A Future with Hope for the Called to Witness Program
A message from Rev. Tiffany
Steinwert
This year's General Conference theme was
"A Future With Hope." According to some on the theme committee, there had been
considerable debate during the process as to how to punctuate that
sentence...
"A Future with Hope."
"A Future With Hope!"
"A Future With Hope?"
Many of us in the denomination share that ambivalence. Increasingly the future of our denomination looks less and less hopeful...not just for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons who have struggled through 36 years of discrimination, but also for the institutional church that bears the growing burden of financial instability, membership decline, and pressure from outside political action groups like the IRD.
There was great dismay and despair at certain points during this General Conference as the denomination, by a narrow majority (in some cases just a handful of votes), voted once again to ignore the diversity of our denomination and instead proclaimed a false unity based on institutional uniformity. The drastic revisions to 161G and the refusal to declare our membership open to all persons fostered a sense of loss for many in our Church.
Yet, despite these set backs in our struggle for justice for all people, the General Conference did take some very powerful and prophetic actions that will indeed lead us into a more hopeful future. Here are just a few of these acts of hope:
"A Future with Hope."
"A Future With Hope!"
"A Future With Hope?"
Many of us in the denomination share that ambivalence. Increasingly the future of our denomination looks less and less hopeful...not just for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons who have struggled through 36 years of discrimination, but also for the institutional church that bears the growing burden of financial instability, membership decline, and pressure from outside political action groups like the IRD.
There was great dismay and despair at certain points during this General Conference as the denomination, by a narrow majority (in some cases just a handful of votes), voted once again to ignore the diversity of our denomination and instead proclaimed a false unity based on institutional uniformity. The drastic revisions to 161G and the refusal to declare our membership open to all persons fostered a sense of loss for many in our Church.
Yet, despite these set backs in our struggle for justice for all people, the General Conference did take some very powerful and prophetic actions that will indeed lead us into a more hopeful future. Here are just a few of these acts of hope:
• Dismissed all anti-transgender
legislation by wide margins.
• Passed a Constitutional amendment
that declares "all persons" eligible for membership.
• Weakened the funding ban against
homosexual caucuses to allow for financial support for activities that would
help the Church not "to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and
friends."
• Passed a resolution against
heterosexism and homophobia.
• Voted in a new definition of
family that recognizes "two parents" instead of "mother and
father."
• Created an ethics committee to
monitor the action of lobbyists and delegates during General Conferences in the
future.
• Installed a new Judicial Council
comprised of members committed to fairness and integrity.
• Created a study commission for the
worldwide restructuring of the Church that gives the committee freedom to
explore all options.
In addition to the activities of the institutional Church, the Reconciling Church that gathered also gave witness to a Future With Hope in varied ways:
In addition to the activities of the institutional Church, the Reconciling Church that gathered also gave witness to a Future With Hope in varied ways:
• Anointed and blessed conference
members and visitors as they entered the convention center.
• Distributed "leaves for the
healing of the nations."
• Honored the faithful
witness of parents in leading the Church to compassion and
justice.
• • Decried
discrimination against transgender persons.
• Illustrated the connections
between racism and heterosexism.
• • Drummed
for justice.
• Highlighted the voice
of youth and young adults who already embody a fully inclusive
Church.
• • Honored
OUT activists and allies with Affirmation.
• • Witnessed
to the death of the Church when it cuts off members from the Body of
Christ.
• Celebrated in worship
God's love for our One Family Tree.
• • Proclaimed
a commitment to
being
Church in the world despite institutionalized discrimination.
• • Celebrated
God's love made visible in the marriage of Sue Laurie and Julie
Bruno.
This is just a brief list of all the ways in which the Holy Spirit moved in and among the General Conference to witness to God's love breaking down walls of exclusion, injustice and oppression. While there were moments of deep pain and despair, I do believe that the people of the United Methodist Church are moving toward a Future With Hope!
This movement would not have been possible without the faithful work that all of you did through Called To Witness. Your stories and testimonies moved hearts and minds and even votes. Thank you for your faithful witness!
Together we are indeed changing our church one person at a time!
In the coming year, Called to Witness will kick off our second campaign inviting 15 more annual conferences to join in our witness of storytelling as we build relationships across ideological and theological divides. We will begin with an organizers' retreat in October and then move out into a total of 37 annual conferences to work toward the passage of the Constitutional Amendment guaranteeing open membership for all!
We hope you will continue to work with us as we build relationships and strengthen our movement!
For a more complete account of the activities at General Conference and to see these actions of hope for yourself, please check out the RMN blog and photos.
Paz,
Tiffany
This is just a brief list of all the ways in which the Holy Spirit moved in and among the General Conference to witness to God's love breaking down walls of exclusion, injustice and oppression. While there were moments of deep pain and despair, I do believe that the people of the United Methodist Church are moving toward a Future With Hope!
This movement would not have been possible without the faithful work that all of you did through Called To Witness. Your stories and testimonies moved hearts and minds and even votes. Thank you for your faithful witness!
Together we are indeed changing our church one person at a time!
In the coming year, Called to Witness will kick off our second campaign inviting 15 more annual conferences to join in our witness of storytelling as we build relationships across ideological and theological divides. We will begin with an organizers' retreat in October and then move out into a total of 37 annual conferences to work toward the passage of the Constitutional Amendment guaranteeing open membership for all!
We hope you will continue to work with us as we build relationships and strengthen our movement!
For a more complete account of the activities at General Conference and to see these actions of hope for yourself, please check out the RMN blog and photos.
Paz,
Tiffany
Posted: Monday - May 05, 2008 at 02:08 PM |
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Published On: May 06, 2008 12:11 PM
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Published On: May 06, 2008 12:11 PM