A recent article from UM News (the official United Methodist news organization) recently featured some of the activities of Annual Conferences in the U.S. related to moving toward a more full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons.
What’s most interesting about this article to me is the focus on churches in both the Alabama-West Florida Conference as well our own North Alabama Conference. Our conferences have seen a disproportionate number of disaffiliations over this exact issue, largely due to social stances in the South.
However, the article highlights a trend of a denomination that aspires to be one where all feel welcome and all can join together to spread the Good News and featuring some of the larger conferences in the South feels good.
My hope is that we can all start to point in a direction that brings the most number of people to Christ. We must respect one another and the pace at which the Holy Spirit works to warm hearts.
I’m hopeful for the future, friends.
Let’s awaken our potential.
Invite people to church, to our events, and to small groups.
It’s an exciting time for our denomination and I’m glad to be a part of it with you.
Read the article: Church in U.S. sees shift toward LGBTQ inclusion: https://www.umnews.org/en/news/church-in-us-sees-shift-toward-lgbtq-inclusion
