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In 1984, I attended my first General Conference in Baltimore as a seminary student. I carried a once-upona-time hopefulness born of romanticized sentiment about the church of Jesus Christ and our Wesleyan part of it. That year, our movement, led by Affirmation, carried a similar hopefulness. The child-like exuberance continues today. Some bring hope for acceptance. Some bring energy for changes. Some bring commitment to fight for justice regardless the cost. Some bring wide smiles and big eyes to make a difference. Perhaps you will go to Tampa, Florida for General Conference in 2012 eager that this is the time for your once-upon-a-time hopefulness. Unfortunately, there has been no And they ALL lived happily ever after! At each of the General Conferences Ive attended, St. Louis, Louisville, Denver, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Ft. Worth, I have had moments when the warmedheart of my Wesleyan evangelical experience confronted the renewed exclusions of United Methodist institutional policies and practices. I havent been alone. Many of you shared them while crying on bleachers, screaming in balconies, chanting on sidewalks, and singing in jail cells. When the inner faith of Gods assuring grace meets the outer reality of denominational barriers, it is difficult to surmount.
by Audrey Krumbach Growing up in small town Georgia, our standard reply to a dare was I-might-could-if. This single word expresses bravado, fear, and a pride-saving request for help. When my timid best friend asked if I would audition for the drama club, I replied, I-might-could-if you will try out with me. When she said yes, we screamed in terror but both ended up with parts. When people ask if I expect the 2012 General Conference
to vote for full inclusion, I think, they-might-could-if you tell them your story! Love Your Neighbor is the fifth and final year of the Called to Witness campaign where we have been building relationships, perfecting our public narrative skills and organizing in strong teams. This year, the Love Your Neighbor campaign will mobilize United Methodists from across our connection to engage in holy conferencing with continued on pg 3
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by Siobhan Sargent Last March I had the pleasure of participating in the worship service of Lakewood United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg Florida. After several months of serving Floridas AC as a Jurisdictional Organizer and becoming acutely aware of the challenges and pitfalls that the LGBTQ community face in this conference, I recognized their invitation to share my story as a profound and intentional act of love. It was a gift to stand in the pulpit that Sunday morning and feel the full presence of the body of Christ as an inclusive and affirming community to all individuals regardless of age, race, gender, class or sexual orientation. In June, Rev. Tracy Hunter, pastor of Lakewood UMC, along with gifted lay-leadership worked with other Reconciling United Methodists throughout Florida to organize their first ever Annual Conference Witness. Together they took important steps forward in Floridas conference, sponsoring legislation, building visibility and continuing to offer safe space for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in our church. Engaging a conference that still holds deep hostility towards our LGBTQ brothers and sisters, Lakewood UMC provides in many of its ministries an opportunity for healing and
RECONCILING MINISTRIES NET WORK mobilizes United Methodists of all sexual orientations and gender identities to transform our Church and world into the full expression of Christs inclusive love.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Brian Adkins Helen Andrew Rev. Bonnie Beckonchrist Rachel Birkhahn-Rommelfanger Vincent Cervantes Rev. Dr. Daniel Diss Jayson Kerr Dobney Giselle Lawn Rev. Dr. Pamela R. Lightsey Madelyn Marsh Rev. David Meredith Rev. Joshua M. Noblitt Rev. John Oda Rev. Dr. Karen Oliveto Rev. Dr. Bruce Robbins Rev. Dr. Derrick Spiva Monica L. Swink Bishop Melvin G. Talbert Joy T. Watts RMN STAFF David Braden Director of Development Meg Carey Business Manager James Dalton Communication/IT Coordinator Rachel Harvey, Deaconess Associate Executive Director Ted Jackson Administrative Assistant Audrey Krumbach, M.Div. Field Organizer Rev. Troy Plummer Executive Director
reconciliation. One of only two Reconciling Congregations in Florida, this congregation has been on the forefront of moving towards a more inclusive United Methodist Church by stepping out through its work with RMN and confronting the structures of oppression and silence that have long abused the spiritual and material wellbeing of Gods LGBTQ children. Looking ahead to General Conference 2012 in Florida, the road ahead will not be easy but with congregations like Lakewood UMC participating in year five of RMNs Called to Witness Campaign, Love Your Neighbor, I am confident that the possibilities of what we can accomplish together are endless. This amazing congregation, no doubt helps set the tone as a living embodiment of what it means to love your neighbor as yourself.
Church of the Incarnation UMC in Arlington Heights, IL Christ UMC in Salt Lake City, UT Desert Mission UMC in Scottsdale, AZ First UMC in Pittsburgh, PA Hillview UMC in Boise, ID La Tijera UMC in Los Angeles, CA Mequon UMC in Mequon, WI University UMC in Syracuse, NY Northbrook UMC in Northbrook IL Happy Heretics SS Class at St. John's UMC in Austin, TX Journeys Class at Westlake UMC in Austin,TX Kairos Sunday School Class of Belmont UMC in Nashville, TN Reconciling Ministries Community of Central UMC in Traverse City, MI United Campus Ministry at Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR
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Congregations:
Communities:
continued from pg 1 General Conference delegates. Beginning in August of 2011, we will seek to obey Jesus command to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31) by telling our stories and building relationships with United Methodists from every walk of life and theological position. Together, Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA) Chapters, Affirmation members and Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN) Annual Conference Teams in fifty four Annual Conference areas will recruit, support and coach Love Your Neighbor volunteers who will learn to tell their stories and build relationships with General Conference delegates. Campaign Goals and Outcomes: 22 Jurisdictional Organizers will train and coach volunteers 54 RMN-ACTs and MFSA Chapters will host Love Your Neighbor training events 1500 Love Your Neighbor Volunteers will gather and practice Holy Conversations through storytelling, intentional listening, and one-to-one meeting skills Each delegate living in the US who will attend the 2012 UMC General Conference will be contacted and hear the stories of two Love Your Neighbor volunteers
Get Involved Visit http://www.loveyourneighbor2011.org Invite United Methodists to attend the Love Your Neighbor training events Publicize Love Your Neighbor training events Provide hospitality and logistics for Love Your Neighbor training events Attend and support Love Your Neighbor training events Meet with one or two General Conference Delegates Support team members who are practicing their stories Plan local events during General Conference
from shock over hostile responses to their testimony to direct action. They organized. Through emails, phone calls, and personal visits, they recruited and empowered 80 Mississippians to the first Believe Out Loud training. Over one weekend, they mobilized over 80 signers who successfully passed a Sacred Conversations legislation at the Mississippi Annual Conference, which Bishop Ward is implementing. In the midst of this, Connie and Renee created a team, growing their list of Reconciling United Methodists in Mississippi from 36 to over 200! Along the way they have become Mississippi Moms to many in the wilderness longing for family.
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The Methodists have a lot of gay ministers. The church takes our money, takes all kinds of gifts we bring, but we cant get married or have other rights. We should. Being here, I am awestruck. Im overjoyed. And I would never have known about any of this, if I hadnt met Julie (Photo left). Julie was going to the conference, and I decided two days before to come with her. I feel like Im home. I am excited. I want to know more. I want to know where I could fit in to possibly even help. Every time I learn something, I share it. Im involved with the teenagers. They want to know how they can be accepted. So I share my story with them. I want to put it out there, that the Methodist Church is a loving, inclusive place. And for members of Reconciling Congregations like my own, I want them to know that they can do more than just be a member.
Jane: Ill take away trying to get away from the discrimination. I never knew there were avenues to go about change, but now I can see theres something I can do; maybe Im only one drop in the ocean, but a drop can make a wave. Im just very much glad I came; to see what I didnt even know was going on. This has been an amazing eye opener; a window to see what my daughter is doing [Rachel Harvey]. I cant imagine being more proud. Israel: There are restrictive laws against gays, and I think its wrong. I understand more about the LGBT community and in a different way now. I just see people; people God loves. The church needs to show Gods love for all people. I just think about LGBT individuals who have committed suicide or not been loved or touched, and I cant even understand that people make laws to exclude them. Im not leaving the same. Its been a wonderful experience. I really enjoyed myself.
by Rev. Troy Plummer Some of our most self-avowed practicing United Methodists faithfully gather every four years at our international legislative convention known as General Conference (GC). United Methodists from around the world will be at the next GC from April 24-May 5 in Tampa, Florida. Every four years, we get the opportunity to alter our rules of life as United Methodists in a Wesleyan effort to move on to perfection. This past February, RMN, MFSA, and Affirmation leaders from California, Minnesota, Tennessee, Washington DC and Illinois began planning for this Tampa mission trip. Building upon many years of coalition work, we expanded our coordinated efforts to launch the Love Your Neighbor campaign. This expansion includes: grassroots organizing to build relationships with General Conference delegates multi-lingual website resource for constituents and delegates central conference relationships coordinator staff person onsite advance teams in Tampa for early delegate arrivals onsite strategic witness and legislative teams
From Left to Right: Rev. Troy Plummer, Jill Warren, Tim Tennant-Jayne, Ann Craig, Steve Clunn, Walter Lockhart to resource delegates decision making coordinated media plan for domestic and international United Methodists Centering on the Great Commandment, which directs us to love God and love our neighbor through the example of the Good Samaritan, challenges us and our church at GC to: love your neighbor who isnt just like you. You are invited to join us in this journey! To volunteer, visit www.mfsaweb. org.
by Rev. Troy Plummer Launched at the Minnesota Annual Conference this year, nearly 1,000 United Methodist clergy have signed on to conduct marriages for LGBT persons now! Eleven annual conferences are creating an altar for all where supporting faithfulness and fidelity for loving couples is not dependent upon sexual orientation. To locate a clergy person in these annual conferences, visit: http://www.rmnetwork.org/actnow/altar-for-all. Even with one local clergy case pending, another Minnesota pastor exclaimed, Publicly signing the statement brought joy back into ministry. I felt lighter. These clergy are calling leaders, laity and the whole UMC to abide by the highest calling of the Gospel by making the ministries of the church available to all members. Ordained and lay leaders know that for them and every person there comes a moment to decide and these faith leaders are choosing pastoral ministry rather than legalisms. Rev. Dr. Phil Wogaman states, In the aftermath of the Amy DeLong trial, I'll guess that further trials are much less likely. The penalty established quite clearly that even if there is a trial there is much less likely to be loss of ordination. So one can credibly claim that there are situations where performing such ceremonies is the higher pastoral responsibility. In light of that, I believe it is a mistake even to treat performing such ceremonies as necessarily being contrary to the Discipline!
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continued from pg 1 exclusion have been enacted. Nevertheless, the sign remains Brush the teeth you want to keep. Each quadrennium we return to purposefully persevere in our engagement of the powers. Although I go to GC2012 hopeful and to do what it takes to restore health to our denomination, neither is my primary motivation this year. As Wesleyans, you and I practice our faith using means of grace and other spiritual disciplines. Therefore, Im going to General Conference to practice! With Gods help, I pledge to practice discipleship, practice loving my neighbor, practice being the church for ALL people, practice holy conversations that honor conflict at a table of commitment and inclusion, practice witnessing to Christs redeeming love in everything I say, do and indeed who I am, practice reforming the church by the power of the Spirit, practice growing the church one person and faith community at a time, and practice carrying the gospel of Jesus Christ around the globe to the ends of the earth. Friends, Im going to practice the old, old story in a new, new song. I hope youll sing along. When a New Yorker was asked by a tourist, How do you get to Carnegie Hall? she answered, Practice, practice, practice. How do we get to a fully-inclusive United Methodist church? How do we get to the embodied reign of God on earth? Practice, practice, practice.
by David Braden Like many young Christians of my generation, I first learned about the story of the Good Samaritan on felt board. On the backdrop of a sky blue bulletin board with a desert scene strewn with rocks and a worn path, we watched our Sunday school teacher animate the felt figures. From felt figures to VeggieTales to classic bible study, Sunday school classes across the world teach young children the story of the Good Samaritan because it illustrates the depth of care and love we are to share with others who are different from us. It personifies the Greatest Commandment to Love God and Love Your Neighbor. At RMN, we have spent the past several months designing our grassroots organizing and media campaign strategies with our coalition partners for Love Your Neighbor. More than ever before, RMN is poised to change the discriminatory policies of The United Methodist Church to support the full inclusion of all Gods people. At Sing A New Song, RMN and MFSA raised $52,576 in support of our collaborative efforts to build relationships with United Methodists across the world as well as advance
Drew Phoenix was honored by Jen Ihlo Jimmy Creech was honored by Joan Byerhof Rev. Amy DeLong was honored by Amanda Stein Amy DeLong, Sam Byrd, Jared Littleton Maureen Vetter was honored by Catherine Denman were honored by Joy Watts Dr. Brian Watson was honored by Charles Chipman Rev. Dr. Jean Hawxhurst was honored by Leonard Sjogren RMN Staff were honored by Chip Aldridge Rev. Bob Epps was honored by Stephen Ham Fairness and Equality were honored Ed and Janelle Armstrong by John Dahl and Claire Dahl were honored by Therese Armstrong Rev. Vern Groves was honored by David Poindexter The Dorr Family was honored by Will Green Mary Kraus and Drew Phoenix were honored by Ella Curry Bishop Jack Tuell was honored by Woodland Park UMC Hillview UMC, Boise, ID was honored by Janine Watkins In Memory of... Amee Miller & Jim Paparello Bishop Mel Wheatley is remembered by Gene Hawthorne were honored by Jann Nestell Alice Shelton is remembered by Judy Shelton Bonnie Beckonchrist, April Hall Cutting, Kathi McShane, and Bruce Robbins were honored by Jeanne Audrey Powers