Last weekend, I was honored to attend the 40th Anniversary celebration of the Brethren Mennonite Council for Lesbian, Bay, Bisexual and Transgender Interests. The theme of the gathering was “Walls to Tables.” I connected with good friends and got to know acquaintances better and met many wonderful new people. As much as I hate to…
Turns out I had some more thoughts on Sunday morning’s shooting. This letter was written in collaboration with some wonderful colleagues and signed by even more wonderful colleagues and was originally posted on the Inclusive Mennonite Pastors web site. “We are dying, and you are killing us.” These are the words Jay Yoder writes to…
I struggle to know how to respond in the wake of the shooting at Pulse Nightclub. Fifty dead. Over forty hospitalized. Hundreds traumatized. Guns, again. A tragedy followed by anti-Muslim rhetoric, again. Beautiful queer bodies targeted for violence, again. I feel grief. And horror. And despair. And anger. I feel helpless. I feel like I…
We are officially launching the Reconciling Minister Project today! While this is not my personal project, we need a place to publish the letter and I am happy to offer space on this blog. Those within MCUSA, please feel free to share widely. Dear Mennonite Church USA Colleagues, It is with a mixture of excitement…
A recent statement approved by the Executive Board of Mennonite Church USA affirms, among other things, “an expectation that all EB members and national staff will adhere to the ‘standards, values and beliefs’ articulated in the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective,Mennonite Church USA’s Membership Guidelines and the two resolutions [‘Forbearance in the Midst of…
I attended my denominational region’s annual conference last weekend. (Don’t be jealous.) And it was remarkable in many ways. On Friday night, we had worship during one of the World Series games, and I only saw one person with an earbud–listening to the game while singing hymns. Even more notably, delegates voted to institute a…
Confession of Faith in a Queer Perspective: Article 4. Scripture Reflections by Frank Trnka Like so much of what we have seen coming from the merged MCUSA, the language of the fourth article of the Confession of Faith seems to serve primarily as reassurance to Mennonites of an evangelical, fundamentalist bent that MCUSA is holding…
Over the past several months I have been working with others to craft a resolution. I am happy to announce that the “Becoming a Just Church Resolution” has now been submitted to the Mennonite Church USA Resolutions Committee! Those of us supporting this resolution believe it speaks an important word to our denomination as we…
With all due respect to the probably good-hearted and most certainly earnest people who have created the various and sundry surveys that have gone out into various portions of the Mennonite Church USA world–ahhhrrrgggghhh! Yet another survey is out today–this one for those who will serve as delegates in Kansas City this summer. It is…
As some of you know, this fabulous foursome gathered in Kansas City a few weeks ago to talk to the Mennonite Church USA board. (Well, Stephanie was really just there to glare at people.) I appreciate the opportunity we were given to share about the movement of the Spirit in our communities and the hopes…
Spacious Faith 