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| Updates from around the Western Jurisdiction... |
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Reconciliation Ministries Network "RMN Western Jurisdiction - November Update" for Monday, 17 November 2014
As you and your loved one gather for Thanksgiving, please remember that our movement has a lot to be thankful for. 2014 marks RMN’s 30th year of existence! We have a lot to celebrate about, and look forward to more opportunities to be in ministry. Our commitment to the full inclusion of all people in the life and work of The United Methodist Church has never wavered, in fact, our partnership continues to inspire many to work harder, learn and advocate more intensely, and raise support for our growing movement.
Despite the challenges that RMN and our wider community of allies faced this year, we have come out of church trials, staff transitions and strategic planning meetings stronger. The board is committed to racial justice, acknowledging that our movement needs to be more diverse. The board has gone through racial justice trainings, and our staff is setting benchmarks of doing our work always mindful of our race and gender privileges.
Engaging in intersectional ministries is a focus by our Board of Directors: “RMN will continue to frame its work from the optic of justice, inclusion, and liberation for LGBTQ persons. To sharpen that optic, RMN will apply an intersectional lens to focus on precise points of convergence between LGBTQ oppression and other forms of oppression including racism, sexism, patriarchy, and gender inequality. Further, for the purposes of organizational staffing, board membership, and the training, equipping, and support of new leadership, RMN will continue to affirmatively uphold persons of color, young adults, and trans* persons.”
Let us be thankful, celebrate our work, and look forward to organize deeper and wider as we prepare to be witnesses and advocates at General Conference 2016!
In grace and solidarity,
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RMN Board and Staff Transitions
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| The growth of our movement is reflected in a bigger and more diverse staff and board. We welcome new additions to the leadership of RMN. Our board will be led by a new president, the Rev. John Oda – currently the chair of the California-Nevada Conference Committee on Reconciliation, starting January 2015. We hired a new Deputy Director in the person of the Rev. Bridget Cabrera who started work this fall. Our outreach to the central conferences in Africa is the focus of our new coordinator,Dennis Akpona. To make sure our work is sustainable, we hired Kathy Cheney-Eganas Director of Development. Our communications department has a new addition, M Barclay, working as Associate Director of Communications. As part of our commitment to deepen our outreach in the southern jurisdictions, our part time Regional OrganizersLaura Young (South Central) and Helen Ryde (South East) are now employed full time (and they’re both on track to become deaconneses!). To assist with work in the Southeastern Jurisdiction, we hired Greg Gray as part-time field organizer. With so much work at our Chicago office, our Operations Manager, Dr. Ted Jackson, is now employed full-time. We are in the process of hiring two new part time regional organizers for the North Central and North East jurisdictions. |
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Building Inclusive Church Workshops in Portland, Helena, and Ft. Collins
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Over the summer, I visited the annual sessions of the Yellowstone, California-Nevada, California-Pacific, and Desert Southwest conferences, and met with our local reconciling teams. We also had well attended “Building an Inclusive Church” (BIC) workshops this fall in Helena MT, Fort Collins CO, and Portland OR.
In 2015, we hope to offer BIC workshops in Utah, Arizona, Alaska, Hawai’i, and possibly at Iliff School of Theology in Denver CO. Reconciling churches are encouraged to host and sponsor these trainings as a way to reach out to other UM congregations that are not yet reconciling churches or are prospective reconciling churches that need coaching in the reconciling process. I will keep you posted of any trainings in our jurisdiction.
Since May, we have added over 400 new Reconciling United Methodists (RUMs) in the Western Jurisdiction. This year we added 6 new reconciling congregations and 14 prospective reconciling congregations. |
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Western Methodist Justice Movement Retreat, Lake Tahoe NV
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While the general church wrestled with church trials, reconciling United Methodists have been busy at work in their local communities. Over Labor Day weekend, our partner organization, the Western Methodist Justice Movement (WMJM), held its first retreat attended by over 100 participants. The Desert Southwest Conference passed a resolution that calls on churches to celebrate a “Transgender Day of Remembrance.” Our allies in the Board of Ordained Ministry in the California-Nevada Conferencerecently approved a historic policy of “open ordination” – sexual orientation and gender identity will not be a matter of consideration in entering the certification and ordination process. California-Pacific Conference RUMs elected a new annual conference reconciling team. They intentionally sought two persons from each of their districts. This is a great model for our reconciling teams that ensures a more diverse leadership.
Yellowstone Conference’s Voices for Reconciling Ministries (VRM) hosted their first BIC workshop in Helena MT last month while Rocky Mountain Conference held its second BIC workshop in September hosted by Fort Collins First UMC. Pacific Northwest-RMN, our oldest RMN affiliate in our jurisdiction, is preparing for its annual “Gathering” for spring next year. This event provides excellent education and networking opportunities for local RUMs. Portland First UMC and Oregon-Idaho Conference RUMs, with a vision of having more reconciling congregations in time for General Conference 2016 (which will be in Portland OR), hosted a BIC workshop that drew representatives of 16 prospective reconciling churches. We have also started building relationships with grassroots LGBTQ community organizations in Portland so that they can join us in welcoming GC delegates to our jurisdiction. Lastly, we will focus our organizing work this fall and winter in the Alaska Conference with a goal of putting together an annual conference reconciling team by spring next year. If you have events happening in your annual conference or local church, please let us know so we can share it. |
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Connect with Your Local Team
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Contact your conference's reconciling team leaders below to know how you can participate in local activities and witness.
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