Members pass resolutions on Lovely Lane, housing, and global warming
With a nod to United Methodist heritage and some of the current issues facing our culture, Baltimore-Washington Conference members passed three resolutions on June 2.
In the first, members congratulated Lovely Lane UMC in Baltimore on its 250th anniversary. The church, known as the “Mother Church of Methodism,” was the first Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. It hosted the 1784 Christmas Conference, where the denomination was founded.
Increasing Housing Security for All
Recognizing the rights all people to have access to safe and affordable housing, conference members voted to add a seat focused on Housing Security Justice and Advocacy to the BWC’s Advocacy and Action team.
In the discussion to put more resources toward providing shelter, members learned that in 2020 there were more than 580,000 unhoused people in the U.S., including more than 14,000 unhoused people in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and West Virginia. In addition, in January 2020, more than 279,000 people in this region were behind on rent.
Encouraging a More Robust Discussion of the Science Related to Global Warming
Following a spirited debate, members passed a resolution calling for a more in-depth conversation on climate change.
Roger Kuhn, a lay member from Morgan Chapel UMC in Woodbine, disputed some of the assertions of the BWC’s Creation Care team and called for local churches to discuss how churches might better address some of the inevitabilities that will accompany global warming.
Those speaking for the resolution expressed concern about the dismissal of nuanced points of view about climate change. They asserted that there may be “too great a rush to attribute extreme phenomena to climate change,” and called for respectful listening and responsible discussion of the cost, benefits and risks associated with any technology that addresses global warming.
Those opposed to the resolution said that the science on global warming is sound and, while they appreciate discussion on these important issues, too often conversation is used as a tactic to stall important action to curb destructive climate change.
The resolution passed by a vote of 271 to 250. For more information, visit the BWC’s ministry on Creation Care.