Thursday, February 28, 2019

A Letter to Calvary UMC Following the UMC's Special Session


Dear Sisters and Brothers,

I am back in my office today after what has been a long, challenging and difficult week for me and many as the United Methodist Church’s General Conference met for a Special Session in St. Louis. My husband Chris and I are both reserve delegates for the Baltimore-Washington Conference, and so we were in attendance there throughout the session.

First, I want to invite you to our follow-up session to be held at Calvary immediately following worship this Sunday (March 3). During this time, I will give a more detailed summary of the happenings and outcomes of the Special Session and you will be able to ask questions. I know many of you took part in our informational sessions prior to the conference, so I trust you have a handle on the context of this session. In addition, throughout the conference, I posted video updates on my Facebook page—those videos remain available there for your viewing.

I also encourage you to consider taking part in a conference-wide follow up session this Saturday (March 2, 9:00 a.m.-Noon) which will be hosted by our bishop, Bishop LaTrelle Easterling. The session will be held at the conference office but also live-streamed to other sites. The closest sites for us will be St. Paul UMC in Oxon Hill and First Saints Community in Leonardtown. I will be present at the conference office for the meeting but I encourage you to attend whatever site is most convenient for you, if you are interested.

Second, I wanted to briefly share the results of the Special Session. The Traditional Plan as well as a low-bar exit plan was approved by a slight majority of the delegates. Though the overwhelming majority of United Methodists in the United States did not support those pieces of legislation, the complexity of being a global church led to an outcome which does not reflect the experiences and views of United Methodists in our area.

Conservatives, moderates and progressives had sought to keep the church unified in spite of differences in our understanding of scripture on the question of our ministry with LGBTQ persons. Indeed, this effort to be defined by unity reflects the reality of the church in the United States, the Baltimore-Washington Conference, and our own congregation. For decades around the issue of human sexuality, and for much longer on other issues, we have been able to successfully and fruitfully work together to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We will continue to do so.

The Traditional Plan and exit plan as passed are largely unconstitutional. While we will likely be waiting a couple months for full clarity from the UMC’s Judicial Council, it is fair to say we probably spent this time and money to be, legislatively, about where we were before.

This legislative reality of being where we started belies the deep pain which has been caused anew within local churches like our own as well as the broader church. LGBTQ persons and their loved ones are present in all UM churches, including our own. I am humbled by the grace and witness of LGBTQ persons who actively worked to support the One Church Plan—a plan which would allow space in the UMC but not full protection or welcome for them in all UM congregations. I am deeply disappointed that some with traditional readings of the Bible on this matter could not equally affirm our unity in difference.

In the past couple of days, the United Methodist Church has been in the national spotlight due to the General Conference’s votes. These stories, while reflecting the work and decisions of the Special Session, do not reflect the entirety of who we are as United Methodists, nor do they define the ministry and work of our own congregation.

However, these recent stories now sadly define our denomination by who we exclude from full participation in the life of the church. I know all of us, no matter our views on human sexuality, do not desire to be thus defined.

In the many conversations you and I had (both in group settings and one-on-one) prior to this Special Session, no matter how you read the Bible on the question of homosexuality, you consistently affirmed your love for LGBTQ persons and your belief that no matter what, all people are welcome as part of our worshipping community. Our denomination’s recent actions convey a very different sense to LGBTQ persons and their loved ones. Therefore, if we are to live into the love and welcome we profess, we must be even more vigilant to consider how our words, actions and welcome are received and perceived.

I join you in being open to be challenged to live out the love and welcome which I claim that I and the church offer to all persons, and in specific, to our LGBTQ siblings. I know you join me in this earnest wrestling, and the willingness to admit there is more for us to do. It is never enough to profess love; love must always be manifest in action.

Therefore, I invite you to ponder these questions as we move forward together as a congregation: In what ways have your words and actions conveyed welcome to LGBTQ persons in the life of our church? In what ways have your words and actions failed to convey welcome to LGBTQ persons? What might God be calling you or our congregation to do differently to manifest our professed love and care for LGBTQ persons?

Though our General Conference may not have found a clear way forward together, we are able to chart a path forward together as a congregation. I am grateful for the gifts, talents and witness of each of you. Though we have been in ministry together for less than a year, I have already seen the fruits of our shared ministry as we have expanded our feeding ministry in partnership with Our Place Waldorf, worked to address facility maintenance issues to assure the continued viability of our buildings, and met our goal of once again meeting our missional giving goal through our apportionments. I am confident that as we continue to do the hard work of life together as a church family, God will continue to guide and bless us.

I do hope you will join us this Sunday after worship so that we can reflect and process the Special Session more fully. Please also know that I am available for any one-on-one or small group conversations you would like to have about this or any other issue.

May God so fill our lives and shared ministry that all people can find a place at Calvary to be drawn into God’s love, redemption, salvation and new life.

Grace and Peace.
  
Rev. Sarah Andrews Schlieckert

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