Glendive United Methodist Church

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Our Church will be Open!

Our Worship service will be back in our Sanctuary this Sunday February 2, 2020. We are so happy to announce that it will be here at GUMC at 11:00 am!

It is Communion Sunday and the congregation will be singing “I’m A Little Tea Pot” with the Girl Scouts, and our youth will resume the Noisy Buckets The Coffee Hour ladies are excited to have fellowship with everyone in the Fireside Room after worship.

Welcome back.

A special report on how Pastor Carl is doing.

Great news...Pastor Carol is home. Please check with Larry before visits so we make sure Pastor Carol gets adequate rest. We don't want to overwhelm them as they settle in to recovery mode. Keep the prayers coming! - Leslie

A letter from Pastor Carol

February 27, 2019

To the People of Glendive and Wibaux United Methodist Churches;

My mortal heart can be healed with rest and rehabilitation, but my spiritual heart will require different interventions to become whole again. In the past several days, and concluding yesterday’s session of the General Conference 2019, it is now obvious the (global) United Methodist Church prefers the Traditional Plan as a way forward for the church regarding full inclusion of all God’s children: His LGBTQI children. This plan continues to acknowledge love of all people, as written in the 2016 Book of Discipline, but now seeks to be even more restrictive in their participation in the life of local churches.

The vote of 438 in favor and 384 opposed to the Traditional Plan was made by delegates from across the world and represented equal numbers of clergy and laity. While there are allegations of voter fraud and misdeeds (they will be addressed by the Judicial Council) the numbers clearly show the will of that small majority of United Methodist professing members. Wherever you have stood on the issue of full inclusion of LGBTQI persons in the UMC, I’d don’t believe there should be any blame, nor any credit given to this outcome. Delegates voted their conscience.

The United Methodist Church as most of us have known it will change, and that change could happen quickly; not months but with a year or so. In April 2019, the Judicial Council will take up challenges to some of the petitions that supported the Traditional Plan, but it is unlikely to alter this outcome. As Methodists, there will be processes involved for every congregation. What those will be are still unknown and will cause anxiety and fear. I ask you to pray and remain committed to our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ who transform the world.

As your Pastor, I am committed to walking this new and rocky path ahead with you. The deed is done. So now is the time to love each other more deliberately, serve one another more fervently and especially love and honor our LGBTQI siblings who will continue to be disenfranchised and marginalized. Statements from the Western Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church, of which both Glendive and Wibaux UMCs belong, and from Bishop Gill, President of the Council of Bishops, are linked below.

I look forward to having courageous conversations and holy conferencing in the coming weeks as I get back on my feet. May God continue to bless each and every one of you.

Yours in Christ,

Reverend Carol E. Rhan

www.umcjustice.org/news-and-stories/general-secretary-responds-to-general-conference-2019-

http://westernjurisdictionumc.org/ahomeforall/

Everyone is Welcome!