I have grown from having Beth as our pastor.
08 Dec 2004
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Reflection from Nancy Tkacs of First United Methodist Church of Germantown |
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Cut your losses?
05 Dec 2004
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A sermon by Rev. Jim McIntire, Bala United Methodist Church
Jim was Beth's predecessor at First United Methodist Church of Germantown. Beth is a pastor to Jim's children. Jim is pastor to Beth's parents. |
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Our job is to try to walk in the footsteps of Christ.
05 Dec 2004
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A reflection by Michael C. Mahan, from First United Methodist Church of Germantown |
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There were no winners today.
04 Dec 2004
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Bishop John Schol writes to the Baltimore-Washington Conference |
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Grace was abundant.
04 Dec 2004
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Pastoral Letter from Bishop Marcus Matthews regarding the Beth Stroud Trial
December 3, 2004 |
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And Jesus Wept.
04 Dec 2004
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In a deeply sorrowful but entirely unsurprising decision, a United Methodist church trial has ended with an effective and articulate pastor found guilty of violating the order and doctrine of the church. In the penalty phase, the jury then voted to revoke her clergy credentials. The Rev. Beth Stroud has been the associate pastor of First UMC of Germantown in Philadelphia for a number of years, winning high praise from her clergy colleagues and parishioners for her dedication to her ministry and her effectiveness in it. Her crime? She talked about her family in a sermon.
Doesn’t sound so menacing you say? Of course it isn’t. But her family consists of her same-sex partner, Chris Paige. So when she publicly acknowledged Chris, she broke the United Methodist Church’s ban on self-avowed, practicing homosexuals being ordained to ministry and appointed to serve in the church. Clergy misconduct charges were filed and the trial was held December 1 & 2. So today she must drop the “Rev.” from in front of her name.
In a gesture of grace and love, her congregation has already agreed to keep her on staff in her current position, though it must be as a lay employee. She will be able to continue to do great work with children and youth, with seniors and in the pulpit. Except she can’t officiate weddings. And she can’t perform baptisms. And she can’t preside over Holy Communion.
It is no small irony that the Stroud decision came on the same day that two major networks decided to refuse to air commercials by the United Church of Christ which highlight that denomination’s openness to all people in a clever and direct way. They said the ads were too controversial and amounted to issue advocacy (where were these network decision-makers during the presidential campaign?).
But every network that has received a request from the United Methodist Church to air one of our “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors” commercials has readily agreed. Maybe it’s because they know we don’t really mean it!
Well, some of us do mean it. And today we weep for a stiff-necked denomination that refuses to release its prejudices into the all-encompassing grace and love of God. |
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