Threehouse Steps
Threehouse: A Wesley Foundation - "Rooted in Faith, Free to Branch Out". Threehouse is a United Methodist campus ministry located across from the University of Northern Iowa campus in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Reportedly its LGBTQ-friendly banners were frequently stolen, so the ministry opted to paint its concrete steps. On its Facebook page, the ministry offers all students welcome: "Come take part in our weekly worship, swing dancing, salsa dancing, community lunch, volunteer activities, clubs, bible studies, or just come hang out in the building to do homework or grab a bite to eat! Whatever your interests, we have a place for you at Threehouse!" (Facebook photo used by permission).
The head of the ultra-right Institute on Religion and Democracy predicts that United Methodist "radicals" will be the losers if the worldwide denomination splits over the acceptance of LGBTQ people in all facets of church life.
Mark Tooley told OneNewsNow: “My forecast is that there will, in the end, be at least three Methodist denominations." See Tooley: UMC's 'radicals' will lose in denomination split for the full story, which also quotes a prominent traditionalist leader, the Rev. Dr. Jerry Kulah of Liberia. This writer also has something to say about Mr. Tooley's remarks.
A booklet for Mountain Sky Conference
Members from First United Methodist Church in Fort Collins, Colo., are putting together a resource that may help members of the Mountain Sky Annual Conference gain new perspectives on the inclusion of LGBTQ people in the UMC.
Alyce Kaehler, a longtime First-Fort Collins member, told United Methodist Insight that the booklet will include life stories from LGBTQ people, along with essays from prominent church leaders. Some contributors are retired Bishop Kenneth Carter, who wrote this year about changing his mind about homosexuality; Dr. J. Philip Wogaman, longtime United Methodist scholar and activist who wrote recently about the flaws in the Traditional Plan; and Mountain Sky Bishop Karen Oliveto, an openly lesbian clergywoman in a same-gender marriage.
Ms. Kaehler, who chaired the First UMC committee when it joined the Reconciling Ministries Network four years ago, said the booklet is intended to show "how people can change their minds about LGBTQ people in the church."
This year's session of the Mountain Sky Annual Conference will meet in Billings, Mont. Mountain Sky was formed in 2018 through the merger of the former Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain conferences.
Media Mentions as of April 25, 2019
Re: "Shatter Your Illusions of Love" – Livermore Independent
When it comes to religion, finding compromise is not easy – Cape Cod Times
Why United Methodists are watching the results of a denominational court meeting – Religion News Service