The torch has been passed on with Caleb assuming leadership of RUM-NC. I don’t think a lot of people understand what the demands of leading a small volunteer group are: physically, financially or emotionally. We owe a debt of gratitude to Jeanie Aycock for taking on that role for the past two years and keeping the torch burning. We’ve lost some core people who have moved from the area, moved on, or moved away from the Methodist Church because of its apparent intractable stance on this issue. But we still have many resources and supporters for a more inclusive and welcoming church for all minorities with an emphasis on preaching the gospel rather than becoming an exclusive social club of “respectable” people who reside in the mainstream of society but have no personal conviction towards evangelism. That’s one thing we’re very deficient in comparison with our evangelical brethren in that we’re lukewarm about everything and passionate about nothing.

My preacher father was skeptical about religious fanatics and the eventual burnout of the flame of the mountaintop experience that fluttered out in the humdrum of daily existence. But without fervor to motivate us to aspire to higher goals we just languish in apathy. Jeanie’s focus was on presenting a highly visible role at the NC Annual Conference and getting out our message of hope and possibilities of reconciliation. She spent a lot of her own money as well as time in collecting and distributing information as well as talking with individuals in severe crisis who had nowhere else to turn that I don’t think most people appreciated. Getting acceptance of a cause and changing hearts and minds isn’t just a question of politics; it’s also a question of education, personal conversations, group dialogues, and openness to divergent beliefs without a rancorous attitude of confrontation. True, the civil rights movement had to confront a society that was unwilling to change its undemocratic view of the “order of things” and through non-violent civil disobedience brought attention to the injustice of that prevailing order. The GLBT movement went through a similar phase with “ACT-UP” and Gay Pride Parades all across the country.

As far as the Methodist Church is concerned, our issue really isn’t about gays and acceptance within the church either for membership or for serving in a clerical role. It’s about relevance in a modern society where too many people find the mainstream churches irrelevant to their lives and ignore the opportunities for Christian fellowship. We’re not called to be of one doctrine either in our beliefs or our traditions, but we are called to be followers of Jesus Christ and his mission to create a better world for everyone --- not just a privileged few. Why should our congregations fritter away their time haggling over the morality of gender identity and sexual orientation and ignore other issues that are permeating and destroying our society such as the drug culture, rampant political corruption, social injustice, racism, war profiteering, and the worship of the almighty dollar. It’s time to “get over it” and accept the diversity of the human condition without getting hung up with 19^th Century Puritan phobias about sex. We proof texted the Bible about race and slavery for generations. Are we going to do the same about sex for another generation? Sexuality is a significant part of life, but concern for others is more important. Where is the morality in the Methodist church condemning one group of people while abstaining from criticism of a wide range of others?