BMC NewsNet
Vol. 10, No. 3
July 2009
Special Edition- Conference Reports
History says, Don’t hope
On this side of the grave.
But then, once in a lifetime
The longed-for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up,
And hope and history rhyme.
So hope for a great sea-change
On the far side of revenge.
Believe that a further shore
Is reachable from here.
-Seamus Heaney
What an amazing conference year! After decades of frustration, invisibility, silence and repression, the tide is beginning to turn as more and more people are coming out as supportive and desiring change. As a BMC community of lgbt and allied people, we are very grateful for young adults who are offering exciting leadership, for pastors who are speaking out with dignity and strength, for parents who refused to be shamed into silence, for allies who can’t imagine a church without lgbt people, and for each and every young, old or middle-aged lgbt person who dares to live with honesty, grace and hope. We are getting closer to that further shore!
 
Annual Conference witness A Pink Menno
For more pictures, visit the BMC Homepage.
Mennonite USA Convention
1) Open Letter Committee
2) Pink Menno Campaign
3) Hospitality Room
4) Press Conference
5) Business
Church of the Brethren Annual Conference
1) Luncheon
2) Mobile Booth
3) Rainbow Scarves
4) Young Adult Statement
5) Business
Mennonite USA Convention
1) Open Letter Committee
During the season of Lent, three Mennonite pastors (Cynthia Lapp, Sheri Hochstetler and Weldon Nisly) released an Open Letter to the Mennonite Church calling for Confession and Healing for the church’s inhospitality towards lgbt people. The letter was signed by nearly 1,500 people and has generated a tremendous amount of conversation within the denomination. The three pastors formed a committee that focused upon the Mennonite USA Convention in Columbus where they provided daily worships, set up workshops, and worked on resolutions.
2) Pink Menno Campaign
Several months ago, after hearing about the Open Letter, several young Mennonite adults (Jen Yoder, Luke Yoder, Luke Miller, Phil Kendall, Jordan Zickafoose, Katie Hochstedler) decided that it would be great if there was a strong young adult, queer positive presence at Columbus, symbolized by wearing pink. The Pink Menno Campaign was born, and the idea took off using the tools of social networking. There were pink tee shirts, pink bandanas, pink bracelets and various items of pink clothing that could be stenciled with the campaign’s logo. Youth poured into the hospitality room for pink items and to share with other supportive youth and young adults. It was a huge and exciting success at Columbus. Luke Yoder is particularly to be commended for his organizing leadership and presence. In addition to the symbolic pink, the campaign also included a singing presence in the conference center, and various times for youth to be together to talk and strategize about the kind of church they want to have.
3) Hospitality Room
A hospitality room filled with materials from BMC, Pink Menno Campaign and the Open Letter Committee was a major hub of activity. Workshops were held daily, in which at least 60-80 people, a majority of which were youth, participated. Other activities included youth strategizing sessions, screening of the film For the Bible Tells Me So, resource sharing and opportunities for general conversation and sharing. The room was kept hopping as hundreds and hundreds of people dropped by, including members of the executive committee and a steady stream of youth groups and individual youth. It was absolutely stunning!
4) Press Conference
Because of the ecumenical work that BMC does, we had connections with the national organization GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) who was very interested in what was happening within the Mennonite Church. They trained and guided a group of representatives in preparation for a press conference. The press conference featured two speakers from Pink Menno (Katie Hochstedler and Luke Yoder) and Open Letter pastor Cynthia Lapp. The Associated Press, Fox News, Columbus Dispatch and reporters from the Mennonite Press were present. We made the AP wire and the story was on over 150 news websites (including the Washington Post)! That was a shot in the arm and made the church leadership sit up and take notice.
5) Business
Several Open Letter pastors met to draw up a resolution calling for dialogue and an end to the disciplining of congregations and/or individual pastors. The resolution was severely altered by the Resolutions Committee, who offered a piece to the delegate body that would essentially take the conversation back twenty years. After tense discussion, the delegate body made several amendments to the resolution, most notably changing the language from “we affirm the church’s statements regarding human sexuality” to “we acknowledge the church’s statements…” and calling for leadership to actively provide resources for conversation.
Church of the Brethren Annual Conference
1) Luncheon
BMC activities at Annual Conference began with a luncheon at the San Diego Church of the Brethren that drew about 80 people. Rick Polhamus, who has been active with Christian Peacemaker Teams, capably led a training that focused upon potentially difficult encounters at the BMC mobile booth. This was followed by a time of conversation related to Annual Conference business.
2) Mobile Booth
The BMC booth was just about everywhere except the exhibit hall. We managed to secure a moveable cart from the San Diego Church, which made it quite easy to navigate in and out of the convention center. Ironically, the BMC booth was the most visible exhibit at the conference. Nearly everyone attending the conference saw our display, which opened up many opportunities for conversation.
3) Rainbow Scarves
Womaen’s Caucus encouraged lgbt supporters in the church to knit and/or wear rainbow scarves as a symbol of solidarity and support. Bags and boxes of scarves came pouring in and disappeared almost as quickly. Womaen’s Caucus estimates that at least 700 scarves were taken by conference participants (in a conference of only 2,100). It was so encouraging to see the number of rainbow scarves, hats, ties, belts and bandanas at the conference.
4) Young Adult Statement
Kaleidoscope Coordinator, Carrie Fry-Miller, organized a group of young adults to prepare a written statement in response to a rather weak and self-serving Annual Conference Standing Committee Statement, A Statement of Confession and Commitment, which was brought to the conference floor for adoption. The young adult statement, A Call to Confession, Commitment and Action, called upon the denomination to confess its mistreatment of lgbt people and commit itself to actions to correct this injustice. In a rather powerful moment, the young adults managed to commandeer all four microphones and were able to read the entire statement without interruption. To date nearly 200 youth and young adults have signed the statement. This is the first time in over 30 years that young adults have addressed the Annual Conference seeking change.
5) Business
There were two lgbt related items on the agenda: the Standing Committee Statement, and a query from the Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren questioning “whether it is the will of the church that [the language concerning same-sex covenantal relationships] will continue to guide our journey together.” Both items were assigned to a special response process for “seriously controversial” issues. Carol Wise was appointed to the committee assigned to develop resources for the process. This represents the first time that an openly lgbt person is able to be actively involved in directing the course of the conversation, which is a real gain for BMC and the Church of the Brethren. This is also the first time that the denomination has used its special response process, although it was adopted more than 20 years ago.
QUICK NEWS UPDATE!
As might be expected, a backlash to the Pink Menno presence at the MCUSA conference has started, with reports of Pink Mennos being aggressive, coercive or preying on youth. This is an obvious distortion of what actually occurred. It also reflects one of the realities of oppression where any visibility is viewed as an act of hostility that is then met with institutional force or individual violence. Jim Schrag, executive director of MCUSA, has issued a shaming and careful spun letter that should not go unchallenged. It is important that the Executive and Listening Teams hear from individuals who had a different experience of the Pink Menno Campaign. You may send your comments to:
info@MennoniteUSA.org
866.866.2872
Elkhart Office: 574.294.7523
Newton Office: 316.283.5100
To keep abreast of the situation, go to the Pink Menno website at: www.pinkmenno.org.
BMC NewsNet is an electronic newsletter produced by Carol Wise and Carrie Fry-Miller for the Brethren Mennonite Council for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Interests (BMC). BMC seeks to provide programming, support and advocacy for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals and their families and friends. For questions, comments or to unsubscribe from this list, contact the BMC office at PO Box 6300, Minneapolis, MN 55406-0300, USA; bmc@bmclgbt.org; or 612.343.2060.
BMC Staff
Carol Wise – Executive Director, SCN Coordinator
Carrie Fry-Miller - Kaleidoscope Coordinator, BMC Volunteer
Randall Friesen – Outspoken Editor
|
