First UMC Dallas
First United Methodist Church of Dallas, Texas. (Photo courtesy of North Texas Conference).
First United Methodist Church in Dallas will take a big step into the fray over LGBTQ+ acceptance on Dec. 29 when it holds a special service of blessing for marriage – all marriages, including gay and lesbian couples.
According to a Dallas Morning News article by Sharon Grigsby, On eve of church’s LGBTQ clampdown, Dallas’ First United Methodist will celebrate all marriages in special service, senior pastor the Rev. Andy Stoker says First UMC’s “Covenantal Celebration of Holy Marriage” will be “part pastoral and part social justice.” Ms. Grigsby quotes Rev. Stoker that the event is “about seeing and recognizing all congregation members, to help us really see one another.”
Ms. Grigsby’s article notes two other distinguishing marks of the service:
1) First UMC-Dallas sits across a downtown street from First Baptist Church, an anti-LGBTQ+ stronghold led by Rev. Robert Jeffress;
2) First UMC has invited LGBTQ-welcoming congregations of other denominations around Dallas to take part in the celebration. These include Wilshire Baptist, Preston Hollow Presbyterian, Cathedral of Hope (United Church of Christ) and Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration. Also invited are representatives of Dallas’ eight Reconciling Ministries Network congregations, believed to be the largest urban contingent of LGBTQ-welcoming churches among United Methodists.
First UMC’s marriage celebration grew out of months of consultation among members following the 2019 General Conference at which the so-called Traditional Plan was adopted, Ms. Grigsby reported. In June the North Texas Annual Conference adopted its own “One Church” resolution which pledges to allow congregations to minister in their own contexts – including with LGBTQ+ people – regardless of the new restrictions. First UMC’s executive associate pastor, the Rev. Ann Willet, was among the organizers of the resolution.
In addition to Ms. Grigsby’s article on First UMC’s marriage celebration, we commend to your reading her column on the dispute between Southern Methodist University and the South Central Jurisdiction over its ownership and governance, What SMU’s plan to split from Methodist control could mean for Dallas churches angry about LGBTQ policies. Her reported Methodist background has given her a good understanding of the significance of the worldwide UMC dispute on local congregations, and her articles and columns show diligence and fair-mindedness.
Central Conferences give unity proposal
Late-breaking news from Heather Hahn of UM News: "General Conference delegates and other United Methodists from the central conferences — church regions in Africa, Europe and the Philippines — released Dec. 19 what they are calling “A Christmas Covenant: Our Gift of Hope.” Check it out now and expect more commentary in the new year.
Resist Harm rolls on
The Resist Harm movement continues preparing for Jan. 1 with a series of columns from clergy and laypeople about resistance to the punitive measures of the Traditional Plan. The movement’s well-constructed website is bursting with ideas and education, but we especially like that Prayer and Worship are the first two topics on its drop-down menu. The arrangement signifies what many of us believe: that the affirmation of LGBTQ+ people is not merely a question of social justice, but is at its heart a matter of spiritual faith.
Among the January events listed on Resist Harm’s schedule:
Great Plains Conference Resist Harm Kickoff: January 4, 2020 10:00 am, Countryside UMC, 3221 SW Burlingame Rd, Topeka, KS 66611. Hosted by: Great Plains UMCNext and Mainstream UMC
Arkansas Conference Resist Harm Worship: January 5, 2020 5:30 pm, First UMC- Little Rock, 723 Center Street, Little Rock, AR 72201, Hosted by: Arkansas UMCNext.
A Different Way: January 5, 2020 11:00 am, Hollywood UMC, 6817 Franklin Ave, Hollywood, CA 90028. Hosted by: Hollywood UMC
Your group or congregation can add its Resist Harm event by signing up here.
Media Mentions as of Dec. 19, 2019
Church pastor's home targeted with anti-LGBTQ message of hate – 10TV
LGBTQ Choir honors John Bradford Bohl with Carriage Town caroling – East Village Magazine