grew up in the church, at 11 was elected to the district youth council and then the conference youth council, then Wesley Foundation leadership.  When he came out at the Wesley Foundation, he was asked to step down from leadership.

Heath reminded the crowd that "John Wesley once said 'all the world is my parish.' We must be united in making all of the world our parish, including our lesbian, our gay, our bisexual, our transgender, our black, our white...our whatever!” These labels too often divide us and keep us from coming together as the body of Christ at his table.

Sean Delmar, a master's student and transgender person at Boston, on the deacon track, observed, "I see a church that is already doing what it is supposed to be doing.  Some of you have already heard my story, about how when I was in the midst of becoming a man and I did not know the love of Jesus, the local bishop's office reached out and said, 'how can we help you?' When I had no hope, this church reached out and said 'How can we love you?'"

If this church can find ways to do this kind of loving and welcoming, the young persons we so much want will begin to come back and transform this great church.

Photo Set

Video: Joey Heath

Video: Sean Delmore
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Video:  Mirriam Wood
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Video: Brian Schlemmer
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Young Adults Speak Out

Rachel Birkhahn-Rommelfanger, American University senior at the "Young Adults Speak Out" event yesterday emphasized "The generation is changing. We're in a different place and we want be listened to.  We would like the church to meet us where we are.  I know that it's hard to change, but I want you all to know that the change is coming.  Young people have chosen a future of hope: that all people will be welcome in our church today."

That was the theme of much of the witness of the young adults who spoke at the event, which started at First Christian Church and continued with a two-route march to the General Worth Park in front of the Convention Center.

Photo Set

Video: Rachel Birkhahn-Rommelfanger:

Video: Theon Johnson III:
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Video: Shalom Agtarap:
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Prayers Actions Outside Legislative Sessions

After the Young Adult Rally, MoSAIC and OnFire lead the crowd into the Fort Worth Convention Center to conduct organized prayer actions outside of legislative sessions.

Photo Set

Press Release: Young Methodists Speak Out At 24 Hour Drumming and Rally

RECONCILING MINISTRIES NETWORK – Mosaic Youth Network
3801 North Keeler Avenue, Chicago, IL 60641

Contact Persons:

Ann Craig, Media Coordinator
craig@glaad.org, 213-703-1365, cell

Rev. Troy Plummer, Executive Director
troy@rmnetwork.org, 773-315-9225, cell

Monica Swink, Board Chair
monicaswink@cox.net, 405-473-3942, cell

YOUNG METHODISTS SPEAK OUT AT 24 HOUR DRUMMING AND RALLY

Drums pulsed the air for 24 hours and culminated in a young people’s rally calling for the church to listen to the Gospel’s message of inclusion in the United Methodist Church as it votes on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender welcome at its General Conference. 

Every four years, elected delegates from around the world gather to set the policy of the church.  United Methodists have debated issues relating to sexual orientation for more than thirty years and the votes are gradually moving toward inclusion. 

The drumming intensified as young people and delegates gathered for a noontime rally in the General Worth park.  When the drumming stopped, young speakers went to the microphone.

Rachel Birkhahn-Rommelfanger said, “Young people have chosen a future of hope. That hope is that all people will be welcome.  Today we claim our voice, our future and our place in the church.  As the younger generation is elected to General Conference, it will change. It is changing. We have already accepted LGBTIQ friends and want to bring them to church; a church where they will be accepted for who they are.” Rachel Birkhahn-Rommelfanger is the co-chair of The United Methodist Student Movement.

Brian Schlemmer, coordinator of On Fire, a young adult group within the Methodist Federation for Social Action, reminded those in attendance “God’s yes is always bigger than the Church’s  no.”

The rally leaders led the way back to the convention center and prayed for the delegates as they returned to their meetings.  The General Conference will take most of its votes on these controversial issues midweek. 

Miriam Wood said, “It is time for The United Methodist Church, the church that I love, to include. I feel so strongly.  It will happen in my lifetime, and I will feel comfortable being called a United Methodist.”

Rev. Troy Plummer, executive director of RMN, reflected, “Young people know gay people and are leaving anti-gay churches.  The recent Barna research revealed that 80% of young people, 16-29, with church homes are embarrassed by anti-gay policies and reluctant to invite friends.  If United Methodist seek to have a vital church in the future in the US, they must pay attention!”

From the GCSRW/GCORR Monitoring Team on Cell Phones

The monitoring team issued the following statement in The HERO Report about IRD (UMAffirm) and Good News' practice of providing cell phones to Central Conference delegates:

"It has come to our attention that at least one group present at General Conference is distributing free cell phones to a select group of delegates. This is inappropriate behavior, and it destroys community. We have gathered for Christian conferencing which requires trust, honest, openness, and respect. Whenever there is an imbalance of power relationships with the expectation of reciprocity, this behavior gives the appearance of paternalism, manipulation, exploitation, and of course, racism."