June 2024

In 1990 the topic of becoming a Reconciling Congregation was brought to members who rejected it. It came up again in 2005 with a concerted effort to educate the congregation on what that meant and the effect going forward.

A Reconciling sub-committee of Ministry in Action met to find the best way forward to a good answer. The planning committee included Chris Harris, Paul Trauger, Jan Dahl, Chery Fuller, Margot Perry, Janice Steele, and Chris Allen, the facilitator. They quickly concluded that they needed a glimpse of how the congregation felt about the issue and needed to allow space and time for neutral inquiry. Pastor Faith Whitmore suggested getting the survey out immediately. A table appeared in the patio for conversations with volunteers. A positive decision would mean that the congregation was committed to overtly welcoming all people into congregational life and make public their understanding of inclusion.

Articles from the Reconciling committee appeared in Markings every two weeks. The committee felt this was a necessary step because gays and lesbians were the only group of people openly and systematically discriminated against by the United Methodist Church. Becoming a Reconciling Congregation would be a way of moving the welcome mat from the inside of the church to the outside.

Concerns were expressed about what it meant to be publicly inclusive. Education would be necessary. That included the Sunday morning patio table staffed by 20 volunteers and a variety of informational literature. Rev. Don Fado held two 3-week Sunday School classes for questions and conversation about the Wesleyan quadrilateral and reconciling issues. “Cake and Conversation” celebrated Valentine’s Day. A display of 50 stoles from the ecumenical “Shower of Stoles” took place in the narthex for several weeks. The committee held movie nights. A Town Hall was held on April 23, 2006 for continuing questions and conversation. And Markings articles appeared to answer commonly asked questions and share information about our community and this movement. Several of those articles included bios of the members of the team, some gay and some straight. One article provided an overview of the different groups, with definitions of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex. All of these educational activities kept up for months.

Finally, a Special Church Conference was held the first Sunday of May 2006 to decide. The time between the November survey and the May church conference provided time for discernment and reflection. Absentee ballots were available for those who could not attend in person. After all the ballots were counted, 269 yes votes outnumbered the 43 no votes and the 4 abstentions. Saint Mark’s officially became a Reconciling Congregation!

The Pride Parade every year gives us a chance to reinforce our commitment to growing a thriving, inclusive, and diverse congregation that engages the broader community with compassionate acts.