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Dear Friends,
Today we are pleased to share with you some extraordinary news about our denomination, the United Methodist Church. Over the last few days, the General Conference of the UMC has taken important steps to move into a future in which our church can thrive in many different contexts around the world and all people are welcome to participate fully in the life of the church.
Two of us (Catherine and Steve) have been present in Charlotte for the General Conference since Monday. The other (Marisa) has been following the developments closely on livestream at www.umc.org. We are experiencing a feeling in the room that has dramatically changed from previous General Conferences. The contentious atmosphere that characterized General Conference for so many years has dissipated. There is mutual respect even during times of debate on the floor, shared commitment to a healthy and hopeful future for our denomination, and a tremendous sense of joy and anticipation for what God is doing in this moment within our church.
On this National Day of Prayer, we give thanks for the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is surely at work here, as decisions being made at this conference are passing by voting margins that are often in excess of 90% support. We also invite you to continue praying for this historic gathering, which will conclude tomorrow evening. There is still important work to be done in these last two days to fully realize the shared goals of many of the delegates here to “regionalize, revise, and remove.” In simple terms, these three goals are:
1. To establish regional conferences around the world that allow for better contextualization of ministry, since the multiplicity of settings within our worldwide church calls for very different needs and approaches.
2. To revise our shared Social Principles to better reflect our presence as a worldwide church, while continuing to offer theological reflection on important ethical matters.
3. To remove harmful language toward persons who identify as LGBTQ wherever it appears in the Book of Discipline.
The accomplishment of these goals helps set the stage for a future filled with hope, offering a relevant and tangible witness to the world of a church that is seeking to embody Christ’s love for all of God’s children.
We are excited to serve as your pastors at this monumental moment for the United Methodist Church. May we all continue to listen for the leading of the Spirit while walking in the footsteps of Jesus, assured of the abundant love that God has for us all.
Grace and Peace,
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