Reconciling Ministries Sunday to be observed Nov. 12 at Epworth UMC
Epworth United Methodist Church will celebrate Reconciling Ministries Sunday Nov. 12 with a sermon delivered by T.C. Morrow, an openly lesbian candidate for ordained ministry in The United Methodist Church. She will preach at the 7:45, 9:15 and 11:15 a.m. services. All are welcome to attend.
In 2016, the Board of Ordained Ministry of The UMC's Baltimore-Washington Conference recommended Morrow for provisional membership and commissioning as a provisional deacon. However, the clergy executive session of the 2016 Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference did not approve Morrow. This year, the board voted to delay putting its recommendation of Morrow forward to the clergy session, and she remains a certified candidate for ordained ministry in The UMC. The United Methodist Church is at a crossroad regarding the full inclusion of LGBTQ people in the life and ministry of the church.
Morrow's appearance at Epworth is sponsored by FIRE (Faithfully Inviting and Reconciling Everyone), Epworth's Reconciling Task Force. In 2006, Epworth voted to affiliate with the Reconciling Ministries Network, signaling that Epworth is intentional about mobilizing United Methodists of all sexual orientations and gender identities to transform our church, and our world, into the full expression of Christ's inclusive love.
Morrow is on the staff of The National Religious Campaign Against Torture and is communications chair for The Baltimore-Washington Area Reconciling United Methodists. She holds a master of divinity degree from Wesley Theological Seminary and a bachelor of arts in physics from Vassar College. She and her wife are members of Foundry UMC in Washington, D.C., and serve as foster parents with the Prince George's County Department of Social Services. A lifelong United Methodist, Morrow is firmly rooted in the Wesleyan branch of the Christian family and has a passion for equipping people to put their faith into action for the sake of building up the kingdom of God.
The Reconciling Ministries Network is an organization dedicated to the inclusion of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in both the policy and practices of The United Methodist Church. It is one of many Welcoming Congregation organizations to emerge in American Christianity in the 1980s. The ministry currently has approximately 877 affiliated congregations and 34,532 affiliated individuals. To learn more about the RMN, go to www.rmnetwork.org.
Epworth United Methodist Church is at 19285 Holland Glade Road, just north of Rehoboth Beach off Route 1. For more information, go to www.eumcrb.org.
