Political victory v. losing a generation

I wrote a posting about how the youth think of the church. The sources I used were about the religious push behind Amendment One which put a gay-marriage ban in the North Carolina constitution. But many of the points are appropriate for the United Methodist Church because of General Conference's recent refusal to remove the incompatibility clause.

Reports from General Conference

I've started posting about my experiences at General Conference at my brother blog.

Upcoming First Sunday services

Alas, it has been a long time since I've updated this blog. And, alas, a couple events zipped by without proper attention. A busy life slowed a couple updates and then the effort to get caught up seemed too much.

We offer many thanks to Karen Poole who has worked behind the scenes preparing for each First Sunday worship over the past few years and who reluctantly must set those duties aside.

Bob Schoenhals announces the speakers at the next couple First Sunday services.

On May 6 Rev. Jeff Nelson will speak. I heard him at a recent Amy DeLong event where he recited some of the poetry he has written. It is both thought provoking and funny. Also that evening there will either be a celebration that General Conference removed the barriers that prevent LGBT folk from full service in the church or a mourning that the barriers remain. Fellowship at 6:00 and service at 6:30.

Also on May 6 there will be a DRUM leadership meeting to discuss who will take over the tasks that Karen Poole used to do. This meeting will be at 5:00 pm., prior to the fellowship time before the service.

On June 3 the speaker will be Rev. Bob Roth.

I will be heading to Tampa on April 30 to take part in the Common Witness Coalition during the second week of General Conference. I'll be working on the blog team. I think my postings will appear here where you can find Coalition news. I'll try to post to this DRUM blog once I know for sure.

A report on Randy Roberts Potts in Ann Arbor

I tell about Randy's visit in my brother blog.

Prejudice can't lie in a courtroom

The Prop 8 trial to overturn the Calif. gay marriage ban was two years ago. Though the trial was recorded on video those tapes cannot be released to the public. A primary aspect of the trial was that prejudice can lie in a political campaign, but cannot lie in the courtroom. So it is important to get the details of the case out in public. Not many people are going to wade through the court transcripts. Thankfully, Dustin Lance Black, who won an Oscar for Milk, did that for us. He created a stage play titled 8. There was a staged reading in New York and last Saturday there was one in Los Angeles. A video of this one is now on YouTube. As in New York, the cast is made up of some high-powered stars, in this case Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Martin Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Jamie Lee Curtis, John C. Reilly, Jane Lynch, Chris Colfer, and George Takei (plus many more names I don't know well).

YouTube says the video is 2 hours, but there is a "skip ahead to start" button that cuts 30 minutes. However, you'll miss news clips of the history of the case that start at about minute 17.

First Sunday Worship, March 4

Bill Wylie-Kellermann will be our speaker. He should have some good thoughts to share from his recent experience of officiating at his daughter's wedding and the ensuing results. Gathering time at 6:00. Worship at 6:30.

Randy Roberts Potts will visit FUMC of Ann Arbor

Linda Haywood of First United Methodist Church of Ann Arbor shares with us:

A rainbow mosaic has been permanently installed at the west entrance to FUMC. It serves as an outward and visible sign in our church that ALL are welcome. We celebrate its presence! Photos of it are here, along with a story of how the church became more welcoming. That page also has a link to the church's Facebook page.



In January, FUMC's Rainbow Crossing, Church & Society and Wesley Foundation co-sponsored a movie night with a showing of For The Bible Tells Me So. Rev. Bob Roth led a meaningful discussion at the end of the movie. We are looking forward to showing other movies in the future that address LGBTQ issues.



Rainbow Crossing and the Music & Liturgical Arts Ministries at FUMC are co-sponsoring an Extravagant Welcome week-end.

On March 10, Randy Roberts Potts will speak at 5 PM about his coming out experience as the grandson of televangelist Oral Roberts. His speech is titled "Miracles and Mendacity". This will be followed by a dinner at 6:15 PM. Reservations for the dinner catered by Sidetrack must be made in advance by calling 734 662-4536. MUSE Cincinnati's Women's Choir will begin performing at 7:30 PM. MUSE is both a supporter and a change agent, offering inspiration and support for women's groups, human rights concerns, peace and justice movements, lesbian and gay issues and multicultural, community building alliances. There is a cost associated with the dinner. There will be a free will offering collected after Mr. Potts speaks and after MUSE sings.

On Sunday morning, Randy Roberts Potts will speak at both the 9:30 AM and 11:45 AM services. His talk is titled "A Place at the Table". MUSE will also sing at both services.

We welcome one and all to join us for this wonderful week-end!