News release Irene Elizabeth “Beth” Stroud has decided to appeal the Dec. 2 decision by a United Methodist trial court to revoke her ministerial credentials. Then the associate pastor at First United Methodist Church of Germantown in Philadelphia, she had been found guilty of violating
First United Methodist Church of Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa. Readings for the Third Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 35:1-16, Luke 1:46-55 One of the characteristics of the life of faith is the experience of counterintuitive joy. Just when the logical response to external circumstances would seem to
News release CHICAGO — The progressive grassroots Church Within A Church Movement in the United Methodist Church, met October 14-16 in Chicago for its regular semi-annual Coordinating Team Meeting. The agenda included joining a larger meeting of multiple progressive United Methodist caucuses to learn more
News release After sharing publicly that she is a lesbian in a covenant relationship with a partner, The Rev. Irene Elizabeth Stroud will face a United Methodist church trial beginning on December 1, 2004. The purpose of the trial is to determine if Rev. Stroud
Every four years the United Methodist Church (UMC) has a general conference where church rules and future plans are established. The UMC has generally been regarded as a more liberal denomination but, at the 2000 conference, it took a strongly conservative stand against homosexuals. Since
Recently, just as an ecumenical gathering was commencing, a secretary rushed in shouting, “The building is on fire!” The Methodists gathered in a corner and prayed. The Baptists cried, “Where is the water?” The Quakers quietly praised God for blessings that fire brings. The Lutherans
Co-authored with Stephen Swecker, editor of Zion’s Herald Northwestern, one of America’s great universities, was begun by the Methodist Church in 1850 outside Chicago in a church parsonage. The school had outstanding football teams in the early years of the 20th century and came to
Bishop Tuell delivered this speech on the occasion of Claremont (Calif.) United Methodist Church’s celebration of its 10th anniversary of becoming a Reconciling Congregation. If I were to give a one sentence answer to the question it would be: “I changed my mind when I
News release Contact: Joretta Purdue (202) 546-8722 A one-page advertisement in The Christian Century magazine, signed by more than 100 United Methodists, has called on U.S. President George Bush to “repent” of certain domestic and foreign policies, including the use of violence in dealing with
News release Despite the United Methodist Church’s restrictive policies regarding homosexuality, many gays and lesbians remain in the denomination because they feel accepted at their local churches. That’s a key finding of a study conducted by Jamie Bigham Stroud of Philadelphia, a marriage and family