Friends,

In the past two weeks, a groundswell of support for the #FreedomToServe by LGBTQI clergy within the United Methodist Church has been building.

• On May 1, 15 clergy and candidates in the New York Annual Conference came out as LGBTQI and called on clergy nationwide to come out as well.
• On May 9, 111 clergy and candidates from throughout the United Methodist Church responded to their call and came out as LGBTQI. That number is climbing and is now 123. I am deeply humbled to be one of the original signers of the #CalledOut letter.
• On May 12, more than 500 LGBTQI clergy and candidates in other denominations allied themselves with the United Methodist movement. In less than a week, that number had doubled to more than 1,000.
• And on May 16, an incredible 1,500 United Methodist clergy allied themselves with their LGBTQI colleagues, pledging open refusal to abide by the discriminatory UMC policies currently in place. By the end of the day, another 500 UM clergy had joined them.

If you are a UMC member, add your name as a supporter of LGBTQI clergy

We need to show United Methodist General Conference the breadth and depth of this movement.

• Sign your name to this letter and we'll present it to General Conference in Portland, OR, this week.

If you are not a United Methodist, please spread the word!

• Share our post on Facebook
• Post your support on Twitter
• Forward this email to friends, colleagues and family who are United Methodists

Here's the pledge UMC members nationwide are signing:

If a clergy person is removed from our church for being LGBTQI, we will continue to treat them as active clergy in our church.

If a clergy person is removed from our church for being LGBTQI, we will resist any efforts to have their "vacancy" filled.

If serving on a Board of Ordained Ministry, we will examine all candidates for ministry and make decisions of their process regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Further, we publicly call on all to refuse to participate in any complaints filed against clergy persons for being LGBTQI and will refuse to do so ourselves.

FOR has long been in the struggle for equality and liberation for LGBTQI persons, and we are honored to support this grassroots call for justice. I hope you can join us in this moment, or invite others in the UMC to do so.

Grace and peace,

Rev. Kristin Stoneking
Executive Director
Fellowship of Reconciliation

Fellowship of Reconciliation  |  P.O. Box 271, Nyack, NY 10960
for@forusa.org  |  www.forusa.org  |  (845) 358-4601