We awoke to an unusually beautiful sunny day in
Portland. After my shower I found
breakfast waiting downstairs. Sarah was
already eating. Providence was playing
the piano and singing. How lovely to be
serenaded during our meal.
The three of us walked the 2 ½ miles to the Jupiter
Hotel. We learned that Providence is 21
years old, comes from a large family and is a successful professional
musician. His father is a United
Methodist pastor in the Congo. Once we
arrived at the Jupiter, Sarah and I checked in with the Love Your Neighbor Coalition
and then Sarah, Providence, and I struck out for the convention center. When we arrived, people in rainbow stoles
were gathering around the Martin Luther King statue. We sang a few songs, and then at 10:32 a.m. we
passed through security one by one and entered the convention center.
Communion elements were placed on the floor and people
formed circles around them. In the
center was a woman named Sue Laurie, an out lesbian. We were all there for Sue’s ordination by a
grassroots group of LGBTQ United Methodists.
They were surrounded by supporters, both gay and straight. Although Sue earned her Masters of Divinity
in 1995, she has been barred from entering the candidate process because of her
sexual orientation. Despite this, Sue
has dedicated 21 years to ministry in the United Methodist Church. The ceremony publicly affirmed Sue’s gifts
and God’s ordination of her many years ago.
The ceremony included scripture read by LGBT clergy and
wonderful justice songs of our church.
Hands were laid on Sue and soon hands connected us all. Communion with juice served in rainbow rimmed
glasses was served to all. Ceramic
hearts were distributed to all present to remember this day. It was a beautiful ceremony filled with
emotion. We all sang from the
heart. I was so glad to be present.
We walked over to a nearby hotel where lunch was being
served to LYNC volunteers. We shared a
table and conversation with two retired pastors, both of whom now live in
Colorado. Sarah and I headed back to the
convention center to hand out flyers. I
had the ones telling about the morning’s ordination. From our rainbow stoles and buttons, it was
obvious who we were. Some people eagerly
accepted the flyers and others politely declined. We could often guess which was which.
Finishing my job, I entered the large room where the opening
worship was about to begin. I had never
shared worship with thousands of people before.
Amazing! The music and the
liturgy included other languages besides English. The music was very multi-cultural. Since our annual conference is hosting, my
bishop was one of the speakers.
Communion included stations all over to accommodate the multitude of
people. There were some extra servers
today, groups of openly LGBTQ United Methodists who offered communion to all
but were there to especially offer a safe space for both queer and straight
folks. Sarah, a lesbian, was one of the
servers. She later told me that it was a
wonderful experience.
After the service, Sarah and I visited the exhibit hall
before looking for dinner. Not wanting
to go far, we found a sports bar with a limited food menu. We enjoyed some salad and wine before heading
back to the convention center. We
arrived for our shift to do the Jericho Walk but could not find the signs we
were supposed to carry. We were part of
a team of four; the other two were a couple, retired pastors. We prayed then walked together and
talked. It was a lovely way to spend
time, even though it wasn’t what we had planned.
I wonder what tomorrow will bring. . .
Written on 5/10/2016
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