The Ashville Citizen-Times has a write-up online about the Reconciling Ministries Network meeting taking place this weekend at Lake Junaluska, a United Methodist conference facility. Reconciling Ministries Network is a group of United Methodists working for the inclusion of gays and lesbians in the life of the United Methodist Church. The conference has been opposed by the Republican Party-aligned Institute on Religion and Democracy and the Ku Klux Klan. The Citizen-Times reports that conservatives who planned to protest the meeting over the weekend were largely a no show. It sounds like the conference is going well.
The Rev. Monica Corsaro of Seattle, a spokeswoman for the conference, said the event had less to do with changing the political structure of the church and more to do with fellowship and worship.
“But we are encouraged that there are seven bishops here and one who is traditionally conservative,” she said.
The United Methodist Church for decades has voted against allowing gays to become clergy.
Corsaro said the goal of Reconciling Ministries Network, the Chicago-based organization that hosts the conference each year, is to advocate for the inclusion of everyone in the church in an attempt to prevent a split over the issue of sexuality.
“We are not looking to leave (the church),” she said.
Bishop Richard Wilke was one Saturday’s speakers. He told the group that the use of the Bible to prevent people from being in the church is harmful.
“I’m so frustrated with people who take a prejudice and find a Bible verse to support it,” he said. “Controversy is no stranger to the church. But it is the cause of denominationalism. That is why we have to accept people as people, not categories.”
It just happened that I was in the Lake Junaluska area this afternoon. Liz and I sat by the lake with the twins and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. There were no KKK members in sight.
Please keep Reconciling Ministries Network and the people of the United Methodist Church in your prayers.
You can keep updated on the conference on the RMN blog.
Related Post: Ku Klux Klan Joins Republican Party-aligned Institute on Religion and Democracy In Protesting Church Conference
