Actions of Annual Conferences - 2011
Minnesota
New England
Northern Illinois
Oregon/Idaho
Minnesota
Equality for All in Christian Marriage
Minnesota Annual Conference, 2011
We joyfully affirm that we will offer the grace of the Church’s blessing to any prepared couple desiring Christian marriage. We are convinced by the witness of others and are compelled by Spirit and conscience to act. We thank the many United Methodists who have already called for full equality and inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the life of the Church.
We repent that it has taken us so long to act. We realize that our church’s discriminatory policies tarnish the witness of the Church to the world, and we are complicit. We value our covenant relationships and ask everyone to hold the divided community of the United Methodist Church in prayer.
Any United Methodist person in Minnesota Conference who conducts Christian marriages is welcomed to sign.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
I have chosen to sign the
Equality for All in Christian Marriage Statement
and I belong to the Minnesota Annual Conference
Name ______________________________________
Signature___________________________________
Email address ________________________________
(If you have chosen to sign, you may tear off the top half to share with others. Then please turn in the bottom half to Bruce Robbins or someone distributing this form. Your name will be added to a posted list.)
New England
Ninety* New England United Methodist Clergy Join Movement to Support Marriage Equality
6/16/2011
*To date, 119 clergy in the New England Conference have signed the statement.
WENHAM, Massachusetts…(June 11, 2011)… During the 2011 New England Annual Conference session, held June 8-11 at Gordon College in Wenham, MA, ninety United Methodist clergy members of Conference have signed a statement affirming their intention to "offer the grace of the church's blessing to any prepared couple desiring Christian marriage," including same-sex couples. The action is in opposition to the denomination's position on same-sex marriage.
The New England clergy signing the statement join those clergy from the Minnesota Annual Conference, who issued a similar statement on June 1. "This movement of love and justice is growing," said the Rev. Allen Ewing-Merrill of Portland, Maine, speaking this week at a meeting of clergy during the Annual Conference session. "And it must, or the church will continue to perpetuate discrimination, and continue to confirm its reputation of exclusion and irrelevance in a society that increasingly embraces the great gifts of diversity."
At the beginning of the Annual Conference session, twenty-six clergy had signed the statement. The Rev. Allen Ewing-Merrill, together with the Rev. Sara Ewing-Merrill, shared the statement during the clergy session at the start of the Conference. Nearly fifty colleagues stood and accompanied them at the microphone, expressing their support for the statement. By the end of the Conference session, those supporting the statement had grown to more than ninety. The statement was not addressed on the floor of Annual Conference, but was an auxiliary and voluntary effort by clergy supporting the statement.
"The overwhelming response to this statement witnesses to the pain clergy and laity experience when they are prohibited from marrying particular groups, such as gay, lesbian, and bisexual persons," says the Rev. Leigh Dry, one of the coordinators of the movement. "To fully share and experience the love of Christ, it is imperative that we are free to bestow all the blessings of the Church, including marriage and ordination, to all people, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity."
The statement signed by the ninety clergy is identical to the one signed by seventy United Methodist clergy members from the Minnesota Conference earlier this month. (Full text of statement included below).
"Clergy have quietly been performing holy unions and officiating at same-gender weddings for a number of years," says the Rev. Kathryn Johnson, former Executive Director of the Methodist Federation for Social Action, "but the declarations of so many pastors, publicly signaling their intention to place pastoral concern ahead of restrictive rules is something new. The winds of change are clearly blowing through the United Methodist Church, as well as other communities of faith."
Since 1972, the issue of homosexuality has been the subject of lively debate at the United Methodist General Conference, a global gathering and the denomination's top lawmaking body, held every four years. General Conference is the only body that can officially speak for The United Methodist Church. As recently as 2008, delegates to General Conference have voted to retain the Discipline's language condemning the practice of homosexuality and forbidding same-sex marriage.
"Our United Methodist churches have many faithful gay and lesbian members, and I know this action is born out of the caring our clergy have for their members and communities," said Peter D. Weaver, Bishop of the New England Conference. "United Methodists are divided on this issue – and many others as well – yet we remain committed to wrestling with these issues in love, and to working together to discern God's will for the future."
The New England Conference meets annually to consider policy proposals, ordain new pastors, celebrate retiring pastors, plan for mission and ministry, and worship. About 1,200 voting members—half clergy, half laity—attend the annual conference.
About The New England Conference
Nearly 100,000 people worship in 644 United Methodist and federated churches in the New England Conference, comprised of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and half of Connecticut.
###
The full text of the statement reads:
Equality for All in Christian Marriage
New England Annual Conference 2011
We joyfully affirm that we will offer the grace of the Church's blessing to any prepared couple desiring Christian marriage. We are convinced by the witness of others and are compelled by Spirit and conscience to act. We thank the many United Methodists who have already called for full equality and inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the life of the Church.
We repent that it has taken us so long to act. We realize that our church's discriminatory policies tarnish the witness of the Church to the world, and we are complicity. We value our covenant relationships and ask everyone to hold the divided community of the United Methodist Church in prayer.
Any United Methodist person in the New England Conference who conducts Christian marriages is welcome to sign. I have chosen to sign the Equality for All in Christian Marriage Statement and I belong to the New England Annual Conference.
Contact:
Ms. Alexx Wood, Communications Director
New England Conference of The United Methodist Church
978-682-8055 ext. 150 (office) or communicate@neumc.org
Rev. Leigh Dry, 508-308-4836, leighdry@verizon.net
*To date, 119 active clergy in the New England Conference have signed the statement.
Northern Illinois
Board of Ordained Ministry Resolution to the 2011 Clergy Session
[passed 178 to 76]
Be it resolved that any Northern Illinois Clergy member who, in his/her best judgment, feels called to officiate at a Civil Union and then subsequently faces charges, and after due Disciplinary process is tried and convicted for such offense, that a suggested maximum penalty to assign would be the suspension of said convicted minister from the exercise of pastoral office for a period of 24 consecutive hours.
Rationale
June 1, 2011 Civil Unions became legal in Illinois. Currently Northern Illinois Conference has 20 Reconciling congregations; 3 Campus Ministries that are reconciling; 11 additional congregations are registered at Gaychurch.org which gives intentional outreach to gays and lesbians; and 7 congregations that have a Reconciling Task Force as they are moving toward becoming a Reconciling Congregation.
This resolution will protect our clergy colleagues who feel called to serve the needs of the congregation to which they are appointed, and at this time in history a portion of that calling is to bless a Civil Union. This action cannot bind any trial court, but it can offer guidance about ways to honor both the Book of Discipline and our commitment to diversity and inclusion.
It is not fair that some of our colleagues be put at greater risk when they act out the values that we as Northern Illinois Conference hold together. (NIC is a Reconciling Conference.) This action will hopefully reduce risk to them.
In addition to this action, a movement has begun to have clergy sign a prepared statement that they are willing to officate at a same-sex union. A copy of the statement is listed below. At the end of the first day of AC, nearly 100 clergy had signed the statement.
Equality for All in Christian Marriage
Northern Illinois Annual Conference, 2011
We joyfully affirm that we will offer the grace of the Church‚s blessing to any prepared couple desiring Christian marriage. We are convinced by the witness of others and are compelled by Spirit and conscience to act. We thank the many United Methodists who have already called for full equality and inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the life of the Church. We also celebrate civil recognition now available to same sex couples in the state of Illinois in the form of Civil Unions and affirm our willingness to conduct such ceremonies.
We repent that it has taken us so long to act. We realize that our church‚s discriminatory policies tarnish the witness of the Church to the world, and we are complicit. We value our covenant relationships and ask everyone to hold the divided community of the United Methodist Church in prayer.
Any United Methodist person in Northern Illinois Conference who conducts Christian ceremonies for civil unions or marriages is welcomed to sign.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have chosen to sign the
Equality for All in Christian Marriage Statement
and I belong to the Northern Illinois Annual Conference
Name ______________________________________
Signature___________________________________
Email address ________________________________
(If you have chosen to sign, you may tear off the top half to share with others. Then please turn in the bottom half to Lois Parr (Elder) or Gregory Gross (Deacon), Ermalou Roller (Retired Clergy) or someone distributing this form. Your name will be added to a posted, public list.
Oregon/Idaho
WE WILL NOT DISCRIMINATE IN OUR MINISTRIES
Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference Pastors’ Statement:
We are United Methodists, called to inclusiveness, instructed to be faithful to the example of Jesus’ ministry to all persons, and charged to deny every semblance of discrimination [2008 Book of Discipline, ¶139]. We are pastors, given the responsibility to preach, teach, lead, counsel, conduct marriages and funerals, and offer the sacraments of baptism and communion. The Spirit of God calls us to affirm that we will not discriminate in the exercise of our pastoral duties.
Therefore, we joyfully pledge that we will meet, counsel and celebrate with any prepared couple who comes to us for Christian marriage. We do so remembering that our Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference has already committed to non-discrimination [Standing Resolution 30], welcoming all sexual minorities [Standing Resolution 25], confronting heterosexism [SR 8], and to open membership in our churches [Standing Resolution 18], and has petitioned the General Conference to change its definition of marriage to include all persons. We offer ourselves as pastors who seek to carry out God's call to love and justice. June 2011
________________________________________________________
I have chosen to sign the
We Will Not Discriminate in Our Ministries Pastors’ Statement
and I am a clergy member of the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference
of The United Methodist Church
Name ______________________________________________________
Signature____________________________________________________
Email address ________________________________ Date ___________
(If you have chosen to sign, you may tear off the top half to share with others. Then please turn in the bottom half to Dave Bean or someone distributing this form or at the MFSA or RUM’s display tables. Your name will be added to a public posted list.)