Correspondence with Program and Arrangements
Committee
for Exhibit Booth Space at Annual Conference 2007
INTRODUCTION
Following lengthy discussions and meetings (over a nearly two
year period) among the three organizations – VOS, BMC and Womaen’s
Caucus --- the following communications were initiated. Below you
will find a number of documents tracking this journey:
1) Application for Exhibit Booth Space
for 2007 Annual Conference 10/20/2006
2) Program and Arrangements Committee response to application 11/30/2006
3) Womaen’s Caucus and VOS response to P&AC
12/29/2006
4) Letter from Belita Mitchell 3/23/2007
5) VOS email response 4/4/2007
6) VOS Statement to P&AC 8/22/2007 (not shared until
joint statement released)
7) BMC Comments for P&AC Meeting
8/22/2007 (not shared until joint statement released)
8) Carla Kilgore's Comments for P&AC Meeting
8/22/2007 (not shared until joint statement released)
9) Joint statement, by ALL parties, issued following discussion of Annual Conference exhibit
policy after 8/22/2007
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1. Application for Exhibit Booth Space at 2007 Annual
Conference
October 30, 2006
Program and Arrangements Committee, Annual Conference
Church of
the Brethren
P. O. Box 720
New Windsor, MD 21776-0720
Dear Sisters and Brothers—
We are writing with an unusual, perhaps unprecedented,
application for exhibit booth space at Annual Conference in 2007. We
three organizations, Voices for an Open Spirit (VOS), Brethren and
Mennonite Council for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender
Interests (BMC), and Womaen’s Caucus, are sending our three
individual applications at the same time under the same cover
letter. (See applications clipped together and labeled "Option
#1). We are presenting our applications at the same time as an
expression of the solidarity of VOS and Womaen’s Caucus, which
have been granted exhibitor status in former years, with BMC who has
not.
We believe that BMC has been unfairly excluded from the exhibit
hall because that organization represents people with different
sexual orientations. We know that there is deep disagreement in our
denomination over how to regard people whose sexual orientation is
not heterosexual. The over twenty-year exclusion of BMC from
official booth space has limited the denominational discernment
process and has effectively denied the deep-felt Christian
convictions of the many members and supporters of BMC.
We believe Annual Conference will be benefited by BMC’s
official presence in the exhibit hall. Generally, it is the nature
of a church’s soul to include all God’s people. Specifically,
this conversation is already happening across the denomination, in
homes, congregations, and districts, and it needs to be part of the
interaction at Annual Conference, which is the only place we all
meet as a church family.
We make these applications believing that we are following the
purpose for the exhibit area as stated in the “Guidelines and
Expectations for Annual Conference Exhibits:” “to unite,
strengthen, and equip the Church of the Brethren to follow Jesus;”
and we affirm and celebrate the theme of this year’s Conference:
“Proclaim the Power of God.” Jesus accepted those others
rejected. He frequently found the face of the Holy at the margins.
We trust the power of God to heal division. We must be willing to do
our part by engaging in honest dialogue.
If you find that you cannot grant BMC an exhibitor’s booth,
then VOS and Womaen’s Caucus will not be able to accept individual
booths (assuming you grant them). In that event we would like to try
another option. We have enclosed a further document (See application
labeled "Option #2), which is a joint application for one large
exhibit space, the equivalent of three spaces, to be shared by VOS,
BMC, and Womaen’s Caucus.
We do not make this request lightly. We know that we may end with
no representation for any of our organizations, so the request
carries weight and risk for us.
If you grant us individual booths or if you grant us a joint
booth, we would greatly appreciate knowing the thinking and struggle
that went into your decision. And if you refuse our applications, we
likewise will want to know your reasons and at what cost you made
this decision.
Your acceptance of all of our groups will be a positive statement
about a Christ-centered hospitality that welcomes all.
In the love of Christ,
Voices for an Open Spirit Brethren
Mennonite Council for Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Interests
Womaen’s Caucus
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2. P&AC Response to Booth Application
November 30, 2006
Brethren Mennonite
Council Voices for an Open
Spirit Womaen’s Caucus
c/o Carol
Wise
c/o Jan
Fairchild
c/o Jan Eller
PO Box
6300
3349 Rolling
Oak
5631 NE 31st Ave.
Minneapolis, MN
55406
Bloomington, IN 47401
Portland, OR 97211
cwise<at>bmclgbt.org
btownboilers<at>gmail.com
djeller1<at>comcast.net
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
The Annual Conference Program and Arrangements Committee
(P&AC) met November 17-18 and received your applications for
exhibit space at the 2007 Annual Conference. Because you submitted
your applications together, we are responding to all three of your
organizations in one letter.
Our response focuses on the application from the Brethren
Mennonite Council for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender
Interests (BMC). We appreciate the delineation of vision and goals
which were included with the application, along with the list from
the 1983 Annual Conference Statement on Human Sexuality, which you
want to help the church address. We share your concern that the
Statement’s suggestions be discussed by the wider church in “open,
forthright conversations.”
P&AC continues to feel that the exhibit area of Annual
Conference does not offer the proper venue for such conversations to
take place constructively, and for that reason we have decided not
to grant exhibit space to BMC. Because the On Earth Peace (OEP)
staff has written to us on BMC’s behalf, we are inviting OEP to
partner with us, BMC, and others to provide opportunities other than
the Exhibit Hall for the church as a whole to enter into such
conversations. We hope that you will give encouragement and
prayerful support to our working on this together.
P&AC members discussed at length our varied responses to the
BMC application. We know how difficult it can be to help people of
widely different perspectives talk together respectfully. We are
particularly concerned that opposing sides seem to perceive that
P&AC, by granting exhibit space, can determine a policy change
for the denomination. It is our heartfelt concern for the unity of
the church which leads us to request that policy changes be debated
through the business venues of Annual Conference and that the
important process of seeking conversation with one another about our
conflicted perspectives on human sexuality take place in venues
other than the Exhibit Hall. P&AC sincerely believes that
structured conversations will be far more effective for the church
as a whole. Our goal is to continue our conversation with BMC and
enlarge it with assistance from OEP’s skills in dealing with
controversial issues.
We feel the distress and the anxieties of our denomination on all
sides. We will continue to pray earnestly for the unity of the
church and the well-being of each of its members. We hope that
referring these concerns to the larger church will help us move
forward, following Jesus together.
Womaen’s Caucus continues to be approved for exhibit space.
Voices for an Open Spirit continues to be approved for exhibit
space. The Annual Conference Office will need to be notified by
December 29 whether these approved exhibit spaces will be used in
Cleveland (2007 Ann. Conf.).
Sincerely,
The Annual Conference Program and Arrangements Committee:
Moderator Belita Mitchell, Moderator-elect Jim Beckwith, Secretary
Fred Swartz,
Committee Members Joanna Willoughby, Kristi Kellerman,
Scott Duffey,
Treasurer Judy Keyser, Executive Lerry Fogle
Copy: On Earth Peace staff
The Church of the Brethren Annual Conference exists to unite,
strengthen and equip the Church of the Brethren to follow Jesus.
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3. Womaen’s Caucus and VOS response to P&AC:
December 29, 2006
Annual Conference Program and Arrangements Committee (P&AC)
Church of the Brethren Annual Conference
P.O. Box 720
New Windsor,
Maryland 21776-0720
Dear Program and Arrangements Committee Members,
We received your response to our application. While we seek to be
sensitive to your situation, we are obviously disappointed by your
decision. As our application stated, if any group was denied, none
of us would accept a booth. Your denial of a booth to Brethren
Mennonite Council for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender
Interests (BMC) is, therefore, a denial of booths to Voices for an
Open Spirit (VOS) and Womaen's Caucus (WC). Thus, neither VOS nor WC
can, with any integrity, accept a booth.
You stated a concern that granting a space to BMC may be
perceived as P&AC making policy for the denomination. We do not
know what you mean by that statement. The only policy that we know
of is the Human Sexuality Paper which recommends "welcoming all
inquirers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior into the
fellowship of the church." The vote in 2002 only applies to
ordaining gays and lesbians who are not celibate. As far as we know,
there is no official polity guideline for denying space to BMC.
Furthermore, as we review the new guidelines, your denial of space
to BMC seems to contradict your own vision of an exhibit space that
"provide(s) an arena for interaction among all Brethren who are
sincerely seeking to follow Christ.”
Both WC and VOS have written to the P&AC and spoken to
members of your committee encouraging you to grant BMC a booth. For
many years WC has been “standing with” BMC while continuing to
enjoy the benefits and privilege of exhibit space. Although VOS is a
much younger organization than WC, it has supported BMC while
accepting a booth for two consecutive years. However, this
increasingly became a burden to our sense of fairness and desire for
genuine unity. Our joint application this year was a more visible
presence with BMC that felt more aligned with Jesus' example of
standing with the marginalized. We believe this is one way to live
out the words of Galatians 6:10.... "let us work for the good
of all, and especially for those of the family of faith." We
believe we can not work for the good of all when part of the family
is excluded.
We are concerned about the substance of the P&AC decision to
deny BMC a booth; we are concerned about the P&AC process to
grant or deny a booth; and we are concerned that P&AC has not
addressed our needs and concerns directly. In order to work towards
some reconciliation of what we feel is a stressed relationship, we
request a meeting with representatives of P&AC, BMC, WC and VOS
so that we can talk forthrightly about the fears and concerns
involved in this decision. We are eager to work with you to obtain a
meeting time and place that is acceptable to you. We suggest that we
schedule this meeting for sometime during the 2007 Annual
Conference. This is our suggestion but if you have another time, we
would be happy to consider it. Once a time and place are set, we
recommend that contact people from P&AC, BMC, WC and VOS work
together to establish an agenda for the meeting. We put a high
priority on this suggested, direct communication meeting, and we
also welcome, encourage and urge further conversations at other
times and places. We are open to the participation of Ministry of
Reconciliation or other transformational peacemakers in these
conversations.
Thank you for considering these requests.
Sincerely,
Jan Fairchild for VOS,
Jan Eller for WC
cc: Carol Wise, BMC
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4. Letter from Belita
Mitchell
March 23, 2007
Voices for an Open Spirit Womaen’s Caucus
Brethren Mennonite Council
c/o Jan Fairchild
c/o Jan Eller
c/o Carol Wise
3349 Rolling Oak
5631 NE 31st Ave. PO Box 6300
Bloomington, IN 47401 Portland,
OR 97211 Minneapolis, MN 55406
btownboilers@gmail.com
djeller1@comcast.net
cwise@bmclgbt.org
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
The Annual Conference Officers met last week, our first meeting
since receiving the email message from Jan Fairchild and Jan Eller
dated December 29, 2006. Since the Program & Arrangements
Committee will not meet until the week leading up to Annual
Conference in July, it became a part of the officers’ agenda to
respond to your proposal for a time to meet together.
We propose that the entire Program & Arrangements Committee
(P&AC) meet with representatives from all three of your
organizations. Annual Conference is an extremely busy time for
us as coordinators for Conference; we will not be able to devote the
necessary time and energy to meet with you during that time period.
So we propose that we all meet together on Wednesday, August 22,
2007, 1-4 p.m., during our P&AC meetings in New Windsor, MD.
This might give opportunity for your representatives to fly in that
morning and return that evening. Or we can consider setting
aside a segment of our November 16-17, 2007, P&AC meeting time
in Richmond, VA. We are aware that such a consultation was
held just last year, although only Carol Wise was able to meet with
our representatives. There have been a number of contacts with
Jan Fairchild and Carol Wise over the past six months by Kristi
Kellerman, Jim Beckwith, and Fred Swartz. It seems
appropriate, however, to plan a time for all of our leadership to
take part in conversations together. Please let us know if you
will be able to meet with us during our August or November meetings.
You would need to cover your own expenses for travel, lodging and
meals. We will await your response.
May all of our efforts help the church to Proclaim the Power of God!
Sincerely,
Belita D. Mitchell, 2007 Moderator and Ann. Conf. Program &
Arrangements Committee Chr.
on behalf of the Annual Conference Officers and Program &
Arrangements Committee
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5. VOS Email Response
sent April 4, 2007
Dear Belita, ( copy to officers Jim Beckwith and Fred Swartz,
per your request)
Thank you for your email and your explanation of P&AC process
and your preferred mode of communication. I regret that you
are not receptive to a telephone conversation.
Voices for an Open Spirit will plan to attend your August meeting in
New Windsor. This meeting time and location pose
significant financial and travel challenges for us and we will
notify you when we have determined who will be attending the
meeting.
We appreciate your response to our request for a meeting.
Sincerely, Jan Fairchild, VOS Convener
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6) VOS Comments for the P&AC Meeting
8/22/2007
The
following statement was presented by VOS at the August 22, 2007 meeting
(participants included VOS, BMC and Womaen’s Caucus and Program and Arrangements)
The report was read and paper copy was distributed to all who
attended.
8-22-07
New Windsor Meeting
Voices
for an Open Spirit began at Annual Conference in Louisville in 2002.
Jim Lehman, identifying a desire within the COB for a grassroots,
progressive organization, arranged the first meeting of what became
VOS. More than 200 people attended this meeting, held on the evening
following Annual Conference’s banning practicing gays and lesbians
from ordination and licensing in the COB. The people who attended
the first three organizational meetings in 2002 – at the
Louisville Annual Conference, at the National Older Adult
Conference, and at a weekend gathering at Camp Mack – shared the
common concern that the spirit of openness which was the impetus for
changes over the past 150 years in the COB was diminishing.
The VOS Coordinating Council, which was named to
organize and represent the group, wrote the following mission
statement: Voices for an Open Spirit is a progressive movement in
the Church of the Brethren fostering openness and inclusion,
building bridges and seeking common ground. Our mission is: to be a
prophetic voice that proclaims the radically inclusive love of God
for all, which we understand through Jesus Christ; to call the
Church of the Brethren to embody Christ’s love more fully; and, to
model this love as a group and live it out.
VOS sponsors a very active, public Listserve,
currently –323 members. We
welcome anyone who wants to participate in respectful conversation.
The VOS website posts resources, including the VOS Journal,
relevant progressive church principles, as well as guidelines and
instructions for the LIstserve.
VOS has sponsored four Fall Gatherings since 2002:
two at Camp Mack, Indiana; and one each in Elgin, Illinois
and Portland, Oregon. Spring Gatherings have been held in Modesto, California, Camp
Shephard’s Spring, Maryland and Kalamazoo, Michigan. VOS has provided a Hospitality Center at each of the last
five (5) Annual Conferences. This
has been a very popular gathering place, where visitors relax, enjoy
refreshments and share conversation.
Evening programs and entertainment have been well attended at
each Annual Conference.
History of
Booth Applications: VOS
requested in 2003 from P&AC information about the application
process for obtaining a booth in the 2004 AC Exhibit Hall.
We received a letter (Aug. 15, 2003) informing us that our
request was being neither approved nor denied, but essentially
postponed. We were told that it was the “strong consensus in
P&AC that more interest groups will only serve to further divide
the church at the present time.”
The letter said that VOS was not the only group being told
this. Although
discouraged by this letter, VOS did proceed to apply.
VOS was denied a booth and the reason for denial was
“actively promoting disregard for Annual Conference decisions.”
VOS appealed the denial and the Annual Conference Council
upheld the denial.
In 2004 we requested and received an application and
we were granted a booth for the 2005 Annual Conference.
Even as we prepared our first booth, we were mindful of
BMC’s exclusion from the Exhibit Hall. We supported the BMC Witness planned for the 2005 Annual
Conference. VOS
publicized the witness and members of the VOS CC spoke at that
event.
Our discussion concerning our application for our
second booth (2006 AC) included exploring
the meaning of accepting
a privilege our brothers and sisters were denied. We decided to proceed with a booth application, and we were
granted a booth for 2006. We
again participated in the BMC Witness in the AC Exhibit Hall.
As we considered applying for a booth for 2007, we
discussed a number of options with BMC and Womaen’s Caucus.
The three groups decided to submit a joint application.
We indicated in that joint application that if BMC were not
granted a booth, then neither VOS nor Womaen’s Caucus would accept
an individual booth. We
hoped that our effort would be recognized as an expression of
solidarity for a just decision: granting
a booth to BMC.
The response to our application was disappointing.
Womaen’s Caucus and VOS were granted booths, BMC was
denied. Our joint
application was not addressed by the P&AC.
As we stated in our application, neither Womaen’s Caucus
nor VOS accepted a booth for 2007.
We planned our 2007 booth space as part of a greatly
expanded Hospitality Center, hosted jointly by the three groups. We
have received gratifying support for the integrity and solidarity of
our decision and our process. In
response to publicity and letters requesting financial support, we
received $7,000. These
funds paid nearly all our expenses.
We received letters and checks from people who could not
attend annual conference but wanted to support us in our statement
of support for people with different sexual orientations.
Thanks to the efforts of Janet Mitchell, whose goal was to
raise 10% of the Hospitality Center expenses, Beacon Heights Church
donated $524. The Beacon Heights Congregation identified with our
mission and saw it as extension of their own ... to welcome all to
the table!
The Hospitality Center hosted daily early morning
meditation sessions and evening insight sessions at 9:00 and 10:00
pm. We hosted a Love
Feast attended by more that 80 people --- our opening activity that
blessed our room and set the tone for inclusivity throughout the
conference time.
We requested a meeting with P&AC when we
responded to them in December 2006, and indicated we would not
accept a booth for 2007. Which
brings us to this time and place.
We have been persistent in requesting conversation with this
committee and we continue to ask for BMC’s inclusion in the
exhibit hall.
We have been asked to help P&AC understand why
the issue of exhibit space for BMC at Annual Conference is
important. I hope my
comments have demonstrated that this issue is a natural outgrowth
and application of the VOS mission. To ignore this issue would be a
gross violation of our mission. Further, we believe that including BMC in the exhibit hall is
a natural application of the P&AC
purpose: to “unite, strengthen and equip the Church of the
Brethren to follow Jesus.” Indeed,
review of the P&AC guidelines reveals nothing that would prevent
BMC from having a booth. Indeed,
there is much that could be gained from a BMC booth --- much which
furthers the communication purposes of Annual Conference.
Nearly 14 years ago I lead a six week seminar at
Lincolnshire COB, it’s
title was: “Creating
Compassion: Conversation
about Human Sexuality and the Church. ”
I loved that title 14 years ago and I still love that title,
today. I believe that
granting a booth to BMC can fulfill the concepts of that lovely
title. I
know what can be accomplished when people are given information,
when they are educated about sexuality and when they hear the
stories of their brothers and sisters who are gay, lesbian, bisexual
and transgender. It is
time for BMC to bring their information and stories to the Exhibit
Hall.
Jan Fairchild, Convener, VOS
P.S. An
amazing website: http://hbh.jcanfield.com Hannah Button-Harrison’s music,
Fear.
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7)
BMC
Comments
for P&AC Meeting August 22, 2007
The
relationship between BMC and this committee has been long and
complex, stretching over decades and involving numerous committee
members. I am grateful for Everett Fisher’s presence here this
afternoon because, of all of us around this table, he has probably
been the one who has been working at this relationship the longest.
For nearly twenty years, Everett was the BMC person who was
primarily responsible for relating to this committee. He was the one
who dutifully requested and submitted the forms, patiently answered
questions, graciously provided additional information, tirelessly
engaged in countless conversations, courageously made himself
available over and over again in ways that I think can be
categorized as nothing short of amazing. I suspect that he has
witnessed the very best and the very worst in church behavior.
I
mention Everett because his presence makes it clear that although
this is a brand new topic of conversation for many of you, for those
of us who are part of BMC, it is a conversation that is old and
increasingly tiresome. Our materials, our motives, our mission, our
faith, our very existence have been scrutinized and evaluated and
challenged in ways that are really unprecedented within the Church
of the Brethren. We are the only group that I know of that has been
denied exhibit space – that area where the many ministries of the
church are on full display - for more than 25 years. We have been
permitted luncheons one year and not the next, offered insight
sessions one year and then nothing, dialogue rooms for “difficult
situations” were attempted then abandoned, a special drop-in area
was offered for awhile and then that disappeared. With
the exception of the denial of a booth, this has been a history of
inconsistency and erratic decision-making that has not only
maintained a sense of vulnerability for BMC but also, at least from
my perspective, ironically served to exacerbate the very tensions
and divisions that the committee has so desperately sought to avoid.
Perhaps this is the legacy when we operate primarily from a position
of fear and anxiety.
I
believe wholeheartedly that most of past and present committee
members are good people who have cautiously tried to make good
decisions for the church. I do not believe that most have harbored
great malice towards lgbt people nor sought to use their position to
do harm to us, our families and those who love us. But the truth of
the matter is that while the intent of most of those who have served
on this committee has not been malicious, it is also true that the
effects of their decisions have most directly impacted and
diminished the lives of lgbt people.
You
see, something happens to your soul when you sit in an AC worship
service that is overflowing with the language of welcome and
hospitality, yet you know that you are not wanted. Something happens
to your heart when you wander through the exhibit hall and see other
“special interest” groups welcomed into the space, yet you are
excluded. Something happens to your spirit when you come to AC and
are uncertain as to whether your love will be ridiculed, debased,
condemned, deplored or ignored – or where you are viewed primarily
as an issue rather than a human being.
During
the course of this long relationship between BMC and Program and
Arrangements, a lot of work has been happening in the world. I by no
means wish to be flippant, but increasingly, the debate as to
whether “the homosexual” is somehow deficient or faulty, is fast
becoming stunningly obsolete. Psychology, sociology, biology,
history, social ethics, theology, biblical exegesis, anthropology,
and genetics – so much work has been done and overwhelmingly it
challenges any assumptions of deviancy, unhealth, evil, or
abnormality. It is becoming simply irresponsible to continue to
cling to false stereotypes, ill-informed opinions or inaccurate
biases. We can do better.
You
see, for me, the pressing issue that needs to concern us is not the
essential morality of homosexuality or bisexuality or transgender
identity, but rather the morality of a church that persists in its
harmful practice of injustice and oppression towards a particular
group of people. The questions that I wish to explore are these:
What happens to the soul of a church that actively and knowingly
participates in the oppression and denigration of some of its own
members? What are the costs? What are the implications? What does it
do to the church as an institution, as a body, as a people of faith?
What happens, for example, when the church takes its language of
love and justice and Jesus and uses it to justify exclusion and
condemnation, to punish and expel, to dehumanize and destroy? What
do words about sacredness and the sanctity of family mean when
parents are forced to choose between their faith community and their
child? These kinds of questions are becoming more and more relevant
because it is now harder and harder for the church to hide behind a
façade of innocence or a curtain of ignorance.
The
church is doing harm, not only to lgbt people, our families and
friends, but also to itself. That is why we are here…to say, it is
time to stop... it is time to stop.
Do
I believe that having a booth in the exhibit hall will change the
hearts and minds of every Brethren? I’d be delusional to think
that. But I do think our presence would end the contortion of reason
and rational that accompanies this conversation every year.
I do think it will help young people who are lgbt or
questioning to feel as though there is a place for them in this
church. I do think it would the mean the world for parents to know
that resources and understanding are available. I do think it would
offer lgbt people some assurance that we not pariahs, but sons and
daughters of the church. I think it would signal that we are a
church that has courage and confidence in our ability to handle
challenging conversations and situations.
Like
it or not, Program and Arrangements is the committee entrusted with
making decisions about exhibit space. Rather than a burden, I hope
you will view this responsibility as an opportunity to offer a
message of inclusion rather than exclusion, of welcome rather than
rejection, of boldness rather than timidity. Within this painful and
trying relationship between BMC and Program and Arrangements, we
note that offering exhibit space is the one option which has yet to
be tried. For the sake of lgbt people as well as the church as a
whole, we think it’s time for a new adventure.
Carol
Wise
BMC
Executive Director
August
2007
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8)
Carla Kilgore's Comments to P&AC for Meeting
8/22/2007
Responses
to Program and Arrangements Committee’s Questions and Agenda
Heading
by
Carla Kilgore on behalf of Womaen’s Caucus, Brethren Mennonite
Council for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Interests, and
Voices for an Open Spirit
August
19, 2007
Agenda
heading: To help
P&AC understand why the issue of exhibit space for BMC at Annual
Conference is important.
I
wouldn’t want to overemphasize the importance of the exhibit hall,
as it is what it is, an exhibit hall.
But, if it doesn’t matter, why do the colleges, the general
board, Brethren Encyclopedia, Trees for Life, the BRF, On Earth
Peace, several of the districts, Mutual Aid, and other assorted
groups pay the fees and sacrifice the time to staff the booths?
Why do you go to the enormous amount of effort to plan and
administer it? We
see the booths as a useful way to share information about the
various ministries present within the COB and connect with
conference-goers. In addition, it offers a picture of who we are as
the COB – what types of things are important to us, what we are
doing in the world, what we look like and who we are concerned
about. Denying BMC access to this space is a denial of the presence,
ministry and work of BMC. It is a powerful indicator to lgbt youth,
family members and non-gay allies that they are not recognized nor
valued by the church. It denies the church an opportunity to be in
conversation and to have access to educational resources and
information. And it sets up a barrier for individuals who may be
lgbt or questioning to find a ministry of support and care.
Overall, having an exhibit in the hall is important to us for
the same reason it is important to all the other exhibitors, to
share information about a ministry that has something valuable to
offer the wider church.
Questions:
1)
Is it possible for you to have an exhibit in the exhibit hall
that will honor the Annual Conference Statement that states that
covenantal relationships are not an acceptable option for homosexual
persons in the church? Since
the guidelines for the exhibit hall state that all exhibits must
honor Annual Conference Statements, are there other ways to express
dissent to the position taken by the Annual Conference Statement?
We would remind the committee that the Human
Sexuality paper is a much more nuanced, positive and complex paper
than is generally acknowledged. We do actually agree with much of
the paper on Human Sexuality. The
paper talks at length about the need to include people with
different orientations in the church and the importance of working
for lgbt justice within the world.
In fact, the exclusion of BMC, which is a group of people of
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and heterosexual people, could
be seen as going against the Human Sexuality paper.
There are parts of the paper with which BMC, Voices for an
Open Spirit, and Womaen’s Caucus organizational statements
disagree. We believe it
is possible to disagree with parts of conference statements in ways
that are respectful. (I would note that Womaen’s Caucus also
respectfully disagrees with parts of other Annual Conference
statements. The
Brethren Revival Fellowship also disagrees with parts of many other
Annual Conference Statements, and On Earth Peace also disagrees with
parts of Annual Conference Statements, and on and on.
I doubt there are very many individuals, churches, or
organizations within the denomination who could express complete
agreement with every Annual Conference Statement. – indeed, this
kind of blind conformity could be dangerous for all of us.)
The changes to statements over the years show the value in
discussing the parts of the statements we disagree with and the way
the Holy Spirit can move through disagreements to allow for movement
toward a greater vision.
To quote from the P&AC Exhibit Hall
Guidelines, #5, “The exhibit area is a Conference space in which
we honor our fellowship in Christ, including our respect for the
faith of one another even if there are differences in
interpretation. The granting of exhibit space to a Brethren-related
group or agency does not mean that the Program and Arrangements
Committee of Annual Conference sanctions in whole the positions and
ministries of the group, but rather wishes to apply the mission and
vision of Annual Conference and provide an arena for interaction
among all Brethren who are sincerely seeking to follow Christ.”*
BMC is a group that ministers to large numbers of Church of
the Brethren members, and sincerely seeks to follow Christ.
This seems to fit exactly.
We do not believe that including BMC in the exhibit hall
represents a blanket endorsement by P&AC of all of the work and
ministry of BMC. Rather, it is simply allowing members of the Church
of the Brethren to share about a special ministry with which they
are involved. If the
people involved with BMC did not truly love Christ and feel that the
Church of the Brethren is the best church to follow Christ, the
years of rejection by the church would have driven them away long
ago. This group is
truly committed to working to help the members of the Church of the
Brethren be followers of Jesus!
2)
In what other ways might we pursue conversations in the
church about sexual orientation issues and ministries?
We would encourage P&AC, Annual Conference,
and all members of the Church of the Brethren to pursue
conversations about sexual orientation and all aspects of human
sexuality in as many ways as we can all imagine.
BMC has pursued these conversations in many and varied ways
over the years, through special events, conferences, dialogue rooms
at Annual Conference, newsletters, retreats, luncheons at Annual
Conference (both approved and independent of A.C.), through the
website, in local church discussions, through insight sessions,
online videos, offering multiple leads for resources in this area,
and through the hospitality center.
BMC, VOS, and Womaen’s Caucus are all happy to pursue
conversations about healthy, Christian sexuality and what that looks
like. The church does
far too little of this, and we welcome assistance from other groups
in adding new ways to dialogue about these important topics.
You can see some recent conversation in this area on the
Womaen’s Caucus blog at: http://womaenscaucus.wordpress.com/.
One advantage the exhibit hall has for these kind of
discussions is that people who are interested in talking about how
the church deals with people’s different sexualities can come
right up to the booth and have a one-on-one, personal discussion
about the matter, asking their real questions without being worried
about how others in a larger group might judge them for what they
want to discuss. It is
also a way of sharing information with people who do not already
know about the group.
3)
At times it seems as though you believe that being granted
exhibit space will grant acceptance to homosexuals in the church.
We are convinced that the exhibit hall is not the best arena
for the important conversations that need to take place in the
church. Why does the
exhibit hall seem to be targeted as the only acceptable option for
you?
It would be difficult to find an lgbt person
who would assume that exhibit space represents acceptance by the
church – for most, simple life experience mitigates against such
an interpretation. We do not believe that being granted exhibit
space will cause the Church of the Brethren to be more accepting.
Only a deeper understanding of Christ’s love for those
society deems “less than” other people will cause the Church of
the Brethren to be more accepting.
We can only pray that members of the church will open their
hearts and begin to love all their neighbors.
We do not think that the exhibit hall is the only acceptable
option for sharing the good news that through Jesus all are loved.
We think that should be done at every church event, function,
and forum. By excluding
a group from one particular forum of the denomination, it shows the
denomination to be a fundamentally exclusive, rather than inclusive,
church. One of the
values listed in the guidelines for the exhibit hall is the value of
being “Open and Welcoming”.*
This would seem to suggest that P&AC would rather err on
the side of the spirit of love rather than being exclusive.
In Summary
Including
BMC in the exhibit hall seems to be the best option for meeting the
purpose for the exhibit hall that has been laid out by Program and
Arrangements Committee and approved by Standing Committee.
It would allow the false unity of pretending we all agree
about all issues to fall away, so that people attending conference
could begin to learn of the true unity of all of the groups in the
Church of the Brethren coming together to teach and learn about
Christ’s love and how we experience and share it.
*http://www.brethren.org/ac/PPG/
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9) Joint statement issued
by
P&AC/VOS/BMC/Womaen's Caucus
following
meeting discussing
Annual Conference exhibit policy
with P&AC.
Representatives of the Brethren and Mennonite
Council for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Interests (BMC),
the Womaen’s Caucus, and Voices for an Open Spirit (VOS) met with
the Annual Conference Program and Arrangements Committee on Aug. 22
to discuss issues related to the denial of a Conference exhibit
booth for BMC.
Present at the meeting were Carol Wise, Ralph
McFadden, and Everett Fisher representing BMC; Jan Eller, Lucy
Loomis, and Carla Kilgore representing the Womaen’s Caucus; Jan
Fairchild, David Witkovsky, Roger Eberly, Liz Bidgood Enders, and
Ken Kline Smeltzer representing VOS; and Scott Duffey, Kristi
Kellerman, Sarah Steele, Jim Beckwith, Belita Mitchell, David
Shumate, and Fred Swartz representing the Program and Arrangements
Committee.
Also present were Susan Nienaber, facilitator from
the Alban Institute, and Lerry Fogle, Annual Conference executive
director.
Following is the joint statement that was issued
following the meeting:
"The bulk of the time was spent in reviewing
the more than 20-year history of the denial of exhibit space and in
listening to the emotions and frustrations of both those
representing BMC and the members of the Program and Arrangements
Committee. Discussion focused on the guidelines for exhibits which
state, both (1) the exhibit hall should ‘bring together Brethren
from all cultures and points of view to proclaim Jesus as Lord,’
and (2) ‘The ministry and mission of all exhibitors shall honor
the New Testament and Annual Conference statements and decisions.’
"The representatives of BMC, VOS, and the
Womaen’s Caucus expressed their belief that the Program and
Arrangements Committee guidelines for the Conference exhibit hall,
as well as a variety of Annual Conference statements, including the
1983 statement on Human Sexuality, clearly call for Annual
Conference and the exhibit hall to be ‘open and welcoming,’ to
‘bring together Brethren from all cultures and points of view to
proclaim Jesus as Lord,’ and to ‘encourage open and
compassionate dialogue.’ Persons from BMC, the Womaen’s Caucus,
and VOS believe that the denomination should encourage ongoing
dialogue on human sexuality, including homosexuality, should allow
Christians of different cultures and points of view the opportunity
to be included ‘around the table,’ and should permit BMC to have
an exhibit booth at Annual Conference. They noted that the exhibit
hall already includes groups who hold views that are contrary to
Annual Conference statements.
"The members of the Program and Arrangements
Committee agreed that the ideal Conference environment, toward which
we all wish to work, is one in which all Brethren can come together
in compassionate and open community in Christ. The Program and
Arrangements Committee also expressed the willingness and openness
to listen and to work further at understanding the issues that
separate us from that ideal. The Program and Arrangements Committee
feels bound, however, to the decisions and statements of Annual
Conference, and until Conference changes its stand, the 1983 paper
on Human Sexuality states that ‘covenantal relationships between
homosexual persons is an additional lifestyle option but, in the
church’s search for a Christian understanding of human sexuality,
this alternative is not acceptable.’ The Program and Arrangement
Committee also believes that the exhibit hall is not the place to
‘test’ whether the denomination is ready to change its position.
The Program and Arrangements Committee has encouraged agencies and
others to consider queries and other ways by which the denomination
might be engaged in a new examination of the subject of human
sexuality.
"Following the presentations by all of the groups,
questions were asked for clarification, but there was little time
left for deliberation of solutions. At the urging of the
facilitator, a number of issues were identified as meriting further
discussion. All of the participants left the meeting feeling
unfulfilled in goal or acceptance."
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