06 Mar Our Commitments

Posted at 08:01h in Pastoral Notes by

Greetings Westwood Community,

Today, I have two things that I want to say:

First, I want to affirm our deep commitment to interfaith cooperation and respect, and our persistent opposition to antisemitism and hate speech. I am grateful that our church campus is located so close to two Jewish congregations, and for the friendship and partnerships that we share.

I feel called to repeat this commitment here, now, after receiving this statement from our Bishop, regarding harmful actions of our former District Superintendent, Rev. Mark Nakagawa. I will join Bishop Dottie in affirming that “we remain committed to stand with and be in service to all our neighbors. Please pray with us for all who are in pain.” I encourage you to reach out to your neighbors (and our neighbors), communicating our value for others and our commitment to the safety and dignity of all.

Second, I want to affirm our deep commitment to the words of our Reconciling Church Statement, which say, in part, “We commit to embracing the responsibility of pushing for a more open and inclusive United Methodist Church.” In recent months, I have been deeply involved in conversation among leaders in our denomination, about how to organize and advocate for removal of harmful anti-LGBTQ+ policies and language in the church. I believe that we are closer than ever, and that the General Conference that convenes in April will finally be able to remove these harmful obstacles to inclusion. I am grateful to get to do this work as a way of living out this commitment of our congregation, and proud of our consistent witness regarding the gifts of diversity.

A more open and inclusive church, though, requires more than removing anti-gay policies. In fact, we have been openly and proudly defying these policies in our church, California-Pacific Annual Conference, and Western Jurisdiction, for years. I look forward to the day when our policies will not be an obstacle anywhere, and we will have greater capacity to witness to the power of the Holy Spirit in and across diversities of gender identity and sexual orientation. I look forward to a time when the voice of the church can speak up more clearly, for the sake of the safety and well-being of LGBTQ+ folks in all our communities.

grace and peace,
Pastor Molly