United Methodists Archives - Page 5 of 5

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Case Dropped In Prosecution Of Scholar: Bishop Vows “Cessation Of Trials”

By pwsbuilder / March 10, 2014 /

White Plains, NY, March 10, 2014 – At a joint press conference today, United Methodist Bishop Martin McLee and Rev. Dr. Thomas W. Ogletree (pictured above) announced that the church was dropping the case against Dr. Ogletree for officiating at his son’s wedding. In a huge victory for the Methodist movement that is organizing ministry to all…

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What I Mean When I Say “Ally”

By pwsbuilder / February 12, 2014 /

Lately, there seems to be a lot of talk about whether one can or should call oneself an ally. Who gets to speak up for LGBT equality? What voices should be heard? Silenced? Made space for? A few weeks ago, Rachel Held Evans shared a link to an article entitled “10 Tips for Being a Good Ally.”…

A man and a woman sitting on a wooden deck.

Shamed: How Spiritual Abuse Contributed To My Son’s Death

By pwsbuilder / February 6, 2014 /

Trigger Warning: Discussion of suicide A kind, gentle, knowledgeable, and very socially conscious 16 year old boy arrived to join his circle of friends for a youth group prior to going on a mission trip. These kids and this place had been this boy’s sanctuary from years of school bullying. This group held a safe…

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Rev. Gil Caldwell Officiates His First Same-Sex Marriage

By pwsbuilder / February 3, 2014 / Comments Off

As a Civil Rights Movement “foot soldier”, I have used these words of Martin Luther King, Jr. to guide my activism, not just for people of African descent, but for all justice struggles; “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” I officiated my first same-sex marriage the Sunday of this year’s Martin Luther King weekend,…

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Methodist Minister On Trial: Rev. Schaefer Responds

By pwsbuilder / December 17, 2013 / Comments Off

Rev. Frank Schaefer was found “guilty” of performing his son’s wedding to another man by the United Methodist Church on November 19. He was given a 30-day suspension, at the end of which he was given the choice to either completely renounce his ministry to the LGBT community and pledge to never perform another same-sex…

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Mary Ann Barclay Reinstated In Methodist Ordination Process

By pwsbuilder / December 12, 2013 / Comments Off

Mary Ann (Kaiser) Barclay, a candidate for ordination in the United Methodist Church who was preemptively removed from her ordination process after she married a woman, will have the opportunity to continue pursuing ordination. In June 2013, Barclay as removed from her ordination process by the Southwest Texas Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. Barclay was…

The united methodist hymnal on a wooden shelf.

There’s A Wideness In God’s Mercy

By pwsbuilder / November 22, 2013 / Comments Off

In corporate America, particularly Ernst and Young, there is a non-discrimination policy regarding LGBT employees that falls under the corporation slogan: Bring Your Whole Self To Work. It is an incredible supportive statement of the Corporate World towards LGBT people. Bring your complete, whole self to work, as well as your whole and healed self.…

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Marriage On Trial In The United Methodist Church

By pwsbuilder / November 18, 2013 /

In Eastern Pennsylvania, Rev. Frank Schaefer was convicted Monday in a trial of The United Methodist Church (UMC) for officiating the wedding of his son, Tim, to his same-sex partner in 2007. Rev. Schaefer was found guilty on two counts: for officiating a same-sex wedding and “disobedience to the order and discipline of the United…