Passed as amended in Plenary, June 7, 2003 by 56% concur to 38%
Non-Concur and 6% abstaining (according to the United Methodist News
Service, Northern Illinois Annual Conference Report.
|
Section |
Concur |
Non-Concur |
Abstain |
|
1 |
22 |
33 |
6 |
|
2 |
16 |
25 |
1 |
|
3 |
38 |
20 |
5 |
|
Total |
76 |
78 |
12 |
WHEREAS, as Christians we are called to embody God's love in the world,
and as United Methodist Christians, we are united in our faith in God, our
love of Christ and our commitment to seek and do God's will as empowered by
the Holy Spirit; and
WHEREAS, for the past two decades General Conference actions have added
increasingly condemnatory and exclusionary language to the Book of
Discipline concerning the full participation of gay and lesbian, bisexual
and transgendered person in our denomination; and
WHEREAS, the church is deeply divided on issues related to God's gift of
sexual orientation, and any pretense that we are of one mind only serves to
deepen the estrangement and isolation of those who are excluded, and imposes
premature closure upon the church's search to faithfully discern the will of
God;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Northern Illinois Conference of the
United Methodist Church affirms that human sexuality is a good gift of God
and understands that homosexuality, heterosexuality and bi-sexuality all
share that gift; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we believe that the current statement in the
United Methodist Book of Discipline that "homosexuality is incompatible with
Christian teaching" is not reflective of the historic Wesleyan unwillingness
to limit prerogatives which belong solely to God, and is not representative
of every Biblical/theological perspective; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we commit to proclaim that homosexual
orientation (no less or more than heterosexual orientation) can be
compatible with Christian teaching. We encourage clergy to preach this
from our pulpits and expose our parishioners to the fullness of the
Scriptural witness on related matters in our Bible studies, and we encourage
lay people to teach it in our Sunday school classes and tell it to our
children; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, we affirm that loving, monogamous, intimate
relationships between persons of the same or opposite gender, are an
expression of God's love; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, we affirm the historic charge of United Methodist
clergy to be in ministry according to their best discernment among the
people entrusted to their care.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, we affirm that persons of all sexual orientations
are equally called to ordained ministry. As clergy we will affirm
God's call to ordained ministry as experienced by candidates for ministry
regardless of a person's sexual orientation and welcome them into the clergy
covenant, and as lay persons we will similarly affirm that call and we will
offer ourselves fully in mutual ministry with pastors of our churches
regardless of that person's sexual orientation.
Methodist Federation for Social Action]
Rev. Bob Campbell, Legislative Coordinator
This resolution passed on the Third Consent Calendar at the Northern
Illinois Conference, June 5-7, St. Charles, IL. It had received 86%
concurrence in Sections:
| Section |
Concur |
Non-Concur |
Abstain |
| 7 |
35 |
20 |
5 |
| 8 |
51 |
0 |
3 |
| 9 |
46 |
2 |
4 |
| Total |
132 |
22 |
12 |
700-30 SUPPORTING THE MINISTRY OF BISHOP C. JOSEPH SPRAGUE
WHEREAS, Bishop C. Joseph Sprague’s leadership is most appropriate for
the context of the churches and ministries of the Northern Illinois
Conference, which is rich in theological, cultural, racial, and gender
diversity; and
WHEREAS, religious fundamentalism or exclusivism would simply be an
unacceptable characteristic of any religious leader who attempts to address
the pertinent issues of the people who reside within the confines of the
Northern Illinois Conference; and
WHEREAS, while not all would agree with our bishop on every point of
faith, we all agree that he makes us think and that he has the right to
express his beliefs; and
WHEREAS, we believe in the primacy of scripture and do not understand its
truth to rest in technical or literal accuracy; and
WHEREAS, our Wesleyan tradition has claimed the primacy of Scripture but
also the extreme importance of history of Christian doctrine, reason, and
experience as contributing elements in our pursuit to know God; and
WHEREAS, we celebrate a United Methodist bishop who is courageous to
speak prophetically in times such as these; and
WHEREAS, we applaud a bishop that makes you think not only about what we
believe, but also how we behave. With not only his written words, but also
the example of his life, he leads us to seek God’s new reign and to strive
for personal and social holiness; and
WHEREAS, through his leadership, many of us are being led to grow in our
faith in Jesus Christ, we are renewing our passion and energy for making
disciples and have both confidence and integrity in our future work as a
people of faith;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we support Bishop C. Joseph Sprague in
his ministry and witness as a leader in our denomination and give thanks for
his profound witness;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Northern Illinois Conference shall send
this resolution to Bishop Sharon Rader, secretary of the Council of Bishops
and to Ms. Shirley Cook, chairperson of the north Central Jurisdiction
Episcopal Committee.
MSFA of Northern Illinois
Rev. Bob Campbell, Legislative Coordinator
This resolution passed on the Third Consent Calendar at the Northern
Illinois Conference, June 5-7, St. Charles, IL. It received 74% concurrence
in Sections and will be sent to General Conference 2004:
|
Section |
Concur |
Non-Concur |
Abstain |
|
7 |
43 |
9 |
5 |
|
8 |
31 |
18 |
4 |
|
9 |
38 |
12 |
4 |
|
Total |
112 |
39 |
13 |
900-10 Make the Discipline More Inclusive
WHEREAS, the Church of Jesus Christ was created for all persons; and
WHEREAS the current Discipline of The United Methodist Church excludes
homosexual persons from full inclusion in the life of the church; and
WHEREAS, this exclusion is incompatible with Christian teaching;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Northern Illinois Conference of The
United Methodist church recommends that the last paragraph of Section 161G
be amended so that the sentence "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," shall read, "We
affirm that God’s grace is available to all."
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution be sent to the 2004 General
Conference and acted upon there.
MSFA of Northern Illinois
Rev. Bob Campbell, Legislative Coordinator |
