God’s Grace Personified

If you’ve been tracking the news from General Conference, you probably already know that Wednesday was a deeply sad and hurtful day for about 45% of United Methodists, that is if the General Conference is truly representative of the greater denomination. The beautifully written paragraph that came out of the Church and Society 2 Legislative Committee was replaced by a minority report that is similar, but in my opinion, worse paragraph 161G than what was already in the Book of Discipline. I personally am enraged and would love to launch into a diatribe of all that is wrong with the UMC right now; but in solidarity with those who have been truly crushed and once again dismissed as human beings by their church, I will try to bring the same Grace and love to this blog as they brought to GC yesterday.

As every vote was taken on the floor that wounded the souls of our Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transgendered United Methodists and their United Methodist friends, we stood for 30 seconds in silent protest. Then the vote came to change what has been called the “foundational” Disciplinary paragraph, or “the incompatibility” paragraph: 161G. As I wrote earlier in “All Means All! I Hope!” …there was a wonderfully honest attempt to change the language so that we could finally live up to our public persona of “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors.”

When the vote finally came forward and the United Methodist Church began another four years of hypocracy in the face of the Christian faith and exclusion that tries to disguise hate as love; people in tears and anguish stood silently and respectfully throughout the bleachers. One person yelled out “shame” and she was quickly comforted and quieted by her friends. As the Conference prayed and then moved on as if all were the same; well I guess it sadly was; more and more people in the bleachers began to stand. Then some of the delegates on the floor began to stand in solidarity. I noticed dozens of delegates holding each other, some sobbing, and still the General Conference secretary ran on reading off legislative corrections, changes and announcements.

The intent of the Common Witness leadership, which I am a part of, was to remain quite and respectful; but sometimes things take on a life of their own. A man, somewhere in the back of delegation section D began to simply sing “Jesus Loves Me.” Within seconds, delegates and those in the stands were all holding hands, standing and singing together. I looked out, tears running off my cheeks, making sure that I made eye contact with every delegate that I could, both seated and standing.

It was a terribly painful day! Exclusion, hate and ignorance carried the day and I knew that many both here in Fort Worth and back in all of our United Methodist communities at home were hurting. I watched hundreds of delegates walk out at the dinner break, some singing with us, some with eyes focused downward. When all had left, singing stopped, and remaining delegates and onlookers were invited back to the “Clock-tower” building for pastoral care and support.

While at the Clock-tower I saw leaders trying to offer comfort and encouragement even as they broke down in tears. Then the word came that some of the Bishops wanted some of the Reconciling Ministries Network leaders to meet with them… a summons. We all immediately knew that we were going to be offered a moment of sterilized witness on the conference floor the next day.

Two powerful events took place on Thursday morning.

The first event is best described in an article from today’s “Daily Social Questions Bulletin,” entitled: “Brokenness Made Visible.” Yesterday’s early morning witness at the entrance to the
Fort Worth Convention Center required arriving delegates andvisitors to step over and around the bodies of people symbolically lying wounded on the pavement at the entrance. Among the wounds they represented are those of rejection from membership, denial of orders, and unjust judgment of people for their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

As people lay sprawled on the sidewalk, others drew chalk outlines of their bodies. Some got up and others lay down, finally forming a maze of body outlines which gave pause to arriving delegates. Some stopped to talk with or pray over the supine bodies, others quickly looked away and rushed through.

The event concluded with words of solace for the spiritual violence endured by LGBTQ people and their parents, pastors, friends and other allies during the earlier General Conference session, where several resolutions marginalizing and isolating them were passed in an attempt to close the church to them because of their very God-given natures.

Witnesses wearing black left the area, singing “What Does the Lord Require of You?”

The second came at 10:30 AM, the presiding Bishop called for a 15 minute suspension of General Conference, so that the floor could be opened to a “respectfully” presented and received demonstration. Several hundred people came in, made a human cross throughout the center of the floor and began to sing, “Were You There.” While singing, the leadership of the common witness groups entered the floor and draped the crystal cross on the communion table at the center of plenery floor (and our human cross)in black. Then all were invited to come to the table and add a black strip of cross to proclaim our grief over the UMC's brokenness and our continued hope that we might find comfort that in grief we are still, ultimately, a resurrection people.

To see the video of this witness click here and click on the “Homosexuality Witness” link. Watch, but realize that while hearts were hurt and some wounded beyond repair, the spirit and love shared by the group of people gathered on the floor remains strong and vibrant! Where hearts and minds opened? Who knows, but the one sure answer was that the doors of the United Methodist Church are still locked tight!

My conclusion, as a Christian, straight, male, life-long Methodist, now clergy... I saw little of God's grace in the tone, spirit and activities of the plenery sessions of General Conference in these moments. And in the actions, restraint and dignity of the LGBT community... I saw God's Grace personified!