Some years back I titled my summer art show, "change is," and I have to admit that I still enjoy the word play involved in that name. Change is constant, necessary, and altogether terrifying—especially quick and unexpected change. No matter how hard we work, there are going to be changes in our lives over which we have absolutely no control—which is why it is important to prepare for the ones we do. On the other hand, we sometimes want to change our world far more rapidly than is humanly possible. Change is both instantaneous (big bang) and eternal (evolution), and exists on both a personal level and a cosmic one. Most of us, I dare say, are more interested in the ones that affect us right now than we are in the nebulous ones that lie ahead. Just witness the outrage over gasoline prices at our local pump in contrast to our apathy regarding new sources of energy, global warming, and the ecological future of our planet.

One of the hardest things to change in the world are ideas that have been institutionalized—about which we have become so dogmatic we lose the ability to examine them in any kind of truthful or honest way. We do that on both an individual and a cultural level as well. Take the institution of slavery, for instance. For centuries, slavery was an accepted part of human life. Changing the institution of slavery took generations, as well as the blood, sweat, and tears of both great leaders and countless, now forgotten, men and women all over the world.

The taboo against gay people has also been institutionalized within our culture, which is why the struggle can seem so unending at times. Deeply imbedded in the fabric of many of the religious institutions in the world is an unrelenting prejudice against gay relationships. Changing ancient belief systems, be it slavery, women’s equality, or the rights of gays and lesbians, require generations of committed individuals interested in, not just change, but change because it is the right and moral thing to do—which is, of course, exactly the same words used by religious conservatives in regard to their own stance on sexual orientation issues. The paradox is: both sides see the same issue but from different perspectives, one from the right, one from the left.

Conservatives are trapped in the taboo, and gay people fail to understand the power of the institution, especially where creativity and spirit have been replaced by dogma. Changing dogma means that people have to resolve issues they don’t want to think about.

Last week the people of Epworth United Methodist Church on Baltimore Avenue took an important and long- coming step toward replacing dogma with spirit, reason, love, and understanding. By a 90% majority, the attending members of a church conference voted to become a member of the Reconciling Ministries Network, a national organization of Methodist churches who have opened their doors to all people including whose who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered. Though Epworth added the words "sexual orientation" to its own policy statement back in the mid 1990s, and the GLBT community has been made to feel welcome there for years, this vote is tantamount to an individual coming out of the closet. The church has now taken a public stand and, as we all know from our own coming out experiences, will make real changes to the world around it simply by its continued open and loving presence.

Individual change, though influenced by outside circumstances and events, has to come from the inside—from reason, spirit, and emotional work. That holds true for institutions as well. Though they too are affected by outside forces, the real work must be done on the inside. I believe that the ability to change an institution can only come from those who are a part of that institution—a genuine part of that institution. Outsiders rarely have the power to change a deeply held belief system. Only faithful, loving members, who speak the same language have the power to create real change in a community, in a church, in a school, or even back in our own hometowns. Maybe that’s why so many churches don’t want to open their doors too widely. They know that change is far less frightening when the words are spoken, neighbor to neighbor, friend to friend, believer to believer.

When each of us remembers who we are, we are able to go back to our roots. It is there that we have the power to change the world. Maybe it’s only a small shift, but a tiny root feeds the mighty tree.