In our US centric world, it is obvious that we are divided among political lines. The us vs. them mentality is only ramping up with the upcoming elections.
In my church, the United Methodist Church, we are facing division also. I’m still trying to discern all that is happening, but wanted to share with you a response that I published to my congregation last week. I hope some find this helpful.
Peace!
______________________________________
Dear Members and Friends of First UMC,
Our local paper, the Baraboo New Republic, published an article today titled “United Methodists Breaking Up in Slow Schism.”
If you have been a United Methodist for any length of time, you know thar our denomination has gone through seasons of transition and change in it’s lifetime. The most recent major change came with the formation of the United Methodist Church in 1968 with the merger of the Evangelical United Brethren and the Methodist Episcopal Church.
For most of my adult life, our current United Methodist Church has been debating human sexuality, the role of Scripture in our theology, and how we interpret our church polity.
These debates have ranged from healthy with good communication with all parties concerned to heart-breaking with families and churches being split, and pastors being forced to choose between their LGBTQIA+ loved ones and their denomination.
In the most recent few years, the denominational leaders have become more and more polarized around these sacred topics. We are breaking away from “the big tent” model of theology to an “us vs. them” mentality.
We teach our young people in confirmation that all are welcome in the United Methodist Church. We teach them to use Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience to inform their faith journeys as they grow closer to Jesus Christ. We believe Scripture, the written and living word of God, is that tool that informs who we are as Christians. We interpret Scripture using tradition, reason, and experience as well as other parts of Scripture. We believe tradition are the values of our family, our church family and our community that are passed on to us as we grow up. We believe that reason and experience, our heads and our hearts, have to guide us as we live with the various means of grace in our lives. These four tools of our faith have to work together, and do so to create that safe space for all to live in community and worship together.
With a little bit of that background, I want to remind you of our church’s welcoming statement that was adopted in January of 2019 when First UMC became a reconciling congregation – an officially recognized LGBTQIA+ safe congregation.
First United Methodist Church of Baraboo, WI welcomes all to share in the life, leadership, fellowship, worship, responsibilities, blessings and joys of our congregation as we seek to grow in faith, do all the good we can, and help others say YES! to God. As a Reconciling Congregation we affirm that each person is of sacred worth and created in God’s image. We embrace the diversity of human nature, and celebrate the inherent uniqueness, potential and contributions of all persons, regardless of age, race, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, family structure, economic status, and physical or mental ability. All are welcome, supported, and included here. Many voices, many hands, and shared wisdom from varied perspectives and life experiences make us stronger and richer in thought, creativity, understanding and growth. We recognize that we hold a variety of opinions. We do not seek to erase our differences but to journey together in faith toward greater understanding and mutual respect.
In the coming weeks, I will be sharing various sources for conversation around the schism on our social media and via email.
Two resources for you to look at as you have time:1. https://proudtobeumc.com/ is a resource put out by Rev. Adam Hamilton and the UM Church of the Resurrection (COR). COR is a leader in the UMC, and Adam has put out a series of videos in response to Rev. Rob Renfroe, and The Good News Magazine.
2. https://goodnewsmag.org/methodisms-great-divides-video-series/ is a link to the Renfroe videos. Rob is a leader in the Global Methodist Church movement.
Please reach out with specific questions you have. If you have them, someone else does also. You can email me anytime – pas…@barabooumc.org.
If you wonder what can you do –
1. Engage in holy conversation with one another. Continue to allow all of our siblings in faith to know that you are a safe space for them to be their authentic selves.
2. Pray for me, and all of our church leaders. We have to navigate these unchartered waters everyday in our professional lives. Pray for us to lead with wisdom and grace.
3. Watch some of the videos for all sides of the conversations around human sexuality, biblical interpretation and our church polity. Educate yourself and pray. Ask God for direction for your own heart.
4. Be sensitive to all of your siblings in faith. You and I don’t know the full extent of their faith journeys, even with people that you have known your whole lives. Be kind.
Peace,Pastor Cathy
Facing the Storm with Faith 
As a faithful person, I have my own beliefs of what I consider right and wrong. But one definite belief is that God loves all of us, and we are all sinners in one form or another. I wish the church could be all welcoming to all, while still staying true to it’s understanding of the Bible and it’s own bylaws. I felt that there was a viable solution a few years ago that the General Conference should have voted on and carried through. I do not believe COVID needed to stand in the way in today’s technologically advanced society. Sometimes a divorce or split is necessary when there is no more chance of resolve. This could have been a timely action. Now it drags out with more hatred.
LikeLike