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When the Rev. Jack Abel says “room for all,” he means it.
For years, Epworth United Methodist Church in downtown Rehoboth has grappled with issues concerning gay and lesbian church members.
Abel recalls that as a layman at Epworth in the 1990s, he and other church members were already encountering problems.
“As a lay person, we were unsure whether same-sex couples could be shown together in our pictorial directory,” he said.
Fifteen years later, the church Abel now leads may finally clarify whether gay members may participate fully in church life.
Like other denominations, the United Methodist Church faces issues such as whether to perform gay and lesbian marriages and whether the pastor of a church may be part of an openly gay relationship.
For a growing number of Methodists nationwide, the United Methodist Church’s Book of Discipline and recent rulings of the church Judicial Council are in conflict with the way their churches are practicing the faith.
The United Methodist Church’s Book of Discipline says homosexuality is not a barrier to membership, but it also says homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teachings.
“We have contradictory statements of doctrine and policy,” Abel said.
Working to resolve the contradiction is a national group called Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN), which seeks full participation of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in the United Methodist Church.
“We are the first United Methodist Church in this area to take a stand on this question,” Abel said.
On April 25, members of Epworth will vote on whether to join RMN. Based on the vote, Epworth may adopt a public statement confirming its policy toward gay and lesbian members, Abel said.
“One of the things that’s good is to make sure people are aware there’s a safe and welcoming community for gays and lesbians, their families and friends,” said Abel, who has led Epworth’s congregation since 2001.
Epworth’s congregation
Of the congregation’s 800 members, approximately 15 percent are gay, almost evenly divided between gay men and women, said Abel.
“Ironically, this is not a matter of major debate for our community, but we realize it is, in the denomination,” Abel said. “Our church council voted unanimously in favor. I would be very surprised if our members do not follow.”
He said he expects 200 members to turn out to vote.
Epworth is one of 400 members of the Peninsula-Delaware Conference.
The vote is expected to draw guests from Wilmington and other cities, he said, but only Epworth members will vote.
“We recognize that it will stimulate discussion in other churches,” he said.
Nationally, 206 churches and 18,000 individuals have joined the RMN.
“But, recently the actions of our denomination have put congregations like ours under scrutiny or question,” he said.
Denomination takes action
Last fall, the Rev. Ed Johnson, a senior pastor at South Hill United Methodist Church in Virginia, refused an openly gay man into the church.
The man’s sexual orientation became a significant part of the national discussion.
Following the United Methodist’s Book of Discipline, Johnson refused to receive the gay man because, Johnson said, the man would neither repent nor seek to live a different lifestyle.
Methodist officials suspended Johnson, but that decision was later reversed and his credentials were reinstated.
Also last fall, the denomination’s highest court, the nine-member Judicial Council, defrocked a Philadelphia minister for admitting she is in a spiritually committed lesbian relationship.
“Since October, there have been many United Methodist gays and lesbians who have feared they will not be permitted to join or remain part of the denomination,” said Abel.
Abel said recent public pressure, emanating from a January forum at the church, attended by 50 members, sparked the initiative to join the RMN.
Methodist ministers are not permitted to perform same-sex marriages and Abel said joining the RMN won’t change that.
But, he said he is working toward that goal.
Epworth members consider joining RMN
United Methodist Churches nationwide are confronting practical issues surrounding gay participation in church life.
The United Methodist Church’s Book of Discipline and Judicial Council rulings are at odds with policies in many churches, some church leaders say.
The Book of Discipline says while being gay is not a barrier to membership, alternative lifestyles are incompatible with Christian teachings.
Methodist pastors cannot conduct same-sex marriages, and confusion has arisen about the extent to which gay people may participate in church life.
The Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN) grew out of a group called, “Affirmation,” which formed in 1982, as a response to what the network considers contradictory policies about gays in the Methodist Church.
Epworth United Methodist Church members will vote on whether to join RMN at 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 25.
To prepare for the vote, Epworth members are invited to attend two question-and-answer sessions, at 9:30 and 11 a.m., Sunday, April 23.
The Rev. Sandra Steiner Ball, district superintendent will preside. Epworth members will turn in written ballots, either “yes” or “no” to approve a statement of inclusion and affiliate with RMN.
It will be one vote per member, anonymously.
For more information, contact Epworth at office@epworth-rehoboth.org, or call 302-227-7743. Epworth United Methodist Church is at 20 Baltimore Ave. in downtown Rehoboth Beach.
Sussex Countians respond to church’s gay inclusiveness
For years, openly gay Bill Robbins and Dr. Gary Ralph attended the Avenue United Methodist Church in Milford.
Until recently, both men, who have been partnered for seven years, have been proud, active and accepted church members, said Robbins.
“Gary sang in the choir. I served on the finance committee and helped serve communion and ushered,” said Robbins.
“We were accepted as a gay couple in the church, at dinners and at Bible study. There did not seem to be a problem,” Robbins said.
But the official policy of the United Methodist Church states that homosexual behavior is a sin. After a slightly antigay October sermon, everything changed for the two men, who decided to leave the church.
“But they were very happy to receive our offering money,” said a dejected Robbins. “We were offended.”
“We received many cards from people that wanted us to come back,” he said.
The problem, he said, does not necessarily rest with local churches but with Methodist doctrines.
Two months after they left the church, the men received a letter from Avenue Senior Pastor Rev. Earl Baker.
“He wasn’t really taking a stand on anything,” said Robbins.
“People have this understanding that homosexuality is a life choice, and it’s not,” he said.
Many churches say they have an open-door policy, when it comes to gays, but when they’re confronted, they make reference to the Book of Discipline as the official stand for the United Methodist Church.
Officially, gay men and women can be included into the Methodist church but only if they renounce their lifestyle.
When he and Ralph left, they contacted Epworth United Methodist Church’s senior pastor, the Rev. Jack Abel.
“I told him I didn’t want to become a member or attend Epworth if we were treated differently. He assured me they were moving toward inclusion at the church and they were receptive of gays and lesbians in the church,” said Robbins.
“We were hoping when we were at the Avenue that we were putting a face to a gay couple that we were professionals and fellow Christians,” said Robbins.
Phyllis Walton, associate pastor at the Avenue, declined to comment, deferring to senior pastor the Rev. Earl Baker who is on vacation, she said.
Rehoboth resident Steve Elkins is Epworth’s subcommittee coordinator and also executive director of CAMP Rehoboth, a nonprofit community service organization dedicated to creating a more positive environment for gays locally.
Elkins and others on the committee said they wish to bring an official inclusiveness to the downtown Rehoboth church that has a long, unofficial, history of including gays.
In February, said Elkins, about 40 church members showed up for an informal meeting of how to handle United Methodist Church’s national policy toward local churchgoers.
“We had a general meeting to bring people in to talk about whether we should proceed to get involved with RMN,” said Elkins.
Elkins said a diverse mix of people turned out, including straights and gays, old and young, couples and singles.
“Even in the gay and lesbian community, there were people who said my gay partner doesn’t necessarily know why we are doing this, but we wanted to talk about it anyway,” said Elkins.
Epworth’s RMN subcommittee consists of 11 members, male and female, gay and straight, he said. They invited Bishop Marcus Matthews of the Peninsula-Delaware Conference of the United Methodist Church, which oversees local congregations, but the bishop did not attend.
Matthews was unavailable for comment at press time.
“We all thought it was important to make the bishop aware of what we were doing and if he thought it appropriate to back off this. Elkins said Epworth’s officially began the process to include gay members in 1996, and sexual orientation acceptance was added into the Epworth’s church covenant in the same year.
“We’ve all been operating under the premise that this was already done. It’s just a few things that happened toward the end of 2005 that made us realize we needed to take the steps of being a part of the RMN,” said Elkins.
National church officials do not speak for all Methodists, said Elkins.
“We all have a place at the table. We had to let it be known on a national basis. We had to step out on a leap of faith, so to speak,” said Elkins.
As for Robbins, “I joined Epworth two weeks ago. The fellowship there is absolutely wonderful,” he said.
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