Commission on a Way Forward members are announced

I received an email from Reconciling Ministries Network today. RMN advocates for the full inclusion of LGBTQ people in the life of the United Methodist Church. In the email were links to articles related to the Commission on a Way Forward. This is the body created during General Conference last May in hopes of avoiding a denominational split. They are given the task of coming up with recommending changes to the Book of Discipline that might prevent a split.

The reason for the email from RMN is the membership of the Commission has been announced. The bishops have selected 8 bishops, 11 laity, and 12 elders. The list of members is here and includes affiliations. An earlier report said there were only 8 laity, making many feel the Commission would be unbalanced. The bishops will not have a vote, so with 11 laity and 12 elders the numbers are about right.

The RMN email included a link to a message by Matt Barryman, Executive Director of RMN. He will be serving on the Commission. He has some complaints about what has happened so far.

* He is annoyed that he hears the term “human sexuality” when people talk about the work of the Commission. No, he says, the Commission is to wrestle with a denomination that discriminates against LGBTQ people. Using the term “human sexuality” distances the members (and all of us) from the primary issue.

* There are two known openly gay men on the Commission. Berryman is one of them. Perhaps there are more. But it sounds like the Commission will talk about LGBTQ people instead of with them.

Berryman notes these issues do not prevent a good outcome but lessen our confidence in the integrity of the process.

The RMN links included one to the blog Hacking Christianity written by Rev. Jeremy Smith, United Methodist clergy. That prompted me to take a look at some of the other articles Smith has written.

One of those posts describes the new Wesleyan Covenant Association. This is all I need to know about them: To join one must agree that LGBTQ people should not be fully included in the denomination. Some might say that WCA was formed in response to the recent General Conference, but it actually started before then.

In another post Smith highlights a basic flaw in any split. He says that 10 minutes after conservatives and progressives part ways a youth in a conservative church will come out as LGBTQ. That means on the conservative side the split has accomplished nothing and the cycle begins again.

In a third post Smith deals with this question: If the minority of progressives don’t like the denomination’s stance on LGBTQ people they should leave. But where would they go?

We know progressives are in the minority, otherwise the vote to abolish LGBTQ prohibitions would have gone our way.

To answer the question: Perhaps progressives could go to another Wesleyan denomination? There are 80 such denominations worldwide, 8 in America. But as conservative as it is, the United Methodist Church is the most progressive. None of them allow for LGBTQ inclusion.

Perhaps progressives could go to another type of denomination. That would mean there would be no progressive movement anywhere in the Wesleyan tradition.

Perhaps progressive could form their own Wesleyan denomination. Even with a progressive Wesleyan denomination as an example, the new conservative side would likely become more conservative, doing such things as stopping ordination of women.

The denomination as a whole, the Wesleyan tradition as a whole, perhaps even Christianity and the world as a whole would be better off if progressives remain in the struggle with conservatives, to stand firm, to advocate for something better from within, to agitate, pray, coexist, and persevere.

On to an important question: Do I agree with Smith? Mostly, but not completely. I understand and agree with his reasons.

But…

I’ve been thinking over the last few months that I’m now in a really good congregation. What goes on at General Conference doesn’t impact our local church all that much. The denomination can do, or fail to do, what it wants. When the time comes when the decisions at GC do have an impact on my church I will, like many others around me, decide whether to remain. I’ve heard others, including clergy, say that the time may come soon when we decide we simply can’t stay.

Until then we struggle, stand firm, advocate, agitate, pray, coexist, and persevere.

Fall Potluck and Program, November 6

Please join us for the Fall Potluck and Program on Sunday, November 6. It is co-hosted by the Dedicated Reconciling United Methodists and the Church and Society Team of Nardin Park UMC. The program will be “Dis-Appointed and Dis-Embodied” featuring guest speakers Ginny Mikita and Benjamin Hutchison. They will base their message on Acts 16:16-40.

Dinner will be at 6:00 pm. Ham will be provided. Please bring a dish to pass and your own tableware.

The program and worship begins at 7:00. A time of fellowship will follow.

All this will happen at Nardin Park United Methodist Church, 29887 W. Eleven Mile, Farmington Hills. This is just west of Middlebelt. Please use the west entrance.

Benjamin Hutchison is an ordained AME pastor who was appointed to a small UMC church outside of Kalamazoo that was about to close. With his incredible gifts for ministry he quadrupled attendance and brought the monthly deficit of $2200 into the black. A letter of complaint was sent to the District Superintendent stating that he was gay and living openly with his partner, Monty. Monty actually lived in Ypsilanti and was with Hutchison during weekends. Benjamin hadn’t tried to hide that he was gay and partnered. Because of the restrictions in the UMC Book of Discipline he was dismissed. Benjamin and Monty were married within the week. They now live in Ypsilanti and Benjamin is on the social advocacy staff at one of our major local hospitals.

Ginny Mikita has attended seminary and was in the UMC ordination process in the West Michigan Conference. She has been very vocal in her advocacy for our gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender brothers and sisters. She acquired ordination very quietly in another denomination (done on-line) so she could officiate a same-sex wedding of two close friends. When the local UMC Committee on Ordained Ministry learned this she was removed from the ordination process and she was denied membership in the UMC. Both of those issues have been overturned, but Ginny has voluntarily dropped out of the ordination process.

Upcoming programs:

Sunday, February 12 – View and discuss the documentary film “An Act of Love” about Frank Schaefer and the larger debate of inclusion in the UMC.

Sunday, May 7 – Learn about the Ruth Ellis Center’s valuable, growing services from Jerry Peterson, Executive Director, and our opportunities for both service and financial support.

Questions? You may contact
George Jonte-Crane at geopau226 at yahoo dot com
Karen Roth at karensmiles18 at hotmail dot com

D.R.U.M exists to enable full participation of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in the life of the United Methodist Church, both in policy and practice. We seek to educate, advocate, organize, and support.

Lesbian bishop!

This past week the five jurisdictions (multi-state regions) of the United Methodist Church in the United States held Jurisdictional Conferences. These always follow General Conference by a few months. The main task of a JC is to elect new bishops for the region and then assign which bishop goes to which Annual Conference (district). There is usually other business to attend to, such as approving a budget. This time the North Central Jurisdiction (Ohio to the Dakotas) affirmed the creation of a new Annual Conference covering the state of Michigan and transitioning from the current two Annual Conferences in the state.

This year the North Central Jurisdiction had four bishops retiring, thus elected four new bishops. This time (as frequently happens) no candidate got enough votes on the first ballot. As balloting proceeded, some candidates were elected, others didn't meet a minimum number of votes and were dropped from the next round, still other saw their prospects weren't good and withdraw, and the rest were included in the next round. Thirteen ballots were needed to elect the four new bishops.

I paid more attention this year because of the General Conference action that dumped the LGBT issue into the laps of the bishops. These bishops, including the newly elected ones, will appoint who serves on the commission that recommends a way forward.

The new bishops of the North Central Jurisdiction are:

Tracy Smith Malone, a black woman. A friend in the know says she is progressive and an advocate for us.

Frank Beard, a black man. This friend says he is quite conservative.

David Bard, a white man. He is another progressive and has been a strong advocate for LGBTs in the church. He has been assigned to Michigan.

Laurie Haller, a white woman currently serving in Birmingham, MI. She is also progressive.

From across the country...

The 2016 class of bishops included more women than any previous class for a total of seven. This is a gain because more women were elected than are retiring. Out of those seven female bishops four are black. That includes the first black woman elected bishop in the Southeastern Jurisdiction.

The most important news: Of those seven new female bishops, one is a lesbian. Karen Oliveto of San Francisco will become a bishop in the Western Jurisdiction (Colorado and west). This jurisdiction is the most progressive (even though it includes some pretty red states) and has been the most defiant of the rules against LGBT people in the church's Book of Discipline which describes how the denomination works.

When I heard Oliveto (and three gay candidates) were nominated I had an important question. If gay and lesbians in relationship (Oliveto is married) are banned from being pastors, how is it possible for them to be elected bishop? This means that certain conferences and jurisdictions have intentionally not been enforcing that rule for perhaps decades. While some pastors have been put on trial and removed for being gay, others clearly have not. Proof of that is the large number of LGBT clergy that came out during General Conference.

Many in the Western Jurisdiction and across the country are delighted with Oliveto's election to bishop and with what it means. Lynn Magnuson, a lay delegate, said, "We just blew the socks off the denomination."

Oliveto was elected on the 17th ballot and the Western Jurisdiction needed only one new bishop. Rev. Sisofina Hingano was one of those candidates who withdrew to make Oliveto's election more likely. He withdrew because of his son Wesley. The father said he withdrew so people like his son could walk through the doors to freedom in the church. The son said, "It is a beautiful day."

As expected, conservative voices declared this election a violation of church law and a significant step towards a schism. The move at General Conference to have a commission to determine a way forward has been damaged by the Western Jurisdiction intentionally pledging they won't conform and violating what the commission was to do.

As a local pastor Oliveto could be protected by her Annual Conference or Jurisdiction. They could decide (and have) to ignore complaints filed against lesbian and gay pastors, refusing to put them on trial or dismissing them. But Oliveto is becoming a bishop and anyone in the worldwide denomination could file a complaint. A marriage license would be enough evidence for conviction. It might be up to the Council of Bishops or, more likely, up to the Judicial Council (the denomination's supreme court) whether to put Oliveto on trial or demand her dismissal. This could be much more damaging to the denomination's reputation than the pastor trials that we've thankfully been avoiding lately.

Hmm. Rev. Gene Robinson was elected bishop in the Episcopal Church in 2003 – 13 years ago.

Oliveto has been assigned to the Annual Conferences that cover Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana.

General Conference – the day after

I personally know a delegate to General Conference. We are both in the same performing organization and gave a concert today. We talked for a bit before concert preparation got underway. She said the denomination was very close to splitting before the whole issue was thrown to the bishops who proposed a commission and a possible additional General Conference. She also said in most populations there are about 10-15% who take the firm progressive and conservative stances, leaving 70-80% as moderates. But at GC it seemed more like 35-55% were firm progressives and conservatives, leaving maybe 20% moderates.

Will Green spotted a whiteboard sign at the hotel where the bishops were staying, "Press 1 for Unity. Press 2 for Incompatible. Please vote now." I'm sure this refers to the voting devices used during plenary sessions. At first this seems cute. But the bishops are promoting unity by maintaining the "incompatibility" clause. Pressing either button gets us the same thing. Green wrote:

The UMC has created a situation that guarantees failure. They can promote their version of unity, which leaves many of us incompatible with Christian teaching. Or they can support the church’s current statements on sexuality, which means we are not united.

Someone had pointed out that during GC this has been an issue of "human sexuality" – there was a Human Sexuality Committee, there were items on the agenda about human sexuality. It seems a lot of people in power cannot yet bring themselves to say lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Most of the sexuality issues were really issues about LGBT people.

Green reports the Council of Bishops met after GC. One item on the agenda is the commission that is supposedly going to keep the denomination together and resolve this issue. So all the work to set up the commission, choose who will be on it, get the meetings organized and the work to begin – a very high priority – will happen … in November. The commission won't begin work until 2017. Ready for an extra GC in 2018 or 2019? Um...

Green summarized the situation:

If you think we are going to get the best of the system if we get the right people in the right seats and get them to vote the right way, then hope will die again and again and again. We have been doing that for 44 years and we have lost, lost, lost… Our power is not in the system.

Our power is the equivalent of civil disobedience. Defiantly come out! Defiantly ordain LGBT people! Defiantly officiate at same-sex weddings! Defiantly be in meaningful relationships with LGBT people and be in ministry with and for them!

Because of this new commission (which seems comatose on arrival) all LGBT issues were not voted on at GC. That includes all those petitions wanting to work out what to do with those who defy the Book of Discipline – and most of those were about punishing defiance.

Even so, the Reconciling Ministries Network has some good things to say about the commission and what is going on around it. First, Bishop Ough, now the leader of the Council of Bishops, confirmed that queer voices will be represented on the commission. Second, the full Council of Bishops (not just some of the American bishops) have promised to look for ways to avoid church trials.

The United Methodist news service has an article summarizing all that happened at GC. I saw an item I had missed during the week. This was a petition that requires all petitions get a vote in legislative committee and all petitions passed by committee must get a vote before the full plenary. It passed by 53%. This GC was 10 days. Considering how many petitions did not get a vote, perhaps the next GC needs to be a month long. I'm very aware how fortunate we are that many of those petitions were not acted on.

Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey wrote a post for the Reconciling Ministries Network blog. She said that GC wasn't after just oppressing LGBT people. There were several other areas of oppression at work, such as withdrawing from the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. This GC was a strong push towards conservatism. Lightsey wrote:

The genuine clues to help us expose the deep bigotry held by far too many within our denomination come by watching the evidence of the mounting coalescing of persons who believe it’s time to end oppression. These persons understand that where you find homophobia, transphobia and institutional racism, you will also find strategies to deny reproductive rights, ecological justice, affordable healthcare a living wage, and much more.

We're in this together.

General Conference – one last protest

Even with GC approving the bishop's proposal and things seem to be on track for the commission there was still another protest today. This one declared unfinished business – there is still harm being done to LGBT people and that harm will continue (at least) until that special GC concludes its work 2-3 years from now. Yes, there is a glimmer of hope, but the harm continues. Sue Laurie, the one who was unofficially ordained earlier during GC, asked "Where does a LGBT person go to church on Sunday?" The protesters surrounded the plenary floor and sang, "I am not forgotten, you are not forgotten, God knows your name."

Yes, more damaging petitions did not come up for a vote (which we likely would have lost). But this is not a victory, this is merely crumbs. The Book of Discipline was not changed.

The last paragraph of the bishop's response that created the commission is, "We will continue to explore options to help the church live in grace with one another – including ways to avoid further complaints, trials and harm while we uphold the Discipline." Emphasis added.

Add to that a Council of Bishops that has become dysfunctional, with no leadership and too invested in the status quo and keeping the peace. Yes, peace has a higher priority than justice for us.

The result is nothing has changed. And we fell for the glimmer of hope this commission offers us.

Will Green offers some final thoughts. The only new idea from this GC is the possibility of more frequent GCs.



One of the big votes today was whether the denomination should become fossil free by divesting from oil and coal companies. As the issue was debated a delegate quoted John Wesley: "We ought not gain money at the expense of life." The issue came down to whether it was better to divest or to engage.


This is me speaking: I see that as whether divesting is heard louder than engaging. I don't hear the denomination doing a whole lot of engaging, though the Financial Administration Committee or whatever group is in charge of pensions might be doing it quietly – and apparently ineffectively.

Divestment lost by 86%.



Back in 1984 GC added the restriction that "self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers or appointed to serve." Later the Judicial Council decided that was appropriate. Another JC decision says annual conferences "have the authority to decide whether candidates for ordination meet the disciplinary qualifications." Someone finally asked, don't these decisions conflict?

This is an important question because many annual conferences are using the second decision to say they aren't going to ask whether a candidate for ordination is LGBT. That means they are defying the first decision.

JC responded. Nope, no conflict. "The annual conferences have clear authority under the constitution. But that authority does not and constitutionally cannot intrude into the authority of the General Conference." Even so, defiance will continue.

General Conference – refer to the commission

A sign spotted in the observer section of the convention hall:

1980 Study – No Effect
1988 Study – No Effect
2008 Study – No Effect
2016 Commission – Suspect Effect
No Pressure : No Effect

A couple tweets suggest going up to bishops and asking so when is the first meeting of that commission?

Yesterday delegates voted to wait on all the petitions having to do with human sexuality and refer them to the special commission the bishops are forming. More details of all of this in the official UMC news.



Not sure what to make of this one. There was apparently a motion to hold that special GC in 2018 or 2019 at Africa University or in an African country. I'm not sure what happened to this motion. The standard GC in 2024 or 2028 is already scheduled for Harare – with the provision it be held there only if LGBT delegates and advocates can be safe.



Three denominations, Episcopal Church, Oregon Diocese, The United Church of Christ national officers, Society of Friends (Quakers), New England, have written letters of support and encouragement for the UMC to be more inclusive of LGBT people.



GC has withdrawn UMC membership in the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice even though the denomination contributed no money. Support will continue through UMW and the General Board of Church and Society, though the effective voice will be smaller.

General Conference – responding to the bishops

As I reported earlier today the bishops did issue a plan to resolve the intractable human sexuality debates, something delegates are now saying cannot be accomplished through legislation. The plan is to have a commission study every page of the Book of Discipline for language that is hurtful and contradictory then recommend changes. A special General Conference, hopefully in 2018 or 2019, would be convened to consider the recommendations.

But what to do until then?

One motion was to proceed with the bishop's recommendation, but also proceed with the human sexuality petitions that have come before this GC. Thankfully, this was defeated. I say that because some of those petitions would heap more harm.

Bishop Ough, which touched off this whole scenario said the support among the bishops was overwhelming, but not unanimous. Bishop Hagiya said that more traditional bishops were annoyed that while the commission worked there would be a moratorium on church trials and that would open the door to all kinds of violations.

That makes me wonder: Is he suggesting there aren't violations now?

The delegates voted by a wide margin to ask who has the authority to set ordination standards, General Conference or the local Annual Conference? That question was sent to the Judicial Council. The reason for the question is because several Annual Conferences have said they will ignore sexual orientation when determining whether a candidate is fit for ordination.

Another issue did go before the Judicial Council. There were petitions to require minimum penalties for chargeable offenses. These are the things that will put a pastor on trial. An example is officiating at a same-sex wedding. The petition wanted a mandatory suspension of a year without pay (since defrocking doesn't seem to be a thing anymore).

The Judicial Council ruled that a mandatory penalty cannot be imposed when a pastor voluntary admits the offense, and that includes when the admission is part of agreeing to a Just Resolution to avoid a trial. In addition, the annual conference has sole authority on matters related to the character of its clergy members. Transferring that authority to GC, by GC demanding a minimum penalty, is unconstitutional.

There will be no mandatory minimum penalties.

Relying on tweets for news gets interesting. I had left you hanging on the fate of the bishop's recommendation. The various streams of tweets (and the United Methodist news service) said that after lunch the plenary would take up such a motion written by Adan Hamilton (who is definitely an ally). But the news article stopped there. Later tweets say Hamilton's motion was defeated, yet another motion passed by 51%. I don't have a text for this motion. Along the way was a call for the presiding bishop to be removed from the chair. Alas, I have no details.

Many are encouraged by this action. Others worry that is is just another delaying tactic.

Being debated now is petition 60935, which creates a Central Conference in the United States. This is a critical issue because it allows the US churches to say there needs to be a national difference from the global Book of Discipline. And the top of the list of differences is in how we treat LGBT people.

General Conference – bishops respond

I mentioned yesterday that the bishops were asked to lead, to provide a way forward from the apparent deadlock on human sexuality issues. Today the bishops released a statement. It is 3 pages, so I won't quote it all. The statement affirms the goal of unity and calls the church to prayer. They suggest 1-2 hours of plenary time for the remaining days be shifted from legislation to prayer.

I quote from the statement:

NEXT STEPS We recommend that the General Conference
defer all votes on human sexuality and refer this entire subject
to a special Commission, named by the Council of Bishops, to
develop a complete examination and possible revision of every
paragraph in our Book of Discipline regarding human
sexuality. We continue to hear from many people on the
debate over sexuality that our current Discipline contains
language which is contradictory, unnecessarily hurtful, and
inadequate for the variety of local, regional and global
contexts. We will name such a Commission to include persons
from every region of our UMC, and will include representation
from differing perspectives on the debate. We commit to
maintain an on-going dialogue with this Commission as they do
their work, including clear objectives and outcomes. Should
they complete their work in time for a called General
Conference, then we will call a two- to three-day gathering
before the 2020 General Conference. (We will consult with
GCFA regarding cost-effective ways to hold that gathering.)

That called General Conference might take place in 2018 or 2019.

One result of this move, if GC approves, means there will be no improvement of LGBT issues in 2016. There also won't be more penalties and restrictions.

A link to the full text can be found here.



The Love Your Neighbor Coalition held a shower of stoles demonstration. Each stole is displayed from a cross, signifying a pastor who has been "crucified" trhough denominational policies. I've seen shower of stoles displays at Reconciling Ministires Convo. Each stole is from a pastor who has been prevented from being ordained, or who was forced from his/her job because of being LGBT.

General Conference – bishops need to lead

I'm piecing my story from several sources, some of which are Twitter feeds that give only moments in the story, not the full outline. So I think this is what happened. I likely have details wrong.

Bishop Bruce Ough gave an announcement this morning in which he called for unity within the denomination. He was partly addressing behind-the-scenes talk of a schism. Ough was saying there will be no schism.

That spawned a protest, though perhaps not a disruptive one. LGBT people and allies sang "Blest Be the Tie that Binds" as they bound their wrists with rainbow cloth. Some were even on the floor with cloth binding hands to feet behind their backs. The general message is there is no unity if it doesn't address full inclusion of LGBT people. There is no path forward and there doesn't look to be one by the end of GC in two days.

That prompted Rev. Mark Holland and Rev. Adam Hamilton of the Great Plains Conference to say to the bishops: Do something. You're the church leaders – lead. Come back tomorrow with a plan describing what you are going to do. Holland's motion passed 428-364.

The bishops don't have a vote at GC, though they do preside over the plenary sessions. One thing they can do is call an extra General Conference, likely in 2018, and for the purpose of figuring out what to do with this one issue.

At a news conference Ough admitted the bishops are not united on (I think) both the LGBT inclusion issue and the schism issue. Some respond that admitting division in your ranks is not leadership.

Matt Berryman, executive director of Reconciling Ministries Network responded:

Separation conversations are not new, and at this General Conference, the idea has been pushed by conservatives who finally understand that fairness and equality for LGBTQ people in the church will not be silenced. While we appreciated the recognition of our struggle by the Council of Bishops today, we are discouraged by their refusal to meet this head on and bring peace and justice to all of us who serve this church.

The conservative Good News caucus issued a statements:

Bishop Bruce Ough’s morning statement at General Conference should be applauded for its directness and its honesty, but it was also a cause for sadness and disappointment. His confession that the Council of Bishops is divided and unable to provide the leadership we need to be a united and vibrant church is another indication of how serious our dysfunction is.

More background to the story is here in an article in the United Methodist Reporter.

I've had discussions with people since GC in 2012. I heard that schism isn't realistic. Neither side would have enough resources to operate a global church with all the boards and agencies we have now.

General Conference – Jericho March

The committee work is done. This week is mostly plenary sessions. Rev. Stephen Wende made a motion to say General Conference should clear its schedule of all the extra presentations and focus solely on making sure the plenary session gets through all the petitions that came out of committee. He said that in 2012 the petitions from the Local Church Committee never came before the plenary and actions at the local church are the most important. Those presentations can be given at the end of GC.

The motion was passed and sent to the Committee on Agenda and Calendar over lunch. They responded by saying the schedule will not be changed. Many people have come a long distance to give those presentations and cannot reschedule. Many presentations are appropriate for issues coming up for a vote.

I'm uncomfortable with Wende's motion. I admit I don't know him and don't know where he stands on the conservative-progressive spectrum. Even so, in 2012 it was important to LGBTQ people and our allies that we not get through all those petitions. We didn't want more harm heaped on us.



At a press conference this morning the Reconciling Ministries Network and the Love Your Neighbor Coalition presented a letter of support of LGBTQI pastors. It was signed by over 1500 United Methodist pastors. In it they spell out what that support means. That includes:

*If a clergy person is removed from their charge for being LGBTQI, we will refuse to fill their pulpit, serve in their stead or accept an appointment to said charge so as to demand that the charge continue to be filled by our colleague.

*If serving on the Board of Ordained Ministry, we will examine all candidates for ministry and make decisions of their process regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.

*If a complaint is filed against a colleague for being LGBTQI, we will not support any action to place our colleague on leave of absence as some bishops have sought.

They also called for the church to elevate an LGBTQI pastor into the role of bishop (though this is done at the Jurisdictional Conferences that take place this summer).

This is a significant act of defiance. We'll see how GC responds to it.

After the press conference came a Jericho March around the convention center, with calls to "Tear the Walls Down Now!" I had wondered where Ed Rowe is this week. Since he is retired I knew he wasn't a delegate. No worries. The photo with this post shows he's at the front of the march.

Later a large Black Lives Matter demonstration took over the plenary floor for20 minutes.



The Judicial Council acts as the Supreme Court of the United Methodist Church. The 9 members of the JC are elected by GC and serve 8 year terms. Five seats were filled this time. Four seats are for clergy and five are for laity. This year two clergy and three laity seats were filled. One pastor new to JC is from Norway, the other was born in Vietnam, grew up in Switzerland, and is serving in California. One lay person is from Manila and is a retired justice of the Philippine Supreme Court, another is from Kansas, and the third from Mozambique.

As for whether they are for us or against us, I can only go by a tweet from the Wesley Putnam Ministries, who wrote, "The good news is that the conservatives swept the election – both lay and clergy. This is significant!" This is good news – for him. Not for me. I agree it is significant.

General Conference – my friend

I tracked down a couple more petition numbers important to us. These are about ordination and went through the Faith and Order Committee.

Petition 60779 asked for the deletion of "self-avowed practicing homosexual" as a reason to reject a candidate for ordination. It was not supported in committee by 35-31-3. Petition 60781 is similar, adding that the authority to determine suitability rests with the Annual Conference. It also was not supported, with a vote of 34-30-3

Another post from Will Green. During a protest Green and many of our advocates stood outside the plenary bar with rainbow duct tape over their mouths. Green watched a man work his way down the line of protesters.

He was hugging everyone, shaking hands, saying “God bless you”, saying, “Thank you for this witness.” It was the man who has been successfully leading the vicious attack against queer people in the [Human Sexuality] subcommittee. When he got to me I ripped off the tape and said, “If you are serious, then stop doing the harm you are doing. Change your votes and stop the violence.” He tried to hug me and I wouldn’t let him. He said he wanted to be my friend and I said, “I am not your friend. Friends do not attack each other the way you are attacking me.”
…
And this is how it works. People smile and give us hugs and say they are sorry for how we feel, and then they use stories they extract from us to discriminate against us even more. At these gatherings there are people who flock to us just so they can feel better about themselves and exploit every interaction they have with us to do us more harm.

This morning I talked to Rev. Jeff Nelson. He summarized it quite well. Whatever they decide in Portland will having no effect on his ministry.

General Conference – Move to Adopt

I wrote yesterday about Will Green lamenting that conservatives were running roughshod over us. Today I got another link to the General Conference Legislation Tracker, so I decided to see how badly we had lost some of those committee votes that Green mentioned. I found we … didn't lose.

The first petition I checked was 60820, "A Third Way on Human Sexuality," the one that proposes changing prohibitions to historical guidance. The Church and Society 2 Committee moved to recommend that the full plenary adopt by a vote 36-34 with two abstentions. It is possible that those 34 will demand a minority report be brought to the full plenary for a vote.

Green had mentioned 60114, "Culture and Identity, " which says all of us have multiple identities that form our complete self. It calls on the church to challenge any hierarchy of cultures or identities. Sexual orientation and gender identity is not specifically mentioned. The same committee moved to adopt by a vote of 43-28-1.

The third one I mentioned yesterday was 60841, "Reducing Harm for LGBTQ Children and Youth" This asks the church to seek to educate families how to respond to their LGBTQ children and maintaining safe spaces. It also asks the church to "work with local schools to encourage and support educational opportunities, best practices for creating safe spaces, policies for reducing bullying, and to support youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, or who question their sexual orientation or gender identity." This one was passed by the same committee by a vote of 39-31-2.

However...

I scanned a list of petitions before the Church and Society 2 Committee. Through that I found the big one, 60824, which seeks to overturn the "incompatibility" clause that underpins all the anti-LGBT language in the Book of Discipline. This one was Not Supported by a vote of 33-32.



Mike Tupper is a Michigan pastor who officiated at two same-sex weddings. One of those was for his daughter. Since Nov. 30 Tupper has been sleeping in a tent outside. Much of the time the tent was outside his church or home. Other times he went to where he thought there should be some protest. He has been doing this to raise awareness that LGBTQ people are frequently left outside the church. Tupper is now sleeping outside the convention center where GC is being held. Last night Tupper was joined by Frank Schaefer and his son Tim. Schaefer was put on trial for officiating at Tim's wedding. His credentials were revoked at that trial, then restored on appeal.
http://www.umc.org/news-and-media/schaefer-son-join-campout-for-lgbtq-rights

General Conference – voted down in subcommittee

I'll start with the simple things:

A lunchtime rally at the convention center's plaza was about immigration. There were calls to add an item to the Social Principles: “We oppose all national immigration policies that separate family members from each other or that include detention of families with children.” There was also a call for a general stop to deportations.

Another demonstration in the plaza was a Climate Vigil. There were calls "to act in solidarity with all who struggle daily in the face of a changing climate" (though that sounds vague to me). Participants from Tonga, the Philippines, and Alaska (melting permafrost) told how climate change is affecting them.

Sam Hodges, writing for the United Methodist News Service, wrote about the bumpy start to General Conference. His evidence:

* There was the long time it took to decide what to do about Rule 44 (as discussed yesterday).

* In 2012 delegates were given placards of various colors to wave in the air when the wanted to attract the presiding bishop's notice to be chosen to speak on an issue to the full body. This year that has been replaced with a tablet system. But African delegates are having a hard time making them work and feel their voices aren't being heard during debate.

Bishop Elaine Stanovsky represents the Mountain Sky Area of the denomination. This covers Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana.

Stanovsky noted that among her African bishop colleagues, terrorism is a crucial issue, while her Filipino colleagues are preoccupied with global warming and the rights of native peoples. Meanwhile, U.S. bishops are grappling with rebellion in the clergy ranks over church law related to homosexuality.

She says no wonder we don't know how to work together. But this frustration may add impetus to reorganize to allow regions to do their own decision-making. There are five reorganization petitions before the delegates. Details of the five are here. The drawback is most require a change to the denomination constitution, so won't be implemented until 2020.

I welcome reorganization because most plans will allow the American branch to decide for itself how to handle the LGBT issues.

I've seen Will Green at Convos put on by Reconciling Ministries Network. He was also a lead protester at GC 2012. He's at GC 2016, though I don't know whether as a delegate or advocate. He wrote a couple posts on Facebook and Love Prevails asked him to include them in their blog. My summaries:

Post 1: He's asked bishops to do something about how poorly LGBT people are being treated. The usual reply: You need to know how "dysfunctional the council of bishops is." Translation: Bishops know how to work the system, work within the system, and be the system. They don't know how to change the system.

Post 2: The Human Sexuality Subcommittee voted down a petition affirming human diversity is a reflection of God. They voted down a petition on "Reducing Harm for LGBTQ Children and Youth." They voted down "A Third Way on Human Sexuality." This one would have changed the Book of Discipline so that such things as the definition of marriage would be something like, "Marriage is the commitment between two people … Historically this was between a man and a woman." That would allow each congregation to decide for itself.

Green wrote about the conservative strategy "to insert as many discriminatory statements in as many parts of the Discipline as possible." He concluded:

One thing I will say about the UMC in 2016 is that perhaps we have finally become so anti-GLBTQ that even the conservatives do not feel they have anything left to prove. They already know they run the church and can pass whatever they want. Liberals have been wasting time talking about process and tinkering with new rules that would allow us to share our stories in “safe” (sic) space. Since those conversations are now clearly and cleanly out of the way, they are now proceeding with destroying us.

I remember in 2012 when the key vote – the one about removing the phrase "homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching" – went against us we held a protest. While we protested leaders of our movement met with the bishops to make sure none of the other human sexuality petitions came before the full plenary session. The goal was to make sure there was no additional harm. That tactic succeeded (with a big assist of a major restructuring plan being declared contrary to the denomination's constitution late in the last day). So 2012 was notable that no new LGBT restrictions were passed.

I note that the petitions Green commented on were designed to improve our position in the denomination. We may end up with a result like 2012. Alas, I'm sure petitions to heap on the restrictions are still to come up in committee.

General Conference – can we talk?

One more note about the gay communion servers I mentioned yesterday. There were a couple bishops who specifically went to the gay servers to show their solidarity.

It seems much of today was spent discussing and voting on "Rule 44" (named that because it followed Rule 43). During the 2012 General Conference a process called Holy Conferencing was tried, to get delegates from around the world to, you know, talk, to each other about contentious subjects. The only time delegates from part of the world actually meet those from another is at GC. Holy Conferencing did not go well. In violation of the rules of discussion some used it to verbally bully gay people.

So another process was created and ended up as Rule 44. It was meant as a variation on Robert's Rules of Order or standard parliamentary procedure. Again, delegates were to meet in small groups to discuss contentious issues, though the ground rules this time were to be different (though I don't know in what way). The question was whether Rule 44 was to be used.

It seems the "no" side needed to use "factually incorrect" information (I don't have details) to prevail, which it did by 57%. One complaint I found against it is that delegates weren't used to these kinds of discussions. The result is it is unlikely any discussing of the LGBT issues will be done. Delegates will be following the perceptions they brought from home.



I mentioned a couple days ago that 111 LGBT United Methodist pastors signed a letter announcing their coming out. In response, 500 church leaders from across various denominations wrote a letter in support. The signers are from the Presbyterian Church, Episcopal Church, United Church of Christ, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Disciples of Christ, Metropolitan Community Church (a specifically gay church), American Baptist, National Baptist, Alliance of Baptists, Reformed Church in America, and Unitarian Universalist Church.

Remember Me and communion

I've been perusing the official news pages of the United Methodist Church and the Reconciling Ministries Network. Neither has much on this second day of General Conference.

I've also been following the #UMCGC Twitter feed. Lots of tweets. I suppose it is a good thing that I see tweets from the conservatives, though 140 characters doesn't give any context.

I saw some tweets about people with rainbow colored stoles assisting bishops with communion during the opening worship service. It took some digging to get a hint of a story. From what I can tell the bishops set up communion serving stations in and around the plenary floor. Then...

That morning Sue Laurie was ordained. She earned her Master of Divinity in 1995, but was barred from ordination because she is a lesbian. She had been active in the Reconciling Ministries Network for many years. Her ordination now was apparently done by LGBT friendly pastors, not by bishops. These pastors are a part of the Love Prevails coalition. This ordination service included communion, properly blessed by pastors.

During the full GC opening service the Love Prevails group also sent communion servers around the plenary floor (though maybe not inside the bar – an area for delegates only). They fit in between the bishops and were backed by banners saying "Remember Me." They did it because so many LGBT people still feel excluded. This was a way for LGBT people to go to LGBT-friendly servers.

111 LGBTQI clergy wrote a letter to General Conference

On the eve of General Conference 111 LGBTQI clergy and candidates have come out in an open letter. Here is one paragraph:

We are coming out as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and Intersex persons at this moment for several reasons. Foremost, we want you to know we still love you and seek to remain in relationship with you. Even if we should leave and you seek more restrictive language against LGBTQI persons, know that God will continue to move mysteriously in the hearts of LGBTQI young people and adults and will call them to serve within this denomination. You cannot legislate against God’s call. The “LGBTQI issue” is not one that can be resolved through restrictive legislation but instead by seeing that all persons are made in the image of God and welcomed into the community of faith.

I know some of the names on the list. Some have been out for some time and are no longer serving churches (some of these are on the staff of Reconciling Ministries). The letter was first posted on the Reconciling Ministries Network website, but the volume of traffic crashed the site. The Believe Out Loud site is now hosting the letter. Believe Out Loud is a consortium of organizations like the Reconciling Ministries Network for United Methodists. These related groups include Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists, More Light Presbyterians, and Integrity of the Episcopal Church.

First Sunday Worship and Program Schedule Change

Our First Sunday Worship and Program is changing. Rather than every month we will gather every few months.

Please save these dates.

Sunday, November 6, 2016. This is our annual potluck and program. The potluck will be at 6:00 and the program at 7:00. Our speakers will be Rev. Benjamin Hutchison and Ginny Mikita, sharing their faith and their experiences. Ben was dismissed from his UM church appointment near Kalamazoo because he was living openly with another man. Ginny was denied the ordination process for participating in Ben and Monty’s wedding and for having been ordained in another denomination so she could marry same sex couples.

Sunday, February 12, 2017, a Super Second Sunday because the Super Bowl is on the first Sunday. Program to be announced.

Sunday, May 7, 2017, our Spring First Sunday. Program to be announced.

These programs will be in our usual place, the Multi-Purpose Room and Chapel of Nardin Park United Methodist Church. The church is at 29887 W. Eleven Mile Rd., Farmington Hills. The church is just west of Middlebelt. Please use the doors on the west side.

These programs are co-hosted by DRUM (Dedicated Reconciling United Methodists) and Nardin Park UMC's Church & Society Team.

General Conference Preview

Friday evening I attended "Get Engaged" A Forum on the 2016 General Conference of The United Methodist Church. It was held at Birmingham First United Methodist Church. The purpose of the forum was to introduce us to what General Conference is and the major issues that will be discussed at GC when it meets May 10-20 in Portland, Oregon.

Frank Driscoll, chair of the Church and Society committee at Birmingham First, served as host. He welcomed us and explained how the evening would work. There would be a chance for Q&A after each block of presenters. Rev. Gary Haller of Birmingham First gave the opening prayer.

Rev. Laurie Haller began by answering the question "What is General Conference, Anyway?" The United Methodist Church has a constitution modeled somewhat on the United States Constitution. The global denomination has an executive branch, a legislative branch, and a judicial branch. The executive branch is the bishops who oversee day-to-day work. The judicial branch is the Judicial Council.

And the legislative branch is General Conference. It meets once every four years to set the budget and goals for the denomination for the next four years. It also updates the Book of Discipline which is the book the defines the denomination.

This year there will be 864 delegates representing 12.3 million UMC members around the world. 504 of the delegates, 58.3%, will be from the United States, 260 of the delegates, 30.1%, will be from Africa, and 50 delegates, 5.8%, from each of Europe and the Philippines. Delegates are awarded based on the membership in each area. There are also representatives from associated denominations in South American and Asia. The cost of putting on General Conference will be $10.5 million.

Delegate Diane Brown from Ypsilanti showed us the books containing the petitions submitted to GC. These petitions come from individuals, local churches, annual conferences, and various denomination agencies. They fall into four broad categories. A petition might request a change to the constitution part of the Book of Discipline. If so, GC must approve it by a 2/3 majority and then it goes to each Annual Conference around the world. A petition might request a change to the discipline – the structure of the denomination and its various boards and agencies. A petition might seek a change in the Book of Resolutions, which is the official church position on issues in the wider world, such as abortion and war. Finally, there are petitions that request a change to non-discpline issues.

During the first week of General Conference the delegates are assigned to one of a dozen committees. The petitions are also assigned to these committees. Each committee decides which petitions are to go before the plenary session and in what manner, such as general consent or individual debate. If the committee doesn't act on a petition it dies.

The second week of GC is the plenary session with all delegates working through all the petitions forwarded by the committees.

There are also daily worship services with preachers and choirs from around the world.

Rev. Carl Gladstone spoke about the Young People's Address. He has worked with two youth, one from Africa and one from Detroit, who will present their vision for the denomination. This will be livestreamed on Saturday, May 14 at 8:45 am (11:45 Detroit time) on the GC website. Rev. Gladstone is still seeking input from other youth. One question the youth propose is wouldn't it be good to have a few bishops who are the same age Jesus was when he conducted his ministry?

Rev. Charles Boayue spoke on "The Challenge and Joy of a Global Church." He said United Methodism has a worldwide direction and vision supplied by GC and a local context. Between the global and local is a tension. The denomination has been seeking resolution of that tension since 1996. An example of that tension is 70% of the global funding at all levels comes from the USA but the USA has only 58% of the vote at GC.

At the moment there is no official "plan" but there are known needs. The global church needs more bishops to guide faith building. It also needs some sort of global Book of Discipline with what is essential to everyone. There is lots of debate about what that should be.

There is also lots of debate over the structure of the church. There is a proposal out of the Northeast Jurisdiction that presents a detailed structure for the church. It is so detailed it is likely to not pass. There is another proposal from Texas to make the USA a central conference. The rest of the global church is organized in central conferences with a few each in Europe, Africa, and the Philippines. Each central conference is able to take the Book of Discipline, the worldwide direction, and adapt it to local context. The USA cannot.

Boayue was asked: What is is a central conference allowed to change in the Book of Discipline? Who can change the categories of what might be changed? The first question wasn't answered. As for the second, GC can, but how it goes about doing so depends on whether the category is part of the constitution or part of the discipline.

Boayue then said if the USA becomes a central conference then all of the language in the Book of Discipline about jurisdictions becomes meaningless. It is replaced by the language for central conferences.

The next forum topic was "The Church and Human Sexuality." Delegate Jackie Euper noted that most of the petitions to GC – and most of the media attention – are about human sexuality. Euper told us about the work of Ashley Boggan who was a PhD student at Drew University and an intern with the Connectional Table. Boggan wrote "Human Sexuality and The United Methodist Church: Timeline 1964-2014.

I downloaded it and skimmed through it. The paper summarizes all events by the denomination, its churches, and its various members having something to do with sexuality. Of course, most of that is about homosexuality. Included are all the actions taken by General Conference over the years. Because it is a PDF it is difficult for me to link to it. However, I easily found it through Google.

Rev. Joy Barrett listed the five contentious areas dealing with sexuality in the Book of Discipline. I think I captured them all. These areas are (1) The phrase "homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching." (2) The definition of marriage in the Social Principles. (3) Who can be considered for ordination and appointment. (4) Whether various churches, boards, and agencies are allowed to spend money on homosexuality issues. (5) The list and definition of chargeable offenses. For the incompatibility phrase over 1200 petitions were submitted, seeking some type of change. For the definition of marriage and rules of ordination over 1000 petitions were submitted for each.

Earlier Brown had noted that the books of petitions sometimes listed the text of one petition and include a note saying something like, "and 25 similar petitions."

Barrett then discussed the "third way" brought by the Connectional Table. The Table decided they could not be silent and could not recommend full inclusion. So their proposal is to remove the prohibitions but keep the original language as a historical view. In this way the definition of marriage might be written as: Marriage is a loving commitment of two people. Historically that has meant a man and a woman. This change would mean decisions of ordination would be left to the Annual Conference and decisions of who to marry and be a member would be left to the local congregation. This isn't all we would want, but it is better than what we have now.

Barrett said there are worthwhile videos of all the important issues on the GC website, though I haven't explored them.

Delegate Wayne Bank began the discussion of "Thrive, Not Just Survive: The Future of the United Methodist Church." The goal is to continue and increase the Vital Congregations initiative. He presented numerical goals for various aspects of the Vital Congregation program. He also listed other efforts, such as raising up principled Christian leaders, especially young clergy; a New Places for New People program to invite people into the congregation by doing it outside the church building; a renewed ministry with the poor; and Abundant Health for All, which might mean partnering with community health organizations.

Rev. Melanie Carey continued the discussion of support for local churches. That includes helping the churches that are thriving in creating a church planting strategy. Carey noted that church support is the least newsworthy and yet the most important work that GC does.

An audience member asked that there be a follow-up forum so that these same people could report on what happened at GC. There will be a report to Annual Conference, but not everyone in the room would be going to Annual Conference. Frank Driscoll of Birmingham First promptly offered these facilities for that meeting. The participants liked the idea and a date will be set. If a date is set I'll post it to this blog. I'll try to attend and write a report.

I will be following GC actions and news as much as I can and post what I learn to this blog. The official GC website is here. Some of the Michigan delegates will update blogs describing their time at GC. Those blogs, along with Michigan specific news will have links at the Michigan UMC website and the MichiganUMC Facebook page.

Lesbian pastor and a failed resolution

On January 3, Epiphany Sunday, Rev. Cynthia Meyer came out to her congregation in Edgerton, Kansas. A complaint was filed. The Great Plains Conference had already voted 60-40 to send a request to General Conference to allow LGBTQ people to serve openly as pastors. The Executive Committee of the Board of Ordained Ministry in the conference rejected the request of Bishop Scott Jones to suspend Meyer. Bishop Jones also suggested the Edgerton UMC withdraw from the denomination. Meyer rejected that idea.

Meyer said:

On Epiphany Sunday, I stood before one tiny congregation and declared, ‘I will not live in the darkness.’ And now, I will not surrender my credentials or accept as ‘Just Resolution’ an unjust list of demands and contingencies. I will not ask that faithful congregation to leave the denomination it has lovingly served for decades. I will, instead, continue to follow the light of love, justice and full inclusion for all.

Jones has referred the case to counsel, moving it closer to a possible trial. Jones also seeks to postpone any action until after General Conference, where the issue open clergy will be discussed. GC will be held May 10-20 in Portland, Oregon.

General Conference Preview and Keep Making Peace

A preview of the issues of the upcoming General Conference. The preview will be held on Friday, April 22, 7:00-8:45 pm., in the Christian Life Center of First United Methodist Church of Birmingham. The church is at 1589 W. Maple Rd., Birmingham.

The preview will feature Pastor Laurie Haller of First Church Birmingham, district superintendent Charles Boayue, and a few delegates to General Conference. The primary areas of discussion will be:
* The challenges facing the global church.
* The church and human sexuality.
* Strategies to revitalize our churches and expand our ministries.

The General Conference of the global United Methodist Church will be held in Portland, OR from May 10-20. The General Conference (GC) is the top policy-making body of the church, with authority to revise church law as well as adopt resolutions on current moral, social and policy issues. The GC can also adopt changes to the governance structure of the worldwide United Methodist Church. What happens at General Conference directly and dramatically impacts every local United Methodist church, including our own. The GC deserves the attention of every United Methodist.




The Keep Making Peace program will be on Saturday, April 16 at University United Methodist Church, 1120 South Harrison Rd, East Lansing. The program lasts 9:00 am. To 4:00 pm. The theme for the day is Locked In, Locked Up, Locked Out. Too many people are locked in by poverty, racism, and structural systems. They are locked up in prisons that fail to be "correctional systems." Once out, they are locked out of jobs.

The keynote speaker is Rochelle Riley of the Detroit Free Press, WJR, WDIV, NPR, and MSNBC discussing children and poverty, education and race, and political responsibility. There is also time to attend two of four workshops. At the end of the day the closing celebration will feature Rev. Faith Fowler and the Ambassadors of Cass Community Social Services.

To register go to msuwesley.org/kmp2016.

First Sunday Worship, March 6

You are invited to First Sunday Worship!

This is an inclusive service, welcoming all sexual orientations and gender identities.

The service is this Sunday, March 6 at Nardin Park United Methodist Church. We will meet at 7:00 fellowship and snacks in the Multi-Purpose Room. Come make new friends!
At 7:30 we move to the Chapel for a Communion Service. Come worship with us!

The church is at 29887 W. Eleven Mile Rd., Farmington Hills. The church is just west of Middlebelt. Please use the doors on the west side.

Marti Boynton Tamaroglio, will be our speaker. She will talk about The Prodigal Has Returned, based on Luke 15:3 & 11-32

Marti regularly fills the pulpit for clergy seeking assistance, sings in the conference choir every year, has served numerous churches in administrative roles, is currently on staff at First United Methodist Church of Garden City where she hosts a midweek service of prayer and praise, and preaches & leads worship at Oakwood senior adult facility twice a month.

Come be inspired!

Enrich your Lenten journey!

Come alone or invite a friend.

Blessings grow as the circle expands to include ALL!

This service is co-hosted by DRUM (Dedicated Reconciling United Methodists) and Nardin Park UMC's Church & Society Team.

Recommending a lesbian for ministry

The Board of Ordained Ministry in each Conference (district) of the United Methodist Church determines whether a candidate is fit for ministry. The BoOM of the Baltimore-Washington Conference has issued a statement that says in part that it would

Move forward with evaluating all candidates solely on the disciplinary requirements and previously adopted requirements of the BWC. Regardless of sexual orientation, married candidates will be expected to affirm fidelity in marriage and single candidates will be expected to affirm celibacy in singleness.

Yes, that means the BWC is saying – contrary to the denomination's Book of Discipline – that they will consider candidates that are in a same sex relationship, though this relationship must be celibate or a marriage.

In addition, this Board of Ordained Ministry has recommended Tara (T.C.) Morrow for provisional membership as a deacon in the conference. Her credentials to becoming a pastor appear to be excellent. And she is married to a woman. All candidates must receive a 3/4 majority vote to be recommended.

Though the statement by the BWC doesn't say so, this is a challenge to the denomination just prior to General Conference to be held this May. The GC is the only body that can revise the Book of Discipline and in the last 44 years has only tightened restrictions on how a congregation can treat its LGBT members and leaders. The BWC is now saying General Conference must either change its rules on LGBT leaders or it must decide how to deal with disobedience. If the rules are not changed there will be disobedience. More accurately, there is disobedience.

As an example of such disobedience...

Last September I wrote about Rev. Mike Tupper, who officiated in a second same-sex marriage in violation of the Book of Discipline. Both times a complaint was filed and the matter was referred to the bishop of Michigan.

The first time Tupper was given a Just Resolution that required him to participate in a Truth and Reconciliation process with Rev. Ed Rowe. Tupper says this is a free pass, because he could have been fired from ministry.

The second time Tupper decided to force the issue. This second wedding was for a gay couple, one of which had just been forced to resign his job as a pastor for being in a same-sex relationship. Tupper gave a statement that he would not accept a Just Resolution and if the case went to trial he would plead guilty and not contest the penalty. He made that statement to the bishop in September.

The counsel for the church, corresponding to the lawyer for the prosecution, is charged with giving evidence, in this case the marriage certificate with Tupper's name on it, to the Committee on Investigation. But that didn't happen. The complaint has a three month time limit (as I understand it) and that time has passed. Tupper says he has received another free pass from the bishop.

Great, yes? Progressive bishops can allow their pastors to officiate at same-sex weddings without consequences. But Tupper says doing so hides the scope of disobedient pastors and silences those trying to witness to the injustices in the Book of Discipline. Tupper got a free pass. The gay pastor did not.

First Sunday Worship, February 7

We gather in February for a Taizé Service. This is a calming, music-filled, prayerful worship experience. It will be led by led by Rev. Bob Schoenhals with George Jonte-Crane on keyboard. Please join us at Nardin Park United Methodist Church, 29887 W. Eleven Mile Rd., Farmington Hills. The church is just west of Middlebelt. Please use the doors on the west side. We will meet in the Multi-Purpose room at 7:00 for snacks and fellowship, then move to the nearby chapel at 7:30 for the service.