One of the most gifted and
effective ministers I have been privileged to know was an amazing lady I’ll
call “Jane.” With a heart for the poor and the heart of a pastor, Jane found
her true calling and her true self in her role as servant/pastor. Having grown
up in a loving family and having been actively involved in her neighborhood
United Methodist Church from an early age, Jane answered a strong calling to
enter the path of ordained ministry after the completion of college and
seminary.
After
serving as pastor in several different settings, Jane found herself appointed to
a “dying” church in a changing neighborhood. Under her vibrant leadership, the
church experienced rebirth. As attendance began to grow, Jane spear-headed the
effort to start a community garden next to the church parking lot. This garden
soon evolved into a farmer’s market that served the entire community—one of the
first church/community gardens anywhere.
People
from the community began showing up to help in the garden and ended up becoming
members of the church. I witnessed this transformation and marveled at the
change and growth I saw in the lives of the individual members of the church
and community.
About
the time when things were going really well for the church, Jane came to my
husband and me to share her complete sorrow and devastation that she felt she
could no longer continue to do what she loved best—serve as pastor to her
beloved congregation. Her huge loving heart was broken because she could not be
true to her calling as an ordained clergyperson in the United Methodist Church
and at the same time be true to her God-given identity as a lesbian. This
beautiful, creative, articulate, bright, fun-loving, spirit-filled person is no
longer serving as a church pastor. The United Methodist Church has lost one of
its best and brightest ministers.
Unfortunately,
this is not just Jane’s story. This story has been repeated over and over. Enough
is enough. This discrimination cannot continue. To me, it goes against all that
Jesus came to teach. I want to be part of a United Methodist Church that truly
welcomes all of God’s children.
