General Conference 2008

General Conference 2008

Key Information | Stories | Legislation/Strategy | Getting to Fort Worth

Membership: Joey Heath
Ordination: Beth Stroud
Ordination: Drew Phoenix
Marriage: Greg Dell
Marriage: Jimmy Creech
Family: Rev. Bill Taylor

Membership: Joey Heath

Joey Heath was blocked from church membership in South Georgia because of his sexual orientation. Here is his story in his own words as printed in the Summer 2007 issue of Katalyst:

Baptized in a Tacoma, Washington UMC and confirmed at Hinesville First UMC, I have been a member of the United Methodist Church my entire life. During middle and high school, I was really involved with my church youth group, and served as the junior high representative for the Savannah District. For two years, with a seat on the South Georgia conference council on youth ministry, I was a part of planning youth events for the South Georgia conference. In high school, my family switched from the big UMC church in town to a smaller church a little ways out of town, Mount Olivet UMC, where I currently still hold membership.

At Valdosta State University in the fall of 2001, I joined the Wesley Foundation. I loved the ministry. That is when I came to the realization that I had always known about Jesus, but I never really knew him and had not accepted him as my Savior. So that fall I gave my life to Christ and never looked back. After my freshman year, selected as a part of Lifeguard, a traveling youth ministry team of the Georgia Southern University Wesley Foundation, I spent the summer with youth groups all over Georgia. Sophomore year included leadership roles at VSU Wesley Foundation and the youth group at Park Avenue UMC.

Something else happened that summer after my freshman year of college. That summer, I came to the realization that I was attracted to other men...

Full story:
Flashnet 2/6/2008: GC 2008--Membership: Joey Heath's Story
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Ordination: Beth Stroud

On April 27, 2003, Beth Stroud preached the "coming out" sermon mentioned in the bill of charges and specifications brought against her on October 11, 2004 for violating ¶ 2702.1(b) of the Discipline...Here is an excerpt from Beth Stroud's sermon on the morning of April 27, 2003:

I know that, by telling the truth about myself, I risk losing my credentials as an ordained United Methodist minister. And that would be a huge loss for me. But I have realized that not telling the whole truth about myself has been holding me back in my faith. I have come to a place where my discipleship, my walk with Christ, requires telling the whole truth, and paying whatever price truthfulness requires. I don't feel afraid. I feel that God is with me. I feel that I'm doing my best to follow Jesus, and to walk as he walked. I know that God will take care of me. I know that God will bless my truth-telling and my risk-taking as God has blessed my ministry. I believe that somehow, in my taking this step together with FUMCOG, the life and light of Christ will shine in the world. And that's what really matters to me.

Full story:
Flashnet 2/13/2008: GC 2008--Beth Stroud's Coming Out Sermon, Walking in the Light
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Ordination: Drew Phoenix

One May 24, 2007, Drew Phoenix delivered the following statement to the plenary session of the Baltimore-Washington Conference about his gender transition.

Last fall, after a lifelong spiritual journey, and years of prayer and discernment, I decided to change my name from Ann Gordon to Drew Phoenix in order to reflect my true gender identity and to honor my spiritual transformation and relationship with God.

My transition to live fully as the male I know myself to be is very personal and deeply spiritual. As a Christian, I worship God – I AM. People frequently asked Jesus, “Who are you?” His response was, “Who do you say I am?” “Who do YOU say YOU are?”

I believe that our spiritual path is, in great part, the answer to: Who am I? I am ...

I realize that my transition may be confusing and surprising for those of you who have known me for years but were unaware of what I was going through. I am glad that I finally have the opportunity to share.

It is my intention and hope that, by sharing my story – my relationship with God and my spiritual journey – we will commit ourselves to becoming educated about the complexity of gender and gender identity and open ourselves to those in our congregations who identify as transgender.

Full story:
Flashnet 2/20/2008: Ordination and Gender Identity: Statements by Rev. Drew Phoenix
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Marriage: Greg Dell

Despite impending suspension, the Rev. Greg Dell has declared that signing a pledge to no longer perform same-sex union ceremonies would be a "violation" of his ministry.

The United Methodist pastor's comment came after a 13-member jury of his peers found him guilty of conducting such a ceremony last September and decided that he should be suspended on July 1 until he signed a pledge or until the church no longer prohibited the action. Retired Bishop Jack Tuell, who presided over the trial, later amended the date to July 5 to allow Dell to perform a July 3 wedding ceremony.

The penalty was handed down late on March 26, after two long days of testimony and deliberation in the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church. Dell, who is pastor of Broadway United Methodist Church in Chicago, was convicted of a single charge of "disobedience to the Order and Discipline of the United Methodist Church." He said he will consider an appeal.

Full story:
GC 2008--Marriage: Rev. Greg Dell's Trial
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Marriage: Jimmy Creech

A Nebraska church court unanimously convicted the Rev. Jimmy Creech on Nov. 17 for blatantly disobeying the Order and Discipline of the United Methodist Church and defrocked him of his ordination.

During the dawn to dusk trial at Trinity United Methodist Church in Grand Island, a jury of 13 Nebraska clergy unanimously agreed with the church's prosecution that Creech had disobeyed Bishop Joel N. Martinez (Nebraska Area) by performing on April 24 a same-sex union ceremony in Chapel Hill, N.C. for Larry Ellis and Jim Raymer against the bishop's written prohibition. Such an action by a United Methodist minister is forbidden by the Book of Discipline, the church's book of laws.

Following his early afternoon conviction, the trial's judge, Bishop William Boyd Grove of Charleston, W. Va., sent the jury back to determine a punishment. According to church law, they could expel Creech from the church, withdraw his ordination credentials, suspend him or give him a lesser sentence. The jury of 11 men and 2 women deliberated for two hours before determining that Creech's ordination should be withdrawn, both elder and deacon orders. This sentence means that he is no longer an ordained minister of the United Methodist Church.

Full story:
GC 2008--Marriage: Jimmy Creech's Trials
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Family: Rev. Bill Taylor

Rev. Bill Taylor was recently forced to leave his church after refusing to condemn his gay son. Here is his story in his own words. The photograph on the right is of Roxanne and Bill Taylor.

In 2001, as I was finishing my tenure on the Bishop’s cabinet, where I had served as the Texarkana District Superintendent, I was thrilled to be appointed to First United Methodist Church in Conroe, Texas. Roxanne was hired to teach Government and Economics at Conroe High School. We were well received into the Conroe community and into the church.

For the first five years at Conroe First I had a magnificent ministry. The church grew from about 2400 to about 3100, while the budget doubled from just over $1 million to just over $2 million.

And then the wheels came off. My eldest child, Dawson, is gay. When I went to Conroe I didn’t know that. On a tearful night in the den of the parsonage Dawson told us that he was different. Even though I had suspected this, when he shared his sexual orientation with his mother and me, my world caved in. For a year I prayed fervently that God would change Dawson and make him “normal” – a heterosexual like his parents – or I asked God to change me to be fully accepting of him, his sexuality, and his life. My prayers were answered. Slowly, not even realizing that I was changing, I began to be accepting, not only of Dawson, but of all who are a part of the LGBT community.

Full story:
GC 2008--Family: Rev. Bill Taylor
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