12 Thursday, August 15, 2024 BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com
$$$$$$$$$$
$200 - $10,I BUY All Cars & Trucks
Call Me First! I Pay More!
269-223-Chapel Hill United Methodist
Church in Battle Creek will become
a “Reconciling Congregation,”
according to a recent church press
release.
Chapel Hill “started its journey
with Reconciling Ministries Network
(RMN) in March of 2022, follow-
ing the formation of the Reconciling
Ministries Core Team, a subgroup of
Chapel Hill U.M. Church votes to become LGBTQ+ inclusive
the church’s Commission on Church
and Society,” the press release stated.
RMN offers local congregations
a set of resources for building an
inclusive church, specifically to help
church communities welcome people
of all sexual orientations, gender
identities and gender expressions.
The Core Team began using this
resource to work toward the goal ofcompleting the Reconciling Ministry
process.
Three listening sessions were
offered to the congregation over the
next two years to provide individu-
als an opportunity to tell stories from
their own lives and families regarding
LGBTQ+ inclusion.
This forum also provided an oppor-
tunity for discussion regarding thedivergence of thought in the United
Methodist Church regarding the ordi-
nation of openly LGBTQ+ people.
Articles in the church’s monthly
newsletter and weekly e-news high-
lighted the work of the Core Team
along the way.
At two congregational Town Hall
meetings, a review of their goals and
status updates were shared and an
opportunity for a Q & A was pro-
vided.
After polling the congregation in
December 2023 (with more than
76 percent of those responding in
favor), the decision was made to
become a part of RMN and estab-
lish Chapel Hill’s own identity as
a United Methodist Reconciling
Congregation.
The application process and accep-
tance by RMN was completed in
May.
“Having RMN as a partner in their
commitment to inclusion and diver-
sity gives the congregation many
resources as a United Methodist faith
community as they seek to live into
their mission: Inviting All People
to Grow in God’s Love,” the press
release stated.
It will also help with an identity in
the Battle Creek area as a community
of faith that “believes all persons
are children of God ... regardless of
gender identity, race, socioeconomic
status, or any other ways people are
marginalized in society,” the church
noted.
All this coincides with actions
at the United Methodist Church’s
General Conference this May that
removed from the church’s “Book of
Discipline” language deemed harm-
ful to the LGBTQ+ community.
“In the United Methodist Church
we believe that God’s love is avail-
able to all persons. As beloved chil-
dren of God, we are called to love all
persons. Being more inclusive allows
us to live into that call,” said Rev.
Julie Elmore, Chapel Hill’s pastor.