A Covenant from the Gracious Reconcilers

The Special Church Conference on June 26th will involve a vote on a covenant crafted by the Gracious Reconcilers, a group that met in our church to discuss how our congregation could engage people who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Below you will find the covenant and some documents that may help illuminate the wrestling that has taken place in the United Methodist Church. We hope you’ll join us to discuss what our church’s response to this proposed covenant might be. If you haven’t registered for lunch, you can do so here.

What is the covenanting process? www.gnjumc.org/the-way-forward/developing-covenants/
How have some Methodists responded to these issues? www.umnews.org/en/news/debate-about-church-future-heats-up
What are the rules about welcoming the LGBTQ+ community? www.christianpost.com/news/umc-high-court-affirms-striking-down-of-lgbt-ordination-resolution.html
Who is welcome to worship at Grace United Methodist Church? see my blog post here.
In the United Methodist Church we’ve had a challenging history with the issues surrounding the LGBTQ+ community. Read this comic book style series by the Wesley Brothers, who walk through some of the history surrounding the insertion of the phrase ‘incompatibility’ in the Book of Discipline. They also share some of the staggering statistics of self-harm for LGBT youth. www.wesleybros.com/wesbros/a-history-of-incompatibility-part-1/