About Voices for an Open Spirit

Voices for an Open Spirit is a network of members of the Church of the Brethren and friends.

It began with a gathering of concerned people on a Tuesday night, July 2, at the 2002 Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren, in Louisville, Kentucky. The meeting was called by Jim Lehman, a member of the Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren in Elgin, Illinois. More than 200 people participated.

The speeches that night were filled with concern for the church and disappointment in the action that Annual Conference had taken that afternoon against the licensing and ordination of homosexuals.

Signup sheets at that meeting led to an email list, which has grown into a listserve with 370 subscribers.

On September 4, Lehman, with the support of many on the listserve, called a second gathering-at the National Older Adult Conference (NOAC) of the Church of the Brethren, in Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. This was attended by approximately 150 people.

Lehman wrote in his invitation/announcement for the two meetings, "A progressive spirit lay behind the changes of the past 150 years in the church. Progressive means that most Brethren, whether conservative or liberal, were willing to be open to, or at least show tolerance for, that which was different or even disturbing, willing to let it be tested in a good spirit within the body. This spirit of openness is diminishing."

Many if not most of the people who attended these meetings and subscribed to the list serve are concerned about a broad range of matters of faith. But Brethren responses to the issue of sexual orientation triggered many of the speeches and online exchanges. Many in the VOS network are working actively to ensure that gays and lesbians are accepted as members and leaders in the Church of the Brethren. For this reason, people subscribing to the VOS list serve might mistakenly conclude that this is VOS's only issue.

On November 22-24, 2002, 116 people gathered at Camp Mack in Milford, Indiana to share their concerns and their hopes for the church. A provisional structure was created. The name "Voices for an Open Spirit" was officially endorsed. A statement of purpose was developed and many ideas were presented and considered.

Since then a coordinating council of nine members has been created. The coordinating council has thought carefully about, revised, and amplified the statement of purpose developed at Camp Mack. This mission statement is available online.

Though the struggle of the Church of the Brethren to deal with sexual orientation is only one of many concerns of VOS, it is important. A statement was proposed at Camp Mack. The coordinating council refined that statement and presented it as "A Statement of Respectful Opposition." It was placed on this website for signatures and also made available as hardcopy. It was presented to the Standing Committee of the Church of the Brethren 2003 Annual Conference with 689 signatures (242 online and 447 on paper) representing 92 congregations and 19 districts. It was offered not as an item of business, but as an indication of the concern of many Brethren.

The officers of the 2003 Annual Conference elected not to show the statement and its signatures to the members of Standing Committee. Because the statement was not officially received, VOS kept it open for signatures and was successful at bringing it to the attention of Standing Committee at the 2004 Annual Conference in Charleston, West Virginia (now with 880 signatures, 281 online and 599 on paper, from 106 congregations in 21 districts). To see the statement, go to " A Statement of Respectful Opposition." For a more complete history of the statement and for an account of how Standing Committee received it in 2004, see "The VOS Journal" Page 3 and the accompanying update Page A.   [The VOS Journal]   [p.3]   [p.A]

Although the statement has been acknowledged, it will remain open for additional signatures on this website (and by hard copy) along with the list of people who signed it online.

VOS continues to host gatherings, organizing a spring event at Camp Shepherd’s Spring in Maryland on June 6-8, 2003 and holding its Fall 2003 Gathering on November 7-9, 2003 at the Best Western Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Elgin, Illinois. More than 80 people participated in this event.

In the spring of 2004 VOS sponsored two gatherings on "Evangelism and the Progressive Church." On March 27, 2004 Brethren from the Midwest gathered at Skyridge Church of the Brethren in Kalamzoo, Michigan, under the leadership of The Rev. Matt Fitzgerald, pastor of Epiphany United Church of Christ, Chicago, Illinois. On May 8 west coast Brethren gathered at the Modesto Church of the Brethren under the leadership of The Rev. Jim Burklo, pastor of Sausalito Presbyterian Church (California) and a member of the Executive Council of The Center for Progressive Christianity (TCPC). (See page 2 of "The VOS Journal.")

In October, 2004, VOS hosted its third annual Fall Gathering in Portland, Oregon. The event featured the leadership of Nancy Faus and Tom Mullen. For excerpts of speeches by the two leaders and other participants see the pages 5-7 of "The VOS Journal" (vol. 2, issue 1).

One of the most popular efforts of VOS has been its Hospitality Center at Annual Conference. Begun in 2003 in Boise, Idaho, and continued at the 2004 Conference in Charleston, West Virginia, and the 2005 Conference in Peoria, Illinois, the Center is a comfortable place to rest, debrief from the rigors of Conference, meet and exchange ideas, and make contacts. An annual feature is the VOS "Birthday Party" on Tuesday night of each Conference, commemorating that initial gathering in Louisville.

The 2005 Fall Gathering will be at Camp Mack, Milford, Indiana, November 18-20. The focus will be on encouraging and strengthening congregations with a progressive and open approach to faith and practice and supporting people in all congregations to regard each other with openness and acceptance as Jesus did. Members and staff of the La Verne Church of the Brethren will be the resource leaders. See page 2 of "The VOS Journal" May 2005 for details.

There are many in the VOS network who feel that God's spirit is giving it energy and direction, that it is not only a network, but the beginning of a movement. They believe that VOS is an invitation to continue the journey of faith on which God invites us all to embark