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Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
| Hoosier United Methodist News |
July 2001 |
Gobin Church passes
Statement of Reconciliation
in response to G.C. 2000
inclusiveness mandate
By Steve Hall
Hoosier UM News Special Correspondent
In December, the congregation of Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church in Greencastle passed a Statement of Inclusiveness and Reconciliation, which welcomes all persons into its ministries and mission "without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, or disability."
The "sexual orientation" phrase makes the Statement noteworthy. Only a handful of the nation's 375,000 religious congregations call themselves "welcoming and affirming" or "reconciling" to gays and lesbians, according to a June article in USA Today. The Gobin congregation also affirmed joining the United Methodist Reconciling Ministry and opening its doors to all people.
"We feel reconciliation is a Biblical mandate," said Rev. Rick Miller. "We are following the mandate of the church as decided by the General Council. We are not allowed to marry or ordain homosexuals, or spend money on anything that promotes homosexuality . We are keeping covenant with the denomination on this. We just believe there are homosexual relationships that are Christian, whether the church blesses them or not."
Some backlash
As a result of the move, the pastor of another Greencastle church (non-Methodist) denounced Gobin and Miller from the pulpit, and an unsuccessful campaign was mounted to block Gobin's participation in community ecumenical worship services.
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"'You can't enter the church because you're a sinner.' We don't say that to heterosexual people who are living in relationships and are unmarried." |
Two longtime members, a husband and wife, also left Gobin after the adoption of the Statement of Inclusiveness and Reconciliation. (They were the only ones who voted against the church joining the United Methodist Reconciling Ministries Network.)
They asked not to be identified, but in response to an interview request said in a written statement that "adoption of the statement indicated a new direction for Gobin Church - a direction that we were unable to follow. We withdrew rather than risk becoming divisive elements within the congregation."
In the Social Principles printed in The Book of Discipline in 1992, the General Conference said, "Although we do not condone the practice of homosexuality and consider this practice incompatible with Christian teaching, we affirm that God's grace is available to all. We commit ourselves to be in ministry for and with all persons."
Gobin's passage of the Statement of Inclusiveness and Reconciliation came after an eight-week study based on The Report of the General Conference Committee to Study Homosexuality as outlined in the study guide for that document.
A human face on the issue
The Gobin committee heard from a DePauw University professor who discussed legal and discriminatory issues and several homosexuals, including former Methodists who now attend the Metropolitan Community Church in Indianapolis for gays and lesbians. Many told stories of being driven from churches, of "feeling the door slam" in their faces, because of their sexual orientation.
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"We are keeping covenant with the denomination on this. We just believe there are homosexual relationships that are Christian, whether the church blesses them or not." |
"Basically, the human reality of homosexuality struck us," said Miller. "We didn't think everyone would be of one mind, but we studied the issue and tried to put a human face on it."
The study was prompted by several factors last year. In May, at the close of the 2000 General Conference of the United Methodist Church, Bishop Woodie W. White issued a letter to the denomination's Indiana churches stating that although Methodists would be of different minds about what the General Conference had said about homosexuality, he expected clergy and congregations in Indiana to be in covenant with the larger church and to abide by the teachings the General Conference had adopted. He also stated he expected clergy and congregations in Indiana to be in ministry to all people, including gays and lesbians.
In June, an incident involving a gay man who had grown up in Gobin caused "an uproar" in the church, according to Miller. The man and his partner attended a service with his parents, Gobin members for eight years, as part of a joint Father's Day/birthday celebration. A church member told the gay men they were "condemned."
The gay man did not respond to a request for an interview, and his parents asked not to be identified because of concerns about violating his privacy. "If a gay man comes to my church and someone says he is condemned because of his homosexuality, I don't think that's right," said his father. "I don't think the cause of Christ is to denigrate anyone."
Added his mother, "It was very disturbing. I don't think the church would say to an alcoholic, 'You can't enter the church because you're a sinner.' We don't say that to heterosexual people who are living in relationships and are unmarried. If you approach it from the standpoint of the church being accepting and loving of all people, I don't see how you could not adopt" the Statement of Inclusiveness and Reconciliation, as Gobin did.
What the Bible says
Participants in the Gobin Study Group examined the Biblical scriptures seemingly condemning homosexuality (Genesis 19:1-29, Judges 19:1-30, Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Timothy 1:10 and Romans 1:26-27), as well as the historical and societal context in which they were written. Ultimately, in a 34-page report to the congregation, the study group concluded:
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"Basically, the human reality of homosexuality struck us." |
"Everything that the Bible says about homosexuality must be tested in light of the fundamental witness of Scripture, which shapes the core of our faith. We are convinced that scriptural affirmations about the unmerited grace of God come as close as one can get to defining that core .It is this core of scripture that should inform the Christian community as it seeks to deal with the issues of homosexuality and all other concerns."
"There was a process of education that went on during the study, and I don't think a lot of people were in the same place when it ended as when it started," said Kathryn Eccles, a member of the study group. "But I'm not surprised that the vote (by the Church Council on the Statement) was unanimous. This congregation has a strong sense of right and wrong and a history of inclusiveness."
Since the adoption of the Statement of Inclusiveness and Reconciliation, the family whose son was told he was "condemned" have returned to Gobin. In May, Gobin invited the choir from Metropolitan Community Church in Indianapolis to perform with the Gobin choir. Many of the visitors "had been kicked out of other churches because they were homosexual," said John Clodfelter, Gobin's music director. "They were thrilled to be invited to come to a church, share a meal with us and sing."
Congregations wrestling with the issue of homosexuality should follow Gobin's example and conduct a serious study, members of the study group said. "A DePauw alumnus once told that nothing can sever the love of Christ, so people ought not to try to limit entrance to the church," said study group member Paul Hartman. "We ought to meet people where they are."
To order copies of the General Conference approved study guide, "The Church Studies Homosexuality," contact Cokesbury at 800/672-1789.
Last updated on 01/14/2004