Katalyst - Summer 2008

K ATA LY S T Blessings upon the ministries of

Rev. Annie Britton and Rev. Jenna Zirbel, ordained at the Church Within A Church: Extraordinary Ordination on October 19, 2008, in Baltimore, MD,

as they make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We celebrate God who continues to call into ministry persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities. We celebrate the gifts and graces of those who bravely answer this call to ministry. We celebrate those who witness the Holy Spirit at work, affirm the calling, and ordain lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and straight persons, NOW.

The 2008 General Conference Proclamation We have heard Jesus say – to all persons without exception – “follow me.” We are part of God’s living body in today’s world, but our United Methodist Church refuses to accept what God has done, refuses to keep covenant with its own words in the baptismal promise, refuses to honor God’s call to professional ministry, refuses to do no harm, refuses to open its hearts, minds, and doors. The unchurched notice. They notice the church cruelly scapegoating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people on the altar of so-called unity The young notice. They notice the church denying, refusing, threatening, removing, closeting the lgbtq people who faithfully serve the church. The world notices. We notice. God notices. The United Methodist baptismal liturgy calls all of us to accept the freedom and power God gives us to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves. It is our duty – our baptismal covenant – to stand against the sin of the church, to stand for God’s freedom and power, to affirm God’s entire body of Christ that is the church. We are God's children, here … now.

Katalyst • Summer 2008

Today we boldly declare by standing here that our church’s doors and our ministries will radically obey the Gospel that we defy bigotry and ignorance, that the anti-gay policies and practices of The United Methodist Church are wrong. By human means we cannot stand but by the grace of God we can. By standing we reject the idea that homosexuality is a sin By standing we affirm that sexuality is a good gift of God By standing we affirm our intent to spread God’s love and grace By standing we bless and celebrate families, all families. We do not stand alone. We stand in solidarity with all those who are not here, who are not in our congregations. We stand with those who’ve been forced out and who’ve never come in, who already affirm one another as beloved children of God, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. We stand with holy boldness to welcome LGBT laity and clergy into our churches and pulpits, NOW; to keep baptismal promises for all, NOW; to affirm calls to ministries for all people, NOW; to bless covenant relationships in our churches by our clergy, NOW; to assure membership for all, NOW; to provide hospitality for all, NOW.

Join us. Stand now. Build our future with hope and trust in God.

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Q is for Quadrennium! So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Godself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 As a former student and teacher, my sense of new year comes when schools open in the fall. As Christians we will soon begin a new liturgical year with Advent observations. As United Methodists our "new year" is actually our rhythm of four year cycles defined by the General Conference (GC), the election and appointments of Bishops, and the publishing of a new Book of Discipline. It is a new quadrennium, the Q. GC is behind us for now. We have a new day. In Christ there is a new creation. Our hope emerges. It overflows because our Source, God, and the love that touches us through Jesus Christ are infinite. Reconciling United Methodists drink from a deep well of living water. We were disappointed in some results of GC. But the ministry of reconciliation continues. We came home to Annual Conference season when RUMs in over 40 conferences shared our visions. From Michigan to North Carolina to Indiana to California ~ stoles were worn, communion was offered and the conversation continued. With July came the five Jurisdictional Conferences (US). I am still excited that every JC delegate received a letter with reconciling perspective. Some of these will be the new GC delegates. They

were invited to gather with Reconcilers and to meet either Troy, Tiffany, or myself while there. We have learned much from our first experience at JC. RMN initiatives since General Conference include: * Continuing relationships with delegates of GC and AC * Annual Conference witnesses that displayed welcome and resilience * Negotiation continues between Bishops and Reconciling activists to determine ways to lessen the harm and live into that "Future with Hope" * New RMNblog and RMN Facebook page and group * Hired a second full-time Field Organizer * Increased our outreach to Young Adults: students, early career and young families * Welcomed a seminary intern also focusing on outreach * Launching Called to Witness 2: All Means All campaign in 35 ACs * Strategic planning by the RMN board * Convo 2009 in Colorado as spiritual nourishment and preparation for our ministry of reconciliation Our adversaries, who are also our church family members, have noticed our commitment. At the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference this summer I was asked a sincere question. Why do we RUMs come to GC, push for things that we know will not win majority approval and then blame our opponents for the obvious pain during the debates and votes? "You bring it up then you blame others when you don't like the results."

Monica Swink, RMN Board Chair Still smiling, still leading through strategic planning I said the GC is only two weeks long ~ it is hurtful… a headache, a heartache… but nothing next to the deeper problem and pain of the years of Sundays without a welcoming church. That is why we bring it up. And we do it for others. We bring it up so that our children will never doubt God's unconditional love for all people. We know Christ, we seek Christian communion through the days of every week. The exclusion is hurting far more people than just those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. We bring it up for the many people seeking inclusive, loving church. Now we are in the new quadrennium. The ministry is growing even as the spotlights are turned off. Reconciling lay people and clergy are opening doors, inviting people into God's grace, and loving the people. We can be generous in offering our hope, the living water to our imperfect UMC.

Happy New Q! GC delegates, Bishops and RUMs pledge to find ways of being together even as we "Do no harm, Do good, Stay in love with God." Page 2

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Katalyst • Summer 2008

CALLED TO WITNESS Called to Witness 2 By Rev. Tiffany Steinwert Last year Reconciling Ministries Network launched Called to Witness, a new initiative designed to create change in our denomination by building relationships across theological and ideological divides. By telling our personal stories and listening to the stories of others, we sought to foster relationships rooted in our common Methodist values of inclusion, hospitality, love and grace. Working in 22 different Annual Conferences, the Called to Witness project trained over 500 Reconciling volunteers, facilitated 435 meetings with individual General Conference

delegates and coordinated 20 listening posts where faithful United Methodists shared their lives and their stories. Through storytelling, these Reconciling volunteers were able to break down the polarizing divides in our denomination and connect honestly and openly with their sisters and brothers in the faith. Given the success of last year's campaign, Reconciling Ministries Network is expanding the Called to Witness program in the coming year to 35 Annual Conferences. (SEE PAGE 5.) This next campaign entitled, All Means All, will kickoff in October at a leadership retreat in Nashville. Building on our strategic storytelling skills, this campaign seeks to train volunteers in public

narrative, develop our relational organizing capacity, expand the movement, organize Reconcilers into regional action teams and advocate for the passage of the Constitutional amendment to Article IV guaranteeing open membership for all. By banding together and reaching out to others, we will spread the good news of Christ's love to all. Surely, all means all! To connect with the Called to Witness campaign in your area check out the campaign website at http://www.rmnwitness.org. Here you can find the dates of regional trainings, download resources, and view videos of stories from across our beloved connection.

Jim Lane, Washington Street UMC, Columbia SC I was nervous about meeting with my delegate, but as soon as I began to tell my story my fears subsided. I found great strength in telling my story, and the delegate I met with was very receptive. He listed carefully, shared his viewpoints based on his training and understanding of scripture respectfully, and pledged to work for an inclusive UMC where no one would feel inhospitality. He stated, "I think God wants us all at the table." Obviously, that was a point I whole-heartedly agreed with as a CTW volunteer. I would encourage anyone who seeks an inclusive UMC to get involved in this effort. As a leader of the CTW effort in SC, our volunteers reported a range of experiences when meeting with delegates. We experienced everything from the delegate never responding, to any communication from a CTW volunteer, to wonderful, uplifting conversations. My opinion is that if anyone going to General Conference was made to question their position on unfair policies toward the GLBT community, or if we got only one person to affirm our positions on the policies of the UMC, then all our collective efforts were worthwhile.

Katalyst • Summer 2008

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CALLED TO WITNESS believe that anyone from a homophobic church could ever lovingly and supportively reach out to a transgender man.

Sean’s Story By Sean Delmore A few years ago, I was trapped on a plane filled with hundreds of cranky, overheated and underfed travelers. The summer thunderstorm season was wreaking havoc on flight schedules throughout the U.S. I was meeting a friend, Marla Marcum, but could not warn her I "I did not have the had missed one flight and was arriving on faith to believe that another. The sense of anyone from a relief was palpable when homophobic church a taxicab finally dropped could ever ... reach us off in front of our hotel. out to a transgender

man.”

However, when we tried to enter the lobby, we discovered that our journey had just begun. It wasn't a simple matter of there being no room at the inn; there was no longer an inn at all. The hotel had gone out of business. We trudged down the street and stopped at the first hotel we saw. We booked a room for the next ten days. We spent that night hearing prostitutes provide good customer service to their clients, then get beaten and threatened with murder by their pimps on a sidewalk in front of our plate-glass window. We didn't sleep much that night. When Marla went out for breakfast, several people warned her that it was not safe for her to be in the neighborhood. Marla tried to talk me into allowing her to call her pastor for assistance. I resisted. I was nervous. I may have been "unchurched," but two years was enough time in a United Methodist seminary to know that the church's "Open Minds, Open Hearts, Open Doors" did not extend to LBGT folk. We had traveled to a city far from home so that I could undergo surgery to enable my female body to better match my male identity. I did not have the faith to

Our housing situation was worrisome enough that I eventually did allow Marla to call her pastor for assistance. Hours after finding a new hotel, Marla received a phone call. From the local UMC Bishop's office. How could they help? Were we certain our present lodging situation was safe? Was there any other assistance they could provide? The shock I experienced was tremendous. Seminary taught me that United Methodism is characterized by an inclusive theology, insisting that God's grace is available to all, but I was still stunned by the immediate and unconditional offer of aid. I only knew the church as homophobic, hypocritical, and eager to demonize people like me. The very first time I needed the church, I was in the middle of gender transition, incapacitated from surgery, unable to bathe or clothe myself without assistance, barely able to walk a few feet. And the church responded with an unimaginable expression of unquestioning hospitality and Christian kindness. After I returned home and recovered sufficiently, I visited Marla's local church to thank everyone for their support and prayers. It was my first visit, but they had a nametag waiting for me. These people literally helped to love me into being. Over the next several months, as I suffered social discrimination, job loss, and violence, this local congregation supported and cared for me. As I grew into stability and maturity as a man, they helped me discern my emerging gifts, and offered opportunities to develop them. The Spirit moved through the loving witness of this church long enough for me to finally feel it. I joined the United Methodist Church by profession of faith, proudly becoming part of a church that knows that holiness is both social and personal. We all know that there are some current UMC policies that inflict trauma upon the very body of Christ. But my story is just one reminder that there are faithful United Methodists who are loving and living us all into being the kin-dom of God on earth right now. Truly, this is what it means to be making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Sean’s Story And Public Narrative Sean’s story is an example of a Story of Self. It demonstrates a scene of choice points that have structured the “plot”of his life—the challenges he faced, the choices he made, and the outcomes he experienced. Our Story of Self allows others to experience the values that move us to lead. It is the story of why we are called to do what we are called to do. In conversations with people, we want to frame the story around why we decided to be United Methodist or Christian. Challenge:

Why did you feel it was a challenge? What was so challenging about it? Why was it your challenge?

Choice:

Why did you make the choice you did? Where did you get the courage—or not? Where did you get the hope—or not? How did it feel?

Outcome:

How did the outcome feel? Why did it feel that way? What did it teach you? What do you want to teach us? How do you want us to feel?

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Katalyst • Summer 2008

CALLED TO WITNESS Organizing through Annual Conferences

You can: *

Travel to Reconciling programs already planned. Support the effort.

*

Ask the RMN office to help you get connected to others in your area.

*

Stay informed through Flashnet, our website and the RMN blog.

If your conference is listed for the All Means All campaign, plan to attend your local training session offered this winter. Make it a priority. Commit. Allow your hope to join with a growing momentum for inclusion. Prepare for action.

*

Call a local gathering of interested people for support and for action.

*

Offer a Reconciling program of an evening, a day-long conference or an Open Table worship service.

Whether or not your conference is listed this year, there is still much to be done! Your AC may already have a team that has been active for years offering creative programs, nurturing congregations in the reconciling process, and offering a witness at Annual Conference. If not, let this describe your future.

*

Become an RMN Angel by donating $100.00.

*

Attend a Welcoming Church Leadership Training (See below.)

*

Check out the study resources on our website and use them in your own congregation.

"Action is the Oxygen of our movement."

*

Create a reconciling newsletter or website for your AC. See examples on our website under "Find a Church".

*

Visit Reconciling Congregations when you travel.

RMN is striving to cultivate relationships in each of the 63 Annual Conferences (AC) of the US. We hope and plan for the creation of teams that will offer not only presence, but also resources and energy in growing the number of Reconciling Congregations, Communities and Campus Ministries.

Adapted from Doing Justice, Jacobsen

The 2009 All Means All campaign will offer training in these 35 Annual Conferences: North Central East Ohio Illinois Great Rivers Iowa Minnesota North Indiana South Indiana West Michigan West Ohio

South Central Arkansas Central Texas KS West Missouri Nebraska North Texas Oklahoma Southwest Texas Texas

Northeastern BaltimoreWashington New England Greater New Jersey New York PeninsulaDelaware Western PA

Southeastern Florida Holston Kentucky North Carolina North Georgia South Carolina Tennessee Virginia Western NC

Katalyst • Summer 2008

2008-2009 Trainings

Western Cal - Nevada Cal - Pacific Oregon - Idaho

October 24-26, 2008 Goshen, IN Organized by the National Field Organizer Project http://www.welcomingresources.org/goshenbrochure.pdf November 7-9, 2008 Independence, MO Organized by the National Field Organizer Project http://www.welcomingresources.org/indepbrochure.pdf November 14-16, 2008 Washington, DC Organized by Lutherans Concerned/North America http://www.lcna.org/rictraining_2008-11-14.shtm January 8-11, 2009 Anaheim, CA In conjunction with the Gay Christian Network Conference Organized by Lutherans Concerned/North America February 5-8,. 2009 San Antonio Organized by Lutherans Concerned/North America February 18-21, 2009 Great Falls, MT Organized by Lutherans Concerned/North America March 13-15, 2009 Detroit or Ann Arbor, MI Organized by the UCC Coalition and More Light Presbyterians March 19-21, 2009 Tallahassee, FL Organized by Lutherans Concerned/North America

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COMMUNICATION Between the Edges By Antony Hebblethwaite Rev. John Makokha entered an Internet Café in Nairobi, Kenya and typed his first entry for the RMN Blog. As he clicked the "enter" key, his post disassembled into packets, then bits, then electrical waves and found their way on fiber optic networks to the Layer 42 data center in Santa Clara, CA where Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN)'s blog is hosted. After Rev. Makokha's entry reassembled on the TCP/IP Protocol Stack, it became instantly available to anyone with a computer and Internet connection. The Internet connects the world together and enables conversation in the Reconciling Movement in real time from anywhere at anytime. This changes everything. The Internet moves communication to the edge. Anyone with access to a computer and Internet connection can communicate to billions of Internet users. Not only is communication affordable, but with the advent of Web 2.0 technologies, communication travels between many authors and many readers and visa versa. Web 2.0 is an "architecture of participation" where users can communicate between the edges using blogs, wikis, social networks and social media.

RMN Goes Web 2.0 The big change in RMN's communication strategy is that we're opening up communication between the edges. Just like voter-generated content will help shape the course of the 2008 elections, movementgenerated content will help shape the course of the Reconciling Movement. Instead of simply receiving communication from centralized publications like Katalyst or Flashnet, you can now hear fresh voices from the edges of the movement at RMN's blogs or on Facebook. RMN's blogs are hosted at Typepad, the same platform used by the Discovery Channel, Entertainment Weekly, Scott Adams (the creator of the comic strip, Dilbert) and Wired Magazine. Here are some interesting facts about each of our blogs. The General Conference Blog Reconciling Ministries Network selected the domain name GeneralConference2008.org to secure high search engine positions for our General Conference blog. The gamble has paid off and our blog is at #3 in Google for the search phrase, "General Conference 2008", right under the sites for The United Methodist

Church. The blog continues to attract 2,000 visitors per month and witness to our work at General Conference. The highest traffic day on the General Conference blog was the day of the Plenary Witness, May 1, 2008. The United Methodist Church cut the live feed during the witness on the Plenary Floor, and people flocked to RMN's blog for information. We posted photographs within the hour and reached 10,000 hits. Reconciling Ministries Official Blog We launched our blog, RMNblog.org, in June. The goal of the blog is to provide a diversity of people in the Reconciling Movement with the opportunity to write about The United Methodist Church, Christianity, the experience of working for justice, experience in the church and the world, Biblical Studies, Christian Theology, devotions, news and personal stories. Anyone in the Reconciling Movement or beyond can post comments and participate in the conversation. Our blog seeks to balance communication from the center provided with Katalyst and Flashnet with communication between the edges. The blog provides RMN with an "architecture of participation".

According to the Andrew Rasiej and Micah Sifry of the Personal Democracy Forum, "The 2008 election will be the first where the Internet will play a central role, not only in terms of how the campaigns use technology, but also in how voter-generated content affects its course."

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Katalyst • Summer 2008

COMMUNICATION Hmm…Print Communication? With all the new digital technologies available for communication, we have enclosed a survey and trivia question in this issue of Katalyst. Print communication is very time consuming and expensive relative to digital technologies. We need your help to figure out how best to communicate the news of our movement. Should Reconciling Ministries Network should continue to invest time and resources in Katalyst or should Katalyst evolve into something different. If you could take a few minutes to complete the inserted survey and return it to us, we'd be most grateful. If you'd like to go digital and save a stamp, you can take the survey at http://tinyurl.com/katalyst Called to Witness Blog Reconciling Ministries Network has launched a Called to Witness Blog, RMNwitness.org, to help facilitate the Called to Witness campaign. You can read more about the 2008-2009 campaign on page 3 in Katalyst.

The trivia question with the survey is: "What is folksonomy?" When you submit the online version of the survey, we will reveal the answer!

RMN Online

Facebook

Website:

RMN launched a Facebook Group in June and the group has grown rapidly and now exceeds 600 people. Our Facebook group will facilitate all kinds of possibilities for communication and connection in the future. If you have not had the opportunity to join, be sure to click the "Find Us On Facebook" button next time you receive Flashnet.

http://www.RMnetwork.org

RMN Official Blog: http://www.rmnblog.org

Social Media

RMN General Conference Blog: http://www.generalconference2008.org

Called to Witness Campaign:



In addition to our blogs and Facebook Group, RMN has video streaming accounts at YouTube and Vimeo and photographs at Flickr. These sites are dubbed social media because you can comment on the videos or photographs or add them to your own sites or post them to Facebook. Our Flickr account has a group pool for you to share your Reconciling Movement related photographs.

Stats

http://www.rmnwitness.org

Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/rmnfacebook

Measuring activity on all RMN's Internet properties is fairly complicated, especially when you enter Web 2.0 and users can distribute content throughout the Internet. RMN measures activity on all our sites using Google Analytics. In July, RMN's combined Internet properties drew around 10,000 unique visitors and generated around 20,000 page views. Our Flashnet list includes 6,000 subscribers. Since we established our YouTube and Vimeo accounts, over 10,000 videos have been watched. As mentioned earlier, we have over 600 people in our Facebook Group.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/rmnvideos

Vimeo: http://www.vimeo.com/user460292/videos

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rmnetwork

Katalyst • Summer 2008

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EXPANDED OUTREACH & NEW COMMUNITIES Reconciling Ministries Network hires Audrey Krumbach as the Field Organizer with Young Adult Emphasis

Candie ODell Joins RMN as the 2008-2009 Intern

Reconciling Ministries Network is pleased to announce Audrey Krumbach as the new Field Organizer with Young Audrey Krumbach Adult Emphasis. Audrey recently earned her M.Div. from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL and is a candidate for United Methodist ordination in the Northern Illinois Conference. A lifelong Methodist, Audrey grew up in Conyers, Georgia and attended Huntingdon College in Alabama. With ministry experience in St. Louis, England, Honduras, and Kenya, Audrey brings a commitment to Christ’s evangelical love which honors diverse cultures, sexual orientations, gender expressions and other ways of being. In seminary, she served as an intern at RMN and attended General Conference 2008, in Fort Worth, Texas where she read the 2008 Proclamation during the Plenary Witness on May 1, 2008. To view the video of Audrey reading the proclamation: http://vimeo.com/977226

Candie ODell is a 2nd year Masters of Divinity student at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary where she enjoys pursuing her studies to become an ordained Deacon in the Candie ODell United Methodist Church. She feels called to do socialjustice ministry with an emphasis in LGBTQ issues. This past General Conference she served as an on-site volunteer coordinator for RMN, Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA), and Affirmation. There, she was thrilled to meet and empower many folks with tasks that furthered the movement. She participated in the floor witness where she personally felt the hurt and pain that has existed within the church since 1972. Candie is a member of the California-Pacific Annual Conference where she will someday serve. This summer she enjoyed serving as a faith organizer where she worked closely with union campaigns in Los Angeles, CA. She is an avid musician, reader, and political junkie. She will be primarily working with seminaries, organizing RMN chapters in CA, and working to defeat a marriage proposition in CA (Prop 8).

Welcome to our newest communities! Read more about them in the saved Flashnets (FN) in the News section of the RMN website.

ST. STEPHEN'S UMC OF NORMAN [FN 9-3-08] 1801 West Brooks Avenue, Norman, OK 73069 http://www.ststephensnorman.org

Congregations:

SWARTHMORE UMC [FN 06-11-08] 129 Park Avenue, Swarthmore, PA, 19081 http://www.sumcplace.com

New Reconciling Communities!

DES MOINES UMC [FN 10-15-08] 22225 Ninth Avenue S, Des Moines, WA 98198 http://www.desmoinesumc.org

TRAVIS PARK UMC [FN 05-29-08] 230 East Travis Street, San Antonio, TX, 78205 http://www.travispark.org/

FIRST UMC - ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL [FN 10-15-08] 1903 E Euclid Ave, Arlington Heights, IL 60004 http://www.ahfumc.org

Communities:

FIRST UMC - ASHLAND, OR [FN 10-15-08] 175 North Main Street, Ashland, OR 97520 http://www.ashlandmethodist.org

CHURCH & SOCIETY COMMITTEE OF BEAR CREEK UMC [FN 06-11-08] 16530 Avondale Road NE, Woodinville, WA, 98077-9178 http://www.bcumc.org

FIRST UMC - LAWRENCE, KS [FN 07-23-08] 946 Vermont Street, Lawrence, KS, 66044 http://www.fumclawrence.org

CHURCH & SOCIETY TEAM [FN 07-02-08] The UMC of Whitefish Bay, 819 E Silver Spring Dr, Whitefish Bay, WI, 53217

FIRST UMC - LOOMIS, CA [FN 06-18-08] 6414 Brace Road, Loomis, CA, 95650-8903 http://www.vfr.net/~fumc/

KAIROS CLASS MEETING [FN 07-02-08] The UMC of Whitefish Bay, 819 E Silver Spring Dr, Whitefish Bay, WI, 53217

FIRST UMC - NAPA [FN 06-04-08] 625 Randolph Street, Napa, CA, 94559 http://www.napaumc.org

LIBRARY GUILD [FN 07-02-08] The UMC of Whitefish Bay, 819 E Silver Spring Dr, Whitefish Bay, WI, 53217

METROPOLITAN MEMORIAL UMC [FN 06-18-08] 3410 Nebraska Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20016-2759 http://www.metropolitanumc.org

RUMS OF EASTERN PA [FN 05-29-08] 510 East Mount Pleasant Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19119 SOUTH AUSTIN HOME GROUP AT UNIVERSITY UMC [FN 8-20-08] 2409 Guadalupe Street, Austin, TX 78705

SANCTUARY UMC AT LAKEWOOD [FN 9-3-08] 2317 Chapel Hill Road, Durham, NC 27707 ST. ANDREW'S UMC [FN 06-11-08] 6201 Spruce Avenue, Sacramento, CA, 95841 http://www.saumc.org

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SUNDAY MORNING DIALOGUE CLASS [FN 07-02-08] The UMC of Whitefish Bay, 819 E Silver Spring Dr, Whitefish Bay, WI, 53217 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND WESLEY FOUNDATION [FN 06-24-08] University UMC, 3621 Campus Drive, College Park, MD, 20740

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Katalyst • Summer 2008

EXTENSION MINISTRIES UNITED = UNITY Thoughts on being a united church, a united nation, and living in unity. By Robert Swing "Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself." (Matthew 23:39) "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all." (The United States of America Pledge of Allegiance) "The United Methodist Church is part of the church universal, which is one body in Christ. The United Methodist Church acknowledges that all persons are of sacred worth. All persons without regard to race, color, national origin, status, or economic condition, shall be eligible to attend its worship services, participate in its programs, receive the sacraments, upon baptism be admitted as

baptized members, and upon taking vows declaring the Christian faith, become professing members in any local church in the connection. In the United Methodist Church no conference, or other organizational unit of the Church shall be structured so as to exclude any member or any constituent body of the Church because of race, color, national origin, status, or economic condition." (UMC Book of Discipline, 2004, Article IV, The Constitution.) (See also BOD 2102 for use of the word status as pertains to men and women.) Isn't it amazing how powerful so few words can be? The author of Matthew transmits such a strong, direct, and unequivocal commandment from God. Our forefathers created a similarly brief and powerful statement of who we are as Americans, and how we must behave in relationship with each other.

MoSAIC Notes

And then, we United Methodists take 122 words to profess how we behave under God's commandment to love one another (unconditionally) and are loyal to our diverse nation, but in practice we deny full liberty and justice within our Church to persons who have sexuality different from the majority of members. We are divided on the issue of homosexual orientation and therefore in direct opposition to the preamble of our United Methodist Constitution where it says, "The church of Jesus Christ exists in and for the world, and its very dividedness is a hindrance to its mission in that world." That dividedness was graphic at the 2008 General Conference. We were beyond disagreement and into dividedness. We can do better by reducing our policy statements to simply reflect our unconditional love for all of God's human creations, our neighbors all.

RMN Staff Travel Calendar

By Rachel Birkhahn-Rommelfanger In a dimly lit sanctuary on American University's campus, 115 students, campus ministers, and friends of MoSAIC gather. They come to celebrate, to worship and partake of rainbow dyed communion bread. In that chapel at 11pm, once again young adult reconcilers were able to connect, form friendships, and have their first connect with RMN. Our witness at Student Forum was large, visible and engaging with all participants of the conference. MoSAIC has been planing for the coming year, as we are always focused on a future with hope. Another retreat is scheduled for Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday weekend Friday to Monday (January 16-19) outside of Atlanta, Georgia. This year's retreat "R & R: Rhetoric and Renewal" will focus on the formation of MoSAIC's identity. Discussing who we are, reconciling young adults, and what our common values and experiences are. Development of this public theology and skills to discuss our values will allow young UM to be able to engage others more effectively about their reasons for joining RMN, and help work at the grassroots to develop more young adult reconciling communities. Katalyst • Summer 2008

October 10-12 ..............................Troy, Sue, Tiffany, Audrey Called to Witness "All Means All" training, Nashville, TN October 16-17 .................................................................... Reconciling Clergy meet at Estes Park, CO October 18-19 .................................................................... RMN Board meets at Estes Park, CO October 20 - 22 .................................................................. Parents Steering Committee, Denver, CO October 20-21 ..............................................................Troy Bay Area, California October 24 -26 ..............................................................Sue Christian Educator's Fellowship, Albuquerque, NM November 8 - 9 ............................................................Sue Twin Cities, MN November 14 - 16 ....................................................Audrey Welcoming Church Leadership Training, Washington, DC

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RESOURCES Voices From the Kingdom A Review By Leland Spencer

and allies talking about the Bible, and I think you'll notice some interesting themes about the kinds of passages people select.

Overview: Cole's first book, Cleaning Out Closets, 3. Background. Another question Cole asks each tells the story of her discovery that her son was gay. As she worked on that book, she realized that interviews are a great way to hear people's stories, so she decided to interview several United Methodists who were somehow affected by the church's position on human sexuality. Bishops, laity, clergy, individuals, and couples are all included in the book.

Here's what I liked about the book: 1. Stories! If you know me, you know I love people, and I especially love people's stories. I consider myself someone who is rooted in narrative, so I really appreciate the book's focus on hearing each person or each couple's story. Cole introduces each interview briefly, and then she reproduces each interview transcript to allow each person in the book to tell her or his own story. As I have said elsewhere, I think the focus our movement has on storytelling is healthy because stories create such a profound opportunity for hearts and minds to change. These stories will move you, so read the book with a pen in hand and a box of tissues within reach. 2. Scriptures! As a gay Christian, one of my favorite things to talk about is the Bible. People are sometimes surprised to hear me allude to or reference a Bible passage since the assumption exists that progressive Christians have a low view of the Bible. I reject that view and find the Bible beautifully liberating in many ways. That is why I am thrilled that Cole asks all of the people she interviews—whether LGB or ally—if they have favorite scriptures. It's great to hear LGB Christians

person is what that person's faith background is and whether that person can recall hearing antigay messages from the pulpit in her or his home church. Interestingly, very few people report hearing explicit anti-gay preaching in their home churches, yet almost all of them say they just knew it was wrong to be gay and impossible to be both gay and Christian. As someone who s t u d i e s communication, I'm fascinated by the power of religious rhetoric. Even when people never heard their pastors condemning LGB people, they still had a sense that the church did not approve. Could that mean the condemnatory voices are few in number but great in volume and strength? It at least invites a pause for thought. 4. Issues. If you carefully juxtapose some bits of the interviews, you'll notice that the book actually offers a few perspectives on some issues that are controversial within the reconciling movement. Cole asks several people about the "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors" campaign, and people react to that very differently (some love it, some hate it, some are neutral, and all provide great reasons for their responses). A few of the

Shaping Sanctuary: Proclaiming God's Grace In An Inclusive Church

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interviewees also take on the issue of whether congregations should or need to adopt reconciling statements and officially align themselves with the movement, and the perspectives offered within the book seem to jibe with the conversations I've heard about that topic in my personal experience. Most interesting, I think, is comparing Sue Laurie's and Greg Dell's positions on whether the church should consider dividing ("an amicable split"). Cole does not frame any of these issues as debates, but for a reader interested in a variety of perspectives on these issues, the arguments aren't difficult to find and piece together.

Some Reservations: 1. Patriarchal language. I'm not a fan of the word "Kingdom," and although Cole defends her use of the term in the last chapter of the book, I'm not convinced that a patriarchal word with all kinds of oppressive entailments is necessary. [Some have used kin-dom as an alternative.—ed.] In fact, without a strong recommendation from such a trusted friend, I probably would not have read the book, simply based on the title. I was also distracted in the preface to the book by Cole's use of gendered pronouns to refer to the divine. 2. Limited scope. You may have noticed that throughout this review, I have used the acronym LGB when referring to the people interviewed. I left out the T and Q intentionally because the book only includes stories from people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or straight allies. Over and over again, the movement for LGBT rights (generally, and within the church) finds itself being less inclusive than it hopes to be, and this book is an unfortunate example of that.

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Katalyst • Summer 2008

ALL SAINTS DAY, November 1st, became a high holy day for me during in-thetrenches HIV/AIDS ministry in Houston, Texas. Our congregation established the Sunday after All Saints Day as All Saints and Commitment Sunday; we received pledges of prayers, presence, gifts and service while we also lifted the names of those we grieved losing in the past year. The conjunction of these two events inevitably brought me to tears. Not just the grief of remembering the tangible relationships now outside of physical connection between parents, children, partners, and friends in faith, but also witnessing the visibly shaking walk to the altar rail of a newly grieving mother, signed "It is a blessing to serve pledge card in her a robust ministry that hand, committing deepens our anew to serve Christ discipleship through through that working for justice.” particular United Methodist church family. Naming the loss and claiming the hope together still does it to me, tears flow. After being a part of Bering Memorial for twenty years, I found my way from pastoral staff there to Executive Director here at Reconciling Ministries Network with a start date of November 1, 2003-for me, a day of recommitment to justice with peace for all within this larger United Methodist family. At my first board meeting, we named aloud hope for advancing this movement for full inclusion and each year had a place and name: stabilization (2003), restoration (2004), revitalization (2005), expansion (2006), explosion (2007), reformation (2008), and exploration (2009). Once spoken, we lived them out with Watermarked baptismal renewal (2004), Hearts on Fire ignition (2005), Faith, Hope, Love organizing (2007), and One Family Tree activism (2008). These national events just scratch the surface as RMN engaged grassroots growth through outreach, circuit rides, leadership trainings, the first Called to Witness campaign, the Reconciling Journeys DVD resource, and the RMN Blog.

Katalyst • Summer 2008

Building upon the foundations others have laid before us for us, it is amazing what we have accomplished.

Since November 1, 2003, with your efforts, RMN has grown to include: * 3,531 new Reconciling United Methodists * 132 new Reconciling Communities (congregations, campus ministries, and communities) * 2.5 new staff positions (communications, field organizer, and Called To Witness coordinator) * $205,000 annual increase in generosity from donors and grants And still, during these five years, Beth Stroud who was in love with a woman, went through church trial and had her clergy credentials removed; Joey Heath was denied transfer of membership from one United Methodist congregation to another; and the world watched as our denomination continued anti-gay policies at General Conference in Fort Worth. And then there it is, Beth and her partner Chris reaching out in love to two foster children, Joey actively discerning his call to ministry, and so many with love-overflowing-broken-hearts making their All Saints Day commitment to Christ with hurt and hope together, pain and purpose together, mistreatment and meaning together, trials and trust together. Reconciling seeks wholeness—wholeness for individuals, families, our church and our society. It has been a privilege to serve you this past five years. In this place, I hear the stories and witness the love-overflowing-broken-hearts in action. It is a blessing to serve a robust ministry that deepens our discipleship through working for justice. Naming the loss and claiming the hope—I send in my pledge card to work for an inclusive church. It does include prayers, presence, gifts and service. Perhaps you will add yours too. You may see our tears but never underestimate what a community of loveoverflowing-broken-hearts can do together!

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