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FLASHNET... 1/13/2010
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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.)
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UMCOR Responds to the Earthquake in Haiti
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The Meaning of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
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Human Relations Day - January 17, 2010
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Looking Back at 2009
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Reconciling Sunday Packets
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Believe Out Loud
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Let Us Pray
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Connect & Contribute
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 UMCOR Responds to the Earthquake in Haiti
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From the office of Bishop Sally Dyck
Minnesota Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
122 W. Franklin Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55404
January 13, 2010
Dear Minnesota United Methodists:
Like me, you may have a heavy heart as you learn about the earthquake that hit the struggling nation of Haiti yesterday.
The Associated Press is reporting that the magnitude 7.0 earthquake has killed thousands. The country is still recovering from hurricanes of previous years. National Public Radio reports United Nations’ estimates that four out of five Haitians live below the poverty line, on less than $2 a day. More than half the population is considered to live in "abject poverty," or on less than a dollar a day.
United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) leaders were already in Haiti as part of an UMCOR team visit with the church in Haiti. UMCOR is awaiting word on the safety of these leaders. The United Methodist Council of Bishops learned that the Michigan, Western North Carolina, and Dakotas conferences all had Volunteers in Mission in Haiti at the time of the earthquake, but all of their VIMs have reported in and are fine.
The people of Haiti desperately need our prayers and assistance. United Methodists are well positioned to provide direct aid efficiently, as the United Methodist Church has a long-standing relationship with Haiti through the Methodist Church of Haiti. The strong ties between the Methodist Church of Haiti and UMCOR helped in facilitating the opening of the UMCOR Haiti field office in 2005.
Please take an offering in your church in the next few weeks. You can provide direct help by giving to the UMCOR Advance 418325, Haiti Emergency. Remember, one hundred percent of your donation will be used to assist those in Haiti who are in greatest need. Not all aid organizations can promise that. This is the safest way to ensure your donation will assist those in need. Further, UMCOR will remain in Haiti for a long time to come, well after other organizations have left.
To learn more about what the United Methodist Church is doing to respond to our Haitian neighbors in great, need, visit www.umc.org. You may also visit www.umcor.org. Please note that the UMCOR web site has been overloaded with concerned visitors and you may not be able to access the site immediately.
This year, we Minnesota United Methodists are exploring the question “Who is my neighbor?” The answer at this moment is clear. We have an urgent opportunity to be neighbor to the people of Haiti. I encourage you to give generously to this Advance.
And please keep the people of Haiti in your prayers.
UMCOR Responds to the Earthquake in Haiti
Contact: Melissa Hinnen, UMCOR Communications 212-870-3808
January 13, 2010 — A major earthquake hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti yesterday, causing widespread destruction. Millions of people are affected and thousands are feared dead. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has close ties with the Methodist Church in Haiti and is responding to the devastating earthquake with funding, material resources and prayers.
UMCOR executive, Melissa Crutchfield says, “We are working with our partners on the ground to provide immediate relief to the people in Haiti. UMCOR has worked in Haiti for many years. We anticipate that there will be years of rebuilding needed and are prepared to work with the people to help them through that process.”
Working with partners, Action by Churches Together, Church World Service, Global Medic and the Methodist Church, UMCOR is channeling its resources to respond effectively to the people most in need.
In a statement to Global Ministries staff, the General Secretary said, “Events such as these can challenge both our faith and sense of security. As a church we know that the heart of our ministry is continuing and extending Jesus Christ’s ministry of outreaching love.”
Staff and Volunteers in Haiti
Volunteers from at least six different United Methodist annual (regional) conferences are in Haiti on mission trips. An email from two Kansas East volunteers reports they are safe in the guest house and, “We have a bunch of refugees in the front had have been giving first aid to those who were hurt, but we cannot get them anywhere at this time. There will be many deaths but it happened right before dark so rescue efforts are hampered. Some phone service and no police or UN radios working.”
Volunteers in Mission (VIM) executive, Clint Rabb, consultant, Jim Gulley and Sam Dixon, the top executive for UMCOR are in Haiti. Says UMCOR executive, Tom Hazelwood, “We have conflicting reports that say they were in a car on the way to the airport and another that they were in the Montana Hotel. We don’t have any absolute confirmation at this time and have not heard from them, but will be sure to communicate any news. Please continue praying.”
How to Help
There will be a great need for volunteers to help rebuild once the initial crisis has settled. At this time, it is not safe or possible for volunteers to go to Haiti. In order to frame a response that is consistent with the churches’ needs, people wishing to volunteer should contact their jurisdictional VIM coordinator to determine when and how to appropriately respond.
Gifts to support UMCOR's Haiti Relief efforts can be made to Haiti Emergency, UMCOR Advance #418325.UMCOR with Advance #418325 Haiti Emergency in the memo line. Checks can be put in the church's offering plate or mailed to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087 Checks can be made to
100% of gifts made to this advance will go to help the people of Haiti.
UMCOR Sager Brown is coordinating a shipment of health kits to provide individuals with basic necessities. Instructions for assembling and shipping health kits are available at http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/getconnected/supplies/health-kit/.
Please pray for all of the people affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Thank you for your faithful support for all of God’s children.
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The Meaning of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
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 By Coretta Scott King, The King Center, www.thekingcenter.org
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday celebrates the life and legacy of a man who brought hope and healing to America. We commemorate as well the timeless values he taught us through his example -- the values of courage, truth, justice, compassion, dignity, humility and service that so radiantly defined Dr. King’s character and empowered his leadership. On this holiday, we commemorate the universal, unconditional love, forgiveness and nonviolence that empowered his revolutionary spirit.
We commemorate Dr. King’s inspiring words, because his voice and his vision filled a great void in our nation, and answered our collective longing to become a country that truly lived by its noblest principles. Yet, Dr. King knew that it wasn’t enough just to talk the talk, that he had to walk the walk for his words to be credible. And so we commemorate on this holiday the man of action, who put his life on the line for freedom and justice every day, the man who braved threats and jail and beatings and who ultimately paid the highest price to make democracy a reality for all Americans.
The King Holiday honors the life and contributions of America’s greatest champion of racial justice and equality, the leader who not only dreamed of a color-blind society, but who also lead a movement that achieved historic reforms to help make it a reality.
On this day we commemorate Dr. King’s great dream of a vibrant, multiracial nation united in justice, peace and reconciliation; a nation that has a place at the table for children of every race and room at the inn for every needy child. We are called on this holiday, not merely to honor, but to celebrate the values of equality, tolerance and interracial sister and brotherhood he so compellingly expressed in his great dream for America...
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Human Relations Day - January 17, 2010
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The History of Human Relations Day
from 2009-12 Pastors' Guide, www.umcgiving.org
The 1972 General Conference established Human Relations Day to promote support for Community Developers, United Methodist Voluntary Services and Police-Community Relations programs. Begun in 1968, the three programs had received support from the churchwide Bishop’s Fund for Reconciliation. In 1989, the Youth Offender Rehabilitation Program replaced the Police-Community Relations Program to respond to the growing population of youth offenders and their need for creative redirection.
Litany for Human Relations Day by The Rev. Sharletta M. Green
from General Board of Discipleship www.gbod.org
The weeping in Ramah (Matthew 2:18) has been loud, and nothing will comfort the cries of mothers whose children will never come home.
Oh God, hear our cries and send healing, change and unity to your land.
Innocent blood cries out from the soil for lives taken because of the color of their skin, their gender, and cultural differences.
Oh God, hear our cries and send healing, change and unity to our land.
We have marched, sung, and run,
We have prayed, watched, and waited for a change to come.
We have buried loved ones, leaders slain in their prime; and our families have suffered for the hatred that has plagued our land.
We've seen our dreams delayed and fade with the passing of time, hoping, praying that a brighter future would come for our children and grandchildren.
We listened to "I have a dream" speeches; we chanted with the crowd "Yes, we can!" We believed in a new day when we too would be seen, treated as accepted, protected as American.
AND, God has heard our cries and is sending healing, change and unity to our land.
We stand together, Black, White, Jews, Gentiles, Muslims, churched and unchurched.
Together we watch the dream become a reality as we put aside our differences and hold hands.
God has heard our cries and is sending healing, change, and unity to our land.
Yes, we celebrate this day our unity in God. Our differences serve as a reminder of how precious each of us is in the human tapestry of life and that the future holds great things for the next generation.
Yes, God has heard our cries. Yes, healing, change, and unity are sweeping the land!
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Looking Back at 2009
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The holidays are over and the new year has begun. The pace of life is beginning to return to normal. Let's take a second to look back at some of the events that have shapped LGBTQ Rights in 2009.
(This is by no means exhaustive. If you would like to suggest an event that you think was missed visit our Facebook discussion by clicking here and let us know.)
January
February
- February 1 — Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir becomes prime minister of Iceland, the first openly gay head of government in the modern world.
- February 9 — Domestic Partnership Registry opens in Phoenix, Arizona.
- February 10 — Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, a Republican, says he supports civil unions
- February 12 —
- February 12 — Hawaii civil unions bill passes the state house on a 33-17 vote.
- February 18 — All five bills called the Common Ground Initiative that would have extended LGBT rights in Utah die.
- February 19 — The North Dakota Senate votes 27 to 19 to amend the state Human Rights Act to include gays, lesbians and transgenders.
- February 20 — A bill to criminalize homosexuality dies in the Burundi Senate.
- February 23 — The Colorado House approves a domestic partner benefits bill that would make it easier for unmarried couples, including gays and lesbians, to make medical decision for incapacitated partners and leave property to their partners.
- February 24 — The Colorado Senate approves a domestic partner benefits bill that would make it easier for unmarried couples, including gays and lesbians, to make medical decision for incapacitated partners and leave property to their partners.
 March
- March 2 - Argentina ends ban on gays in the military.
- March 3 - The Philippines ends ban on gays in the military.
- March 5 - The California Supreme Court meets in San Francisco to hear arguments concerning the validity of Proposition 8.
- March 10, in Tel Aviv, Uzi Even and his life partner was the first same-sex male couple in Israel whose right of adoption has been legally acknowledged.
- March 20 - Denmark legalizes adoption by same-sex couples.
- March 23 - The Vermont Senate passes a bill 26 to 4 legalizing same sex marriage.
- March 26 - Serbian lawmakers give final approval with a majority of 127 votes in favor to 59 against to ban any kind of discrimination, whether based on race, religion, sexual orientation or gender or other factors.
- March 26 - The New Hampshire House voted for gay marriage 186 to 179 after first voting against it, 183 to 182.
- March 27 - Japan has given the green light for its nationals to marry same-sex foreign partners in countries where same-sex marriage is legal.
April
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April 1 - Sweden legalize same sex marriage (effective starting May 1, 2009).
- April 3 - Iowa legalize same sex marriage (effective starting April 27, 2009)
- April 7 - Vermont legalize same sex marriage (effective starting September 1, 2009).
- April 9 - Colorado Governor Bill Ritter (D) signed a domestic partner benefits bill (effective starting July 1, 2009).
- April 16 - Washington Governor Chris Gregoire signed the third stage or the "everything but marriage" domestic partnership bill (effective starting June 1, 2009). She also signed two domestic partnership bills back in 2007 and in 2008.
- April 20 - Hungary's Registered Partnership Bill 2009 passes the Paliament - coming into force from 1 July 2009.
- April 30 - Iowa officials start handing out marriage licences to same-sex couples, after a Supreme Court ruling earlier in April.
To View the Rest of LGBTQ Events that Shaped 2009 Click Here
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Reconciling Sunday Packets
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Each year, all of our Reconciling Congregations are encouraged to celebrate their fully inclusive hospitality in a special Sunday worship service. In 2010, the resource packet for reconciling Sunday includes worship materials as well as congregational packets for any community, interested in participating in the Believe Out Loud Campaign.
When we Believe Out Loud, we participate in a powerful lineage of people of faith. The call to believe out loud can be heard through Rahab who raised her voice by lowering a basket; Moses who led God’s people by remembering who he was; the Canaanite (Syrophoenician) woman who spoke truth to power; and Mary who dared to sing a song of liberation. We too sing songs of liberation as we speak of times we were included, the pain in moments of exclusion, or dream together about a fully inclusive United Methodist Church.
There are as many ways to celebrate Reconciling Sunday as there are Reconciling Communities. This resource packet includes a sample order of worship, bulletin insert and how to guides for a children’s moment, Reconciling miracle minute and RUM drive. Some communities will use this worship service as it is printed, others will selected the parts which are appropriate for their community.
This reconciling packet and the Believe Out Loud community-based campaign will help Reconciling communities live out our Wesleyan heritage by deepening connections between members and encouraging faithful discipleship through stories. When we craft our stories, we remember who we are. When we speak them aloud, we speak truth to power in a denomination with exclusive policies and join our voice in an unending cry for justice.
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Believe Out Loud
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Called to Witness equips Reconciling United Methodists to work for full Inclusion in The United Methodist Church by telling our stories.
Believe Out Loud is the third phase of this strategic national campaign.
In 2010, BOLD Campaign participants will learn to:
- Organize teams effectively
- Create plans for strategic action
- Listen for shared passions and individual talents in storytelling
- Invite supportive United Methodists into the Movement for Full Inclusion
Trained Believe Out Loud Campaign Teams will:
- Plan a Believe Out Loud Discipleship (BOLD) gathering
- Tell their stories of inclusion
- Invite others to move from silent support of LGBT persons into Believe Out Loud Discipleship.
BOLD Disciples are United Methodists who
- Commit – Sign a Reconciling United Methodist (RUM) card.
- Share – Tell their story and invite at least two other people to join the movement.
- Pledge – Donate $10 monthly to the Reconciling Ministries Network.
For more information and training dates, visit www.rmnwitness.org
To get involved in your annual conference team or with a training,
Contact: Audrey Krumbach, RMN Field Organizer / Audrey@rmnetwork.org or 773-736-5526
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Let Us Pray
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We pray for the families of those who have lost loved ones in Haiti because of the earthquake. We pray for the rescue workers we will be arriving that they will be safe.
We pray for the families who in the past year have lost. We pray for a renewed sense of determination as we move forward into 2010. We pray that we might move closer toward making Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of equality a reality.
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.
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Connect & Contribute
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Do you have a story, poem, essay, thoughts, etc. that you would like to see in a future FlashNet? Is your Reconciling Community connected to a social networking group like Facebook or Myspace? If so send an email to James.
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 benefit from you can do so through one of these venues or send it to rmnetworknews@gmail.com.
Come Find Us on These Different Social Networks
     
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Reconciling Ministries Network mobilizes United Methodists of all sexual orientations and gender identities to transform our Church and world into the full expression of Christ’s inclusive love. Founded in 1984, RMN consists of 295 congregations, 36 campus ministries, 84 reconciling communities. Extension ministries include the Parents' Reconciling Network, Reconciling Ministries Clergy, United Methodists of Color for a Fully Inclusive Church, and RMN's student movement, MOSAIC.
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Chicago, IL 60641
Phone: 773-736-5526
Fax: 773-736-5475
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