Still Seeking a Way Forward

Information Meetings

Join us on Sundays March 8 or 22 in the Parlor from 9:00-9:30am or 10:30-11:00am for Information Sessions about various plans coming before General Conference in May as the UMC continues to work through our impasse over the issue of inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community. The Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation (see below) is gaining a lot of support across a wide spectrum of groups in the UMC and would lead to a major restructuring of the church. Come find out what proposed timelines look like, what this may mean for our congregation and more.


UMC News as We Head to GC2020

There has been a lot happening within our denomination as we prepare for the meeting of General Conference in May of this year. Many individuals, churches and groups have been gathering to pray and talk about a way forward through our continued impasse over the issue of LGBTQI+ inclusion in the church. It’s become pretty clear to everyone in the US UMC, around the globe and all across the theological spectrum (traditionalists, centrists and progressives alike) that the 2019 “solution” has not brought us together and if anything, only highlighted and deepened our differences.

One of the most hopeful things to come out of the many discussions that have been happening in various settings is the recent unanimous “Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation” put forth by a theologically and geographically diverse group of pastors, lay leaders and Bishops (including our Bishop, LaTrelle Easterling) with the help of world renowned mediator Kenneth Feinburg. The protocol required compromise on the part of all parties and calls for a significant restructuring of the church (the UMC would remain and a new more traditionalist Methodist church would be formed) and a way through our current impasse over issues of LGBTQ inclusion, ordination and same-gender weddings. Their press release made national news (you may have heard about it on CNN or seen it in the Washington Post or Baltimore Sun) and you can read a good overview of their work from the United Methodist News Service here.

A team of interpreters is being formed by our Church Council to keep SPUMC members in the loop about what is going on in the UMC at the denominational level and you can contact Council Chair, Heather Kraus, if you’d like to talk to someone or feel free to reach out to any of our pastors. You can also stay informed with all the latest news from the Baltimore-Washington Conference, the United Methodist News Service and other resources by clicking on the links below.


Sacred Worth Group

One of the ways we have responded to the actions of the General Conference 2019 (see below) is to create a Sacred Worth Group for LGBTQ+ persons, their families and allies who want to keep the conversation alive about how we can become a more inclusive and welcoming church here at SPUMC. We have been meeting since last May sharing stories, connections, pain and hope together.

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, March 17th at 6:30 pm in the Parlor. Hope you will feel free to join us or contact Rev. Ron if you’d like to know more about the group.


News from BWC’s 2019 Annual Conference

If you haven’t already heard, we had a very exciting Annual Conference last week in Baltimore where in an act of sacred resistance to what is happening at the global level of our church, we ordained a partnered gay man, Joey Heath, and commissioned a lesbian woman, TC Morrow. It was truly an historic occasion, many years in the making and long overdue. You can read more about it here: BWC Makes History on Many Levels

We are not alone as an Annual Conference taking a counter-stand to the Traditional Plan that passed at the most recent General Conference. There are a lot of things stirring at the grassroots, local church and Annual Conference levels – the Spirit is moving and at work in all of it, I believe. Here are a few other hopeful examples:

Great Plains Conference

Michigan Conference

North Texas Conference


General Conference 2019

The UMC General Conference was held February 23-26 in St. Louis. At that global gathering representing the 12.6 million United Methodists around the world, delegates voted by a narrow majority (53-47%) in support of the Traditional Plan which reaffirms the language in the Book of Discipline regarding human sexuality. While we continue to say that all persons regardless of sexual orientation are of sacred worth, the Plan also maintained that “homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching” and added stricter consequences for pastors, bishops and boards of ordained ministry around same gender marriage and the ordination of LGBTQ persons.

Judicial Council Weighs in on the Traditional Plan

The Traditional Plan was appealed to the Judicial Council (sort of like the UMC Supreme Court) which just ruled on its constitutionality the last week of April. It has been upheld in large measure (with some notable exceptions being several petitions that were ruled unconstitutional), will go into effect January 1, 2020 and you can find all the details here. Rev. Adam Hamilton has an interesting post about some of the responses to the Judicial Council ruling that are happening across the country which you can find here.

US Churches Had Favored the One Church Plan

US delegates voted 2-1 for the more inclusive One Church Plan which would have allowed for more local and regional autonomy on the issues of same gender weddings and ordination of LGBTQ persons. Under that plan, no pastor, church or Annual Conference Board of Ordained Ministry would have been required to or denied the right to officiate at/host same gender weddings or ordain LGBTQ persons but rather all could choose according to their conscience. This plan made room for traditionalists, centrists and progressives, for people who read the Bible as condemning homosexuality and for those who do not.

To learn more about the General Conference, visit the United Methodist Church homepage.  Our Baltimore Washington Conference Website is also great resource for continuing coverage of this issue in the broader church and good place to return to regularly for news and updates: BWC Website. Adam Hamilton, pastor of Church of the Resurrection and delegate to GC,  also did a good video recap of the General Conference that you can find here.


Rev. Ron’s Response

I think it is safe to say that we saw both our flawed and faithful church in action. Hoping for a clear and unified path forward on the issue of human sexuality, what was revealed as much as anything else is that we remain deeply divided. Here is what I posted on Facebook on the night that GC2019 ended:

Over the last few days, many times I have found myself in tears as I’ve witnessed our General Conference drawing harder boundaries instead of opening wider doors to friends, colleagues, brothers and sisters in Christ and those outside the church who are LGBTQ+. I had been so hopeful that we would find a way to disagree in love and make space in the UMC for all who passionately follow Jesus but may not see the issue of LGBTQ+ inclusion or read the Bible in the same way. Though the US delegates voted 2-1 in favor of the One Church Plan, the Traditional Plan won the day and we will have to see what that means in the coming weeks and months even as its constitutionality is challenged.

I want to say unequivocally, especially to those who personally bear the pain or feel harmed by this decision, that you, your children, your siblings and friends are all welcome and loved unconditionally at Severna Park UMC. We are committed to doing the good, hard and joyful work that God has called us to in this community and the world as we LOVE. SERVE. FOLLOW. in the way of Jesus. My heart may be broken now but I still believe in and cling to the overwhelming, never-ending reckless love of God. And I hope and pray you will, too.

All of our pastors join me in saying that our church is open to you – no matter your ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender identity, theological perspective, sexual orientation, political affiliation or even where you come down on the question of loyalty to the Ravens or Redskins/O’s or Nats. We are working as faithfully and lovingly as we can to keep this tent big and welcoming and there is a place for you!


SPUMC Church Council Response to GC2019

Since the 2019 General Conference of the United Methodist Church announced new policies which affirm and strengthen prohibitions against full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons in the life of the church, we have felt and heard the deep hurt experienced by members and friends who hoped the global UMC would remove restrictions on marriage and ordination for LGBTQ+ persons.  We have also felt and heard the concerns of those who approve of the decisions made by the global UMC, yet wonder whether they are fully welcome in our local church where others do not share their views.  Through some difficult but loving conversations with one another, we are encouraged that the Holy Spirit is guiding us to remember our common identity as people in need of the grace of God, called to do the work of Jesus.

The lay leadership of Severna Park United Methodist Church affirms that in our local church, ALL of God’s children are welcome and loved, just as they are. Our church deeply values allowing folks space to be true to themselves as they follow Christ, look to scripture with a heart for God’s will and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is our tradition to love one another when there is disagreement on interpretation of scripture, and to listen to and learn from one another, even when we have different faith convictions.   We believe that the true tradition of the United Methodist Church is to draw the circle wide. We strive to offer a big tent under which all can gather and grow on our path to deepen our love for God and one another, to serve God’s people and to follow in the way of Jesus. Please know that all are welcome. We need you and love you. 


Bishop LaTrelle Easterling’s Response to GC2019

March 11, 2019

But now, says the Lord – the one who created you, Jacob, the one who formed you, Israel: Don’t fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; when through the rivers, they won’t sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you won’t be scorched and flame won’t burn you. I am the Lord your God, the holy one of Israel, your savior.                                                                                            Isaiah 43: 1-3a (CEB)

Beloved,

The turbulent waters of marginalization have swelled and the scorching fire of rejection laps at the heels of the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender and queer members, friends and allies within The United Methodist Church. The days after the Special Session of General Conference have felt parched and dry and painful. On Tuesday, February 26, the delegates of the Special Session voted 438-384 to pass The Traditional Plan. By a 54-vote margin, a slim majority of the gathered voting body again concretized a second-class citizenship within The United Methodist Church.

Since 1972, our beloved denomination has inserted these words into our Book of Discipline: “homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.” With those six words we have laid on the altar of polity an entire group of persons and told them that their lives are unholy and damned. There is simply no other way to interpret it. I unequivocally disagree with that belief. Persons who are gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender and queer are created in the image and likeness of God, as are all others. They do not choose to be who they are; they are living as they were created to be. They do not choose a gay lifestyle; rather, they are living as God created them.

In the aftermath of the Special Session, I and countless others have spent time talking people out of taking their lives, offering pastoral care to pastors and laity who have given serious consideration to walking away from the denomination and some from their faith. We have cried with them, prayed with them, and attempted to remind them that the General Conference is the law-making body of our denomination, but it is not the church. Quite often law and God’s grace find themselves at odds.

The hope of the Special Session was that we would create a way forward with enough contextual space for all persons to live into our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Correspondingly, many hoped it would offer the opportunity for members of the LGBTQIA+ community to be equal members within our church without fear of consequences. The resounding justification offered by those who would not support the One Church Plan is that they could not be affiliated with a denomination that condones what they believe to be sin. As I have repeatedly said, well-regarded biblical scholars and theologians disagree on the interpretation of the scriptures used to support that understanding. The One Church Plan respected those differences and gave room for all to live into their beliefs with integrity. To say that you cannot remain in relationship with “sinners” is to deny the reality that our denomination, as is the case with any denomination, is filled with persons living in ways some would define as sin. Our current disciplinary language simply elevates one perceived sin above all others and castigates some to the exclusion of others.

We have traversed this road before. Our church law and God’s grace have been divergent on many occasions. The Methodist Church divided over whether it was sinful to purchase and own other human beings in the practice of chattel slavery. The Methodist Church at one time required its ministers to sign an oath of abstinence from tobacco use. We argued over divorce and whether those who had been could serve as clergy. Our denomination wrestled with the inclusion of women in the ordained ministry. In each of those debates, Scripture was used to justify exclusion. Our Book of Discipline concretized those justifications. And, we have come to understand that those positions were wrong. I believe we are wrong once again.

In the great hymn of the church, In Christ There Is No East or West, we find these words:

In Christ there is no east or west,

in him no south or north,

but one great fellowship of love

throughout the whole wide earth.

 

I believe those words, supported by the Great Commandment to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and your neighbor as yourself,” are the heart and soul of the Gospel. That love is unconditional. It includes all.

I agree with many who have articulated that this is a time of crisis within The United Methodist Church. This is also an opportunity for the Baltimore-Washington Conference to rise above exclusionary practices to say unequivocally that we will recognize the dignity and sacred worth of all.

Take heart, beloved, and do not place a period where God places a comma. God is not done with us yet!

Blessings and peace,

Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling


Statement of the BWC Discipleship Council

Grounded in Love (an excerpt)

“I pray that according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.” (Ephesians 3:16-17 NRSV)

The Apostle Paul’s prayer for the church in Ephesus reminds us that God’s people grow in faith and love toward God and one another when we are firmly rooted in the love of God made known to us through Jesus Christ. This is true for all seasons of life, but especially so in this present moment of challenge and distress for The United Methodist Church.

As the birthplace of Methodism in the United States, the people of the Baltimore-Washington Conference seek to ground ourselves in God’s love through the Holy Scriptures and our commonly held Wesleyan beliefs.

We grieve the deep sorrow and pain we have caused one another by failing to love one another as God has loved us, and all the ways we have neglected to place love, justice and mercy at the forefront of our walk with God.

We lament that differences over interpretation of Scripture have resulted in brokenness in our denomination and conflict over our understanding of Christ’s call to include fully the marginalized and oppressed in the life of the Church.

We recognize that our conference and our churches hold a myriad of views on the issue of human sexuality and many other issues. And yet healthy congregations have figured out how to flourish together in spite of that and have found value in worship, studying and serving together…

You can find the entire statement on the BWC website.