Letter to a General Conference Delegate
by Carole Carsey
For some time now members of Northaven
have been encouraged to dialogue with our representatives to the General
Conference beginning this week. Many of you have done that, and this letter to
one of our Conference delegates by Carole Carsey is just one such response.
However, it so beautifully and persuasively states the position that most of us
hope might become part of the debate at this meeting of the General Conference
that it deserves to be shared with all of
you.
Thank you for your willingness to serve as a delegate to General Conference. It is a strenuous schedule – ten days of meetings from morning till late at night. And General Conference has been preceded by hours of meetings and preparation. Especially, I appreciate your willingness to serve at a time when much hangs in the balance of the votes taken there.
I congratulate you that your peers hold you in such esteem that you are a member of the delegation from North Texas.
I write to witness to my belief that modeling the Methodist Church after Jesus’ ministry means we must have a ministry of radical inclusion. We don’t forget what we learned at our mother’s knee, and I learned that God is Love. I believe that God created some of us as heterosexual beings; others were given another sexual orientation, and I believe that God loves all those that God created.
My nephew is gay. I have seen that the Methodist Church has been part of the problem rather than part of the solution in helping him and his parents deal with his sexual orientation. He is a fine young man, a faithful Christian who turned to his Methodist minister when he was troubled by his awareness that he had homosexual feelings. For ten years he has been in a committed relationship that has blessed both him and his partner, yet the Methodist Church cannot bless that relationship.
My faith has been deepened and enriched by my membership at Northaven UMC, a Reconciling Congregation, where approximately 35% of the congregation is gay or lesbian. The strength of our congregation comes from this diversity. My experience at Northaven has given me a deep understanding that both gay and straight members are essential for the wholeness and healing of us all.
In my thinking the integrity of the Methodist Church is at stake because our policies are in disagreement with Scripture, with our Methodist tradition, and with our proclamation Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors. The future of the Methodist Church is at stake in that more and more we understand that young people who might join the Methodist Church will not do so it if they see it ablaze with bigotry.
For me, I Corinthians 12 speaks beautifully and strongly to this issue. It makes the issue so clear. ... The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need to you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor… But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”
I will pray for you at General Conference and I pray for the United Methodist Church, the Body of Christ.
Blessings,
Carole Carsey
Thank you for your willingness to serve as a delegate to General Conference. It is a strenuous schedule – ten days of meetings from morning till late at night. And General Conference has been preceded by hours of meetings and preparation. Especially, I appreciate your willingness to serve at a time when much hangs in the balance of the votes taken there.
I congratulate you that your peers hold you in such esteem that you are a member of the delegation from North Texas.
I write to witness to my belief that modeling the Methodist Church after Jesus’ ministry means we must have a ministry of radical inclusion. We don’t forget what we learned at our mother’s knee, and I learned that God is Love. I believe that God created some of us as heterosexual beings; others were given another sexual orientation, and I believe that God loves all those that God created.
My nephew is gay. I have seen that the Methodist Church has been part of the problem rather than part of the solution in helping him and his parents deal with his sexual orientation. He is a fine young man, a faithful Christian who turned to his Methodist minister when he was troubled by his awareness that he had homosexual feelings. For ten years he has been in a committed relationship that has blessed both him and his partner, yet the Methodist Church cannot bless that relationship.
My faith has been deepened and enriched by my membership at Northaven UMC, a Reconciling Congregation, where approximately 35% of the congregation is gay or lesbian. The strength of our congregation comes from this diversity. My experience at Northaven has given me a deep understanding that both gay and straight members are essential for the wholeness and healing of us all.
In my thinking the integrity of the Methodist Church is at stake because our policies are in disagreement with Scripture, with our Methodist tradition, and with our proclamation Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors. The future of the Methodist Church is at stake in that more and more we understand that young people who might join the Methodist Church will not do so it if they see it ablaze with bigotry.
For me, I Corinthians 12 speaks beautifully and strongly to this issue. It makes the issue so clear. ... The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need to you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor… But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”
I will pray for you at General Conference and I pray for the United Methodist Church, the Body of Christ.
Blessings,
Carole Carsey
Posted: Wednesday - April 16, 2008 at 01:13 PM |
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Published On: May 05, 2008 04:54 PM
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Published On: May 05, 2008 04:54 PM