General Conference 2008

Press Release: Same Gender Wedding Caps Methodist Meeting As Sign of Hope

RECONCILING MINISTRIES 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

SAME GENDER WEDDING CAPS METHODIST MEETING AS SIGN OF HOPE

In a final act of protest against anti-gay legislation and as a sign of hope for the future, Sue Laurie and Julie Bruno got married.  Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and straight allies rallied around, as they vowed to love and cherish each other for the rest of their lives.

Sue Laurie, who is the Outreach Coordinator of Reconciling Ministries Network and her partner, Julie Bruno, a social worker, recited marriage vows after 25 years of living in a covenant relationship.  They are members of United Church of Rogers Park, a United Methodist church in Chicago, Illinois

Julie Bruno said, “This is an opportunity for us to celebrate our relationship with our church family that is gathered from throughout the world. God blesses same gender unions every day and has blessed our relationship for the last 25 years. Just because the church says “No,” God does not stop blessing the love of two people in covenantal relationship.”

Around 300 people attended the wedding in General Worth Park in Fort Worth, Texas, across the street from the convention center where delegates met to pass official United Methodist policies.  This sign of hope capped a week of both disappointments and positive actions by the General Conference.

Advocates of fairness and equality have been working for 36 years to remove the statement that gay lives are “incompatible with Christian teaching” but it remains on the books. Language that allows pastors to refuse membership to gay people was not replaced.  Prohibitions against same gender marriages and ordination of gay or lesbian clergy continue.

Historic votes also established full acceptance of transgender clergy and members for another four years; civil rights for gay people; a mandate to end discrimination against gay people and produce resources to educate the church on homophobia and heterosexism; and, urged churches and families not to reject their gay members.

Press Release: Gay Methodists Protest Rejection by Church

RECONCILING MINISTRIES NETWORK
3801 N. Keeler Avenue Chicago, IL 60641      
www.generalconference2008.org     www.rmnetwork.org

Press Release:  May 1, 2008

Contact Persons:

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

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

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

GAY METHODISTS PROTEST REJECTION BY CHURCH

Protestors draped in black placed their bodies on the sidewalk outside the convention center in Fort Worth, Texas, where United Methodists had passed anti-gay resolutions at the General Conference the day before. Delegates had to walk around or over the bodies. 

Inside, during its Wednesday morning session, it was not business as usual as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people of faith, in a negotiated interruption of the proceedings, processed into the auditorium draped in black to represent their grief and the brokenness of the church in response to the church’s refusal to recognize gay people as anything but “incompatible with Christian teaching.”

Singing, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” protesters lined the convention center aisles two deep in the form of a cross and draped the central communion altar in black.

Supporters throughout the hall stood in support as a protester announced that the church has refused God’s call of LGBT people to membership and ordination.  African American Bishop Melvin Talbert moved to the microphone and reminded delegates that  the church was wrong when they created a segregated jurisdiction that was not disbanded until 40 years ago—and the church is wrong now as it keeps LGBT people totally out of the denomination and urged the body to reconsider. Many remained seated.

After more than thirty years of working for full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Christians, advocates were stunned when, on Wednesday, April 30, on the eighth day of its ten-day conference, pastors were given the right to reject gay people as members. Ironically, the conference voted to end discrimination against gay people and voted down all anti-transgender legislation.

President of the Council of Bishops, Gregory Palmer, announced that twelve bishops would meet with twelve representatives from the protesters to negotiate additional responses.

Press Release: Methodists Block Gay People But Vote Against Homophobia

RECONCILING MINISTRIES NETWORK
3801 N. Keeler Avenue Chicago, IL 60641      
www.generalconference2008.org     www.rmnetwork.org

Press Release:  April 30, 2008

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

METHODISTS  BLOCK GAY PEOPLE BUT VOTE AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA

Voices singing “Jesus loves us, this I know, for the Bible tells us so!” rang out over the drone of church proceedings.  Singers responded to the vote that, in effect, gave United Methodist pastors the right to block membership of openly gay and lesbian people.

Controversy and contradiction was the order of the eighth day of the United Methodist General Conference held once every four years to establish policy for the global denomination—this time held in Fort Worth, Texas.

For more than thirty years, gay people and allies have worked to eliminate the statement, that gay people are “incompatible with Christian teaching.” Few people expected the church to support legislation that placed membership totally in the hands of local pastors, but by only a 2% margin, the session voted against asking pastors “…to faithfully receive all adults willing to affirm our vows of membership.”

For the first time, membership of gay people was effectively blocked in light of the denomination out of the church’s high court decision in 2005 that gave a Virginia pastor the right to deny membership to an openly gay man. 

Earlier in the day, Fred Brewington, chair of the church and society committee said from the podium, “If you vote for the minority report, you will be voting for contradiction,”

By a close vote, delegates approved the minority report that endorsed human and civil rights for gay people, but gay people were still labeled, “incompatible with Christian teaching.” To add to the contradiction, the resolution included an amendment saying, “We implore families and churches not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends.”

In another action, the group voted down all anti-transgender legislation and voted to oppose “all forms of violence or discrimination based on gender, gender identity, sexual practice or sexual orientation” and to produce educational materials on homophobia.

African delegates dominated early parts of the debate with allusions to the harm and division that would be created if gay people were accepted as full members. African delegates were one of the targets of an apparent free cell phone for support of conservative high court members.  The scandal prompted the establishment of an ethics committee that will not begin functioning until the next general conference in 2012. 

“The church is standing in the way of God’s grace,” Monica Swink said. “The United Methodist slogan of opens minds, hearts and doors continues to be the salt in the wounds of gay Christians who refuse to leave the church and the faith they love. For thirty-six years the church has ignored the unconditional love of God by rejecting our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters.” Swink is president of the Reconciling Ministries Network, an organization of United Methodists in support of equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in the church.

Press Release: United Methodists Elect High Court In The Midst of Controversy

RECONCILING MINISTRIES NETWORK
3801 N. Keeler Avenue Chicago, IL 60641      
www.generalconference2008.org     www.rmnetwork.org

Press Release:  April 28, 2008

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

UNITED METHODISTS ELECT HIGH COURT IN THE MIDST OF CONTROVERSY

United Methodists gave a cold shoulder to conservative candidates for the Judicial Council, the high court of the denomination.  Two lay members and three clergy were elected on April 28 from the slate of moderate candidates put forward by the Council of Bishops and supported by Reconciling Ministries Network, a group working for full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

The election came just days after the General Conference was rocked when it appeared that the Judicial Council election had been compromised by an apparent attempt to buy votes with gifts. At a luncheon sponsored by a conservative coalition, cell phones were given out along with a list of conservative candidates.

“It is a great day when our church withstands an apparent attempt to buy votes from any of our delegates. When I saw the flier with the offer of cell phones on the same page as a list of candidates for the church’s highest court I was shocked,” said Troy Plummer, Executive Director of Reconciling Ministries.

Ryan Chewning, United Methodist from Cincinnati, said, “I was present at the luncheon on April 24.  I saw first hand members of the Renewal Coalition, including the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) overseeing the distribution of cell phones and gift bags exclusively to international delegates.”

Bishop Ken Carder said, "This seems to be an undue influence and violates the very essence of what it means to be Christian community."

Responding to criticisms of bishops and agency heads, Mark Tooley said in an April 26 IRD press release, “These clueless church elites don't understand the obvious. America [sic] evangelicals and Global South evangelicals support each other because of their common faith.”

International delegates protested that their votes could not be bought. A delegate from Liberia said, “African delegates are already conservative, there is no need to persuade us with cell phones.”

A video released on youtube.com shows the distribution of the gifts with Mark Tooley sitting at the speakers’ table. The “Renewal Coalition” includes six conservative Methodist groups, one of which is UMAction-IRD, staffed by Mark Tooley.  The others are Good News, Renew Women’s Network, Confessing Movement, Lifewatch, and Transforming Congregations.

When the scandal first came to light, action was taken on the floor of the General Conference to form a committee on ethics but since it is new and must develop a protocol, the committee on ethics  will not begin functioning until the 2012 General Conference. 

Plummer said, “Although sanctions by the General Conference will have to wait four years, the General Conference and the whole church can respond to this unethical behavior by rejecting the ongoing attempts of the IRD to influence the United Methodist Church and other denominations with the politics of negativity.”

Ryan Chewning noted that all delegates at the luncheon were given a copy of the February 2008 edition of, Faith & Freedom, the magazine of the Institute on Religion and Democracy. Writers in the magazine critiqued three denominations, United Methodist, Presbyterian Church USA and the Episcopal Church—the three program areas over the last decade or more for the IRD.

Presbyterian officials are described in Faith & Freedom as being “on the verge of doing things deviantly,” Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams job performance was uniformly rejected and the entire “Church in the West” is described as being in “spiritual chaos.”

“Much of the very real conflict in the denominations can be connected to strategies of the IRD.” Plummer said. “Conservatives supported by the IRD are acting to gain control of church property, even whole Episcopal dioceses, through civil law suits encouraged by the IRD and are based on accusations of breech of contract defined as church dogma.”

“Over the years, leaders in these denominations have been undermined and members are encouraged to withdraw giving and to sign petitions to require orthodoxy, dogma and creeds as narrowly understood by IRD allies.” said Plummer.

A February 25, 2004, investigative article, by Matt Smith and published in the San Francisco Weekly, discovered that the IRD had spent some $4 million financing conservative groups within primarily three mainstream denominations. Mark Tooley who was hired in 1994 to critique the United Methodist Church, came from eight years as a CIA East Africa analyst.  When Matt Smith, asked Tooley about similarities between his current work and his previous job as an Africa analyst for the CIA, he said, “None that I see, except that I was a writer there and I'm a writer here.”

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!”

Press Release: Transgender Christians Tell Their Story

Affirmation: United Methodists for LGBTQ Concerns
PO Box 1021 Evanston, IL 60204.
(978) 884-7401
www.umaffirm.org
umaffirmation@yahoo.com

Press Release April 24, 2008

Transgender Christians told their stories to press and delegates at the United Methodist General Conference in Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday, April 24. Compelling stories of “coming home” and “saving their life” by living as a transgender person provided listeners with insights into their lives.

The future of transgender participation hangs in the balance of pending legislation as United Methodists, who meet once every four years to pass legislation, consider resolutions that ban transgender persons in and those that affirm inclusion regardless of gender identity or expression.

The event was opened with introductions by Diane DeLap, National Spokesperson of Affirmation, which is the United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Concerns group   Panelists included Rev. Drew Phoenix pastor of St. John’s United Methodist Church of Baltimore City, MD, Tina Seitz, a United Methodist from the Detroit area and Sean Delmore, a doctoral student of sociology at Boston University's School of Theology and Program Director of MIT’s LBGT Center.

Ms. DeLap said, “For over 30 years, United Methodists have ignored the Wesleyan tradition of inclusion and are now considering adding transgender Christians to the list of those who are excluded from full participation in the church. It's time for the Church to abandon the politics of exclusion and to start following Jesus again.  Jesus reached out to include anyone who heard the good news, and began to love God and neighbor.  The church follows the teachings of Jesus when it accepts the service of transgender people like Rev. Phoenix, who clearly have the gifts and graces for ministry.”

Rev Phoenix, transgender pastor in good standing from the Baltimore-Washington United Methodist conference, said, “It is my hope that my presence and my story will be an occasion for our church to sit down together and explore the complexity and diversity of gender identity and expression and that out of that process, we will open our hearts and church doors to transgender persons.  Jesus’ central message is that God’s love and grace extend unconditionally to all of us, not because we look a certain way or have a particular identity, but because we are all children of God created in God’s image.  Each of us is a beloved child of God.  No exceptions.”

“I am SO proud to be a member of denomination that recognized a long time ago that gender discrimination is wrong,” said Sean Delmore.  “In my church, the pastor and the two lay leaders are women.  50 years ago, we granted full ordination rights to women.  We decided that stereotypes about the “proper” role and place for women were outdated, were divisive, and – most importantly – ran counter to God’s work on earth.  We decided that God does not discriminate on the basis of gender.”

Tina Seitz said “During transition, I needed spiritual guidance more than ever before, yet the church I attended at the time rejected me. I found another church with an accepting pastor, and things went well. Within a few months though, that pastor was replaced by one that was non-accepting. The last service I went to at that church was when the pastor, speaking about me, delivered a sermon about “good people who defile the church”. Thankfully, I have now found a home within the United Methodist Church. I am now working to help bring an end to the misunderstanding so many people have about transgender people. We only wish to be allowed to live our lives like everybody else.”