“The trial was truly a heart-wrenching and painful process. Yet, we have hope because of our common faith in Jesus Christ, and trust that some growth and good can come from this. I believe it was handled with as much integrity as possible. And I appreciated the mutual regard for each other expressed by the persons on both sides of the case, and all the persons who participated including the respondent, jurors, witnesses, counsels, the secretary and assistant for the trial, court reporter, our presiding officer, the host church, and all who helped in any way. A chargeable offense did occur; a penalty has been determined.
“Yet, there can be no real winners in a process which is adversarial in nature. There continue to be difficult questions with no ready answers as we face the months between now and General Conference in 2012. My prayer is that, as Christians, and as United Methodists, we will use this experience as a gateway to reconciliation, healing and restoration of our relationship with one another and with Christ.”
Blessings,
Bishop Linda Lee
Wisconsin Conference
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