In March 2024, St. Paul's SAM leadership body voted to donate $500 to the Love Your Neighbor Coalition. 

The Love Your Neighbor Coalition (LYNC) is a consortium of fifteen justice-related organizations encompassing LGBTQ inclusion, racial justice, environmental justice and more. Grounded in values of Wesleyan theology: grace, dignity, relationships, justice, and solidarity You can learn more about LYNC and its coalition members at https://www.lyncoalition.org/about.

LYNC is currently seeking funds for their work at General Conference in May 2024 in Charlotte NC. At the General Conference they will be working to provide connection for international delegates, provide a witness for justice-related legislative items, and support inclusion and organizational changes to the church that reduce colonialism and racism. LYNC has worked for years to build bridges with international delegates to the conference and will do that again this year with special events and extra translation services. Meeting space, communication tools, translation, and events are all part of the budget.

If you would also like to contribute to this organization, you can donate to St. Paul's and put "LYNC" in the memo line. 

"The United Methodist Church’s top legislative assembly — postponed from May 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic — faces multiple proposals to resolve longtime debate around LGBTQ inclusion by splitting the denomination along theological lines. Planning the assembly comes with multiple moving parts that must align. These include securing visas, hotel space, transportation, interpreters and a large-enough venue for a gathering set to draw 862 delegates and 66 bishops from four continents as well as potentially thousands of others. General Conference, the only body authorized to speak for the church, typically meets in late April or early May." (Heather Hahn, UM News Service, 26 May 2020)

Excerpts from "General Conference Postponed until 2022" 

February 25, 2021

Press Release from UM Communications (Contact: Diane Degnan)

https://www.resourceumc.org/en/content/General-Conference-Postponed-to-2022

Meeting on February 20, the Commission on the General Conference made a decision to further postpone the 2020 General Conference until August 29 – September 6, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minn. as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the safety of mass gatherings and travel. [...]

In making the decision, the Commission determined that it was not feasible to safely hold an in-person meeting involving all delegates as currently scheduled for August 29 - September 7, 2021 due to a number of barriers:

• The number of COVID cases [...].
• Vaccine is not expected to be widely available this year in many countries, and new variants of the virus which may be resistant to vaccines are emerging globally.
• International travelers to the U.S. must show proof of negative COVID-19 test results no more than three days prior to travel, but in many places, testing is not readily available or provided free of charge.
• Visa services remain limited in some areas.
• There also remains the possibility that a temporary six-month visa bond program which requires bonds of $5,000 - $15,000 per person for residents of some countries could cost up to $2.5 million in bonds for affected delegates if the program should be extended beyond June.

The Technology Study Team analyzed a variety of options, including an entirely electronic General Conference with participation from individual locations; an entirely electronic General Conference with delegates gathering at regional satellite hubs; and two sessions, with the first part being electronic and the second part in-person when it is safe to convene. None of these options were determined by the study team to be viable....  Their report recommended utilizing mail ballots for making a limited number of “Emergency Interim Actions.”

Some of the concerns mentioned in the report regarding having a virtual session [which must include all delegates globally] include:

• Lack of infrastructure in some areas, including Internet access, Internet speed, and electricity
• Lack of technology for equitable Holy Conferencing
• Complexity of the legislative committee process
• Concerns about accurate credentialing and verification of identity
• Difficulties in seating reserve delegates properly
• Security of voting
• Safety concerns about regional satellite gatherings

“The Commission shared the study team’s findings and recommendations with the officers of the Council of Bishops in a collaborative effort...,” said commission chair Kim Simpson. ... Simpson said that the Commission regrets the fact that these dates once again conflict with the start of the academic year in the U.S. which a group of young adults had asked the Commission to avoid, but there were no other dates available.

Older articles of interest:

https://www.umnews.org/en/news/gc2020-venue-cancels-events-into-may

www.umnews.org/en/news/new-generalconference-dates-announced

Image below: The Minneapolis Convention Center, exterior, photo by Dan Anderson.

Click here for the *pdf of the Reconciling Process FAQs, addressing many of the questions raised during and after the Reconciling Info Session (Sept. 22, 2019) and Samoan Circle Panel (Sept. 29, 2019). 

At the global General Conference of The United Methodist Church, which ended 26 February 2019, delegates voted 438 to 384 to adopt a "Traditional" plan regarding church policies on homosexuality. Since 1972, the Book of Discipline has stated "self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve" in the church (¶304.3) and clergy are prohibited from conducting same gender weddings (¶2702.b). The new legislation added mandatory automatic penalties for UM clergy who would defy the Book of Discipline and created a process (now contested) for congregations wishing to leave The United Methodist Church. In its review, the global church's Judicial Council ruled in April 2019 that the new rules may stand, and went into effect January 2020.

St. Paul's lay leaders and clergy formed leadership teams to help St. Paul's navigate this time of transition. They explored the process and laid out the steps for becoming part of the Reconciling Ministries Network of UM churches that affirm LGBTQ+ persons should St. Paul's wish to pursue RMN membership, communicated with other local UM churches to see how they are addressing the issues posed by the Traditional Plan, and monitored regional and national developments as other possible organizational frameworks, legal challenges, and alternative plans arise. 

St. Paul's convened a number of Processing Groups, aka Small Groups for Discernment. Processing Groups for Discernment included members and friends of the church and were loosely organized geographically. Each Group was led by a trained facilitator who guided the discussion. Afterwards, facilitators reported back to a Steering Committee about areas of disagreement, areas of consensus, and what next steps might be useful, without sharing confidential or personal details. The Church Council, made of St. Paul’s clergy and lay leaders, used the Processing Groups' feedback as they examined what options were “on the table” and what impact each might have on the church’s leadership, finances, and future.

In response to this feedback, St. Paul's also embarked on a new discernment process to clearly answer the question: Should we become part of the Reconciling Ministries Network? This year-long process, begun in October of 2019, culminated in a vote regarding membership in the RMN. Questions about the RMN are addressed in the handout and in the section below. The "Come to the Table of Grace" series offered intentional engagement opportunities to consider what this means for our community and included:

• Reconciling Panel – Members of the Reconciling Steering Committee held an open meeting on Thursday, January 23 at 7:00 PM where representatives from area congregations that have joined the Reconciling Ministries Network discussed their experiences. 
• Faithful & Inclusive – This six-unit video study was led by Pastor Pat Allen beginning on February 2. The study, authored by Rev. Rob Fuquay, examines biblical texts regarding homosexuality using a United Methodist understanding of Scripture that honors Scriptural authority, tradition, reason, and experience, known commonly as the “Wesleyan quadrilateral.” 
• Refuge - This retreat at West River offered an inclusive faith-building weekend for LGBTQ+ youth. St. Paul's Reconciling Team helped plan and sponsor the event. 
• The Better Humans Book Club – The Reconciling Steering Committee and Justice & Compassion Team are co-hosting this book club which is open to everyone. Books have been chosen to challenge, illuminate, and encourage readers to explore issues of race, gender, and public policy.  
• Lenten Devotional - The booklet "Come to the Table of Grace" features prayers and reflections written by members and friends of St. Paul's as they consider what it means, in the spirit of Christ, to welcome the outsider.

At the special church conference on October 18, members of St. Paul's voted to adopt a Welcoming Statement (98% in favor) and to join the Reconciling Ministries Network (94% in favor).

Since the first St. Paul's Info Session in March 2019, we have worked to make information clear and accessible. Marge Higgins, lay leader, and Rev. Kate Mackereth Fulton, Associate Pastor, compiled and updated written summaries of the UMC legislation and how it impacts the local church.

Click here for the *pdf version of the Church Council's detailed letter updated 5 July 2019, following Processing Group meetings. This letter was mailed to church members.

Click here for the *pdf document "Discerning a Way Forward," updated 4 June 2019 to include information about recent activities at the Baltimore-Washington Conference's annual convention.

You are welcome to contact Pastor Kate directly (kfulton [at] stpaulsk.org, 301-933-7933 ext 103) if you have additional questions or concerns that are not addressed here.