"Uncharted" was the theme of last week's Reconciling Convocation in Madison Wisconsin.
For the first time ever, the convo was sponsored by 52 Annual Conferences (including our own), General Boards and agencies sent representatives, several Bishops attended openly and proudly and representatives from Africa, Europe, the Korean clergy network and the Philippines attended. All because the funding ban had been lifted at the last General Conference when the discriminatory language was removed from the Book of Discipline (BOD).
The General Conference changes removed the mandated discrimination but there is still the option to discriminate and inclusion still depends on your zipcode. The BOD may now be more neutral about LGBTQ folks, but as Bishop Tutu reminded us, neutrality in the face of injustice supports oppression. Nothing in our history suggests that once the law changes, the rest will take care of itself. We are far from being done with living into the baptismal vows we've already taken to resist evil and injustice in whatever forms they present themselves.
And yet there was a new spirit of UBUNTU (I am what I am because of who we all are) present–this relational understanding working across identities for the gospel. Our future may be uncharted, we do not yet have a path, but we have a dream of liberation and for building the kin-dom of God.
And it was joyous to have the Reconciling Ministries Network at the center of this coalition building for the future. They are committed to intersectional justice across and beyond the UM connection working for the full participation of all LGBTQ+ people through the life and leadership of the church.
I invite you to join me in becoming a reconciling United Methodists and a Wellspring monthly donor to the cause. Together, we are not just building a moment, we're building a movement.
Peace,
RevKelly
PS. Don't forget to join us for blueberry picking this Saturday, details below!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.