The General Conference in St. Louis has brought our United Methodist Church to a crossroads. The world-wide General Conference recently rejected proposed changes that would accommodate the ordination of gay clergy and the performance of same-sex marriage ceremonies. The Western Jurisdiction and our own Mountain Sky Conference publicly rejected this vote of the General Conference. Our jurisdiction and conference have asked for patience while they formulate a path for the future of our practice of Methodism. Around the world, across the United States, within our greater Boulder community, and here in our home church of Mountain View we question what our church and practices will look like.
We Methodists are now questioning our identity. What does it mean to be Methodist? How do we see ourselves? What does a church family mean? How do we relate to our fellow family members? We now, and have long had, LGBTQ children and adults in our families at Mountain View. How do we lovingly relate to them in light of these organizational church issues? While we wait and pray for these conference issues to be addressed in the near future, we at Mountain View want to express that we love all of God’s children.
Mountain View Leadership, Church Council, and the Inclusivity Committee propose adopting a collective statement of integration that reflects our love for all. We invite you to join us on April 14 following the 10:30 Palm /Passion Sunday worship service for lunch and a work session to write a statement of inclusion reflecting our Mountain View values. The workshop will build on the foundation already laid through the Inclusivity Committee’s small groups and panel discussions. It is crucial that ALL voices be heard and honored in this writing process.
The crafting of the collective statement of integration will be facilitated by Mike Altenbern. He has worked with groups from Boulder Valley School District and other agencies using a consensus building model. This model is a group decision-making process in which group members develop, and agree to support a decision in the best interest of the whole group or common goal. Consensus is an acceptable resolution, one that can be supported, even if not the “favorite” of each individual. Please join us in developing a Mountain View collective statement of integration. We plan to craft a statement of integration through the use of small groups, then building into a consensus position for all participants. Your attendance and participation will be greatly valued and will promote discussion and understanding about the issues facing our church and conferences.
“A home for all God’s people, gathered around a table of reconciliation and transformation.” – Western Jurisdiction