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Gordon Chapel
A. J. Gordon Memorial Chapel at Gordon College in Wenham, Mass., has been the site of plenary sessions for the New England Annual Conference
Gordon College's longtime standing as the site for yearly sessions of the United Methodist New England Annual Conference lies in jeopardy after the college applied for a religious exemption from the LGBT anti-discrimination order that President Barack Obama issued in June.
Erica Robinson-Johnson, assistant to New England Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar, issued a statement July 18 after the conference received dozens of concerned messages about Gordon College's exemption request, said conference communications director Alexx Wood. Ms. Robinson-Johnson wrote:
"On behalf of Bishop Devadhar, our conference lay leader Rene Wilbur, and myself, I want to thank you for your letter concerning our contractual relationship with Gordon College in light of the recent actions of President Michael D. Lindsay. Of course, we share your concern about matters of human rights and civil liberties and deplore all forms of discrimination. It is our aim to comply with our standing social principals in all our actions including selecting vendors.
"We have been and continue to undergo an active search for an alternative location for the 2015 session of the annual conference. The Sessions Team, in consultation with the Cabinet and Bishop, will make the final selection. We are utilizing professional event planners for this search including our partners at the GCFA. Once we have secured a location we will make the announcement to the conference and notify you of the decision."
Ms. Wood said that Bishop Devadhar was unable to respond personally to concerns because he is leading New England youths on a pilgrimage to the Taize' Community in France.
The furor began July 1 when Gordon College President D. Michael Lindsay joined 13 leaders of faith-based and civic organizations, including evangelical pastors Rick Warren and Joel Hunter, in a letter seeking religious exemption from President Barack Obama's executive order barring discrimination against gays and lesbians in workplaces receiving federal funds. The order includes faith-based colleges that receive federal funds.
Following an uproar over the letter's publication, Lindsay contended that its intent had been "misconstrued" and that the college had no intention of discriminating against gays and lesbians in hiring. However, at a July 21 signing ceremony at the White House, President Obama said the executive order does not include a religious exemption.
The New England Conference's annual sessions have been held at Gordon College for more than 15 years. If the conference proceeds with its plans to seek another site, it will mark the third major action taken against the College since its president signed the exemption request.
On July 9, the City of Salem abruptly terminated a contract with Gordon College to manage a historic building, saying the college's request for a federal exemption violated the city's workplace non-discrimination ordinance, according to Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll. The city's action has drawn significant backlash from conservative Christians who supported Gordon College's request, including more than 50 "patently offensive" calls from out-of-state residents, the mayor told Boston-area media.
Mayor Driscoll told the Salem News that she plans to donate $5 for each of the phone complaints to nAGLY [the North Shore Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth].
As if the losses of revenue and reputation aren't enough, Gordon College's accreditation is now under investigation by the New England Association of Colleges and Schools, according to the Boston Business Journal. A commission of the accrediting agency is investigating whether Gordon College's exemption request has violated a non-discrimination policy required of the association's members.
Cynthia B. Astle is coordinator of United Methodist Insight.