| "How we held our conversations could be a model for the church. We ought to be able to have loving, respectful conversations about hard subjects and still part as friends." – Jen Ihlo, chair of the Northeastern Jurisdiction Committee on Appeals, which heard Frank Schaefer’s case. HERE |
Appeals committee chair shares process in Schaefer case
WASHINGTON (UMNS) — Jen Ihlo, the chair of the appeal committee that decided to restore Frank Schaefer’s clergy credentials, talked about the group’s process with Erik Alsgaard of the Baltimore-Washington Annual (regional) Conference. This story has been updated to include her remarks as well as reactions from the Rev. Rob Renfroe, president of Good News, and the Rev. Scott Campbell, who represented Frank Schaefer in the appeal.
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Letter: Act of Repentance not a one-time event
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (UMNS) — A group of Native American United Methodists has a message for the church: Repentance for sins against indigenous peoples is an ongoing process — not a one-time event. The letter asserts that the church not only must confess past sins but also must address present challenges in ministering effectively with Native Americans and other indigenous people.
Bishop Davis: Be not anxious
CRESTWOOD, Ky. (UMNS) — Bishop Lindsey Davis, whose area includes the Kentucky and Red Bird Missionary conferences, shares his thoughts on the denomination’s intensifying conversation around human sexuality. “Most of you know that I am very traditional in my views on marriage and human sexuality,” he writes. He also says he vowed to be a “sign of unity” to the church.
Bible study available on gun violence
WASHINGTON (UMNS) — The United Methodist Board of Church and Society has developed a three-session Bible study about the use of guns in committing violence. The study, “Kingdom Dreams, Violent Realities,” uses Micah 4:1-4 as its scriptural foundation.
Training college students to be missionaries
PRITCHARD, Ala. (UMNS) — AL.com has the story of the QuadW internship program, a cooperative effort of United Methodist churches in Mobile and Montgomery, Alabama; Pine Bluff, Arkansas; and Kansas City, in both Missouri and Kansas. “(We’re) hoping to produce people who understand and practice church in a missional, incarnational way,” said the Rev. Don Woolley, the United Methodist who heads the program. He is a member of the Alabama-West Florida Annual (regional) Conference.
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