The Reconciling Ministries Digest

(Note: Because of the nature of many websites, some of the links to external news sources in this digest may have expired.)

1. New Reconciling Communities in Lafayette, IN and Chicago, IL
2. Justice & Joy: Cup of Justice Award Winner
3. Justice & Joy: Voice in the Wilderness Award Winner
4. Justice & Joy: Hilton Award Winners
5. Justice & Joy: Media Coverage of Rev. David Weekley
6. Justice & Joy: Live Blogging the Convo
7. Justice & Joy: Experience Convo on DVD
8. Justice & Joy: Planned Giving

 New Reconciling Communities in Lafayette, IN and Chicago, IL

As the Reconciling Movement celebrated Justice & Joy, we received the best news possible...two new Reconciling Communities.

Trinity United Methodist Church of Lafayette, Indiana

The new welcome statement includes: “The people of Trinity United Methodist Church follow the gospel of Jesus Christ and are called to share God’s love as we minister with and to all persons providing worship, nurture, fellowship, and service. Our welcome knows no boundaries of age, race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation/identity, economic condition, physical or mental ability…”

You can visit Trinity United Methodist Church at http://www.trinitylafayette.org/

Urban Village Church of Chicago, Illinois

Pastor Trey Hall writes, “It’s a joy to announce that the brand new faith community that we are in the process of planting in the heart of Chicago is a new Reconciling Congregation. We wish to formally affiliate with the Reconciling Ministries Network."

 Justice & Joy: Cup of Justice Award Winner

The Cup of Justice Award is given for taking bold action to invoke justice where injustice, oppression and  exclusion exist. In 2005, the award was presented to the Retired Reconciling Clergy of the New England Annual Conference who made public statements and took action for marriage equality. In 2007, Rebecca (Becca) Cramer, a young adult who shepherded legislation through the Student Forum creating reconciling worship and workshops as part of official programming, was the recipient.

You can view the 2009 nominations in the 8/18/2009 Flashnet.

The Winner: Baltimore-Washington Area Reconciling United Methodists (B-Warm)

B-Warm gathers to receive the Cup of Justice Award

B-WARM is serious when they say they are advocates and organizers in their Annual Conference. Their courage and commitment has allowed them to take on some projects that other groups would only dream of. Among their many efforts, BWARM organized a sit down meeting with their bishop and Conference Board of Church and Society to emphasize how Conference publications and information channels can neglect and marginalize ministries to the LGBT community. By holding others accountable and not accepting the status quo, they have been successful in coordinating local congregations in placing ads in LGBT-oriented newspapers as a source of evangelism and outreach within the LGBT community. They also created a reconciling choir to lead songs of justice and inclusion at their Annual Conference gathering. This group will not accept anything less than full participation and active involvement in shaping their Conference’s mission and identity from the center of the church.

 Justice & Joy: Voice in the Wilderness Award Winner

The Voice in the Wilderness Award is for taking risks, despite isolation in a wilderness, to proclaim the rightness of inclusion for all people in the church, and for standing against injustice despite that lack of support. In 2005, Elsie Vega received this award for her testimony before the South Dakota legislature. In 2007, St. Marks UMC, New Orleans was acknowledged for their work following hurricane Katrina serving the poorest of the poor with the homeless and the prosperous side by side.

You can view the 2009 nominations in the 8/18/2009 Flashnet.

Winner: Rev. David Weekley

Rev. David Weekley and his wife Deborah receive
the Voice in the Wilderness Award

Rev. David Weekley is an ordained elder with over 27 years experience in The United Methodist Church. David currently serves a Japanese-American congregation. Over 30  years ago, he began his transition from female to male and has served his entire career in his identity as a male. Now he is coming out—to his bishop, district superintendent, church, and the world. David has been active in the Reconciling Movement throughout his career; he preached at Corvallis UMC when it voted to become a reconciling congregation and his congregation was the first in the conference to sign the “All Means All Declaration.” His experience is told in an unpublished manuscript entitled “In From The Wilderness.” Despite the isolation of keeping a part of his identity secret, David raises his voice for justice and truth telling.

Please see news articles below.

 Justice & Joy: Hilton Award Winners

The Hilton Award is given to those parents of LGBTQ children who through outstanding compassionate witness and work give significant support to other parents and increased hope for a more inclusive denomination.

Winner: Beverly Cole

Winner: Bob and Betty Dorr

Winner: Gary Pennington (Received by Carolyn Pennington)

 

 Justice & Joy: Media Coverage of Rev. David Weekley

Rev. David Weekley's coming out as transgender hit the Oregon press a week ago last Sunday. He is the second out transgender clergy person in The United Methodist Church after the Rev. Drew Phoenix. Here are the news stories:

"Truth stirs no malice...," Christine McFadden. The Portland Tribune (September 2, 2009).

So far, there hasn’t been the firestorm that the Rev. David Weekley expected. Four days after coming out to his United Methodist Church congregation as a transgender man, the story of Weekley and his 27-year secret is buzzing among local and national circles.

To his great relief, Weekley says, he’s received an overwhelmingly positive response — even from top church leaders, whose reaction he had feared the most.

“We believe that God has called David Weekley to serve as an elder in the United Methodist Church,” said Bishop Robert T. Hoshibata, leader of the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference and Weekley’s most direct supervisor. Hoshibata was the only top United Methodist leader who would comment on the situation, since the church’s administration is split into geographic regions...

"Methodist minister confides to congregation that he is a transgender man," Nancy Haught, The Oregonian (August 30, 2009).

The Rev. David Weekley told the congregation of Epworth United Methodist Church a secret Sunday that he'd kept for 27 years: Almost a decade before his ordination journey began in 1982, he'd undergone counseling and several surgeries and became a transgender man.

The atmosphere inside the small Southeast Portland sanctuary, with its eight rows of wooden pews, was silent as Weekley, 58, married and the father of five adult children, described his earliest memories.

"I knew I was a boy," he said. Growing up near Cleveland, Ohio, he'd played baseball, kick the can, football, caught frogs and let them go...

"Minister kept secret for 27 years," Christine Mcfadden. The Portland Tribune (August 30, 2009).

The Rev. David Weekley grows uncomfortable in his chair.

As soon as he raises the topic of gay rights to his conservative clergyman friend one day at lunch, he knows it’s a mistake.

He knows that the United Methodist Church long ago retained the right to turn away openly gay clergy members.

So Weekley listens to his friend espouse the opinion of the church, and buries his secret deeper. No one can ever find out that Weekley, a married father of five in Southeast Portland and a Methodist clergyman of 27 years, was born female.

Until now, there has been just one openly transgender Methodist clergyman in the U.S. to retain his ordination (That man, Drew Phoenix, 50, had his ordination challenged by members of the church after coming out publicly in 2007 to his congregation in St. John’s of Baltimore United Methodist Church in Maryland.)

 Justice & Joy: Live Blogging the Convo

Leland Spencer live blogged the Convo sharing his notes and impressions from each day. Leland is a lifelong United Methodist, is a PhD student in the department of speech communication at the University of Georgia, where he researches religious rhetoric as it intersects with gender and sexuality. Leland holds an M.A. in Communication from the University of Cincinnati (2009). While in Cincinnati, Leland served as the worship intern at the Wesley Foundation. Leland is a 2007 graduate of Mount Union College, a United Methodist-related school in Alliance, Ohio. Leland served as a part-time local pastor at Mapleton United Methodist Church in the East Ohio Conference from 2005 until 2007 when Leland withdrew from the candidacy process because of the United Methodist Church's exclusive position about the ordination of LGBT persons...

RMN Convo Recap (Part 1)

Greetings from beautiful Estes Park, Colorado. I'm thrilled to be at my second Reconciling Ministries Network Convocation. When I left the convocation in Nashville in 2007, I remarked that I had just had a glimpse at the church as it is truly called to be. I am happy to report that I can echo those sentiments again two years later. I think of the words of hymnist and poet Lesbia Scott:

They lived not only in ages past;
there are hundreds of thousands still.
The world is bright with the joyous saints
who love to do Jesus' will. (UMH, #712)

RMN Convo Recap (Part 2)

Today was fabulous, of course. Below are my notes (and comments) from worship and Bible study.

• Sermon by the Rev. Drew Phoenix
• Bible Study by the Rev. Dr. Elaine Heath (from the East Ohio Conference!)

RMN Convo Recap (Part 3)

Sunday was a great day at convocation. In some ways, blogging about an experience that is so relational-emotional-spiritual is difficult because I can't capture things like exciting dinner conversations or the glory of the moonlight sky with patchy clouds behind gorgeous mountains. I can at least share the ways in which sessions are inspirational and educational, so I invite you to consider my notes (and comments) from yesterday's worship and Bible study.

RMN Convo Recap (Part 4)

After a 2-hour ride to the Denver airport, a 3-hour flight to Atlanta, and a 90-minute ride to Athens, I made it back to Georgia in time for class. The convocation was a wonderful experience, and it's always good to be in such esteemed company. Thanks to everyone who made it fantastic. Here are my notes from Sunday (my editorial comments are parenthetical, as always).

The RMN Blogging Team

Would you like to write for the RMN Blog? If so, review our guidelines and contact antony@rmnetwork.org.

 Justice & Joy: Experience Convo on DVD

Do you want to take your Justice & Joy experience with you? Were you unable to attend but want to experience Justice & Joy for yourself? You may order DVDs of all the main worship services and plenaries.

Justice & Joy DVD Order Form

 Justice & Joy: Planned Giving

Reconciling Ministries Network launched planned giving at Justice & Joy.

How do you move an 11 million member church, spanning four continents and forty-eight countries towards greater inclusiveness?

By strategically planting seeds today that will lead to global transformation tomorrow.

Through Reconciling Ministries Network's new Planned Giving campaign, you can help create a future free from prejudice and discrimination.

Click here for Planned Giving information.