Bobservations

He said this …

“Cinco de Mayo, Spanish for "Fifth of May, is an annual celebration to commemorate the Mexican Army's victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. The victory of the smaller Mexican force against a larger French force was a boost to morale for the Mexicans. A year later, a larger French force defeated Zaragoza at the Second Battle of Puebla, and Mexico City soon fell to the invaders.”

I said this:

“Hey professor, there are people waiting to pay for their groceries. Can we reschedule the lecture?”

It all began when a Food Lion cashier asked if we were ready for Cinco de Mayo.

Last week the House Judiciary Committee advanced the Equality Act, which would add sexual orientation and gender identity to existing federal civil rights laws, to the full House.

It passed the committee by a 22-10 vote margin with every single Republican committee member voting against it … against equality for LGBTQ Americans.

Think about that when it comes time to vote.

Recently Michael Elizabeth Pence delivered a speech to sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman while it was docked at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia.

Pence and sailors? He must have been in heaven! But the interesting part is that before Pence began spewing his lies, the sailors aboard ship were instructed to cheer they were “at a strip club” for the speech.

Not an all-male revue, mind you, though I bet Pence pictured some of those sailors nekkid while he spoke.

PS Command Master Chief Jonas Carter, the man who told the sailors to "clap like we're at a strip club" has resigned over his comment.

Last week the entire confirmation class at First United Methodist Church in Omaha, Nebraska announced to their congregation that they have decided not to become members due to the church’s stance on LGBTQ issues:

“We have spent the year learning about our faith and clarifying our beliefs. Most of us started the confirmation year assuming that we would join the church at the end, but with the action of the general conference in February, we are disappointed about the direction the United Methodist denomination is heading. We are concerned that if we join at this time, we will be sending a message that we approve of this decision. We want to be clear that, while we love our congregation, we believe that the United Methodist policies on LGBTQ+ clergy and same sex marriage are immoral. Depending on how this church responds to the general conference action, we will decide at a later time whether or not to become officially confirmed. But until then, we will continue to stand up against the unjust actions that the denomination is taking. We are not standing just for ourselves, we are standing for every single member of the LGBTQ+ community who is hurting right now. Because we were raised in this church, we believe that if we all stand together as a whole, we can make a difference.”

The eight teenagers received a standing ovation from the congregation for their decision to stand up for Christian values in the face of systemic discrimination.

Yasssssss!

While speaking Dallas, Pete Buttigieg was interrupted by five hecklers in a 10-minute period. The hecklers were organized by Randall Terry, who also organized the heckling Buttigieg received when he was in Iowa last month, so apparently homophobe Randall Terry is following Pete Buttigieg all over the country like a lovesick schoolboy.

For his part, Pete did not engage, though after the heckling began, he did say:

“I’m thinking of that scripture that says blessed and do not curse.”

And as one of the hecklers was escorted out, Buttigieg recalled:

"That moment when I was packing my bags for Afghanistan for the purpose of defending that gentleman’s freedom of speech.”

Thanks, Pete, for rising above.

A judge handed down 10 years' probation last week to Shane Piche, a former New York school bus driver, after Piche admitted to raping a 14-year-old girl.

Probation for rape? Judge James McClusky said it was because Piche had no prior arrests and there was only one victim.

So, if you do nothing else wrong and rape just the one child, you get a slap on the wrist?

Piche is white. Go figure.

More? A former priest who had a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl and impregnated her while he was a Catholic priest, will be allowed to keep his job as a middle school teacher.

Rev. Joseph DeShan, as he was formerly known, left the priesthood after a sexual relationship with the teenager came to light and a baby was born. He left the priesthood after raping a child and took a job teaching sixth-grade students at Cinnaminson Middle School, where parents were in opposition to his role as a teacher. 

DeShan, now a 22-year employee of the Cinnaminson School District, was given a verdict that he will stay in his role despite complaints from parents.

Also ...white man.

Well, this week former _____ henchman-fixer-lawyer Michael Cohen began his three-year prison sentence this week but not before the story broke that he in 2016 he had helped evangelical leader religious hypocrite Jerry Falwell Jr. get rid of some “racy personal photos” and that right after Cohen’s assistance, Falwell endorsed _____ for the presidency.

Apparently, Falwell, president of Liberty University, said someone had come into possession of what Cohen called racy “personal” photographs—the sort that would typically be kept “between husband and wife.” Cohen intervened, obtained the photos and they were destroyed.

Huh; wonder what was in the pictures? But I guess we’ll never know. We do know, however, that Jerry Falwell Jr. confirmed that he loaned $1.8 million to a young pool attendant he and his wife had befriended while staying six years ago at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach.

A lawsuit claimed that Falwell and his wife had developed a “friendly relationship” in 2012 with Giancarlo Granda, then 21 years old, and helped “set him up in business.” Falwell claims he gave Granda the loan “in exchange for his agreement to serve as local manager”  but there is no explanation as to why Falwell invested so heavily in the hotel project or why Granda was hired as the manager despite having no relevant experience in real estate or hotel management.

Again; wonder what was in those pictures?

It’s almost Summer, and nothing says heat like a hot Brazilian model in tiny swimwear.

So … Leonardo Dinali.

You’re welcome.

The Methodist Church In DC Shades _____

Poor _____; he has not had the best of times lately, what with getting smacked down for his hateful tactics by the courts, to Cohen telling all, to news of other indictments coming down.

And then this.

The very week that U.S. Border Patrol agents deployed tear gas to stop a group of migrants, some of whom were children, trying to rush the U.S.-Mexico border, the world came for him, and so did some closer to home.

The United Methodist Building, which stands right next to the Supreme Court , first put up this sign:

"Say it loud and clear, immigrants and refugees are welcome here."

But after _____authorized the gassing of immigrants, they put up a sign that was a riff on Matthew 25:35-36:

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” 

But the United Methodist Church’s sign reads:

Suh-nap! A clap back at _____ and those so-called Christians who support him but should perhaps rethink that support.

Though they won’t because their hatred of immigrants in greater than their ALLEGED love of Jesus.

Good

M Barclay Is The First Transgender Deacon In The UMC

With the news of that new SCOTUS appointee, and the threat he may inflict on the LGBTQ community, I needed some good news to prove that the march is still going on and we are still making strides, and then I found this:

Bishop Sally Dyck spoke the traditional words as she placed her hands on the new deacon:

“Pour out your Holy Spirit upon M. Send them now to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, to announce the reign of God and to equip the church for ministry.”

Notice the bishop didn’t say “him” or “her,” but used “Send them now” instead. That’s what M Barclay has been working for 12 years to finally hear.

Barclay is a transgender person who identifies as neither male nor female and thus uses the pronoun “they,” and the bishop did the same when they were commissioned on Sunday as the first non-binary member of the clergy in the United Methodist Church.

Bam. The United Methodist Church is one of the largest denominations in this country, trailing behind the Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention, and while the more mainline Protestant denomination is still divided over sexuality and gender identity—clergy must be either celibate or in heterosexual marriages, and can only perform only such marriages—American bishops have ordained gay and transgender clergy before, and clergy have conducted same-sex marriages.

In the Northern Illinois Conference, where M Barclay was commissioned, Bishop Sally Dyck said in a statement:

“While M’s journey over the last few years has included gender identity, all of those who were commissioned or ordained on Sunday have been on some kind of journey that has brought them to new places of faith, life and relationships. Likewise, I hope the church will find itself at a new place in the near future when it comes to full inclusion.”

M Barclay was raised in a conservative community in Pensacola and identified as a straight woman when they decided to enter ministry. M enrolled at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Texas in 2005. After studying both feminist and queer theology M realized that they weren’t straight after all. And came out as a lesbian woman:

“I really struggled for the next year about whether I was going to stay in the church at all. I struggled with how much harm the church had done, not only to LGBT people but to other marginalized people. I wasn’t sure I wanted to be a part of that. My faith was still there. It was just really hard to imagine the church living out what I think God is trying to do in the world right now.”

M did finish their seminary training and went to work as the youth director at a United Methodist church in Austin; it was there, while giving sermons that they still wanted to be ordained:

“I understand the rules of the church, but here’s the truth: I’m queer, and I’m called to this. I tried to walk away.”

M pursued ordination, in Texas, in 2012, while identifying as a woman and in a relationship with a woman. They thought that would mean disqualification but was shocked to get approved for the next round of interviews until learning that the next board refused to even meet with Barclay at all. It sparked a heated and public debate among over 400 clergy in Texas about whether they could prove M was having sex; not about M’s capabilities to be ordained, M’s training to be ordained, M’s desire to be ordained.

After a prolonged fight M got the interview but didn’t get approved, and then moved from Austin to Chicago to work at Reconciling Ministries Network, an organization that promotes inclusion of transgender and gender nonconforming people in the United Methodist Church.

It was there that M finally felt free enough and safe enough to not only come out as queer but also transgender. And M once again desired to be ordained, and once again, there was a kerfuffle, but this time they did meet with a local board that enthusiastically approved their candidacy for the clergy.

M Barclay was commissioned as a deacon in last week and, after a two-year provisional period that all new deacons go through, expects to be ordained in 2019. They are not in a romantic relationship now, so they are not violating the church’s rule that clergy can have sexual relationships only in heterosexual marriages.

Still, the march does go on, and we are still making strides, and we will not be defeated.

Washington Post

Good News: 111 Methodist Ministers Come Out As LGBT In Defiance Of Church Rules

I am a firm believer in coming out; I think every LGBTQIA person in the country, in the world, should come out. The more of us that are out and open, the less of ‘them’ — the bigots and the haters — to work denying us simple rights, civil rights.

So I was especially happy to hear that 111 United Methodist ministers have come out as LGBT in order to challenge their denomination’s ban on “practicing homosexuals” and as a way to influence a major church-wide vote on LGBT issues later this week.

Last week, the Reconciling Ministries Network [RMN], an LGBT advocacy group within the United Methodist Church [UMC], published a letter from 111 ministers who were now finally, and openly, declaring their dual identity as both clergy and LGBT persons.

In doing so they have stood out and proud in the face of church policy which prohibits the ordination of “self-avowed practicing homosexuals”. This move comes as thousands of UMC leaders gather in Portland, Oregon, for General Conference where delegates vote on issues of church governance and theology:

 “As we gather in Portland to begin the 10 day discernment of God’s leading for The United Methodist Church known as General Conference, we, your Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and Intersex (LGBTQI) religious leaders — local pastors, deacons, elders, and candidates for ministry — want to remind you of our covenant with you ….

While we have sought to remain faithful to our call and covenant, you have not always remained faithful to us. While you have welcomed us as pastors, youth leaders, district superintendents, bishops, professors, missionaries and other forms of religious service, you have required that we not bring our full selves to ministry, that we hide from view our sexual orientations and gender identities.

As long as we did this, you gladly affirmed our gifts and graces and used us to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world in the varied places you sent us.”

The good news is that this letter, and the coming out of those 111 members of the clergy, crashed the RMN website due to overwhelming traffic. The RMN then posted a version of the message on another blog, Believe Out Loud, where it continued to gather attention, mostly because those who signed the pledge could face repercussions — such as being defrocked — just for coming out.

This latest move by openly gay members of the UMC clergy follows that of a Kansas Methodist minister, the Reverend. Cynthia Meyer, who came out as gay to her congregation in a sermon, declaring that she is in a relationship with another woman.

Another pastor, the Reverend Michael Tupper, pastor of Parchment United Methodist Church in Parchment, Michigan, was disciplined by the UMC for officiating his daughter’s same-sex wedding and he has taken to sleeping in a tent for months to protest the church’s anti-LGBT stance.

Even in North Carolina … North Carolina … two men, the Reverend Val Rosenquist and Bishop Melvin Talbert, officiated a same-sex union in late April in direct defiance of church law.  And last week, 15 Methodist clergy from the church’s New York Conference came out as LGBT.

The march goes on, and the more of us that are out and open and just living our lives honestly, the less chance those who wish to silence us, demean us, defame us, mistreat us, fire us, hate us, will be able to fight.

There is strength in numbers and in the UMC the number of openly LGBT clergy is on the move.

Oh, and before I forget, Welcome Out ... and let me run down to the warehouse and start sending out those 111 Coming Out Toaster ovens and the 111 copies of the Gay Agenda.

Welcome Out:

Rev. Jeanelle Ablola, Rev. Brian  Adkins, Rev. Austin  Adkinson, Rev. Dr. Israel Alvaran, Pastor Elyse Ambrose, Rev. Douglas A. Asbury, Rev. Jeanne  Audrey Powers, M Barclay, Rev. Dr Bonnie Beckonchrist, Rev. Ann Berney, Rev. Anna Blaedel, Rev. Daryl Blanksma, Rev Jan Bolerjack, Rev. Dr. Joanne Calrson  Brown, Rev. Kristan M. Burkert, Rev. John Cahall, Rev. James C. Carter, Rev. Dr. Nancy A. Carter, Rev. Randa Jean  D'Aoust, Rev. Alex da Silva-Souto, Rev. Karen Damman, Rev. Diana Jani Darak-Druck, Sean P. Delmore, Rev. Greg  Eaton, Rev. Dr. Karen Engelman, Rev. Dr. Janet Everhart, Rev. Anthony M. Fatta, Rev. Robert  Gamble, Micah Gary-Fryer, Rev. Ruth Ann Charlotte Geiger, Rev. John Girard, Rev. Rebecca J. Girrell, Taylor Gould, Rev. Nancy Jean Goyings, Rev. John Edwin Griffin, Rev. Gregory D. Gross, Rev. Dr. Emily B.Hall, Rev. Trey Hall, Rev. Dr. Edward J. Hansen, Rev. Marcia Hauer, Rev. Michael A. House, Rev. Brittany Isaac, Rev. Monica Isaac, Rev. Marguerite Jhonson, Tyler R. Joyner, Rev. Elizabeth Jones, Rev. Lindsey Kerr, Rev. Dr. Jeanne G. Knepper, Ms. Ellen Knight, Rev. Katie M. Ladd, Pastor Bruce Lamb, Rev. Cathlynn Law, Rev. Ardis Letey, Rev. J. Daniel Lewis, Rev. Dr. Pamela R. Lightsey, Pastor Christine Lindeberg, Pastor Rolland Loomis, Rev. Kelly Love, Rev. Dr. Joretta  Marshall, Pastor Lea Matthews, Rev. Courtney McHill, Rev. Ralph A. Merante, Rev. David W. Meredith, Rev. Cynthia Meyer, Rev. Jerry Miller, Rev. Sharon L. Moe ,Rev. Richard W. Moman, Rev. Deborah Morgan, Rachel Neer, Rev. Joshua M. Noblitt, Rev. Catherine Noellert, Rev. Gregory Norton, Rev. Dr. Karen P. Oliveto, Rev. Dr. Rebecca A. Parker, Rev. Lois McCullen Parr, Rev. Matthew A. Pearson, Rev. Drew Phoenix, Emily Pickens-Jones, Rev. Jay K. Pierce, Kendall Protzmann, Pastor Kathleen Reynolds, Pastor Jonathan E. Rodríguez-Cintrón, Rev. Daniel  Sailer, Rev. Siobhan A. Sargent, Kenneth M. Schoon, Rev. Tyler  Schwaller, Kimberly Scott, Pastor Ryan J. Scott, Rev. Patricia Simpson, Rev. Kim A. Smith, Rev. Althea Spencer Miller, Rev. Terri J. Stewart, Rev. Katie Stickney, Rev. Kristin G. Stoneking, Rev. Mark F. Sturgess, Rev. Sara Thompson Tweedy, Rev. Frank E. Trotter, Jr., Rev. Martha E. Vink, Rev. Kathleen Weber, Rev. Dr. David Weekley, Marvin K. White, Rev. Dr. Mark E. Williams, Rev. Brenda S. Wills, Pastor Jarell Wilson, Rev. Angela G. Wolle, Rev. John Robert Wooden, Rev. Vicki L. Woods, Rev. Wendy Woodworth, Rev. Frank D. Wulf, Rev. Laura  Young, Rev. Nancy Kay Yount 

Think Progress

Reverend Schaefer Is Reinstated

I been following Frank Schaefer’s case for a long time; he’s the Methodist minister who was disciplined after he officiated at the 2007 same-sex wedding of his son and his partner. Schaefer said he did so because, when his son first came out to him as gay, Schaefer realized that church doctrine had made his son believe he could not go to heaven.

"He did not want to live any more. He was in so much pain. I did what I did based on my heart and my conscience."

And, the wedding was held, not at Schaefer’s Pennsylvania church but at a private restaurant in Massachusetts, where same-sex marriage had been legal since 2004. And his officiating at the ceremony did not become public knowledge until 2013, after a member of his congregation learned of the wedding and filed a complaint.

He was initially suspended for thirty days once the story got out, but after the bigwigs at Church Central heard the story, they gathered together around their Cauldron of Christian Love and decided it best to defrock the pastor for going against church doctrine.

Schaefer left his church for a more inclusive ministry in California and began working as a gay rights activist, galvanizing other Methodists who support full LGBT inclusion in the church. But he also worked to have the ruling overturned, and last week the Judicial Council ruled that a Pennsylvania church jury was wrong to defrock Schaefer.

The council ruled on technical grounds, finding that Schaefer was subjected to two distinct punishments for the same violation. First, he was given a 30-day suspension, and then came the defrocking after he said he could not promise to uphold the church's Book of Discipline "in its entirety."

It was that second punishment that the council decided was wrongfully imposed for a possible future violation. The church, though, offered no support or comment on same-sex marriage in general. Still, its decision is final.

Now, I know some will see this as a way to mangle an argument about ministers being forced to perform a same-sex wedding or risk being defrocked, but that isn’t this case. Schaefer wanted to perform the wedding for his son, and he did not, not at the church but at a private location. He was not acting as a minster of the church, but simply as a minister.

The church can still take their backwards stance on same-0sex marriage, but should allow misters, who choose to perform legal same-sex weddings, the right to do so off church property.

It’s what Jesus would do, you know.

Church Rules on Pastor Who Performed Same-sex Wedding

ISBL: "Convicted" Of Performing A Same-sex Marriage
ISBL: Update Central: Frank Schaefer

Boy Scouts Toss Out Church Over Gay Scoutmaster

Last year everyone was feeling all jolly and, dare I say it, gay because the Boy Scouts of America [BSA] deigned to allow gay Scouts remain in the program while saying that gay Scout leaders would not be acceptable and would be removed from Scouting.

Well, last month the BSA notified Chief Seattle Council Troop 98 Scoutmaster Geoffrey McGrath [above left] that his registration would be revoked because he is an openly gay man; McGrath vowed to fight this ridiculousness and found support in the Rainier Beach United Methodist Church, which charters Troop 98. Church leaders said they stood behind McGrath and would allow him to continue his duties as Scoutmaster.

And the BSA can’t have that, you know, gay men around children because fill in the blank.

And so, as a result of its continued support for McGrath, last week the Boy Scouts of America stripped the church of its charter via letter from Steven McGown, the BSA General Council:

"As you are aware, the policy of the Boy Scouts of America does not allow open or avowed homosexuals to serve as adult volunteer leaders

[...]

Nevertheless, Rainier Beach United Methodist Church has stated that it will not remove [McGrath] as a leader and will continue to allow him to serve as an adult leader in violation of the charter agreement and the policies of the Boy Scouts of America.

As a result of this refusal to comply with the policies, guidelines, rules, and regulations of the Boy Scouts of America, Rainer Beach United Methodist Church is hereby advised that it is no longer an authorized chartered organization and may no longer use the Scouting program or any of its registered marks or brands.”

That’s the Boy Scouts; punishing a church, not to mention all the scouts in that particular troop, because they seek fairness and equality.

To its credit, the Rainier Beach United Methodist Church and its pastor, Reverend Monica Corsaro say the church is weighing legal options as a result of the BSA's decision:

"As a Reconciling Congregation, it's important to us that we are open to all people. It's a part of our values that the spirit of inclusion is also reflected in the Boy Scout Troop we charter.

The congregation stands with Geoff, because his work with this Troop reflects the spirit and the values of Rainier Beach United Methodist Church.

In light of the BSA's decision to infringe on our religious liberties, sending us such troubling communication on Good Friday, we have acquired legal council to assess our options."

And now, in addition to the church and his troop, thirty-nine Washington state legislators have signed a letter in support of Rainier Beach United Methodist Church, saying they are "deeply troubled" as "discrimination against gay people is unacceptable."

In this day and age, still the discrimination goes on, and yet what I find especially odd is that you can be a young gay boy and join the Scouts, and you can rise through the ranks as a young gay man, all the way to Eagle Scout, but if you wish to, as a grown gay man, continue to work with the Scouts to instill the values they taught you into the next generation, the Boy Scouts deem you unworthy.

I think it’s well past time to deem the BSA unworthy.

via GLAAD

Good News Friday: Donate A Gun, Get A Peace Lily In Return

John Evans is a retired Methodist minister, and like most of us, he watched the events of the Sandy Hook school shootings in horror. However, unlike most of us, he got an idea, and soon the local Faith Coalition on Gun Violence was born.

In.South.Carolina.

And so this Saturday, at the Washington Street United Methodist Church, John Evans will accept your unloaded guns, no questions asked, and in return he’ll give you a Peace Lily. And, to further make his point, Evans wants the donated guns to be melted down and transformed into a piece of public art.

Evans, right, who still works as a pastoral counselor, hopes that his Peace Lilies for Guns will help combat gun violence peacefully through education, training and local community activism:

“As a coalition, we want to maintain conversations so people who are gun enthusiasts can come offer a point of view.”

Evans hopes that an open conversation between gun owners and gun control advocates will lead to serious discussions of violence prevention. Again, like many of us, he is bothered by an ineffectual Congress, both in Washington and South Carolina, that seems unable, or unwilling to take on the idea of gun control, but remembering all those who lost their lives to senseless gun violence, especially the children of Sandy Hook, keeps him going forward:

“Seeing the pictures of 6-year-olds touched something deeply in me. To think their lives ended, and they didn’t have a chance to even graduate high school.”

Evans has encountered some difficulty in getting his project going; a lot of local churches refused to get involved because they want to stay out of a political issues; I guess the loss of innocent life, though, is not an issue for them.

The Peace Lilies for Guns giveback will be held in the parking lot of the church, where Evans and some other coalition members are parishioners. People can bring any guns they no longer want, Evans said, and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department will destroy them; the department will save some pieces because Evans wants to work with local artists to create an abstract and metaphorical sculpture that John Evans hopes will be displayed in a public area, such as the Five Points neighborhood of Columbia, and will include the names of gun-violence victims.

“I like the idea of using something violent to talk about peace.”

I like the idea, too, and certainly hope they get a decent turnout, especially here in South Carolina, and I hope that, one day, there is a sculpture in Five Points to remind us, every day, that we need gun control — not gun confiscation — in this country.

source

United Methodist Church Won't Prosecute Minister For Officiating Same-sex Marriage Ceremony

In October 2012, the Reverend Thomas Ogletree performed the marriage ceremony for his son, Thomas Rigby Ogletree. Trouble was, Thomas the younger was marrying another man, Nicholas Haddad, and what started out as a deeply personal act, turned into a full-blown church scandal. [See my post HERE]

After the Reverend Randall Paige saw the Ogletree-Haddad wedding announcement in the New York Times, he organized other members of the Methodist clergy to file a complaint against the Reverend Ogletree  [right].

As a result, back in May 2013, the United Methodist Church [UMC] condemned Ogletree’s participation in the ceremony, calling it a public display of ecclesiastical disobedience since the church does not allow its clergy to perform same-sex weddings. Ogletree faced a possible canonical trial for his actions.

Faced.

This week, the UMC dropped its case against Ogletree. Bishop Martin McLee [left] — who leads the UMC's New York district, which covers over 400 churches in New York and Connecticut — called on all UMC church officials to stop prosecuting pastors for officiating at same-sex ceremonies.  McLee also said he hoped his actions in dropping the case might spur a dialogue between church members, clergy, and LGBT parishioners on how to move forward.

Ogletree was happy with the bishop’s decision, but was "even more grateful" that McLee promised not to prosecute similar cases, and his decision is considered a victory for Methodists who have defied an old church law that considers homosexuality "incompatible with Christian teaching."

Conservative Methodists continue to urge church leaders to discipline clergy who preside at gay weddings, and the Reverend Paige announced that he was "dismayed by the settlement:"

"It makes no acknowledgement of the breaking of our clergy covenant. There are no consequences for such violation. The impact of this settlement today will be that faithful United Methodists who support the church's teachings will feel ignored and will face their own crisis of conscience, as to whether they can continue to support a church that will not abide by its own rules."

Funny, though, with support for marriage equality nearing the 60% mark, I think its people like Paige who will be left behind in their homophobia and intolerance, while the rest of the UMC  — which has some 12 million members worldwide — moves forward.

The better news is that the dismissal of the case against Ogletree comes entirely without conditions; the settlement does not require Ogletree to say he'll never conduct another same-sex wedding, or say that what he did was wrong. In addition, Bishop McLee has asked Ogletree to participate in a public forum later this year that will include discussion of how the church deals with sexuality.

And the march goes on … even in the churches.

source

Jack and George Get Married ... In Texas!

Jack Evans and George Harris were married last week.

In Dallas. Texas.

Now, their marriage may not be legal in Texas — yet — but the Reverend Bill McElvaney, who officiated at the ceremony—says it is official, at least in the eyes of his church:

"The marriage of George and Jack is a sign of God's love and their love for each other and our love for one another.”—The Reverend Bill McElvaney

Jack Evans and George Harris, in a long-term relationship, had asked several churches to perform the ceremony, but Northaven United Methodist Church in North Dallas was the first top say ‘yes’. And hundreds of people turned out to witness the ceremony.

"In the name of God, I take you George to be my married life partner."—Jack Evans

"In the name of God, I, George, take you, Jack, to be my married life partner."—George Harris

And for at least one minister, it was a call to change.

"It's sufficient to say George and Jack are offering a gift, an invitation and a challenge to the United Methodist Church to become ... a fully inclusive church. And we thank them for that."—The Reverend McElvaney

Still, for now, the marriage will only stand in this one church, but the times are changing, even in Texas, and one day, soon, Jack and George will be legally married in the eyes of Texas and of everyone.

Oh, and by the way, Jack Evans and George Harris have been together for 53 years and I think they've waited long enough.

Congratulations to the happy couple.

source

photo source The Dallas Voice