A MESSAGE FROM YOUR PASTOR
We need to talk…
Now that I’ve gotten your attention with the least-favorite four words I (or anyone else) wants to hear, I need to share with you the need for some difficult conversations coming up. Without sounding overly dramatic, I think it is fair to say the United Methodist denomination is at a breaking point, a new Methodist denomination has formed, and there is a lot of confusion within the ranks of the United Methodist camp. I may be getting a little ahead of myself, so let me back up a bit:
There has been a decades-long division in the UMC over matters of human sexuality. For 50 years, the United Methodist Book of Discipline (hereafter BOD) has affirmed “Homosexual persons no less than heterosexual persons are individuals of sacred worth…. Although we do not condone the practice of homosexuality and consider this practice incompatible with Christian teaching, we affirm that God’s grace is available to all. We implore families and churches not to reject or condemn their lesbian and gay members and friends. We commit ourselves to be in ministry for and with all persons” (paragraph 161G) and “Since the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching, self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be accepted as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve The United Methodist Church.” (paragraph 304.3). The division is, in regards to human sexuality, between those who wish to retain the traditional language in the BOD, and those who wish to change or delete said language and open the pathway to ordination and affirmation of same-sex marriage. Needless to say, there are strong proponents, arguments, and emotions on all sides of this issue, even within our local church.
Continue reading “Note from Pastor Carl Palmer Regarding Disaffiliation”
