Overstatement

The Courant seems to love stories like this….

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:01:26 -0400

The Courant seems to love stories like this….

If now, then also later…

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:55:05 -0400

If now, then also later…

Slowed down...

Tue, 20 May 2008 11:47:14 -0400

My blogging has slowed down since I returned from General Conference.

To all my many fans: don’t worry - I’ll be back in true form soon enough.

Membership in RCRC Affirmed (barely)

Fri, 02 May 2008 16:27:28 -0400

A last day controversial issue was our membership in the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. By a very narrow margin, our membership was retained. I worked with Planned Parenthood New York when I pastored there and helped them construct a clergy statement entitled ”Reproductive Justice in a Just Society,” so I’m happy that we will continue to support reproductive justice, though I am concerned about the narrow margin.

Winding down....

Fri, 02 May 2008 15:31:47 -0400

Well, things are winding down here at GC 2008. I must say that I have not paid as much attention to the legislative process as I might have liked. I noticed the big things, but I imagine there are many little things that passed under my radar screen that will pop up later. It’s been an interesting experience.

To be honest, the whole thing seemed a little more low key than past conferences. I didn’t feel the presence of the caucuses as much as in the past. There was a real effort to focus on “conferencing” as opposed to “fighting.” And, on the hot-button sexuality issues, not much changed.

We did revive a focus on mission, which was refreshing. The Nothing But Nets campaign was a central focus, with Bishop Bickerton’s basketball becoming a very successful fund-raising tool. We also emphasized our four areas of focus and seven pathways. And there was much good to celebrate and rejoice in - lives saved from malaria, a renewed focus on HIV/AIDS, a recommitment to combat poverty, an emphasis on new church starts. The main highlight for me was our worship, which was creative, energetic, diverse and high-quality. The preaching was generally excellent and inspiring, the music beautiful and moving.

I have often wondered what General Conference really means. I still do. It seldom seems to touch the basic mechanics of the local church, and when I return to my congregation I wonder what difference GC really made. My experience is very little. Churches that are open to gays remain so. Churches that are homophobic remain so. Churches that are growing continue to grow. Churches in decline continue to shrink. To be sure, local churches do change, but seldom is it because of an action at GC.

Does that make GC irrelevant? I guess I am starting to think that GC is increasingly meaningless, though not yet irrelevant. It is increasingly engaged in conversations that aren’t that interesting, debating issues that it can’t resolve, struggling with funding agencies and institutions that seem disconnected from the realities of the local church. Perhaps that is a bit jaded - the agencies do provide much to the local church - but I can’t help but think that local churches just keep on doing their thing, and GC just pontificates to itself.

What could make GC a more meaningful event? What would it take to make GC more relevant to the local church and to the communities we serve?

Bishops Huie (past president of the Council of Bishops) and...

Fri, 02 May 2008 15:18:37 -0400

Bishops Huie (past president of the Council of Bishops) and Palmer (current president) respectfully lifted their hands in pray during the “witness” in support of full inclusion of sexual minorities.

Metholebrities #3,4,5: Steve Bauman, Clayton Miller, Kent...

Fri, 02 May 2008 15:16:55 -0400

Metholebrities #3,4,5: Steve Bauman, Clayton Miller, Kent Millard. Need I say more.

Metholebrity #2: Mike DuBose. Chances are good you’ve...

Fri, 02 May 2008 15:15:53 -0400

Metholebrity #2: Mike DuBose. Chances are good you’ve never seen Mike. But chances are even better that you’ve seen his work. Mike takes an awful lot of photos for UMCom - and he’s travelled the world photographing various Methodist projects. Look at the credit line in Methodist publications, and you’ll likely find his name under many photos….plus, he’s a really nice guy.

"The church today has become known not for its pursuit of love and justice, but for its opposition to..."

Fri, 02 May 2008 11:07:52 -0400

“The church today has become known not for its pursuit of love and justice, but for its opposition to gay people.”

- From Adam Hamilton’s blog. Read the entry for a thoughtful, respectful perspective that I don’t agree with very much. I appreciate Adam’s careful consideration, but I would diverge from him on many points, obviously.

Homosexuality Witness

Thu, 01 May 2008 16:15:00 -0400

Homosexuality Witness: You can now get a streaming version of the witness at the UMC General Conference web site. I recommend you watch it and listen.

Online Video Down During Witness

Thu, 01 May 2008 13:14:46 -0400

Those of you watching the video stream online may have noticed that the stream was down during the witness in solidarity with sexual minorities. That was too bad - because it was one of the most genuine and powerful moments of all conference. And IRD headline read “Gay Rights Protestors Storm General Conference.” Nothing could be further from the truth. A respectful, generous, impassioned witness was offered by brothers and sisters in the United Methodist Church. They were not “gay activists” - they were faithful Christians - faithful United Methodists. They did not “storm” - they came in singing, during a recess, at the instruction of the presiding Bishop.

It is too bad this was not streamed - supposedly the policy is to take the stream down during any recess. Hopefully, there will be pictures online soon to give everyone a glimpse of what happened.

A witness....

Thu, 01 May 2008 12:13:35 -0400

This morning, a powerful witness was offered, calling for justice and inclusion of all God’s people. Bishop Mel Talbert spoke as well, and asked the General Conference to reconsider it’s decisions yesterday regarding homosexuality. It was a meaningful, emotional moment. Bishop Park from New York was among the bishops that came down from their seats to join the witness. He shared with me a long and sincere hug on the floor.

I snapped a few photos and will try to have them up later. I’ll also try to track down a copy of the statement -which was very well done and carefully worded.

Waking up today...

Thu, 01 May 2008 11:21:00 -0400

This morning I woke up with anger and despair in my heart. I thought to myself: Those bastards! Who wants to be part of such a cruel group of people? Don’t they know how far they have strayed from the teachings of Jesus? What place does judgmentalism and hatred have in our church? I was entertaining the idea of turning in my credentials and becoming a social worker.

Then, as I walked into the Convention Center and I heard the music of Mark Miller. He was leading the delegates in a rousing rendition of “O God, Our Help in Ages Past.” I wondered how Mark felt when he woke up - when the church that he loves decided that his relationships were invalid and unholy. I don’t know how he felt - but I do know that he got up, and that he led his church faithfully in worship, that he sang his songs, and did his thing - that he followed his God through the valley of darkness.

And I thought, if he can get up and do what he is called to do, so can I.

Editorial addition: I hope it is clear that I was trying to recount in this post my emotional response. I realize that people of faith disagree on this issue, and while I am hurt by the decision of the conference, I respect the challenge and struggle that delegates wrestle with when they conference together. It angers me. It saddens me. It disappoints me. But we are still in covenant together. Don’t worry - I’m not about to actually turn in my credentials. I love my job!

"The UMC is not a church. It is a system. While Reconciling UMs rely on scripture and the theology..."

Thu, 01 May 2008 09:41:09 -0400

“

The UMC is not a church. It is a system. While Reconciling UMs rely on scripture and the theology behind those words, our adversaries rely on laws - and they make up new laws at their whim.

This system does not allow life for LGBT people. The system crushes us.

”

- From the Official Blog of the Reconciling Ministry Network.

Sexuality in Paragraph 161.G

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:13:00 -0400

I think this is the text of the changes, more or less as it was adopted. There were a few minor amendments that I think I missed…but nevertheless here is the new language, in spirit if not quite completely accurate:

G) Human Sexuality-We affirm that sexuality is God’s good gift to all persons. We call everyone to responsible stewardship of this sacred gift.

Although all persons are sexual beings whether or not they are married, sexual relations are affirmed only within the covenant of monogamous, heterosexual marriage.

We deplore all forms of the commercialization, abuse, and exploitation of sex. We call for strict global enforcement of laws prohibiting the sexual exploitation of children and for adequate protection, guidance, and counseling for abused children. All persons, regardless of age, gender, marital status, or sexual orientation, are entitled to have their human and civil rights ensured and to be protected against violence. The Church should support the family in providing age-appropriate education regarding sexuality to children, youth and adults.

We affirm that all persons are individuals of sacred worth, created in the image of God. All persons need the ministry of the church in our struggles for human fulfillment, as well as the spiritual and emotional care of a fellowship that enables reconciling relationships with God, with others, and with self. The United Methodist Church does not condone the practice of homosexuality and consider this practice incompatible with Christian teaching. We affirm that God’s grace is available to all. and We willseek to live together in Christian community, welcoming, forgiving, and loving one another, as Christ has loved and accepted us. We implore families and churches not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends. We commit ourselves to be in ministry for and with all persons.

Language on Sexuality in Paragraph 161

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:00:12 -0400

was hardened.

Eventually, the church will become completely irrelevant.

More later.

Committed Unions Defeated...

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:03:10 -0400

By a vote of 298 to 574 we rejected a petition to support committed unions, regardless of the gender of those involved in the union.

There is a display from Eyes Wide Open outside the convention...

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:37:04 -0400

There is a display from Eyes Wide Open outside the convention center that makes a powerful statement about the war in Iraq. The boots there represent Texan soldiers lost in the fighting….

Today, we expect to vote on most of the issues related to...

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:12:00 -0400

Today, we expect to vote on most of the issues related to sexuality. Stay tuned for updates. Right now we are voting on our new Social Creed - and there is much debate…

Casting a Vision

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:40:00 -0400

The first week here (which is now a distant memory) was largely spent casting a vision for our church. The vision that was cast was hopeful, positive and emphasized our strengths. The vision came from a variety of places, but there were some consistent themes.

The bishops outlined “Seven Vision Pathways” that describe the best of who we are as Methodists, and offer avenues of promise for the future. These pathways are:

teaching the Wesleyan model of reaching and forming disciples of Jesus Christ;
strengthening clergy and lay leadership;
developing new congregations;
transforming existing congregations;
ending racism as we authentically expand racial and ethnic ministries;
reaching and transforming the lives of new generations of children; and
eliminating poverty in community with the poor;

In addition, the General Secretaries identified four areas of focus for our ministry. These areas of focus:

Developing principled Christian leaders for the church and the world. The church must recruit young people for ministry and provide them with the skills necessary to be effective in this new time of opportunity. That includes women and people of color the world over. Similarly, we must offer leadership training for lay people who are in ministry in countless ways.
Creating new places for new people by starting new congregations and renewing existing ones. If we are to remain faithful to our commitment to transform the world, we will reach out with genuine hospitality to people wherever they are. We will make them feel welcome as we start new faith communities, seek to renew existing ones and inspire faithful discipleship.
Engaging in ministry with the poor. As an expression of our discipleship, United Methodists seek to alleviate conditions that undermine quality of life and limit the opportunity to flourish as we believe God intends for all. As with John Wesley, we seek to change conditions that are unjust, alienating and disempowering. We engage in ministry with the poor, and in this, we especially want to reach out to and protect children.
Stamping out killer diseases by improving health globally. Conditions of poverty cause illness and death. The lack of access to doctors, nurses, medications and appropriate facilities is deadly, especially among those who live in conditions of poverty. But the diseases of poverty are not inevitable. We believe the people of The United Methodist Church can play a significant role in educating others about diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, and treating and preventing their devastating effects.

It’s interesting to notice the overlap - leadership, new churches, a serious focus on global poverty. Not a bad agenda for the global church - but I wonder about the local church. Can a local congregation really relate to these areas of focus? Thinking about Hartford, where I serve, the idea of engaging in ministry with the poor is exciting - if we understand that the poor are not simply “over there” but also “right here.” Poverty in Hartford should be a central focus of my congregation - and I would wager that many other urban congregations in the United States are on the front lines of poverty as well. An emphasis on children in poverty is also important, but we must not forget that such children are growing up in our communities, attending our schools. Fighting poverty begins at home. What if our General Conference created structures, agencies, and funds to encourage and facilitate a focus on ministries of poverty that bring urban or rural congregations into mission with their suburban counterparts to bring a variety of resources together for a truly effective engagement with poverty?