30 Apr One Year Later

Greetings Westwood Community,

A year ago this week, the United Methodist Church officially removed all the harmful anti-LGBTQ+ language from our Book of Discipline. The first vote that dismantled the first of these exclusionary rules was taken on May 1, last year; over the next few days, we deleted each paragraph of this harmful legacy, piece by piece.

Already, before the rules changed, our congregation and others had begun living into the fullness of God’s welcome. At that General Conference session, for the first time, Queer delegates organized themselves into a caucus – and their leadership and presence was visible through the days of our meeting. These delegates were elected from across the denomination–empowered in leadership in a church that still officially offered judgemental exclusions. Their presence was a persistent, constructive, prophetic, witness that God is working in ways bigger than we are often ready to recognize. At the end of General Conference, the caucus took a team photo in front of the giant #BeUMC sign in the convention center – celebrating that we can now be a UMC that can fully recognize and celebrate each of these beloved, faithful leaders.

I am so grateful.

One year later, I still have such a mix of strong emotions. I’m grateful to have been a part of that change, and pleased to be a part of a denomination that no longer has those exclusionary rules I detested. I grieve for the generations of harm our policies and rules caused. I am sober in recognizing how much work is still before us, to dismantle homophobia and heterosexism in all our communities and churches.

This year, I’m also grieved at what’s happening in our nation–at a resurgence of intolerance and hostility to our transgender siblings. At an increase of fear and judgement against diverse people and all efforts at inclusion.

Last week, at a spiritual formation retreat in Tucson, I received holy communion that was consecrated by a friend and colleague whose clergy orders were restored after General Conference. Years ago, some time after she had come out as a lesbian, she surrendered her ordination credentials; last summer, the church gave them back to her. What a sweet taste of divine grace. It is easy to see how faithful she has been to her calling, and how persistently she has found ways to serve God, with or without credentials from the church. I celebrate how her willingness to step back into this formal relationship extended gracious reconnection to our church body. That kind of restoration is not often possible.

All of this is giving me courage, today, to persist in living out the values of our faith, even when rules (or executive orders) say otherwise. May we persist in recognizing what God is doing in our midst, blessing, welcoming, and empowering diverse people to be a part of the church. The Holy Spirit keeps stretching our capacity to practice our faith in courageous ways. God keeps asking us to offer compassion and care, sanctuary and safety to those in need in our midst.

May we be faithful, always.

grace and peace,
Pastor Molly