This week the parish voted on becoming a reconciling community. The vote passed unanimously! This means the people of the parish affirm the following statement from the Reconciling Ministries Network, an organization that equips and mobilizes United Methodists of all sexual orientations and gender identities to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.
The people of the parish practice welcome and inclusion, and have for a very long time. This vote is a formal step, an outward sign of something that has been true within the community for years. The days of the vote were celebratory, an affirmation of so many who have lived and loved so deeply. Many at a church have been members of places that did not offer this welcome, so in many ways being in a place that lives out the above statement is like finding an oasis.
For others this stance is a part of faith and community from their earliest understandings. Several of our young people were clear in their expectations of their elders, that welcome and inclusion were part of who Jesus is and what community should look like.
This is one step on a long journey of faithfully following God. A great moment for celebration and rejoicing in God with us in the diversity and beauty of our community and our global connection.
-Eilidh
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