New York Conference Elects LGBTQ People for Half its 2019 Delegation

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The New York Annual Conference will send a newly elected delegation to the special 2019 General Conference on church unity slated Feb. 23-26 in St. Louis, Mo., in which more than half the delegates and reserves are people of LGBTQ orientation and their allies.

The annual conference announced the election by posting the above photograph on its Facebook page. The new delegates weren't identified in they order they're standing in the photo, but according to their states as laity or clergy.

Laity: Fred Brewington, Gail Douglas Boykin, Jorge Lockward and Dorothee Benz. Reserve: Tiffany French Goffe, Ann Craig, Roena Littlejohn, and Karen Prudente.

Clergy: Tim Riss, Noel Chin, Kristina Hansen, and Alex da Silva Souto. Reserve: Vicki Flippin, Sheila Beckford, Martha Vink and Sungchan Kim.

Of those elected, the candidates recommended by the group "With us, not about us," are Fred Brewington, Jorge Lockward, Dorothee Benz, Tiffany French Goffee, Ann Craig, Karen Prudente, Kristina Hansen, Alex da Silva Souto, Vicki Flippin and Martha Vink. The unofficial group's web page urged the New York Conference to elect an all-LGBTQ delegation.

"It was not easy but we made history," wrote reserve delegate Ann Craig in a Facebook post. "Now we get down to pray and work!"

All annual conferences have the option to elect new delegations to the special 2019 General Conference, whose purpose is to review the Council of Bishops' recommendation based on the work of the Commission on A Way Forward. The 2016 General Conference asked the Council of Bishops to select a commission to seek paths to unity for The United Methodist Church despite its sharp divisions over the acceptability of LGBTQ sexual orientations and practices.

Most annual conferences have opted to send their 2016 delegations to the 2019 meeting. The prospect has caused apprehension among LGBTQ supporters, since it was the threat of schism that nearly derailed the 2016 conclave.