iHOPE

The Lazarus Effect

 

Resurrection isn't just something

we experience after death.

It is the Reality through which all life

and death are experienced.

The Decision Before Us

The story this past week about the PCUSA and the expected ratification of our constitution to allow congregations that choose to do so (and where it is legal) to conduct same-sex weddings, raised some good questions about our own discussions and decisions in front us. As we get ready for our Congregational Conversations in April, it seems like a good time to review where we have been and what we need to do. There are three questions I get hear most and they can be summarized as:

1.  What is it we are deciding?
2.  How (and when) will that be done?
3.  What are you asking me to do?

 

Why Are We Still Discussing This?

Why are we still discussing whether or not to allow   same-sex weddings in our facility? 

Good question.  It came up at our last Session meeting (4/11) and it reflected what has been asked around the congregation, more and more recently. Some of the reasons that I have heard why we should stop discussing this issue include:

• This looks like indecision. We need to be more decisive and move on.
• This is unnecessary. Everyone already knows what they believe about this topic. Why keep talking about it?
• It feels destructive. We are making people uncomfortable and this topic is dividing us. 
• It is distracting us from other issues that are more important (i.e., membership decline, financial trends, outreach to our community, etc.)

In the end, Session chose to continue the course that we set last summer. Here are some of the reasons why: