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BY LINDA WORTHINGTON and ERIK ALSGAARD
UMCONNECTION STAFF

United Methodists throughout the Baltimore-Washington Conference are coming together this fall to study the topic of homosexuality in a new and unique way.

Led by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Dialogue Team, participants have attended workshops to learn how to talk with one another in Christian love, respect and caring.

'We have received positive feedback from the folks who have come to the workshops,' said the Rev. Karin Walker, pastor of St. Paul?s UMC in Kensington and facilitator of the Dialogue Team.

The Team was established at the request of the 2005 Annual Conference, with nine people selected by Bishop John R. Schol. The Team is comprised of clergy and laity, with three who support the denomination?s current language, three who would like it changed, two who self-identified as being neutral, and the facilitator.

The Team met monthly starting in September 2005 with the mandate to organize a series of dialogues on issues related to LGBT orientation within each District. Those training workshops have been taking place around the conference since September, with one last opportunity later this month (see sidebar).

Walker is concerned that there has not been equal representation from all the voices needed in the conversation.

'There have been fewer folks coming to the training who support the church?s current position,' she said. 'Some feel that there is no reason for dialogue because the church already has legislated on these issues.'

The United Methodist Church bans self-avowed practicing homosexuals from serving as ordained clergy, and bans the practice of clergy performing same-sex marriage.

'My hope,' Walker continued, 'is that as we build these teams district wide and additional teams in local churches, people will see the value of dialogue and the use of the process for this conversation as well as others. The blessing of community that our conference Dialogue Team has realized was unexpected but exactly what Jesus did all the time as he gathered a diverse group of people'

Walker stressed that talking about the issue is important, so long as it leads to building relationships.

'To me, a willingness to dialogue and be in community with those with whom you might disagree is a strong witness to what the Discipleship Adventure is all about,' she said. 'It may not be easy to ?love one another,? but then again, not much of what Jesus said was easy. The blessing is in the hard work of building relationships with each other so that we might call one another friends.'

Another opportunity to learn more about the topic of homosexuality was held recently at the Baltimore-Washington Conference Center. Sponsored by the Baltimore-Washington Area Reconciling United Methodists (BWARM), the 'Hearts on Fire: A Discipleship Journey Towards Becoming a Reconciling People' event offered worship, workshops and witnesses. BWARM seeks the full acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in The United Methodist Church.

Many, eager to explore the biblical roots of the sexuality issues, attended 'The Bible and Homosexuality,' led by the Rev. Youtha Hardman-Cromwell, a professor at Wesley Theological Seminary. She delved into the context and meaning of specific verses from Leviticus, Judges, Ezekiel, Acts, Romans and other Scriptures that are often cited to show that homosexuality is a sin.

'Christians ignore most of the Holiness Code and deem its precepts as irrelevant to a New Testament understanding of purity of heart,' she said. 'Which of the Holiness Code do we follow, and which do we not? How do we decide?'

In a panel on 'Race, Culture and Homosexuality,' the moderator, Logan Alley, said,'Gay people need to be out among our churches, especially in the laity. Clergy come and go, but the church members are constant.'

It was more important 'to be invited in (to the congregation and small groups) than it was for me to come ?out?,' said one participant, Karl Marshall. His partner was diagnosed with AIDS, a fact he said he could not tell his family, but one he did share in a Bible study group where he felt accepted.

The keynote speaker for the event was Jimmy Creech, whose credentials as a United Methodist Elder were withdrawn in 1999 following two church trials for 'disobedience to the Order and Discipline of The United Methodist Church.' He shared from his own journey that led to the disbarment.

'(The journey) is not a tour,' he said. 'There are no directions, no scheduled stops or sights, and no tour gbwc_superusere tells you where to go. We have no road map. What we have is a vision to draw us forward into a future, created from our desire for all of God?s children.'

In a question and answer session after his remarks, Creech replied to a questioner who wondered if the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues would split The United Methodist Church.

'Whatever happens God will prevail,' he said. 'God will be there even after The United Methodist Church, just as God was there before there was a United Methodist Church. ? Jesus? vision, which is one of inclusion, will prevail.'