Dear Church,

I am grateful for the season of engagement we are in since General Conference ended in February. If you need any reminder of the necessity of this season, just today (April 23) the precarious future of our denomination was again discussed in The Columbian. Remember also that we are a historically important denomination. There have been multiple Methodist US presidents. When it was more relevant, I used to ask What kind of crazy church would count both Hilary Clinton AND George W Bush among its members? Martin Luther King, Jr. is an alum of one of our seminaries (Boston University School of Theology). Even  Beyonce goes to a United Methodist Church (St. John's UMC, Houston, TX). All that is to illuminate that what happens in Methodism matters to many beyond our understanding.

So, it is good that you have participated in this season of engagement. From attending Table Talks, to reading God and the Gay Christian to hosting our local PFLAG chapter, you have no shied away from the matter. I appreciate also the informal conversations that have occurred. I am reminded that church is designed to be a place where people from many viewpoints can engage with one another respectfully and honestly. Please continue these conversations. Know also that your Church Council has been in conversation amongst themselves about what this all means for us as a congregation.

In the coming weeks, several things will develop. First of all, the Judicial Council will meet April; 23-26 to review and rule on the various petitions that passed General Conference 2019. Specifically, the Traditional Plan that passed General Conference will be evaluated for its Constitutionality. This is the final say as to what passed. You can expect lots of maneuvering among groups within the denomination following the Judicial Council's rulings. I'll try my best to keep you up to date. Presumably, we will know a lot by the time Annual Conference occurs in June. Secondly, your Church Council will begin a conversation about the place of LGBTQIA+ people in our congregation. Your input is needed in that conversation.

Perhaps you're wondering where you belong in this conversation? It's okay to not be sure. Church is also a great place to ask questions and learn. For example, for a long time I didn't know what all the letters in LGBTQIA+ meant. Only earlier this year did figure out what the "I" meant. [It means "intersex" which describes persons whose genes, anatomy or hormones don't align with typical definitions of male or female.] I did a YouTube search and listened someone named Pidgeon describe being intersex (search "Hi I'm Intersex"). In the end, a basic search for truth has compelled me to what to learn more about each letter. As we learned from the PFLAG people, it can be very confusing to all people involved. We counter confusion with learning. Even when all the explanations don't entirely make sense, we still default to our core teaching which is to love other people with compassion and respect.

As a matter of record, I have developed a simple tool to help us with LGBTQIA+ people in the church. It is a simple line that runs from rejection to affirmation.

Presumably we have various viewpoints on the acceptance of homosexuality. I understand it is really hard to accept something you may have always heard was wrong. It is probably unrealistic to expect people to blindly change their minds on any given matter. I personally need lots of information and lots of questions answered to change my mind on anything. I also presume that most of us have interacted respectfully with LGBTQIA+ in other circumstances. For me, it was interaction with LGBTQIA+ people that helped me realize that many of my presumptions about them were wrong. Almost all of these interactions were within the United Methodist Church.

Looking at this simple line chart, I have at various times in my life been all over the chart. At this point, I am in the affirm category. I doubt that will change anytime soon. Nevertheless, the minimum for me is that we treat all persons with love and respect. Even if you can't affirm all the letters, can you welcome them as you would any other person into the life of the church? If you can't actively welcome, can you at least allow your LGBTQIA+ neighbor to worship with us in peace? I have a hard time imagining anyone in our congregation actively condemning an LGBTQIA+ person. But I know that congregations have histories. I CAN imagine that it has happened before. For what it's worth, actively condemning an LGBTQIA+ person in the church is not acceptable to me. I think we have reached a threshold of understanding that it is decidedly unchristian to shun LGBTQIA+ people. And as we heard from the PFLAG people, the shunning of LGBTQIA+ people can have catastrophic consequences.

I hope that this season of engagement has been fruitful for you. As always, I am a simple conversation away. I would love to hear where you are and help you with any questions or concerns you may have. I do not require anyone to be at the same place as I am and can listen without prejudice. Please keep talking and listening to one another.

Peace,
Christopher