Minutes for Minnesota’s Reconciling Ministries Network Meeting:

Thursday December 15th

 

Reconciling Churches Present:  Cindy Clauser (Hennepin Ave.); Mary Grant (Woodbury); Jeanne Audrey Powers (Hennepin Ave.); Gloria Peck (Spirit of Hope UMC); Faith Buss (Weslely); Steve Bloom (Prospect Park); Nancy Victoria-Vangerud (Prospect Park); Bob Kohl (Peace UMC); Dee Baston (HAUMC);

Churches in progress: Lori Johnson (Eden Prairie); Marsha Wahoske (Eden Prairie); Walter Lockhart (Harron UMC)

 

Agenda Reported Below:

1)       Report on the “churches in progress”

2)      Discussion about how Reconciling Churches responded to the Judicial Council’s decisions discriminating again GLBT person’s and families

3)      Update on the Reconciling Retired Clergy Caucus

4)      Discussion about General/Annual Conference:

5)      Dates of upcoming events:

 

1)  Churches in progress report: 

a)  EDEN PRARIE WILL VOTE in 2006 on whether to become reconciling (though some new members of the congregation believe they already are, and though they give money to reconciling and GLBT friendly issues, they are not ‘official’)  Notes from Eden Prairie’s newsletter “Tumbleweed” with their pastor’s response to the UM Judicial Council’s decisions were sent out in an email on 1/15/05 with the subject line “Mike Miller’s Q&A with the Reconciling Ministry/forward to others please”

b)  Spirit of Hope (who is really a new reconciling church) now has a group of people joining the reconciling group who do NOT believe it should be reconciling.  So they are having those conversations all over again. 

 

2) Discussion about churches’ official responses to the Judicial Council decisions.

            a) Hennepin Ave. UMC held a wonderful service of apology and recognition with the Gay Men’s Chorus singing and over 1,000 people in attendance. 

            b) Jeanne Audrey’s church in California had several healing songs and a service acknowledging GLBT people and their families.

            c)  Check out national reconciling website for other responses www.rmnetwork.org

            d)  October 20th anniversary for Wesley being reconciling church.

            e)  Good Samaritan had Calipoe (women’s chorus) and the Gay Men’s Chorus perform

 

3)  Update on what that radical Reconciling Retired Clergy Caucus is doing combined with decisions we made at the Minnesota’s RMN meeting. 

35 clergy met with reconciling clergy after the Judicial Council’s verdicts and decided upon 2 important responses: 

 1st come together with resolutions to put out at General Conference

2nd  Need to have a party to welcome Spirit of Hope and Edgewater Emmanuel while Troy Plummer is here.  We had this celebration and there were definitely more people from Edgewater Emmanuel and Spirit of Hope than all other churches combined.  We had a nice time discussing issues with Troy and talking amongst ourselves. 

 

 

4) General and Annual Conference:  Apparently there will be no committees at General Conference this year.   So we had a beginning conversation about how to talk about and get petitions about GLBT issues on the floor of  General Conference.  One of our big focuses should be on removing the pejorative language around homosexuality in the church.  Petitions will need to be specific.  As a conference we should also make a statement around the Judicial Council’s decision 1032.  Perhaps we can also get Minnesota’s conference to make a public statement that goes against the resolution to put the anti-gay marriage amendment on the state constitution. 

 

5)  Dates of Upcoming Events:

a)  Outfront Minnesota:  We still need copies of churches who have voted to make their church an official organization that is against the anti-gay marriage amendment by March.

b) GAY PRIDE EVENTS:  June 24th and 25th

c)  Lobby Day on the Hill through Outfront MN (Thursday April 27th).  This is a day set up to meet with your representatives and tell them how you feel on GLBT issues.  There will be a rally and speaking and a signs and fun. 

            d)  Woodbury is having their education on human sexuality Thursday’s 1st session: Jan 26th Dr. Simon Rosser-- History of the churches understanding of homosexuality – (liberal)

 2nd session: Conservative view of the scriptures   

3rd session:  David Fredrickson, (did liberal marriage thing at Hamline)

4th session:  Duane how to we live together (conservative)

 

 

In Peace and Reconciling Love,

Sara E. Schoen

Minnesota’s Reconciling Ministries Network Secretary