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 NC, DC, TX & OH
2. Transgender Day of Remembrance by Violet Fenn
3. Project Examines Black / LGBT Struggles
4. Tampa Council Approves Transgender Protection
5. World AIDS Day
6. Get Connected With Reconciling Ministries
7. Let Us Pray for You

 New Reconciling Communities in NC, DC, TX & OH

Reconciling Ministries is excited to announce new Reconciling Communities:

(1) Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C. adopted the following welcome statement on October 31st, 2009 and voted to become a Reconciling Congregations.

Just as Jesus Christ invited everyone, so we seek to faithfully extend Christ’s life-giving welcome to all people. Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church recognizes that diversity is one of the greatest expressions of God’s creativity, presence and grace. As a congregation, we are grateful for the many differences apparent in our community and in our experiences of God. We welcome all people into the life of this church, and celebrate and give thanks for our diversity of race, ethnicity, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical and mental ability, faith background, economic status, appearance, marital condition, political persuasion, education, and life experience. We hope you will join us as we continue to discover how we can most faithfully include, learn from, and grow with all people in our community.

Learn more about Mt. Vernon Place UMC in Washington D.C. at http://www.mvpumc.org/

(2) Grace Notes Sunday School Class of the First UMC of Denton Texas became a Reconciling Community on October 22, 2009.  By adopting the following statement, Grace Notes provides prophetic leadership to their local church, the North Texas Annual Conference and the entire United Methodist connection.

As believers in open hearts, open minds, and open doors, we affirm that all people are created in the image of god, and all are worthy of God’s love and grace.  We celebrate diverse  abilities and recognize the sacred worth and dignity of all persons regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, age, ethnicity, faith history, education, family configuration, or economic status.  We are committed to the reconciliation of all persons as children of God and we invite all people to join us in our faith journey toward greater love, understanding and mutual respect. 

Learn more about First UMC of Denton, Texas at http://www.fumc-denton.com/

 

(3) Two Adult Sunday School Classes at Asbury UMC in Delaware, Ohio have passed the following welcoming statements as encouragement to their congregation to publically extend their welcome to all persons.  Faith & Issues, Living the Question and Spiritual Journey classes affirmed this statement in the summer of 2009. 

Asbury’s adult Sunday School classes are called to share God’s love in ministry with and to ALL people.  We constantly seek to show that God’s love knows no boundaries such as race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity, economic condition, educational background, physical and mental condition. 

Learn more about Asbury UMC in Delaware, Ohio at http://www.asburyohio.org

(4) Journey of Faith United Methodist Church, in Round Rock Texas has voted unanimously to adopt the following welcome statement and affiliate as a Reconciling Church.  From the first days of this church start, Journey of Faith UMC has been a welcoming and accepting community; on October 18, 2009 they integrated their fully inclusive welcome into the community’s new mission statement:

Journey of Faith United Methodist Church is a grace filled community which offers a safe placed to ask the tough question of life in an atmosphere of unconditional acceptance.

As a United Methodist Church we are proud to be a church with open hearts, open minds and open doors and we invite you to become a part of God’s amazing grace through our church family.  Wherever you are on your journey of faith, you are welcome in this place.  We proclaim this statement of welcome to all who have known the pain of exclusion and discrimination within the church. We celebrate our diversity and recognize the sacred worth and dignity of all persons regardless of sexual orientation, gender, race, age, ethnicity, physical or mental capacity, education or economic or marital status.

At the same time, we recognize there are differences of opinion among us.  We do not  seek to erase our differences.  We welcome all in our journey together in faith toward greater understanding the mutual respect. 

Learn more about Journey of Faith at http://www.jofumc.org/

(5) Green Street Church: A United Methodist Congregation in Winston-Salem, NC voted in October 2009 to become a Reconciling congregation as they adopted the following welcome statement.    Green street engaged in educational programs, participated in the Called to Witness All Means All campaign, and  shared their stories together as they discerned a fully inclusive welcome.    Green Street is proud to take this step forward in leadership for the future of The United Methodist Church.

Green Street United Methodist Church is called to the ministry of the sacred worth of all people.  We embrace as a gift the diversity of our neighborhood and the world.  We celebrate our human family’s diversity of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, age, faith history, economic status, marital status, physical and mental ability, education, and any other difference, real or perceived.  We affirm that all people are created in the image of God and as beloved children of God, all are worthy of God’s love and grace.  We welcome the full inclusion of all people in the life and ministries of Green Street United Methodist Church as we journey toward reconciliation through Christ.  We recognize that there are differences among us, but believe we can love alike even though we may not think alike.  We proclaim this statement of welcome to all who have known the pain of  exclusion and discrimination in the church or in society and know that everyone’s participation in our ministries enriches us.  We invite all people to join us in our faith journey toward greater love, understanding, and mutual respect. 

Learn more about the Green Street United Methodist  Congregation http://www.greenstreetchurch.org 

 Transgender Day of Remembrance by Violet Fenn

The History of Transgender Day of Rememberance

The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Rita Hester’s murder — like most anti-transgender murder cases — has yet to be solved. For more history visit http://www.gender.org/remember/day

For information about vigils in your area, visit International Day of Remembrance.

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Transgender Day of Remembrance by Violet Fenn

Today is the Transgender Day of Remembrance. Today many memorial services will be held around the world to remember the lives of men and women that were killed because of they were transgendered. As of November 11th, eighty-eight (11 in the U.S) beautiful children of God are no longer with us because of hatred and bigotry at its worst.

I am a transwoman. Though I have never been a victim of a violent attack, I have experienced bigotry. In June, I was asked not to return to the Sunday school class I was part of at the UMC church I was a member of. Most of the members of the class knew me before I began my gender transition and promised their support. Needless to say, when I was asked not to come back, I was shocked and hurt. Not only that, I was baffled that a church professes “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors” could deny one of its members the fellowship of others simply because of gender identity. I was told that had I been a gay man or a lesbian, there wouldn’t have been any issues.

Unfortunately, situations similar to this are far too common within the Methodist Church. The UMC has no doubt lost many members that are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer and has lost many who are our allies simply because of discrimination.

I did not give up on the UMC; I truly believe that it can be fully open and inclusive. Last year, a step in the right direction was made when a resolution against homophobia and heterosexism was passed by the 2008 General Conference. One section in particular rings out: “THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that The United Methodist Church strengthen its advocacy of the eradication of sexism by opposing all forms of violence or discrimination based on gender, gender identity, sexual practice or sexual orientation.” How do we as United Methodists put this into practice? By practicing openness and authenticity.

We practice openness when we live unashamed of our gender identity or sexual orientation. We practice openness when we tell others that as straight allies we love and are welcoming to our LGBT brothers and sisters. We practice openness when we proclaim that violence and discrimination towards the LGBT community is wrong.

We practice authenticity when we put those words and thoughts into action.

On this day, I also remember the incredible contributions that many in the trans community have made. In my own journey, UMC minister Rev. David Weekley and Dr. Laura Arrowsmith, the leader of the transgender support group I attend, have made a huge and positive impact.

While I grieve for the fallen, I also grieve the exclusion of transgendered men and women in the Church. When we are fully inclusive, we honor Christ’s intention for the Church and repent of the sin of exclusion. By authentically practicing inclusion, we keep hope alive, honor the memory of the fallen and honor the world’s amazing diversity.

For more resources please visit our FlashNet! from last years Transgender Day of Rememberance. In this issue you can find How Trans-Inclusive is Your Reconciling Community?and Celebrating the Gifts and Graces of Transgender Folk  both articles are excellent resources to help you make your faith community more trans-inclusive.

 Project Examines Black / LGBT Struggles

William Burks, Windy City Times, 2009-11-18, www.windycitytimes.com

Marilyn Bennett and the Rev. Gil Caldwell see the dialogue between the LGBT and African-American Christian communities as a challenging one.

Caldwell is a 75-year-old heterosexual African-American clergyman, and Bennett is a 47-year-old white lesbian. The two are collaborating in a multimedia endeavor they call "Truth in Progress," covering the history of the LGBT and Black civil-rights movements, particularly as they experienced them in working together for LGBT equality in the United Methodist Church ( UMC ) .

Their shared history extends back a decade, when they found themselves on the same side of the fight within the UMC to extend full rights to members of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Once their paths converged, they shared conversations, meetings and marches in support of their goal. They were arrested twice at the 2000 General Conference of the UMC for their peaceful disruption of the proceedings. Yet, the church did not offer full equality to its LGBT members: non-celibate gay or lesbian Methodists cannot become ministers in the UMC.

Caldwell, whose activism in the civil-rights movement extends to the 1963 March on Washington and Selma and Montgomery marches of 1965, co-founded United Methodists of Color for a Fully Inclusive Church—advocating full inclusion of LGBT members—in 2000. He was also recently named to the national board of Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays ( PFLAG ) . Bennett, who has spent much of her career in LGBT advocacy, served for five years as executive director of the Chicago-based Reconciling Ministries Network, an organization of LGBT-supportive UMC churches. Caldwell remains a UMC minister, now retired, while Bennett has left the church.

To read the full article visit www.windycitytimes.com

 Tampa Council Approves Transgender Protection

by Christian M. Wade, The Tampa Tribune, November 19, 2009, www.tbo.com

Brushing aside a chorus of opposition from evangelical groups, the city council today voted to expand anti-discrimination laws to include transgender individuals.

The measure, which amends laws prohibiting discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations based on sexual orientation, sex, race and religion to include "gender identity or expression" as a protected class, was approved 5 to 1.

Councilman Charlie Miranda voted no. Councilwoman Linda Saul Sena, who previously voted for the changes, was out of the country.

The vote followed testimony from more than 60 people on either side of the controversial issue, who packed council chambers to voice their support or opposition to the measure.

Members of several Christian evangelical groups and other opponents called the move an assault on their religious values they fear will sanction sexually deviant behavior.

To read the full article visit Tampa Bay Online

 World AIDS Day

Resolution #153: Each year, World AIDS Day is observed on December 1. It is a time for special programs on HIV/AIDS education and religious worship services that focus on intercessory and healing prayer, hope in God, and love and compassion in the midst of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. We recommend that United Methodists be encouraged to observe World AIDS Day on or around December 1. We further recommend that voluntary offerings be given to "Global HIV/AIDS Program Development" (UMCOR Advance #982345). (Resolution Adopted at the 2004 General Conference)

Materials for World AIDS Day are available each year from the following: UNAIDS, General Board of Church & Society and General Board of Global Ministries

 Get Connected With Reconciling Ministries

Reconciling Ministries Network strives to provide its members with current and relevant news through a multitude of outlets. Take a moment to visit some of the links below to view our news articles, discussions and videos.  If you would like to submit news that you feel others would benifit from you can do so through one of these venues or send it to rmnetworknews@gmail.com.

 Let Us Pray for You

We pray for the family of Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado a 19-year-old gay man who was brutally murdered in Puerto Rico last week. We pray that his family might find a peace that surpasses all understanding.  We pray for the millions of other LGBTQ persons who live in fear and oppression. We pray that they will find freedom. We pray also for the families of the 119 people whose lives were brutally ended.

Please let us be part of your support and let us know how we might help. One way is to let us pray for you. We invite you to send your prayer requests to us and be counted in the weekly offering of joys and concerns. You may email these requests to prayer@rmnetwork.org.