Pastor Dave's Blog

Time for #GC2019

And then there was one. 

One day, that is, (as I write this) until the Special Session of the General Conference (aka #GC2019) begins. 

Will it be (with apologies to Les Miserables) "one day more to revolution"...will the streets run with (metaphorical) blood?

Or will we find a way to emulate God's unity within diversity -- which we name and celebrate every time we use Trinitarian language?

Truthfully, I don't know and neither does anyone else.

Quick reminder of the basics: 

• This is the seventh in a multi-week series to help us be informed about -- and prepared for -- the General Conference #GC2019 to be held February 23-26, 2019 in Saint Louis, MO.
• Read previous entries in this series here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6.
• Those initial installments have (or at least link to) all the background information about how the United Methodist Church found itself in the position of needing both the Commission on a Way Forward and #GC2019.

Here are a few things that I do know:

1) Our own Pastor Danita is there at #GC2019 serving as a Marshal. Meaning, she will "be part of the team that assists delegates, guests, and staff, checking credentials, and providing information."

2) Pastor Danita is more serene about this General Conference than anyone else I have spoken to or read. She's been part of the United Methodist Church for it's entire existence (and then some). She knows our denomination. I trust her wisdom, instincts, and intuition about this. I'm doing my best to follow her example.

3) This prayer will be part of worship at General Conference, and our Northern Illinois Conference asks us to pray with them. We will do so together Sunday morning. 

4) Our Bishop, the Rev. Sally Dyck, recorded this message of hope for the church earlier this month. It's under ten minutes -- pretty good for a preacher!

5) We can livestream #GC2019 by clicking here.

6) For updates and news from #GC2019 click here.

7) Bishop Dyck invites you to join one of three General Conference Debriefings:

8) I know that no matter what happens (or doesn't happen) at #GC2019, millions of us will continue to pray, to preach, to teach, and to work until all of God's children are welcomed, affirmed, and blessed in the UMC.

Let me leave you with some wise words from Bishop Dyck's video message:

I hope for a church that can disagree about many things — including human sexuality — but can still recognize our connection and our relationships one with another. 

 

Unity in the midst of diversity means there is room — plenty of good room — for all of us and for others in the body of Christ. 

#GC2019 Primer #5

This is the fifth in a multi-week series to help us be informed about -- and prepared for -- the Special Session of the General Conference (aka #GC2019) to be held February 23-26, 2019 in Saint Louis, MO. 

Read previous entries in this series here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4. 

Those initial installments have (or at least link to) all the background information about how the United Methodist Church found itself in the position of needing the Commission on a Way Forward and #GC2019. 

Today, I’ll follow up (as promised in last week’s post) on a way in which our Northern Illinois Conference (NIC) is leading the denomination in preparing for #GC2019. Plus, I received my first question about this series! So I’ll respond to that as well. 

Speaking of questions…you too can submit a question about any of this and I will respond in a future post. Either put your question in a comment below or email your question to me directly. 

Here’s what a parishioner asked:

What can I (or we) do about #GC2019 as a lay member of a UMC congregation? How can we make our voices heard to encourage our denomination to move toward full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people?

 The first and best response is: Pray.

Pray for the twelve delegates from our Northern Illinois Conference.

Pray for all the delegates who will attend #GC2019.

Pray, in the words of our Bishop, the Rev. Dr. Sally Dyck, “May all hearts and minds be open to God’s Holy Spirit in this time of discernment.” Read Bishop Dyck’s full statement here.

Unlike with legislation before Congress, there is no mechanism for direct lobbying of the delegates. We cannot call them or write them as we would our Senators and Representatives. However, the NIC delegates to #GC2019 do have a Facebook page. You can “like” that to follow them there and post words of encouragement. 

What to know more about our NIC delegation to #GC2019? They published a FAQ statement. Read that here. 

As for the way in which our NIC is leading the denomination…we are doing so by taking a deep, deep dive into the potential impact the “Traditionalist” Plan would have on clergy and annual conference compensation and pensions. The NIC Conference Board of Pensions offers this analysis. 

They are the first to publish such a comprehensive look at the financial effect of the plan. Doing so became necessary when, as their post details, supporters of the “Traditionalist” Plan claimed their plan would “avoid any disruption or confusion with clergy benefits.” That claim is simply not true. Instead, the “Traditionalist” Plan could cost clergy six-figure retirement benefits. Whatever else that plan is, it is not financially neutral as was claimed. 

Just two more weeks until #GC2019! Keep reading and please keep praying for the UMC to find a just way forward.