Mobilizing United Methodists of all sexual orientations & gender identities to transform our Church & world into the full expression of Christ’s inclusive love.
Hi beloveds. It may feel right now like hope has vacated the room. Like justice is further away than we thought it would be. Like you are alone. Please know that God’s table is set for you and that you are Her prized guest. You are her most cherished.
#foreveryoneborn
#umc
#umcgc
To all our beloved LGBTQ folks struggling in the wake of
#GC2019
#UMCGC
: you matter.
Natl Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK
Crisis Text Line: Text “home” to 741741
Trevor Lifeline: 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678678
TransLifeline: 877-565-8860
#foreveryoneborn
Rev. Dr. Beth Stroud was restored as an elder in full connection yesterday in Eastern PA. 20 years ago, the
#UMC
took her credentials bc she was in a relationship with a woman. By the grace of God, she chose the Church again, and God's people said yes.
Photo: Rev. Hannah Bonner
I'm so sorry, beloveds. There is so little to be hopeful for. We know there is a resurrection hope. We know it with our minds, and yet our hearts must still take time to grieve. Stay tuned.
#Foreveryoneborn
#UMC
#UMCGC
We mourn that the minority report OCP did not pass to replace the TP.
God weeps. The Spirit rages. The children of God are undefeated.
#ForEveryoneBorn
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#UMCGC
By an incredible 92% margin.
According to one observer, "Where I’m sitting, there was a stunned and tearful silence, followed by whispers of 'Oh my God' and 'praise God.'"
#umc
#unitedmethodistchurch
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Threehouse: A Wesley Foundation's rainbow flags kept going missing, so they decided on something a little less portable: rainbow stairs! Thanks, Threehouse, for your witness and your inclusive ministries.
#foreveryoneborn
Words can't express the pain over the loss of
@rachelheldevans
or our gratitude that she had lived. She was a genuine and fearless advocate for people of color, women, and LGBTQ folks. There will never be another like her, but we honor her memory + legacy by continuing her work.
Let us be clear.
The TP will wreak havoc on the Church in the US and across CCs. The ONLY goal of those pushing the TP+exit is to break The UMC. It will have a devastating impact on our work around the world + will end The UMC in the US.
#UMC
#UMCGC
#ForEveryoneBorn
#goodnews
To the delegate from Oklahoma who's saddened by being called unloving for excluding LGBTQ people from ministry: that's why it's not about your feelings.
#foreveryoneborn
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#UMCGC
Over 300 pastors and church leaders signed a letter in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution apologizing to the LGBTQ community and promising to continue to work and advocate for justice and inclusion.
#umc
#umcgc
#gc2019
#foreveryoneborn
The Young People’s Statement is here! If you are under 35 years old, please consider signing this statement to hopefully be read on the floor tomorrow.
#foreveryoneborn
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#umcgc
Otherwise decorous and quiet, observers rose in applause.
***CHARLOTTE folks*** that means: at the next plenary break, bring your rainbow umbrella and head out to the fountains and garden near the College St. entrance!
#umcgc
#unitedmethodistchurch
#umc
Oak Lawn UMC, a Reconciling Church in Dallas, TX, is providing shelter for 100 people per night in coordination with the City of Dallas and other nonprofits. Donations can be delivered to the church.
#faithfullylgbt
#dallas
#unitedmethodist
#umc
.
@itsmejjwarren
, you gave us a balm at such a desperate time. And yet we acknowledge that you are at the epicenter of the pain. If that isn't pastoral, if that isn't Christ revealed, I don't know what is.
#ForEveryoneBorn
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#UMCGC
The Executive Committee of the German Central Conference unanimously (including conservative members) agree to reject implementation of the Traditionalist Plan. Read on for their statement translated into English:
#umc
#umcgc
#gc2019
#foreveryoneborn
Hey Maynard Avenue UMC in Columbus, OH: thanks for reiterating that, alongside so many other local United Methodist churches, you are not the denomination.
#StandYourHolyGround
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#gc2019
A victory for truth and ethics: the Committee on Ethics will now investigate rumors of bribery and paying for votes by anti-LGBTQ anti-UMC traditionalists.
#ForEveryoneBorn
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#UMCGC
The crosswalk at St. Stephen's UMC in Norman, OK, is painted as a beautiful rainbow in a playful display of their Reconciling status and inclusive nature. Thanks, St. Stephen's!
#umc
#foreveryoneborn
Heads up - please be advised.
We've been told that "as we get closer to that critical vote, the arena now has police with their guns and security with pepper spray (or similar) roaming and ready for action." - MIND
#ForEveryoneBorn
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#UMCGC
Trans beloveds - exactly as you are, you bear the image of God. We celebrate your existence and your divinity, and we continue forward for justice in the Church.
#tdov2019
#foreveryoneborn
Bravo to the Dakotas Conference, which passed a resolution affirming the sacred worth of all God’s children and calling for a removal of discriminatory language from the Book of Discipline!
We celebrate the revision of the Global Social Principles – paragraphs 161 & 162!
It removes the harmful "incompatible with Christian teaching" and harmful language about marriage. This revision is part of the full revision of the old Social Principles. That's it!
#umc
#umcgc
RTing:
To LGBTQ folks struggling in the wake of
#GC2019
#UMCGC
: you matter.
Natl Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK
Crisis Text Line: Text “home” to 741741
Trevor Lifeline: 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678678
TransLifeline: 877-565-8860
#foreveryoneborn
BREAKING: On Sunday, Moheto FUMC in Kenya became the first African Reconciling Church and the first Reconciling
#UnitedMethodist
Church outside of the U.S. Please give Moheto FUMC a hearty welcome to the movement:
#foreveryoneborn
#faithfullylgbt
#umc
The cross has left the room, but the presiding bishop ordered it back. Those who brought it back in are staying on the stage, refusing to leave. We refuse to leave.
#foreveryoneborn
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#UMCGC
We will gather soon to determine the next steps in our continued advocacy for LGBTQIA+ people in The UMC. There may be a “traditional” (divisive) plan, but by no means is our work abandoned. This is our Church. This is our Christ. This is our God.
Our staff has been working night and day for weeks, perhaps months, in preparation for General Conference. Now, we'll observe a Sabbath for our own care and to prepare for the next chapter of our collective work.
Our offices will re-open on May 13, 2024.
#umc
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Petition 20364 has passed!
This strikes performing a same-sex wedding and being a “self-avowed and practicing homosexual” from the list of chargeable offenses. It goes into effect at the end of the conference this evening.
#umc
#umcgc
#unitedmethodistchurch
#faithfullylgbt
We have known for a long time that
@BishopOliveto
is a change-maker, but we're glad that she's getting national recognition now for her courage and Christ-likeness! Thank you,
@NBC
!
Read on:
#faithfullylgbt
#lgbtq
#umc
Bravo, Bozeman United Methodist Church in Bozeman, MT, for your response to
#umc
#umcgc
and your reaffirmation of your Reconciling status.
#foreveryoneborn
Since the end of
#umcgc
8 days ago, we've seen an outpouring of support from individuals newly engaging the movement for the first time. To the 700 folks who've become Reconciling UMs in the last eight days: welcome! We're so glad you're here.
#umc
#foreveryoneborn
Thank you, Northaven United Methodist Church in Dallas, TX, for choosing love and inclusion for LGBTQ United Methodists in the wake of General Conference. "A church that legislates exclusion and homophobia is a church that has left us.
#foreveryoneborn
"
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#gc2019
Undeterred by their beautiful brick facade, Reconciling Church Wesley UMC of Aurora, IL improvised a clever way to display a large rainbow flag in front of their building. Thank you, Wesley UMC, for sending a clear signal of affirmation and welcome to your community.
We celebrate the ordination of Rev. M Barclay, former staff at RMN and the first openly non-binary ordained deacon in The United Methodist Church. They said it best in their own words:
#umc
#foreveryoneborn
#faithfullyLGBT
The Simple Plan was heard. LGBTQ voices were heard. But the Simple Plan did not pass. 40-60. Beloveds, we are still not done.
#ForEveryoneBorn
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With the Wesleyan Covenant Association’s recent publication of an “ex-gay” story, we must recall that “ex-gay” therapy has been debunked and denounced by every major medical association in the United States as a dangerous, dehumanizing, and sometimes deadly practice.
Woodlawn UMC placed this newspaper wrap in the Birmingham News (Alabama) to let the world know that it loves and celebrates God's
#LGBTQ
children just as they are. Thanks, Woodlawn!
#faithfullylgbt
Bribery for votes for the TP has been an open rumor for ages. It is good that our youth are willing to call it out. Jesus had strong words for the money-changers in the temple.
#Foreveryoneborn
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#UMCGC
Friends, are you caring for yourselves today? We are the Church and the presence of God for one another. We are a people of God's promise.
#ForEveryoneBorn
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#UMCGC
This ad, from 177 clergy in the N./Central TX Conferences, ran yesterday in the Dallas Morning News.
Yes, words are only words. Ads are only ads. And yet we see in them your promise to shepherd your flock in a different way - in a courageous way.
#ForEveryoneBorn
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After a morning of complete silence about LGBTQ lives, the moderator requested a time of prayer for LGBTQ people. Delegates made their way to and embraced LGBTQ delegates.
“I won’t harm you with words from my mouth.”
#UMCGC
#foreveryoneborn
"When I read the TP, my heart broke. I thought, 'Where is the love?'" - Cheryl Jefferson Bell from Great Plains. "I vote, I recommend, I PRAY that we will not affirm this plan. It is not of God."
#ForEveryoneBorn
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#UMCGC
"My children's friends are LGBTQ, and when they hear that I am a Christian pastor, I want them to know that I love them just as they are and that Jesus loves them just as they were born." - Eunice Vega-Perez of Greater New Jersey
#ForEveryoneBorn
#UMC
#UMCGC
Good news from Norway, Switzerland, Germany, and Denmark: United Methodists largely reject the Traditionalist Plan.
Norway:
Switzerland:
Germany:
Denmark:
#umc
#foreveryoneborn
We aren't a family in the sense that we are married to each other. We're a family in that we're CHILDREN of the same God. Will those with power commit to stop abusing their siblings with less power?
#ForEveryoneBorn
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#UMCGC
Thank you, First United Methodist Church in Seattle, WA, for recommitting to stand by LGBTQ United Methodists in the aftermath of General Conference.
#umc
#umcgc
#gc2019
#foreveryoneborn
Tom Berlin makes an impassioned plea that if delegates cannot vote for the OCP, that they abstain from voting - in an effort to defeat "the virus of the TP."
#foreveryoneborn
#UMC
#UMCGC
From Diana Butler Bass, a reminder of how United Methodism was birthed. "You've got a real chance here to be the sort of Methodists your founding generation dreamed."
Read on:
#umc
#gc2019
#umcgc
We are so proud of the eight teenagers who forwent confirmation last Sunday at First United Methodist Church in Omaha, NE and took a strong stand for full inclusion and affirmation of LGBTQ persons in The UMC.
Read on:
#umc
#faithfullyLGBT
#umcgc
Grateful for this legal victory: the U.S. Constitution doesn't protect a Christian teacher harassing transgender students, even if it's his "sincerely held religious belief."
#faithfullylgbt
#lgbtq
Please give a warm welcome to the newest Reconciling Community of the movement: the Reconciling Friends of Montgomery-Prattville, AL!
You can read their welcoming statement here:
#foreveryoneborn
#faithfullylgbt
#lgbtq
#umc
Carly and JJ - you two give us hope in the future of Christian witness. Call out powers that be! Let privilege tremble!
#UMCGC
#GC2019
#Foreveryoneborn
#LGBTQ
UMs (clergy/lay) in need of pastoral care: the Natl LGBTQ Taskforce has made queer/trans pastoral care providers available. (Email nstrauss
@thetaskforce
.org.)
The Taskforce hopes to share the load of LGBTQ UMs so you can care for yourselves.
#umc
#foreveryoneborn
#umcgc