wfn.org | Clergy to challenge United Methodist same-sex union policy

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

Jan. 12, 1999 Contact: Thomas S. McAnally*(615) 742-5470*Nashville, Tenn.
10-21-28-71B{019}

NOTE TO NEWS MEDIA: You may contact Bishop Melvin G. Talbert of the San
Francisco Area over the weekend and Monday, Jan. 18, at his home: (916)
685-1687, or later in the week at his office, (916) 374-1510. You can also
call the Rev. David Bennett, superintendent of the Delta District at his
office: (916) 374-1501 or 1502. St. MarkÕs United Methodist Church in
Sacramento, Calif., is in Bennett's Delta District. The full text of a
letter issued by Bishop Talbert Jan. 6 is at the close of this story.    

By United Methodist News Service

The United Methodist Church's policy against its clergy performing same-sex
union ceremonies will be challenged in grand style Saturday, Jan 16, when a
California pastor officiates at a "holy union" service for two women.

The Rev. Don Fado of St. MarkÕs United Methodist Church in Sacramento will
lead the service. He will be joined by about 80 other clergy members from
the California-Nevada Annual (regional) Conference. Another 65 to 70 clergy
from outside the conference have signed on to officiate in absentia, and
their names will appear in the printed bulletin for the service, Fado said.

In 1996, at the most recent meeting of the United Methodist Church's top
legislative body, delegates inserted into the denomination's Social
Principles a sentence that states: "Ceremonies that celebrate homosexual
unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in
our churches."

The denomination's nine-member Judicial Council ruled last August that the
sentence carries the weight of church law. Clergy violating the prohibition
may face a church trial and possible loss of their ministerial credentials. 

Only the General Conference, an international, delegated body that meets
every four years, can make official church policy. Clergy members are
accountable to the respective annual conferences where they are members. The
primary unit of the annual conference with responsibility for approving
clergy for membership and related issues is the board of ministry. 

The Jan. 16 service for Jeanne Barnett and Ellie Charlton will be at 1 p.m.
at the Sacramento Convention Center Theater, 1301 L. Street. Barnett is lay
leader and Charlton is a member of the Board of Trustees of the
California-Nevada Annual Conference.  

Barnett was a member  of a committee authorized by the1988 General
Conference to study the issue of homosexuality for four years. Delegates to
the subsequent General Conference in 1992 rejected a proposal that would
have removed negative language about homosexuality from the church's Book of
Discipline and replaced it with an acknowledgment that the church is "not of
one mind" on the issue. Language that said the practice of homosexuality is
"incompatible with Christian teaching," first placed in the Discipline in
1972, was retained. 

Fado told United Methodist News Service the religion he professes is one of
inclusion, not exclusion. "All are welcome to the table where Christ is the
host. We will conduct a service of holy union in the spirit in which Martin
Luther King Jr. made his witness to the truth he found in God's love."

He said about 1,000 people will be attending the invitation-only service,
while others forming a "circle of love" outside the church may number more
than 1,000 people.   

In a joint statement, clergy from the California-Nevada Conference who plan
to participate in the service said they sense Jesus is standing with them.
"We believe that we are acting in the way in which Jesus Christ would act.
In order to be obedient to our calling as ministers of Jesus Christ,
proclaiming the good news of God's love to all people, we believe that we
are called to bless loving committed relationships between Christian people,
regardless of their sexual orientation.

"Jesus was very deliberate in placing the need for healing and renewal above
the need for obedience to ecclesiastical authority," the statement says.

Involvement in the service could mean that Fado and other clergy would face
a church trial and the possibility of having their ministerial credentials
removed.  

In a Jan. 6 letter, Bishop Melvin G. Talbert of the San Francisco Area said
he would not speculate on what would happen after the ceremony but pledged
that he and his cabinet, including district superintendents, would uphold
the polity of the church. "We shall await the outcome of the planned event
and respond accordingly," he said, citing paragraphs in the 1996 Book of
Discipline that spell out due process within the church (Paragraphs 358 and
2624-27).

Talbert personally does not support the church's position against same-sex
unions. "With many of my pastors, I feel this action infringes on the sacred
pastoral role one has in being priest and servant," he said in his Jan. 6
letter. "So, while I am obliged to uphold church law, I will also continue
as a strong advocate to change the position of our church to be more
consistent with the teachings and compassion of Jesus."  

In his letter, Talbert made two requests of clergy and lay members of his
conference: 

"First, pray for Don Fado and those who will assist him, for Jeanne Barnett
and Ellie Charlton, and for all members of St. Mark's United Methodist
Church, Sacramento. Also pray for those who are struggling with this issue
and disagree with this celebration. We are sisters and brothers in Christ.
Despite the controversy, our faith impels us to honor and respect the human
dignity of each other as GodÕs creatures.

"Second, be reminded that this is not the first controversial issue being
faced by our churches.  We have been through many struggles before and have
survived. Our church will weather this storm. The real question is whether
we will allow the Spirit of God to lead us through this struggle."

In closing, Talbert asked for prayers for himself and his cabinet. "These
are difficult times for us.  It is not easy to keep focused on the 'main
thing.' However, we pledge to you our commitment to being faithful officers
of the church, while at the same time being faithful servants of Jesus
Christ. Our constant prayer is that we seek to discern God's will -- nothing
more, nothing less, nothing else."

The Rev. John Sheppard II of First United Methodist Church in Yuba City,
Calif., is among the conference clergy members who object to the Jan. 16
ceremony. He said he supports the official position of the church, which
holds that the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian
teaching. 

"God  loves all," Sheppard told United Methodist News Service. "This (issue)
is really not about being gay or homosexuality or sexual preferences. It is
about God calling us to a holy lifestyle that John Wesley (the founder of
Methodism) was speaking of in 'growing toward perfection.' "

"Christ calls me to live above sin level," Sheppard continued. "Not that I'm
not a sinner but God's righteousness equips and enables me to live above sin
level. I am called to live in the spirit of Christ, which is above sin, to
have the mind of Christ."

Carl Adams, district attorney for Sutter County and a member of Sheppard's
church, told a reporter for the Marysville (Calif.) Appeal-Democrat that he
would file a formal complaint if the service is held.

"The homosexuality issue is the one that's getting the press, but it's not a
big deal," Adams said in the Nov. 16 article by Jason Sumner. "The big deal
is the fundamental difference in the way we have of looking at God and
Scripture." Adams was unavailable when United Methodist News Service
contacted his office Jan. 12.

Annual conference sources say that when a complaint is filed, it will
probably be referred to the appropriate district superintendent. In this
case, that would be the Rev. David Bennett of the conference's Delta
District. The superintendent would go through the supervisory process to
gain the facts. If convinced that the clergy person has broken church law,
the superintendent will forward the information to the bishop, who must
decide how to expedite the matter. It could then go to a committee on
investigation within the annual conference. If the committee concluded that
the person did something that warrants action, a trial would be recommended.
Procedures for a trial are spelled out in detail in the church's Book of
Discipline.  

#  #  #

The full text of Bishop Talbert's letter to clergy and lay members of the
California-Nevada Annual Conference follows:

January 6, 1999

Dear Colleagues in Christ:

Greetings to you in this New Year! I thank God for your witness and ministry
and look forward to sharing with you the joy and fullness of life as we face
the challenges of the future with hope.

As many of you know, the Rev. Don Fado, pastor of our St. Mark's United
Methodist Church, Sacramento, has announced that he will conduct a
celebration of a holy union for two of St. Mark's members, Jeanne Barnett
and Ellie Charlton. Many of you know Jeanne and Ellie. Jeanne is our
Conference Lay Leader and Ellie is a member of our Conference Board of
Trustees. Don has invited other clergy from across the church to share in
this celebration and to join him in protesting any prohibition of such
celebration. Don is one of our finest pastors and he has discussed this
decision with me. He is very clear that he and others will be performing
this ministry as an act of conscience. My compassion is for Don as he seeks
to be faithful to his calling. This letter is written to share with you some
words of wisdom regarding this event that is planned for January 16, 1999.
Allow me to remind you of the context for this scheduled event.

As you may recall, it was in the Fall of 1997 that the Rev. Jimmy Creech
performed a holy union in a United Methodist Church in Nebraska. This was
not the first such service in that they were happening across our church for
years. What made the Creech situation different is that we had the action of
the 1996 General Conference, which added the following sentence to Paragraph
65-C of the Social Principles which reads, "Ceremonies that celebrate
homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be
conducted in our churches." Given this reality, Mr. Creech openly challenged
the action of General Conference by publicly performing such a service.
Thus, a complaint was filed, and an investigation resulted in charges being
brought against Mr. Creech. The matter went to a church trial, where Mr.
Creech was acquitted. Thus, the controversy accelerated and resulted in many
and varied responses from across the church.

When this matter came to my attention before the Creech trial, I was of the
opinion that the Social Principles are not church law. Therefore, I did not
consider the performing of a holy union a chargeable offense. In August of
1998, our Judicial Council considered various appeals and came to the
conclusion that the one sentence cited above from the Social Principles is
church law. Thus, that decision implies that to violate such is a chargeable
offense. Well, this decision brought further reactions.

At each step along the way, your bishop and cabinet members have been
consistent in their efforts to interpret and implement church policy. Even
when I shared my opinion regarding the status of the Social Principles, I
was performing my duty of interpreting church polity. So, when the Judicial
Council  made its decision last August, I expressed my sadness and regrets.
Nevertheless, I stated that as a bishop of the church, I will uphold the
polity of our church. Thus, the cabinet and I are officers of the church and
will uphold the law of our church.

Personally, I believe the position of our church is wrong on this issue.
With many of my pastors, I feel this action infringes on the sacred pastoral
role one has in being priest and servant. So, while I am obliged to uphold
church law, I will also continue as a strong advocate to change the position
of our church to be more consistent with the teachings and compassion of
Jesus.

As you can imagine, the cabinet and I are under pressure to indicate what
our response would be to the January 16 event. We believe it is
inappropriate for us to provide responses to hypothetical questions or
situations. Our position is clear. We shall await the outcome of the planned
event and respond accordingly. I call to your attention Paragraphs 358 and
2624-27 of the 1996 Book of Discipline regarding church due process.

In the meantime, I request of you two things:

First, pray for Don Fado and those who will assist him, for Jeanne Barnett
and Ellie Charlton, and for all the members of St. MarkÕs United Methodist
Church, Sacramento. Also pray for those who are struggling with this issue
and disagree with this celebration. We are sisters and brothers in Christ.
Despite the controversy, our faith impels us to honor and respect the human
dignity of each other as GodÕs creatures.

Second, be reminded that this is not the first controversial issue being
faced by our church. We have been through many struggles and have survived.
Our church will weather this storm. The real question is whether we will
allow the Spirit of God to lead us through this struggle.

Finally, will you pray for me and your cabinet? These are difficult times
for us. It is not easy to keep focused on the "main thing." However, we
pledge to you our commitment to being faithful officers of the church, while
at the same time being faithful servants of Jesus Christ. Our constant
prayer is that we seek to discern GodÕs will: nothing more, nothing less,
nothing else.

God bless you!

Sincerely,

Melvin G. Talbert

United Methodist News Service
(615)742-5470
Releases and photos also available at
http://www.umc.org/umns/