Methodists in New Directions
Jesus never said he came for almost everybody. Yet the United Methodist Church still excludes God's lesbian and gay children. We MIND...and we're doing something about it.
Methodists in New Directions (MIND) is a grassroots organization working to end discrimination and prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) people in the United Methodist Church (UMC). MIND believes in living the loving, radical, inclusive Gospel. It believes that Christians are called to follow the example of Christ in proclaiming the all-encompassing, extravagant love of God and that the church has a special obligation to welcome the poor and the marginalized. MIND believes that the church has no business mimicking the prevailing prejudice of the society around it.
MIND was officially founded on November 5, 2006, when reconciling activists throughout the New York Annual Conference (NYAC) came together, elected officers and a steering committee, decided to become a Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN) affiliate and a membership organization, and adopted a set of by-laws. That date marked the beginning of MIND’s formal existence as an organization, but it was also the culmination of two years of growing reconciling activism. PSUMC members were active in that activism and central in MIND’s founding.
MIND believes that the transformation of the church will—must—come from the bottom up and that living our faith means each of us taking the next steps in the reconciling ministry in our own congregations—whatever those steps are, however big or small. MIND has focused on nurturing this kind of faith-in-action and local activism. It is one reason MIND chose to be a membership organization: every reconciling Methodist in NYAC can take the step of affirming their belief that the church’s bigotry is wrong and can strengthen our nascent movement by adding to our numbers.
To join MIND or for more information, contact Dorothee Benz , the current chair, or write to MIND at P.O. Box 368, Bronxville, NY 10708-0368 . MIND maintains a yahoo group, membership in which gives you access to a wide variety of MIND files, resources and links, including a membership brochure. Click here to buy MIND’s t-shirt, “Closed doors. Broken hearts. We mind.”
MIND’s 2008 initiatives include an open letter to the UMC from members of NYAC, calling for marriage equality in the church. Over 500 people have signed the letter so far and it will appear in the conference’s newpaper, the Vision , in April. MIND is beginning to plan this year’s witness at the annual conference meeting; see this flyer for important dates.