Four New Reconciling Communities!

Fairmount Avenue United Methodist Church of St. Paul, Minnesota

Fairmount Avenue UMC involved several community resources while engaging in discussions about becoming a Reconciling Congregation. These resources included inviting the local Hamline University‘s Social Justice Theater Troupe to perform, a performance by a part of the Minnesota GLBT choir, “One Voice,” and a photo display of families of all configurations. Other studies and discussions included the film “For the Bible Tells Me So” and two months of studies on the Biblical and United Methodist approaches to human sexuality.

On Sunday, May 20th, the congregation gathered and voted to adopt the following welcoming statement and officially become a Reconciling Congregation:

Recognizing that we are all children of God and individuals of sacred worth, we welcome all God’s people. We are called to practice unconditional love, and therefore we accept all persons regardless of sexual orientation and gender identities. By declaring ourselves to be a Reconciling Congregation, Fairmount Avenue United Methodist Church joins many other United Methodist churches in working to eliminate prejudice and discriminatory practices in ourselves and our communities.

To learn more about this exciting congregation, visit them online at http://www.faumc.net.

Wesley United Methodist Church of Washington, DC

Wesley UMC has served northwest Washington DC for over 170 years in several locations and neighborhoods, but with a constant commitment to the teachings of Jesus and serving all people. Wesley embodies a creative approach to connectional ministries, currently as a member of the Metropolitan Memorial Cooperative Parish. The cooperative parish is a DC urban ministry of three parishes who share the Gospel in creative ministries together.

Wesley UMC voted in the fall of 2010 to adopt the following mission statement and become a Reconciling Congregation. RMN is excited to belatedly celebrate their explicitly inclusive ministry!

Wesley United Methodist Church is an upbeat, multi-ethnic, international church in northwest Washington D.C., and part of the Metropolitan Memorial Cooperative Parish. We are a joyful and inclusive community of faith, deeply rooted in the teachings of Jesus, and ecumenical in spirit. As a congregation, we seek to embody what we long for the world to become: welcoming of all persons, including people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, respectful of earth and its creatures, concerned for justice and human well-being, alive with the arts, embracing of children, eager to defend the underprivileged and the vulnerable, open to grow and learn. We believe our faith calls us individually and corporately to practice love and reconciliation and thus join Christ’s Spirit in building a better world.

Learn more about the congregation at http://www.wesleydc.org and about the entire cooperative parish at http://www.nationalchurch.blogspot.com/.

St. John’s United Methodist Church of Dover, New Hampshire

On February 5, 2012 the congregation of St. John’s UMC voted to become a Reconciling Congregation. This vote was the conclusion of a two-and-a-half-year process of education, discernment, and discussion. After the thoughtful education, the congregation also invited the bishop’s assistant to speak at the church to reassure the congregation that becoming reconciling would not adversely affect individuals or the community’s status as United Methodists. To become a Reconciling Congregation, the congregation overwhelmingly supported adopting the following reconciling statement:

At St. John’s UMC in Dover, NH we affirm God’s redeeming love for all, and believe each person possesses sacred worth and dignity. We are one in Christ, celebrating our diversity, acknowledging our differing options, beliefs, and Biblical interpretations. St. John’s, a Reconciling Congregation, welcomes all persons regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, age, ethnicity, physical or mental capacity, education, economic status, or marital status, to full participation in the life and ministries of this church.

St. John’s can be found online at http://www.stjohnsdover.org.

Refuge Group of the Denton Wesley Foundation of the North Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church

Denton, Texas is the home of almost 50,000 university students at three different colleges and universities. The North Texas Annual Conference seeks to provide a welcoming ministry and empower these 50,000 students through the Denton Wesley Foundation.

Within the Wesley Foundation, members of the Refuge Bible Study Group have voted unanimously to become a Reconciling Community and celebrate their explicit inclusion of all sexual orientations and gender identities by adopting the following statement:

We believe that homosexuality is compatible with Christian teaching. Through the revelations of Holy Scripture, personal experiences, relationships, and encounters, we believe that our Creator God is actively reconciling all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, religious background, or mental or physical capacity. We invite and encourage all LGBTQ and allied college students in the Denton area to join us in our efforts to promote reconciliation and spiritual growth, as we strive to follow the example of Jesus Christ, who sought to transform the world with his message of radical acceptance, forgiveness, and love.

To learn more about this group, visit http://www.dentonwesley.org.

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