North Carolina Rally
Eureka Springs First UMC
College Park First UMC
Florida 1
Florida 2
Morrow Memorial United Methodist Church
Texas RUM
Dakotas 1
Dakotas 2
Statements of confession, lamentation and resistance continue to stream out from United Methodists across the United States. Meanwhile, social media lit up with debates about secrecy versus openness in discussions of the future, and whether progressives staying in the UMC is truly a viable option.
A group of laypeople in the Florida Annual Conference issued “A Florida Laity Response to General Conference 2019,” believed to be one of the first conference-wide responses organized by church members rather than clergy.
The response says in part: “We regret how the United Methodist Church has hurt our LGBTQIA+ family for decades, and how the recent adoption of the Traditional Plan has caused further pain already experienced by the LGBTQIA+ community. We believe the life and teaching of Jesus Christ reflects God’s love for all. We want to ensure all people are included fully in the life of the church as they are and are committed to being inclusive of all God’s children in all aspects in the life of the church.”
Clergy and laity in the Dakotas Conference issued an open letter to their bishop, Bruce Ough, and appointive cabinet confessing and lamenting the hurt caused by United Methodists to the LGBTQ community. The letter also recommits to “live into our baptismal vows” by resisting evil and oppression; to affirm the sacred worth of all people; and to choose “love over harm.”
Reconciling United Methodists in the Texas Annual Conference issued an open letter responding to the 2019 theme of "The Main Thing" by saying the full inclusion of all people in the church forms an essential part of Christian discipleship.
Meanwhile, in the wake of reports about closed door meetings about the church’s future among invited United Methodist leaders, social media had some sharp debates about whether such meetings would be better held publicly. One poster insisted such meetings could not be effective without confidentiality, while others cited the UMC’s “open meetings” rule, Paragraph 722, from the Book of Discipline, as support for public discussions.
The Rev. Jeremy Smith of Hacking Christianity came in for some social media pushback for his most recent blog post, “By the Numbers: How the Resistance can Remain in The #UMC.” Most of the respondents indicated they had reached the end of their patience attempting to get the denomination to rescind its anti-LGBTQ stances.
The Wesley Covenant Association also took note of the growing Progressive sentiments for a UMC split in its daily newsletter.
Young Delegate Starts Newsletter
JJ Warren, the young openly gay delegate who spoke passionately about his love for The United Methodist Church at the 2019 General Conference, is starting a monthly newsletter he calls “Circuit!” “We’ll keep each other up-to-date, connect, and build our scattered community. Together we will reclaim our Church and transform the world through love!” says his Google Docs sign-up form. He wrote on Facebook that his first issue “about news of this movement” will appear Friday, April 5. Click here to subscribe.
Media Mentions as of April 3, 2019
Methodist Leadership Doesn't Comprehend Gay People Can Be Spiritual by Andrew Ponder Williams on Advocate.com
5 Reasons to consider a U.S. Church by the Rev. Dr. Mark Holland, Mainstream UMC
US Methodists plot ways to resist new LGBT rules by Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011. Reader Thomas Shanklin contributed research to this report.