LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Confessions of an Accidental Activist |
by Glen C. Pruitt |
Language is a powerful thing. The act of saying a few simple words can change a persons life forever. Once said, these words take the speaker on a completely different journey through Life. I certainly have learned that lesson from some words that I have said recently. Earlier this year, I was elected to be a lay member for the Peninsula-Delaware Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Each year, ministers and members from the Methodist Churches on the Eastern Shore gather to worship together, to ordain persons in ministry, and to handle business matters. I attend Epworth United Methodist Church in Rehoboth Beach, and Epworth can elect two lay members and one alternate. Besides myself, Epworth elected Susie Bond as a lay member and Sharyn Warwick as the alternate. We would be accompanied to Conference by Epworths staff: Rev. Anne Pruett-Barnett, Rev. David Baker, and Amy Yarnell. As we prepared for the three-days worth of meetings we studied the reports, the budgets, and the resolutions that would be discussed by the Conference. Most of those materials were non-controversial. The United Methodist Church has a rich history of social concern, and as I read the reports, I learned more about how involved United Methodists are in community service programs. There were programs to address the needs of persons who are homeless, hungry, imprisoned or ill. There were also programs that targeted minorities, whether they be Black, Hispanic, or Native American. And there was something for the gay and lesbian community, too: a resolution that would prevent "practicing homosexuals" from being ordained as ministers in The United Methodist Church. We representatives from Epworth knew that the gay and lesbian issue would be an unavoidable one at Conference. Just a few months ago Rev. Jimmy Creech, a Methodist minister in Nebraska, conducted a "union ceremony" for two lesbians. Such a ceremony is prohibited in The Book of Discipline, a covenant document for The United Methodist Church. However, the statement is contained in a section of the book called "Social Principles". These Principles are considered to be instructive, while other parts are considered to be binding. In this particular case, Rev. Creech felt that he could conduct the service and still be true to the doctrines of The United Methodist Church. His decision was upheld in a church judicial process, but his congregation was torn apart by this action. Since then, The United Methodist Church has struggled with the issue on a national level. As representatives from Epworth, we felt that it would be our duty to speak about the role of gays and lesbians in the Church when the issue arose at Conference. Epworth welcomes all persons into the church, and Epworth has several openly gay couples and singles participating in its programs. Epworth continues to work through its understanding of the issues, and we felt that the people at Conference might benefit from hearing about our beliefs and our experiences. As lay persons, Susie, Sharon and I drafted a position paper that took a firm stand in favor of the full and active participation of gays and lesbians in the life of the Church. We presented the paper to Epworths Administrative Council. The Council unanimously approved the paper, with several minor clarifications. We arrived at Conference, and were handed two additional resolutions that addressed the gay and lesbian issue. Both dealt specifically with the concept of "gay marriage" as a ceremony of the Church. It differs from the concept of a "domestic partnership" with its inherent civil rights for gays and lesbians. In this case, gay marriage is being seen as strictly a religious ceremony. Each of these new resolutions moved that the prohibition against "gay marriages" be moved into the portion of the Discipline considered to be binding for clergy. That evening the "delegation from Epworth" discussed the issue among ourselves, and decided that we needed to prepare a more focused response to the resolutions. Rev. Pruett-Barnett wrote a response to the resolution being presented, in which she spoke as a pastor of a church with gays and lesbians in its congregation. She told the assembly that she has seen God working through these people, and urged the Church to open itself to the unexpected movement of the Spirit to work in peoples lives. Susie, Sharon and I drafted a counter-resolution to introduce on the floor of the Conference. Our resolution clearly defended the United Methodist beliefs that sexuality is Gods good gift to humanity; that we cannot be fully human until that sexuality is expressed and affirmed by ourselves, the Church and Society; that irresponsible sexual behavior is unacceptable, whether it is by heterosexuals or homosexuals; and that the Church should affirm creative and responsible expressions of sexuality. We called for the issue to be addressed by our General Conference and that, meanwhile, the decision to perform same-sex union ceremonies by made at the local pastors discretion. After I presented the counter-resolution to the Conference, I was asked by the Bishop to address the issue. There I was, standing at the microphone in front of 800 people, my face shown in close-up on the giant television screens overhead. I reiterated our views on the subject. I also said that the Church cannot simply "table" the matter, that there are gay and lesbian persons in our Methodist Churches back home and that I was gay. I said it, and my life was changed forever. I had not gone to Conference with the intention to "out" myself, though I had considered the possibility. To be honest, it wasnt something that I wanted to do. Coming out in such a public way might prove difficult for members of my family and my church. However, listening to the comments being made by others at Conference, I felt led to do it. I know in my heart that it was the right thing to do. There was a vote taken, and our counter-resolution was defeated. That may be the "bad news", but I saw a lot of "good news". First, there was a good show of support for our proposal, which was wonderfully encouraging. Second, many people came up to me and embraced me, thanking me for speaking out and for putting a face to an issue that is too easily dismissed as an abstract issue. Third, even our "opponents" spoke to me, saying that, even though they disagreed with what I said, they appreciated the courage it took to share my experiences with them. I left Conference with a continued feeling of unity with my fellow Methodists. We certainly do not agree on all issues, but there remains respect for each others viewpoints. There remains empathy. There remains a sincere appreciation of each others struggle to discover the truth about God and about ourselves. And thats the best news of all. Glen Pruitt, a regular contributor to LETTERS, is the Executive Director of SCAC - the Sussex County AIDS Committee. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 8, No. 8, July 3, 1998. |