Loving God - Creating Hope - Changing Lives
St. Paul’s UMC welcomes and affirms people of all sexual orientations,
gender identities, and gender expressions.
gender identities, and gender expressions.
This fall, Rebecca Glancy will lead a group to read and discuss Austen Hartke’s book Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians. We will deepen our understanding of the range of LGBTQ+ identities and ways to be a truly welcoming church. As the parent of two nonbinary teenagers, Rebecca has been learning a lot about this subject. The group will meet on Thursdays from 7:00-8:30 PM via Zoom for six weeks (September 22 to October 27). We will host special guests who will speak about their experiences as well. Contact Rebecca if you are interested in participating.
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Dr. Charles Alkula created this 48x48 painting using the original eight colors of the Pride flag as designed by Gilbert Baker. |
Prayer for Pride Month
Oh, Love that will not let us go...
Our hearts are filled and overflowing with joy, deep love, and gratitude.
We are thankful, for the gifts of all Affirming Ministries and communities of faith who open their churches, their homes and their hearts to
Two-Spirit and LGBTQ+ people and all their intersecting identities, for music, friendship, and for family.
We are thankful for the Love that will not let us go.
We are thankful, for Pride Marches and Pride Month, for all those who publicly, intentionally,
and explicitly affirm that 2S-LGBTQ+ people are children of God.
We are thankful most of all, for the blessing of a Love that is and always has been there for us.
The truth at the heart of our faith – that you are Love - echoes today in words and in music, in friendships and family, in our hearts and minds,
and continues to challenge us to Love.
We pray for our hearts and minds to be open to our own homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia, to be open to our own racism, sexism,
ableism, sizeism, and all the ways we fear those who are different from us.
We pray to learn how to recognize the kinship between our souls and the souls of those who, to us, are strangers.
We pray that we will never cease in our journey to learn how to Love more radically.
We pray in the name of the Love that flips tables and cracks whips, the Love that heals those judged by religious leaders and powers, the Love
who lives and loves among the marginalized and outcast.
In Jesus name. Amen.
- The United Church of Canada
Oh, Love that will not let us go...
Our hearts are filled and overflowing with joy, deep love, and gratitude.
We are thankful, for the gifts of all Affirming Ministries and communities of faith who open their churches, their homes and their hearts to
Two-Spirit and LGBTQ+ people and all their intersecting identities, for music, friendship, and for family.
We are thankful for the Love that will not let us go.
We are thankful, for Pride Marches and Pride Month, for all those who publicly, intentionally,
and explicitly affirm that 2S-LGBTQ+ people are children of God.
We are thankful most of all, for the blessing of a Love that is and always has been there for us.
The truth at the heart of our faith – that you are Love - echoes today in words and in music, in friendships and family, in our hearts and minds,
and continues to challenge us to Love.
We pray for our hearts and minds to be open to our own homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia, to be open to our own racism, sexism,
ableism, sizeism, and all the ways we fear those who are different from us.
We pray to learn how to recognize the kinship between our souls and the souls of those who, to us, are strangers.
We pray that we will never cease in our journey to learn how to Love more radically.
We pray in the name of the Love that flips tables and cracks whips, the Love that heals those judged by religious leaders and powers, the Love
who lives and loves among the marginalized and outcast.
In Jesus name. Amen.
- The United Church of Canada
Reconciling Ministries at St. Paul’s UMC
The Reconciling Ministries Team was organized as an ad hoc committee in January 2020. The members were Scott G., Rebecca G., Judy W., Claudia M., Abby L., and Steve B. The team followed the procedure recommended by the Reconciling Ministries Network’s “Building an Inclusive Church [BIC] Toolkit,” a comprehensive workbook that guides congregations through the process of becoming a Reconciling Community. Our first step was to speak to or meet with all members of the congregation individually, to hear opinions and answer questions. This process took several months. The team created a list of Frequently Asked Questions to address the concerns that arose. The team also offered two small group discussion opportunities, one via Zoom and one in a socially distanced outdoor setting. It was clear that there was widespread support for adopting a Reconciling Statement. The Team proposed a draft version and invited feedback. Thirty-three people responded. The Team made some revisions based on the responses and crafted a final version of a Reconciling Statement St. Paul’s might adopt. The Team then called a vote from the congregation.
There were two questions: “Shall St. Paul’s adopt the statement 'St. Paul’s UMC welcomes and affirms people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions'" and “Shall St. Paul’s UMC join the Reconciling Ministries Network?" Both votes passed with overwhelming support and St. Paul's UMC joined the growing movement of the RMN.
To learn more visit…
Reconciling Ministries website at https://rmnetwork.org
The Reconciling Ministries Team was organized as an ad hoc committee in January 2020. The members were Scott G., Rebecca G., Judy W., Claudia M., Abby L., and Steve B. The team followed the procedure recommended by the Reconciling Ministries Network’s “Building an Inclusive Church [BIC] Toolkit,” a comprehensive workbook that guides congregations through the process of becoming a Reconciling Community. Our first step was to speak to or meet with all members of the congregation individually, to hear opinions and answer questions. This process took several months. The team created a list of Frequently Asked Questions to address the concerns that arose. The team also offered two small group discussion opportunities, one via Zoom and one in a socially distanced outdoor setting. It was clear that there was widespread support for adopting a Reconciling Statement. The Team proposed a draft version and invited feedback. Thirty-three people responded. The Team made some revisions based on the responses and crafted a final version of a Reconciling Statement St. Paul’s might adopt. The Team then called a vote from the congregation.
There were two questions: “Shall St. Paul’s adopt the statement 'St. Paul’s UMC welcomes and affirms people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions'" and “Shall St. Paul’s UMC join the Reconciling Ministries Network?" Both votes passed with overwhelming support and St. Paul's UMC joined the growing movement of the RMN.
To learn more visit…
Reconciling Ministries website at https://rmnetwork.org