There's No Place Like Home--TRP--September 18-22, 2013

Words are inadequate to describe the beauty of God's creation I witnessed the several days I spent working at the Reformation Project at Asbury United Methodist Church in Prairie Village, Kansas. I saw that beauty of His creation not in a sunset or mountain top but in His people who are able to hear God calling them to show an offering of His Grace. God's intricate patchwork of his love is evident in each of the 50 Reformers.

Conference notes don't capture the intellectual debates and theological inquiry we saturated our minds in with the guidance of Matthew Vines, TRP Founder. After spending months preparing for our conference by intensely reading over 1,400 pages of diverse theology that represented both sides of the LGBT issue from a biblical perspective we finally got to meet in person. Where keyboards and profile pictures connected us before, now conversations and facial gestures joined us. We were fortunate to be led in some of our studies by respected theologian and Christian scholar, Jim Brownson. He told us, "You are here in the midst of pain. Let's face it LGBT people have experienced pain from the church and I think it's miraculous you are here in spite of that. . . There are new questions we are asking now because there are LGBT Christians and because the spirit is doing something." Dr. Brownson put into words what we all were feeling. Yes, we connected online before meeting in person. We read each other's biographies; we saw a few short video clips and read our classmate's responses to our reading assignments. Nevertheless, it was a substitute for face-to-face human interaction. Because we knew so much about each other before meeting in person, we felt an instant connection, deeper than most would have after only knowing someone for a few days. The Holy Spirit working among us made that connection. Where we felt pain and abuse from our past church experiences, our new Christian faith family healed us. Where we felt abandonment and exclusion from our biological families, our new Christian faith family healed us.

Our worship, fellowship and learning space

Our faith in the American family has been renewed too in that we are privileged to live in a country that is moving toward acceptance of LGBT people that was recently affirmed by the passing of same-sex marriage equality in the United States. But after meeting my fellow Reformers who reside in all areas of America in some states that do not yet have marriage equality laws or workplace discrimination laws, I was soberly reminded how unequal some Americans live every day. Though some may want to ignore LGBT equality, the people and more importantly our Supreme Court wrote that support into law. That statement supporting marriage equality solidified relationships beyond the gender and heterosexual normative we are presented with as the only way for one's life. It also has been opened beyond black and white to the reality that God's creation is revealed in the variety of colors that span the spectrum of the rainbow.

Though we treasure the U.S. victory for marriage equality, the road to LGBT acceptance has been paved with pain, emotional scars and violence; we are beyond fortunate that our alienation has not resorted to a form of sexual genocide, as is the case in Uganda. While at the Reformation Project conference in Kansas, I horrifically witnessed hate-filled speeches given in the form of sermons to try to save lost souls when we watched the film God Loves Uganda. Sadly, I learned that hate is not confined by geography.

When one hears hate-filled sermons whether the words specifically call for violence against LGBT people or the words just imply bigotry and exclusion, both styles of sermons speak the same hate. Both styles of sermons create an atmosphere of alienation both spiritually from God and physically from the community of faith. Both cause LGBT people to leave their church and to lose their faith. Both cause splintering in our community of faith. What is worse-both create an atmosphere of disowning part of God's family-of disowning part of our Christian family of faith.

People in the LGBT community are faced with few choices when they are cast out of their community of faith and if their alienation is compounded with being cast out of their family remaining options are usually detrimental. Isolation. Depression. Drugs. Alcohol. Or, all of them in a destructive, downward spiral away from Christ. If churches aren't welcoming to all who enter their doors they cut off a part of the body of Christ and leave it outside the doors of worship. Cutting off the eyes to not see their brothers and sisters. Cutting off the ears to not hear their crying out. Cutting off the hand to not hold in strength. Cutting off the voice to not communicate the Good News.

How can we be a complete family of faith if we exclude certain Christians?


Praying for Jane Clementi after her profound message

Surrounding yourself with loved ones creates your home; it creates your safe space. Family has nothing to do with geography because even when we are on vacation if you are with loved ones you can feel at home because you are with family. We enjoy ourselves more when community surrounds us because we gain joy when others surround us. When we commune with each other, we exchange laughter and love. During our participation in the conference for The Reformation Project in Kansas with fellow Reformers, we found family. We formed our family of faith and developed a kinship bond. We joined as one body worshiping Christ.

As I reflect on what is next for us and as I ponder my next steps, I know that prayer will guide me. My prayer for all fellow Reformers is that God will guide you to strengthen your gifts to allow you to show more of the unconditional love of Christ to those who need to see it. Be safe, be well, and be in love as we journey to different parts of our world but remind us we are all one connected in our faith as we journey to you God. Remind us that we only need to click our heels three times to transport us back to Kansas where we found home in one another, our family of faith. May God guide us all, 50 Reformers, as we build our family and welcome more of our brothers and sisters home who will see us, hear us, hold our hands as we tell others about the love of Christ.



A hymn from the service on our last day