In September a policy of marriage equality will be put to a congregational vote at Foundry United Methodist Church. While President Clinton was in the White House the Clintons attended the church.
Foundry is engaged in a Summer of Great Discernment:
Foundry’s congregation and its leadership are in a discernment process to determine our pastoral response to the legalization of same gender marriages within the District of Columbia. We are conscious of positions that The United Methodist Church has taken that are opposed to same-gender marriage, but those aspects of church discipline are in conflict with the deeper emphasis of the church’s Book of Discipline upon the gospel of grace and pastoral care for all of God’s children.
Participation of the congregation has been facilitated in several ways:
– Prayerfully considering the proposal before the congregation.
– Attending and participating in lectures, events and discussions.
– Reading through the resources on the issue including a small group discussion guide.
– Joining in the discussion in the online forum.
– Setting aside time in your small group or bible study to discuss and pray about this issue.
– Talking with the members of the Congregational Council or Ministry Team.
– Emailing your questions and comments to [—] by July 18.
– Signing up for the Summer of Discernment email list to receive updates on events, new resources and more.
– Participating and voting in the Church Conference on Sept. 26, 2010.
After listening to the discussion the Congregational Council released a final draft of the proposed policy on July 25 based on the input of the congregation. The one page policy statement cannot be done justice by an excerpt. Read the whole thing.