Called To Witness Field Report
“Mission: Mobilizing United Methodists,” Continued from Page1
By Audrey Krumbach I was not at all surprised when an Iowa court affirmed the constitutional protection of gay-marriage. As I traveled the South Central Jurisdiction these last three months, I experienced this Middle American hospitality. I ate barbeque with gay couples in Houston, Texas; visited a GLBT Sunday school in Salina, Kansas; and met leaders of gender support groups in Oklahoma and far-west Nebraska. I heard stories of parents who cried with joy when their son met Mr. Right and listened to tales of the gentle mother who reprimanded another parent for homophobia. She explained, “how inappropriate for any parent to remove their child from a high school basketball team just because another student had the courage to come out!” Did you know that Called to Witness surpassed their training goals? The original goal was to train 750 people.
economic injustice. •
Integrating Sexuality with Spirituality: by supporting the development of healthy, loving expressions of sexuality and spirituality for everyone.
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Relationships of hospitality which bridge across theological divides and foster interconnected communities.
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Systems Change by enacting policy change and creating long term solutions in our church and society.
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Stewardship through responsible use of all the resources God is providing for our work.
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Organizational Authenticity and excellence in all we do with an abiding openness to new growth and further education.
The campaign trained over 1017 people!
Reconciling Ministries Network has six strategic directions that challenge us to always ask ourselves the question that we ask The United Methodist Church, “Does your all mean all?” and to take concrete action towards a fully inclusive church like the Convocation leadership for Justice and Joy 2009. See two of those directions below. Sending the 70 Nashville CTW Organizers
New Resource: All God’s Children Burrill, Melany, All God’s Children: Teaching Children About Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, [Fort Wayne, IN: LifeQuest, 2009; 20 pp., ISBN 1-893270-48-0]. All God’s Children is an essential guide to open and caring conversations with young children about gender and sexual orientation. You’ll find that this small, user-friendly book addresses your concerns, your questions, and your search for just the right words; it also suggests ideas for sermons and classroom activities. As you read, you’ll learn to model openness, respect, and the affirming belief that everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender difference, is a beloved child of God. Anyone who has a loving relationship with young children—parents, family, friends, pastors, Sunday School teachers—will benefit from reading and discussing All God’s Children. All God’s Children is available at Reconciling Ministries Network for $7 plus shipping and handling. You may purchase this resource at www.rmnetwork.org/store.asp or by calling (773) 736-5526. Bulk orders of 10 or more are $4.50 per book. 6 | Katalyst • Spring 2009
STRATEGIC DIRECTION 2: Model God’s diverse creation through the full participation of persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities in the Reconciling Movement, including diverse leadership development with intentional emphasis upon the full inclusion of LGBT persons, young adults, and people of color. STRATEGIC DIRECTION 3: Live out the connectionalism of a world-wide church with the clergy, laity, and LGBT groups of the Central Conferences through communication and relationship building, identifying both unique needs and common causes.