Reconciling Ministries Network

Solidarity Picnic Reflection: Texas AC via Al Jasra, Bahrain

by Stacy Anzick

I am a United Methodists clergy person from the Texas AC currently on family leave while my family lives in the Middle East for my partner Robert's job. Robert works in Saudi Arabia but Bahrain is a much friendlier and safer place to live, so his company has the families living in Bahrain while the men (yes, all male employees) cross the boarder and work in Saudi Arabia.

I have been a part of RMN (or previous incarnations) since signing the "Reconciling United Methodist" statement/pledge back in 1993. I graduated from Garrett-Evangelical in 1994 and returned home to the Texas Annual Conference where I was naive enough to bring a stack of Reconciling United Methodist forms to my first Clergy Women's lunch thinking that my mentors would be thrilled and ready to sign! This small, select group of the more "radical" Clergy women in my conference politely declined and let me know that being that "out" wasn't a good idea! It hasn't always been easy being a Reconciling Clergy person in the Texas Annual Conference but I have had GLBT folks in EVERY ONE of my congregations and they need our voices and our children need to hear about loving all in God's Kindom. For me the Gospel is clear about love, acceptance, community and speaking out against hate and sin regardless of the consequences of speaking truth! Would the attackers in the park have done what they did if they had grown up in worshiping places and communities that spoke kindly about our GLBT brothers and sisters?

My daughter Ramsey was baptized into the Beloved Community (by Rev. Troy Plummer) surrounded by our diverse group of family and friends who include singles and couples that are GLBT and Straight, Conservative and Progressive, more and less Religiously minded, and everything in between. We made promises to her that day - promises that need to be lived out regardless of our location and comfort level. So, now I find myself in another physical location where it isn't always safe or a good idea to be so "out" in my beliefs but I want my daughter to be surrounded by grace, love, and diversity. It was important for us to participate in the Solidarity Picnic because my daughter doesn't yet know about the kinds of prejudice and hate there are in the world but when she starts to ask those questions, I want her to know that our family doesn't play those games and that we instead choose love. We choose love and homemade mini-pizzas!

Solidarity Picnic Reflections: Washington DC

by Chett Pritchett

Lincoln Park in Washington, DC was a fitting place for a Solidarity Picnic. On a hot and humid day in our Nation's Capital, 12 folks gathered under a shade tree to share food and drink, stories and songs. Many were from local United Methodist congregations, but a few were area LGBT activists with GetEqual. We shared our struggles for equality along with a hope for a just and peaceful society.

Across the park, the memorial to the great educator Mary McLeod Bethune stands with these words:

"I leave you love. I leave you hope. I leave you the challenge of developing confidence in one another. I leave you a thirst for education. I leave you a respect for the use of power. I leave you faith. I leave you racial dignity. I leave you a desire to live harmoniously with your fellow men. I leave you, finally, a responsibility to our young people."

As we support Josh and Trent, and all those affected by violence, may we remember our responsibility to stand in the face of injustice and fear.

Solidarity Picnic Reflections: Texas Annual Conference

When asked why they wanted to have a picnic in the park they said:

‎"I went to the park today because I wanted our gay friends to know that we love them and I don’t want them to be afraid to go the park. We don’t want our friends to get hurt." – Caroline Young (6 yrs old)

“I didn’t know people would actually attack someone for being gay, or different from them in some way. That makes me sad. I’m sure it makes God sad too. I don’t know Josh, but I came tothe park so Josh would know a LOT of people love him. I also hope the boys who attacked them will make better choices.” – Claire Young (8 yrs. old)

"The experience of "connection" with wonderful people reminds me that my hope is justified." - Rev. Kevin Young

"We want to support Josh and his partner." Henry Chiu

"To stand up for justice for GLBT people." Ron Schindler

"To stand up for all people regardless of sexual orientation, race, or religion. Support for ALL." Susan Williams

"To stand up and show that hate of ANY kind is a terrible thing." Becca George

"I'm here to support my friends, and the right of all people to be themselves and express themselves freely. It is important that we continue to stand up for what is right and love one another, regardless of what we look like or who we love." Sarah Cosgrove

"I came out late, in my 40's, and have not personally experienced hate or discrimination. My friends and family (including my ex-wife, children, and football coach father) have accepted me lovingly. I feel duty to do whatever I can to help others whose experience has not been like mine." Rob Keeling

"We are here to stand in support of our son and his partner, our gay friends, and for anyone who is considered 'less than.'" Teddy and Lisa Lett

"I'm here to show support for friends who've been hurt by hate, injustice, and oppression. To show that hate will not prevail, by reclaiming these public spaces as places for all, not for a bigoted few." Brandyn Wilke

Solidarity Picnic Reflection

by Charlotte Carter Bruhn

Our picnic ended up being a family gathering at my house. It was brutally hot and the people I talked to weren't coming out in the heat. My 93 yr old Mother wanted to come, but decided the heat wasn't wise. Then at the last minute it rained hard at the venue we had chosen so my daughter and her family and I ate picnic food at my house and said a prayer for an end to discrimination and violence against gays. I am thinking about doing it again and inviting people in advance to join us. My Mother and my children feel very passionately about this. We do care. Please share with Josh that this Mother's heart is hurting for all the children and mothers who have to think about where it is safe for them to be public about who they love.

Annual Conference Update: Pacific Northwest

by Vince Hart, PNW-RMN Convenor

Pacific Northwest - Reconciling Ministries Network (PNW-RMN) made a deliberate decision not to sponsor legislation at the Annual Conference Session this year. Our efforts were focused upon the annual dinner meeting we have sponsored for the past eight or more years. It has been one of the best attended special-interest dinner meetings during recent AC sessions. We request the largest separate dining area and usually fill all available seats at the tables. This year we had about 140 in attendance. In order to accommodate those interested in attending when there is not unlimited seating, for several years we have prepared and distributed a free reservation ticket. (Attendees purchase their food in the conference food service facility on site.) In earlier years we used a sign-up sheet; but the tickets have worked very well and can be distributed by RMN representatives in several locations at the same time. The program this year featured several BOLD speakers, their personal stories focused on “Why RMN work is important to me.” Attendees were given the opportunity to register with RMN and consider pledging support. In addition, the offering for PNW work, invited at each annual dinner, brought in nearly $700.

Following the dinner, attendees and RMN leaders “adjourned” to the annual Conference Ministry Fair, a festive evening of music, ice cream sundaes, and displays of many forms of ministry by congregations and various UM service groups. RMN had a display in more limited space this year, but still featured resources about and from RMN, PNW-RMN, PRN, etc. Among the materials made available were three documents focused on the biblical and the Wesleyan foundations for inclusion, based upon God’s present work and witness in the lives of LGBT persons. It was a fun evening.

Next year, our focus will be more directly upon the 2012 General Conference, with legislation, efforts to assure a supportive General Conference delegation, and continuing witness to the urgent importance of being a fully inclusive church, lest we continue to hinder God’s purposes by excluding persons whom God has called, gifted, and purposes to include in the life of The United Methodist Church (see Acts 11:17).

One additional note: PNW-RMN is in the process of seeking to become an independent nonprofit corporation in the State of Washington and fully qualifying for 501.c.3 tax-exempt status under the IRS code. The step is being taken after careful exploration of other alternatives, all of which seemed to limit the scope and effectiveness of our work.

A Glimpse of Beloved Community

by Rev. Joshua M. Noblitt

The clouds parted with impeccable timing Sunday just in time for our picnic in Piedmont Park, despite what seemed like open monsoon season earlier in the day. I got there right before 3pm with my Mom and Dad who drove down from NC to be with me for the day. I wondered whether it would just be the three of us because of the weather, but gradually over the next hour individuals, couples, families, and groups of friends started showing up one after another, over 150 in all. They spread out colorful blankets, shared delicious food, played games and combined their healing energy together in one beautiful display of love and solidarity with all those who have been targeted because they are different.

Halfway through our time together, I stood to address the people assembled in the exact same spot where just two weeks and two days before, my loved one and I had spread out our blanket, set up our picnic basket, and were enjoying a peaceful summer evening together. I felt a flood of thoughts and emotions before I started to speak. I thought about the gun pressed to my temple, the bruises on my face and body, and the anger I felt at having a carefree evening ripped out from underneath me. I thought about the ease at which those young people allowed themselves to disrespect us because of our perceived sexual orientation. I thought about the ‘what ifs’ of the night of July 2, 2010 and the possibility that the delicious shrimp pasta dish I had prepared that evening might have been my last. I thought about the sadness I felt when I found out the age of the people who had been arrested, and how traumatic this would be for their families and my own as this plays out in the Courts and beyond. I thought about the stories I had heard from dozens of people who also had been targeted because of their race, religion or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Many of these thoughts caused me to feel some measure of doubt about whether we could make a difference and whether this gathering would even be remembered next week. But then I looked into the faces of the people standing before me. Beautiful faces of beautiful people, gathered to transform tragedy into triumph and to bring Beloved Community into closer proximity. I thought about the people across the country who were gathering at the same exact time in solidarity picnics, supporting us in Atlanta as well as all those who have been targeted because of who they are. Then I looked over and noticed a small sign made by a child from my congregation that simply said, “Love Wins.” At that moment, I felt the sting of the previous memory of that space lessen and the feelings of doubt and despair melt away. The soothing balm of the new memory we were creating together covered me and I knew that in ALL things, love wins.

That day we left our fears behind for the afternoon and took a few steps down the path of love. We gave ourselves a small glimpse of the Beloved Community and I for one am transformed because of it. I have caught a few glimpses of it in the past and each time it leaves me longing for a more permanent view. There are countless others who work tirelessly for Beloved Community all around the world, and they too catch glimpses of it every now and then. May we find each other in our common quest, build the relationships that will bring us more glimpses until they merge together and form a permanent vision of a new reality with total relatedness, that transcends all demographics, embraces all, with justice for everyone, the alleviation of economic and social inequality, where everyone has the physical and spiritual necessities of life. The day of that reality is coming.....and I plan to be there to see it.

To see more pictures from the event visit Project Q Atlanta

---

Rev. Joshua M. Noblitt is a clergy member of the Western North Carolina Annual Conference, the Minister of Social Justice at St. Mark UMC in Atlanta, Georgia, and a board member of Reconciling Ministries Network. He is a Mitigation Specialist at the Federal Defender Program, Inc. in Atlanta and considers his occupation to be a Death Penalty Abolitionist. He has been involved in MOSAIC and is now with Reconciling Ministries Clergy. He chaired the student organization, Sacred Worth, at Candler School of Theology and also served on the Emory University President’s Commission on LGBT Concerns.

A Day of Prayers and Solidarity

by David Meredith, RMN board member and Pastor of Broad St UMC.

Across Ohio, "Radical Reconcilers" gathered to pray for Josh & Trent, to share stories of hate-biased violence, and to make commitments to building King's "Beloved Community." At a children's camp, in a state park, around picnic tables in backyards, through congregational worship, and during church picnics, the prayers, stories, and commitments were shared.

At Broad St. UMC, it was an unscripted breath prayer. More than 100 worshipers were heard audibly inhaling when they heard the news of the assault. And moments later, they were heard prayerfully exhaling in petitions and intercessions for Josh, Trent, Piedmont Park, St. Mark's UMC, and all who are victimized by violence because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

In Topiary Park in the heart of the city, lightning, high winds, falling limbs, heavy rain, and hail tried to dampen the prayers, stories, and commitments of the gathered Reconcilers in Columbus, Ohio. But "no storm can shake." How could they keep from singing? Seventeen weathered the storm including children and teenagers, singles, couples, parents, and allies. Food, faith, stories, drawings, and games built community.

In the mountains of Appalachia, along the banks of the Ohio River, in the fertile fields of farms, overlooking the shores of Lake Erie, in the great Eastern forests, and in town, village, city, and hamlet, folks from the Buckeye state took another step toward embodying God's reign and realizing King's dream.

P.S. Only God knows how many participated, but certainly more than 200 people prayed and connected. Perhaps more than a 1000 were involved, depending how many shared prayers in worship.

A Request for Comments from RMN Bloggers and/or Readers

by Rev. Gilbert Caldwell

Recently I re-read Meeting Jesus for the First Time, The Historical Jesus and The Heart of Contemporary Faith, by Marcus J. Borg, Harper San Francisco, 1994. Two paragraphs from his Third Chapter, "Jesus, Compassion and Politics", "jumped out" at me. I responded to them with the oft-quoted comment; "This will preach and teach!" I am asking bloggers and readers to comment on the relevance of these words to our current United Methodist Church judgmental and punitive language and legislation in our Book of Discipline about same gender commitments and homosexuality. I believe that Marcus Borg's words will be helpful as we teach and preach from now until the 2012 General Conference.

"The inclusiveness of the Jesus movement continued into the early Christian movement as we hear it described in other parts of the New Testament. It was one of the most striking qualities of the movement. We see it in the book of Acts in the story of the Ethiopian eunuch, which revolves around the issue of purity and boundaries. Eunuchs were sexually defective, and hence were near the bottom of the purity system. They were excluded from full participation in the religious life of Israel. The eunuch's question to Philip, 'What is to prevent me from being baptized?' is really a question about whether the new community he has just heard about will exclude or include him. He is, of course included. The famous words of Paul also negate the world of purity and cultural boundaries and express the same inclusiveness: 'In Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female.' Paul is not here announcing an abstract ideal; rather, the verse reflects the new social reality of the movement itself.

In short, there is something boundary shattering about the imitatio dei that stood at the center of Jesus' message and activity. 'Be compassionate as God is compassionate.' Whereas purity divides and excludes, compassion unites and includes. For Jesus, compassion had a radical sociopolitical meaning. In his teaching and table fellowship, and in the shape of his movement, the purity system was subverted and an alternative social vision was affirmed. The politics of purity was replaced by a politics of compassion."

---

The Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell is a retired United Methodist Minister who lives in Asbury Park, N.J. He was active in the Massachusetts unit of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and participated in the civil-rights movement throughout the nation. In 2000, he, with others, organized the RMN Extension ministry United Methodists of Color for a Fully Inclusive Church (UMOC), an organization committed to the full inclusion of LGBT people in every aspect of church and society. His recent book, Something Within: Works by Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell is available from Church Within A Church.

Annual Conference Update: Rocky Mountain

Submitted by Eric and Amy Strader, Provisional Elders, Rocky Mountain Conference

The Rocky Mountain Annual Conference affirmed its commitment to the inclusion of all people within the United Methodist Church. A petition was brought to the floor for consideration that asked for dialogue around bias to our sisters and brothers in the LGBT community.

“At every church and charge conference, there shall be discussion and commitment to confronting unjust heterosexism through the affirmation of the following statement: We reaffirm all people are children of God and of sacred worth, and because of the mystery of human sexuality, people differ in how they express it.”

The petition was approved by majority vote!

One newly commissioned elder had this conversation with a lay delegate before the vote.

On the way out of the session, I ended up talking with a woman I did not know. She asked me if I knew what the petition was all about that did not make it to consent calendar. I should have been prepared but explaining the heterosexual bias petition came across convoluted. The woman responded, quite angrily, “I don’t understand why that always ends up being such a hot button issue! What does it have to do with the Gospel anyway?” As though God jumped inside of me, I responded calmly, “Well, I think it is because we deny the Gospel to people.” She did not say anything for several steps as we walked, then replied, “Well, we shouldn’t.”

As Rocky Mountain Annual Conference moves into end-of-year charge conference it will be up to the people to ensure dialogue happens within the local community. Further, it will fall to the Annual Conference Reconciling leadership to develop and distribute ways for congregations to facilitate such conversation around bias and discrimination. Let is be so!

An Open Letter to the Beloved Community

I have been thinking a lot about you over the past week and reflecting more on what it means to bring you into full existence. Rev. King describes you as a vision of total relatedness, transcending all demographics, embracing all, with justice for everyone, the alleviation of economic and social inequality, where everyone has the physical and spiritual necessities of life. As I try to make meaning out of the traumatic events of the past week, I find myself now in permanent relationship with people who I don’t know anything about other than the fact that they confronted me and my loved one in the park while we were enjoying a nice summer evening picnic and could have easily taken our lives or caused serious physical harm. It is a sobering thing to have a loaded gun pressed against your head, and that moment has been branded into my memory forever. It has reminded me that life is short, tomorrow is not promised, and every moment is a precious gift not to be wasted. So what do I do with the time I have left? What would you have me do at this unique personal intersection of race, class, age, sexual orientation, and religion to advance your presence among us?

Over this past week, I have spent a lot of that time thinking about the young men I encountered in the park and I am sure they have thought a lot about me. I wonder how people so young could have found themselves in a position to make the decision to assault and rob people that they perceived to be gay and not think through the harm that it would cause to us, to the community and to themselves. Clearly spiritual starvation is at play in all of this, and I wonder what else.

Do they really hate me and people like me? Or do they merely think that we are easy targets? What led them to ask us if we were gay and then to conclude without even waiting for a response that we should be beaten for that? Would they still have approached us if we had been a man and a woman? Would they still have approached us if we were two men of the same race? Where did they even get these ideas in the first place? It doesn’t take much effort to find negative stereotypes about gay people or about young black men in our culture, and we have seen these stereotypes play out in community discourse over the past week. We live in a culture that so easily gives us permission to demonize the other without taking the time to look at the bigger picture or to hear stories from people who are different from us. I think about these questions over and over in my mind, praying for guidance, for a clear sense of what this all means, and wondering what my responsibility is in all of this.

My thoughts and reflections over the past week have led me to a fork in the road with two potential paths to take. One being a path of fear and the other being a path of love.

For me, the path of fear is easy at first, because it makes me feel safe by building up walls; viewing others with suspicion, and lashing out with violent intentions to protect myself before I am harmed. But slowly over time, it enslaves me to the actions of others by convincing me that I must retaliate hard when I have been wronged and to seek revenge. It leads me to make negative assumptions based on the limited information that I have and conclude that others are evil and without any redeeming qualities. As I gaze down the path of fear, it seems to lead to isolation, pain, and a very narrow view of the world.

I don’t want to walk down that path.

When I look down the path of love, it seems rocky at first. Difficult to navigate because it asks difficult questions and requires deeper reflection. It is a path that recognizes that people are not the worst thing they have ever done and that there is always a complex story and set of circumstances behind every decision we as human beings make, for better or for worse. The path of love leads me to try to find ways to reach out to people in search of common ground and the reflection of the divine that exists in each of us. The path of love leads to a much wider view of the world and to the liberating reality that we are deeply connected to each other; we are all in this together; and whether we want to admit it or not WE NEED EACH OTHER.

I don’t know what that means yet in the context of the events of the past week or how you would have me act to ensure justice both for those young men or for myself, but I trust that you will guide me and guide us all in our quest to live in a safer community. Rev. King said that you require from us a “qualitative change in our souls and a quantitative change in our lives” in order to bring about your presence and reality. It is going to be a long and difficult road ahead for both me and for them as this all plays out in the courts and beyond. But I want to be on the path of love leading to Beloved Community; committed to the work of restoration and reconciliation, building relationships across lines that traditionally have divided, and creating a new climate in our culture that teaches kindness and inclusion and ensures that everyone has enough. You require tireless work over a lifetime, and that can seem overwhelming, but perhaps there are small steps we can start with. One step I’d like to start with is having a picnic in the park where all of this took place to begin with. Maybe that can be a way to move from the path of fear over to the path of love by creating new memories in that space and building new relationships that bring you Beloved Community into closer proximity. Even as I write this, I can feel you getting closer and I hope one day to see you in plain view.

Searching for you and looking forward to your arrival,
Joshua Morgan Noblitt

re-posted with permission from the author

Rev. Joshua M. Noblitt is a clergy member of the Western North Carolina Annual Conference, the Minister of Social Justice at St. Mark UMC in Atlanta, Georgia, and a board member of Reconciling Ministries Network. He is a Mitigation Specialist at the Federal Defender Program, Inc. in Atlanta and considers his occupation to be a Death Penalty Abolitionist. He has been involved in MOSAIC and is now with Reconciling Ministries Clergy. He chaired the student organization, Sacred Worth, at Candler School of Theology and also served on the Emory University President’s Commission on LGBT Concerns.