What now?

I have had three calls already... "What happens now?"

The short answer is, We don't know yet.

As I talked to Carrie a moment ago about today's ugliness, a fellow "in the know" came by and he joined the conversation. He noted, as I think I did earlier, that nearly the last think we did was to refer the Traditional Plan back to Judicial Council once again for a declaratory ruling as to its constitutionality, and the Exit plan as well. If, as is expected, all of it is ruled unconstitutional once again, then we are left with exactly what he have right now, which does not please some folk one way or the other, but at least gives us room to move and minister in the ways we do now. So...

Until the ruling, nothing changes.

After the ruling, it may be that nothing changes.

And we will face 2020 in Minneapolis poorer in the pocket, battered in reputation (I can't BELIEVE we needed the police for our meeting's close!), and no richer in spirit.

I will have more to say about this in a blog I will post later tonight or tomorrow.

And in my sermon on Sunday at 10:30, and in my "Conference Report" which will take place after worship. And we DO hope to tape that session and post it online, so that those who are unable to attend worship will still be able to see it at their convenience.

That said, as I can attest, there is nothing like being there in person to see it and feel it as it happens--for good and for ill.

Pray for the Church.

This is NOT the Kingdom of God

For about the last forty-five minutes those who had been protesting all week, continued their shouts and chants. “Stop the Harm!” they said over and over, occasionally punctuating it with “bishop!” or “church!” Stop the harm, bishop! Stop the harm, church!

One or two kept trying to get more in the mezzanine to join the chorus and were disheartened that it did not happen. In fat, their numbers dwindled.

One delegate stood to raise a point of order, only to shout “THIS ENTIRE GENERAL CONFERENCE IS OUT OF…” but the bishop cut her mic.

Later, a dozen or so folk brought a cross down the middle aisle of the bar. It was getting near time to adjourn and worship, so it might have been part of the day. Turns out it was a group of protesters who went-up on stage to begin a sit-in. At first, the bishop said, “You do not have access to the stage,” but then said, “You go ahead and take a seat while we complete our work.”

As we debated one of the plan, a fellow said, “This is the Traditionalists’ exit plan. They want all the assets. Fine! I’ll give them the money if that is what they want! You can take our assets, but you cannot make me leave this church.”

 

The shouting continued to the point that I got confused as to what we voted with the last couple of votes.

 

As soon as the last vote was tallied, Donna Pritchard, a spokesperson for the Oregon-Idaho Conference, stood with delegates from her conference and said their conference was committed to staying fully-inclusive in the face of the decisions. The splitting, in other words, has begun.

And then, as we left, there were police EVERYWHERE! Cars, vans, busses (to take the protestors away?), officers. What a testament, that we need St. Louis’ finest to police us because we can’t seem to experience or express the Peace of Christ.

Lord, have mercy.

 

 

Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

UUUUUGGG----LLLLYYYYYYY

"You should not gloat over your brother on the day of his  misfortune..." (Obadiah, vs. 12)

"Bless those who curse you, pray for those who those mistreat you..." (Luke 6:28)

"When he was reviled, he reviled not in return..." (I Peter 2:23)

"He prayed, 'Father, forgive...'" (Luke 23:34)

This is not helping anything... it just proves everyone's point, one way or the other.

People dancing and rejoicing at the break.

A group of maybe 15 folk now screaming themselves hoarse, calling out "No, No, No!" (taking pictures and movies of themselves; and I wonder if they hope that someone will call security).

Rival demonstrations all over the auditorium, while the praise team sang--I am not kidding--"Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me."

The last few minutes have reinforced unfortunate perceptions. And there is little to feel but sadness and shame.

And now we are taking-up the Exit plans. Ironic. Many people outside the auditorium may be thinking the same thing.

And now as we prepare to approve plans for disaffiliation and exit...

There are loud cries heard in the camps...

The TP plan passed by some 50 votes. The Chair called recess. On the floor a circle of 150 or so delegates led a response and song ("This is my story, this is my song...") pledging to continue the fight and such. They were answered by hundreds in the stands.

There is anger, sadness, weariness on almost everyone's part. However, a circle of delegates, who appear to be from the Central Conferences (including Africa) have formed a different circle and are clapping and singing and chanting. This is a really ugly moment, and I have a hard time finding much of the Holy Spirit in the room at all.

Down to Cases

Jeffrey Kuan from California-Nevada has amended the TP motion to include, alongside homosexuality, polygamy, divorce and/or remarriage, as disqualifiers for episcopal consecration. In other words, the amendment aims to lift the bullseye off the one thing and widen considerations to all the matters of “biblical sexual ethics” that seem to be so important to some of our brothers and sisters. It is widely-reported that we have (mostly local) pastors in Africa who are polygamous. We have pastors and bishops who are divorced, remarried, and some of them multiple times. We have some who are not celibate in singleness or monogamous in marriage.

While in North America we have made cultural accommodation to non-marital intimacy, divorce and remarriage (in the name of grace and despite Jesus’s clear instructions against it), Mr. Kuan says if we are going to speak against any one of these issues we need to include them all in the name of a consistent and comprehensive sexual ethic. Otherwise we are hypocrites.

Grace is grace for all, or it is grace for none.

Sky McCracken from Memphis says that in his investigative responsibilities re clergy, homosexual issues have taken little time and had little impact, but that heterosexual affairs have split churches wide open. We need to be about discipleship and quit being the sex police.

Cynthia Weems says, “I understand the hypocrisy the amendment addresses, but I cannot support the attempt to make the evangelism exclusive. I will not support the amendment and I will not support the Traditional Plan.”

The Kuan Amendment: Yes: 274, No: 545.

Back to the main motion: Tim McClendon of SC moves we vote the whole question. And asks Tim to pray us through the vote. But before he does...

There has been a move to refer the plan to the General Council on Finance and Administration for cost analyses.

That move failed (I suspect along the lines that the TP will be passed), and now we are back to the main motion with a few more stalling tactics in place. Actually, it feels like a MAJOR stall. I am wondering if some of the delegates are hoping to leave here in 30 minutes with no plan. One young delegate is moving now to "divide" the motion to take them one by one. No way that tactic will work, but it is a last gasp.

Several other motions related to points of order, chair rulings questioned... and now, at 5:52 p.m., Tim McClendon is called back to pray us to and through this motion.

Yes for the TP: 438          No for the TP: 384

People are Tired, Gloves are Coming Off

Emmanuel Cleaver, from MO, is telling us that the Traditional Plans is looking at ONE issue and overlooking many other social/ethical issues that are at least as crucial as the issue of homosexuality: the racial inequalities that evidence themselves in disproportionate incarcerations and gun violence, the matter of divorce among clergy (which is clearly discussed by Jesus while homosexuality is not), the fact that gender and race plays a part in appointments and episcopal elections, and “and African-American bishop being forced to retire under the guise of ineffectiveness when there are many bishops who are ineffective and some who should not have been elected to begin with…”

If we are going to get “biblical,” as the supporters of this plan claim, let’s get real biblical, remembering that Jesus fed all the people, not just the 5000 men who were counted, but also the women and children who went uncounted. We are in this General Conference not counting many of God’s children who are beloved by Jesus, too, while we are paying attention to a very small part of the whole counsel of God. It is a live question as to why this, so passionately and so much, when other issues that are clear are more clearly disregarded in practice.

Mark Holland says that the TP is elevating The Discipline above the Bible, and that we are paying attention to a few parts of the text, while bishops are guilty of divorce, and members of the bar are divorced, and we are neglecting the weightier matters of justice and mercy…and he is determined to move to amend every piece of the TP until the monster trucks roll in and we will not finish and not be certified…

The chair cut off Mr. Holland’s message.

The University Senate, in the person of Kim Ingram, representing the seminaries of the UMC, are saying that a generation of young UM ministers will be lost and that seminaries may even pull-out.

Gregory Gross, a gay deacon, is saying, “let’s approve the amendment” and investigate ALL the members of the Board of Ordained Ministry, all the bishops, all the officers… Have you really followed ALL the book of Discipline? If you are going after me, you need to go after everyone.

So...What did YOU do for lunch?

I played ping-pong, of a sort.

Leaving the Dome, after a really tough morning, I took a couple of selfies with the folk from Westboro Baptist Church. I was SO disappointed, as there were only three or four of them today. After yesterday, perhaps they felt their work was done.

The guy in the shot to the left--it is not a great picture, I confess--is preaching through a bullhorn. Typical invectives and such.

The guy in the camouflage jacket. a big burley guy...  after I took the shot I walked over to him and said, "You guys are HILARIOUS! Thank you so much for entertaining us all week! Really funny routine!" He smiled smugly, nodded slightly, signaled to another fellow. As I started away, the guy he signaled (a tall, thin African-American guy) came toward me with a bullhorn  calling, "You are going to die in your sins!" All I will say is that the bullhorn helped. At least I could hear him.

I invited them to lunch, but they didn't seem interested. Just as well, because I came here, to Hamburger Mary. I came here the other day, accidentally. Today I came back on purpose, with about 200 other UM's. The poor staff... my server says that normally, on Tuesday, they sit around looking at each other (I did not make a joke, though tonight is Dinner with the Divas). But apparently, after a LONG morning, and so much grim discussion about all matters...well, all the matters before us... a LOT of people, gay and straight, felt the need to just relax a little and get a burger and laugh and smile.

I ordered the Queen Mary, of course, which is a bacon cheeseburger by another name, with "ta-tas," tater tots.

When in St. Louis...

And I will be leaving tomorrow.