NIC VOICE News Update 11-06-2005 Reaction to Judicial Council Decisions (Update #2)

This is the second of a number of emails with links to articles, commentary and video, and the bishops’ statements regarding recent Judicial Council decisions. 

 

Please take the time to thoroughly review these emails as you prayerfully consider the repercussions to you and your families and your involvement in the UMC. 

 

This took at least ten hours to prepare; it will take at least eight hours to read.

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Commentary from official and unofficial “Evangelical/Orthodox” sources:

 

United Methodist Judicial Council Oral Hearings Observations and Commentary

Rev. Karen Booth, Executive Director

Transforming Congregations

 

Commentary: Bishops' Response is No Response at All - Thankfully

Mark Tooley, UMAction Director

Institute on Religion and Democracy, Methodist News

 

Good News:  There are links on their home page to three UMNS articles, to IRD and to Washington Post and Christianity Today articles.  All of these are included in the NIC VOICE  news updates. 

 

Confessing UMC:  Nothing posted yet.

 

www.ucmpage.org News Thread Related to Judicial Council Rulings:  Note some of these articles are not included anywhere else in this newsletter; others are linked in the newsletter with their original titles.  The following includes editorialized headlines by ucmpage.  We are providing editorialized headlines from both “liberal” and “evangelical” perspectives:

Commentary from “Liberal/Progressive” sources:

 

UNITED METHODIST JUDICIAL COUNCIL ELIMINATES CONSTITUTIONAL GUARANTEE OF OPEN MEMBERSHIP IN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Includes statement by Rev. Kathryn Johnson, Executive Director
Methodist Federation for Social Action

Affirmation Co-spokesperson's Statement on Two Judicial Council Decisions, October 31, 2005.

Peggy R. Gaylord, Co-spokesperson for National Affirmation: United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns, Inc.

Affirmation

Note:  “Affirmation will be developing a more in-depth response to these two cases and another that was not argued orally. Affirmation will release that response
publicly on its web site http://www.umaffirm.org .

The Reconciling Ministries Network Special Digest

1. IT IS A TIME TO GATHER TOGETHER

2. RESOURCES FOR DEVOTION, Rev. James Preston (Rev. Preston is a member of the Northern Illinois Conference)

3. HONORING PROPHETS, Rev. Laurie Hays Coffman
Calvary UMC, Durham, NC

4. PRAYER LITANY, Rev. Trey Hall Holy Covenant UMC, Chicago, IL *(Still a Reconciling Congregation!)*

Open Letter from RMN for UM Congregations

Troy Plummer, Executive Director
Sue Laurie, Outreach Coordinator
Jeff Spelman, Board Chair
Joretta Marshall, Board Chair-elect

 

Pastoral message by Dr. Joretta Marshall (RMN board chair, elect) delivered to Bering Memorial UMC on October 30th: http://www.beringumc.org/wit.htm

October 30, 2005 - Witness - 16:08- Dr. Joretta Marshall

 

The above are also posted at CORNET, as well as the following:

 

Associated Baptist Press:  ABP: Court Defrocks Lesbian Minister, Reinstates Pastor who Denied Gay Member
Methodist Court Defrocks Lesbian Minister, Reinstates Pastor who Denied Gay...

 

Thank You for Your Prayers and Support (from Beth Stroud and Chris Paige)

 

CORNET’s Editorialized Headline regarding the pastoral letter from the Council of Bishops:  Council of Bishops Disagrees with Judicial Council Ruling
Council of Bishops Disagrees with Judicial Council Ruling The United Methodist...

 

National Religious Leadership Roundtable leaders (NLRL): NLRL Leaders Applaud United Methodist Bishops' Rejection of Anti-gay Prejudice “Contact The United Methodist Church Council of Bishops to let them know you support their stand against discrimination.”

 

Foundry UMC Statement:

We, the clergy and staff of Foundry United Methodist Church, strongly disagree with denominational efforts by the UMC Judicial Council to allow pastors to deny church membership to Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) persons. We reaffirm our commitment to welcome all people into the membership of Foundry Church

A CALL FOR A SPECIAL SESSION OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE (posted at Foundry web site)

November 2, 2005 - The following resolution was passed by the Board of Ordained Ministry of the Baltimore Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church:

Whereas Judicial Council Decisions 1031 and 1032 create confusion about the role and responsibilities of pastors, cabinets, bishops, Boards of Ordained Ministry and clergy sessions on matters of local church membership:

Therefore the Board of Ordained Ministry of the Baltimore Washington Conference calls on the Council of Bishops (according to ¶14 Article II of the 2004 Book of Discipline) to call for a special session of General Conference to be held as soon as possible to clarify the authority and accountability of pastors, cabinets, bishops, Boards of Ordained Ministry and clergy sessions as to whom may be received as member of our churches.

This resolution shall be communicated to the officers of the Council of Bishops and Bishop Schol meeting at Lake Junaluska.

Approved at 11:50 a.m. on November 2, 2005.

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