Dear Friend in Christ,
We the undersigned United
Methodist Pastors have learned with sorrow and shame that you were
denied membership in one of the congregations within our great
connection. Coming to the gates of a Christian community, only to find
them locked because of someone else's prejudice must be a painful
experience. On behalf of the larger Christian community we wish to
apologize to you.
Moreover, we wish to let
you know that each pastor and each church mentioned below offers you the
hand of friendship and connection in the name of Jesus Christ.
We don't know who you are,
but we know that you are a beloved child of God. We don't know where
you come from, but we know that we are all citizens in the household of
faith. We don't know about your past, but we do know that when you
enter the Christian community you possess a future of hope and new
beginnings. In fact, we know nothing about you. But we do know that
Christ died and rose so that the dividing walls between us might come
down and that we might be one in the love of Christ.
So, over the narrow chatter of the law
courts and the Pharisees of our denomination, we wish to extend to you
the hand of welcome. Across the chasm of bigotry and narrowness within
our own United Methodist community, we reach out to you with the love of
our Savior Jesus Christ.
The Churches we serve wish
to invite you into membership with us. We will welcome you and treasure
you. We will embrace you and challenge you. We will nourish you and
call you into service. And we will walk with you through the struggles
that life brings.
We know the rejection you
suffered cannot be erased. And again, as ones who are sister and
brother clergy to the one who denied you, we ask for your forgiveness.
Our hope is that this welcome will contribute in some small way to your
healing. And we hope, too, to be able to welcome you in worship in one
or all of our churches in the near future.
Keeping you in prayer and celebrating
your faith, we are yours
In the peace of the Risen Christ,
Pastor Leon Adkins Jr,
- retired, Middlebury United Methodist Church, Middlebury, VT
Pastor John Auer, Reno
First United Methodist Church, Reno, NV
Pastor Brandon Austin,
North Sacramento United Methodist Church, Sacramento, CA
Pastor Mary Elyn
Bahlert, Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, Oakland, CA
Pastor Courtney Ball,
Iowa City First United Methodist Church, Iowa City, IA
Pastor Andrew Bear,
Merced United Methodist Church, Merced, CA
Pastor Charlotte Bear,
Merced United Methodist Church, Merced, CA
Pastor Dave Bennett,
Central United Methodist Church, Stockton, CA
Pastor Robert C.
Bjorklund (retired), Epworth United Methodist Church, Oklahoma City, OK
Pastor Mark S.
Bollwinkel, Los Altos United Methodist Church, Los Altos,
California
Pastor Thomas
Brackney, Fall River Mills Community United Methodist Church, Fall River Mills, CA
Pastor Elizabeth
Brick, St. Andrews United Methodist Church, Sacramento, CA
Pastor Joseph W.
Browning (retired), La Quinta, CA
Kathy Campbell-Barton,
Peace with Justice Coordinator, Oregon Idaho Annual
Conference, Salem, OR
Pastor George P.
Carter, retired, Willits, California
Pastor Candace Cessna,
Anderson Valley and Philo United Methodist Churches, Mendocino County, CA
Pastor Neal Christie,
Greater New Jersey Annual Conference, NJ
Pastor James Conn,
Director of New Ministries, Cal Pac Annual Conference, Santa Monica, CA
Pastor Jack Copas,
Epworth United Methodist Church, Elizabeth, NJ
Pastor Mark Cordes,
Hope United Methodist Church, South San Francisco, CA
Pastor Jim Corson,
retired, California Nevada Annual Conference, West Sacramento, CA
Pastor Pamela D.
Cummings Sonoma United Methodist Church, Sonoma, CA
Pastor James Current,
First United Methodist Church of Santa Rosa, CA
Pastor Wilson de
Ocera, United Methodist Church of Daly City, Daly City, CA
Pastor Debbie Dillon,
Cone Community United Methodist Church, Los Molinos, CA
The Rev. John H.
Emerson, ret. Pastor Emeritus* First United Methodist
Church, Reno, NV
Rev.
Renae Extrum-Fernandez, Walnut
Creek United Methodist Church, Walnut Creek, CA
Pastor
Pam Fine, Chair, Conference Board of Church & Society,
California-Nevada Annual Conference,
CA
Pastor Douglass E.
Fitch, Senior Pastor, Glide Memorial United Methodist Church
San Francisco, CA
Pastor Marylee Fithian
retired, Minnesota Annual Conference, Guerneville. CA
Pastor Jerry Fox, St.
Paul's United Methodist Church, San Jose, CA
Pastor Robert Kenji
Flowers, Wesley Foundation at Baylor United Methodist
Campus Ministry, Central Texas Annual Conference, TX
Pastor Debbie Gara,
First United Methodist Church, Pasadena, CA
Pastor Erika Gara, St.
PaulÕs United Methodist Church, Redondo Beach, CA
Pastor Nobu Hanaoka,
Bethany United Methodist Church, San Francisco, CA
Pastor Joel Harbarger,
First United Methodist Church, New Lexington, OH
Pastor Pharis Harvey
(retired) Aptos United Methodist Church, Aptos, CA.
Pastor Julie Horne,
Associate, Trinity Unitee Methodist Church, Chico, CA
Pastor Rebecca Irelan,
Novato United Methodist Church, Novato, CA
Pastor Alan Jones,
South Hayward United Methodist Church, Hayward, CA
Pastor
Bobbi Kaye Jones, St. John's United Methodist Church, Austin, TX
Pastor Montie Jones -
retired - Lawton, Oklahoma
Pastor Galeda Jones -
retired - Lawton,
Oklahoma
Pastor Karen Junker, Associate, Glide Memorial United
Methodist Church San Francisco,
CA
Pastor Kathleen
Kaplan, retired, San Mateo, CA
Pastor Elizabeth
Meikle Kennedy Crystal Springs UMC Charge
Conference San Mateo, CA
Pastor Thomas
Kimball, Community United Methodist Church, Fairfield, CA
Pastor Sun Hee Kim,
New Vision United Methodist Church, Millbrae, CA,
Pastor Liza Klein,
First United Methodist Church, San Rafael, CA
Pastor Dr. Mary E.
Kraus, Dumbarton UMC - Washington, DC
Pastor Jeff Kunkel,
New Vision United Methodist Church, Millbrae, CA
Pastor
Kathy La Point-Collup, Elk Grove United Methodist Church, Elk Grove, CA
Pastor Phil Lawson,
Inter-Faith Action in Housing, Oakland, CA
Pastor Don Lee, Sierra
Pines United Methodist Church, Grass Valley, CA
Pastor Theresa Mason,
Chaplain, Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota
Rev. Richard
Matsushita (retired), Cal-Pac Annual Conference
Pastor Tana McDonald,
Greenville Community United Methodist Church, Greenville, CA
Pastor Laurie McHugh,
Burlingame United Methodist Church, Burlingame, CA
Pastor David Leeper
Moss, Chico Trinity UMC, Chico, CA
Pastor Eileen Lindsay,
The United Methodist Church of Davis, Davis, CA
Pastor James
Lockwood-Steward, Superintendent, Bayview District, California
Nevada Annual Conference, CA
Pastor Martin Murdock,
First United Methodist Church, Redding, CA
Pastor Margaret North,, St. StephenÕs United Methodist Church, Broken
Arrow, OK
Pastor Kelly OÕConnor,
Forestville United Methodist Church, Forestville, CA
Pastor John Oda, Pine
United Methodist Church, San Francisco, CA
Dr. Karen Oliveto,
Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, CA
Rev. Emily A. Peck
McClain, Associate Pastor, Church of St. Paul and
St. Andrew United Methodist, New York, NY
Pastor Linda
Pickens-Jones, Montclair United Meethodist Church, Oakland, CA
Pastor Gayle Pickrell
Christ Church United Methodist Santa Rosa, CA
Rev. Melody Porter,
Commissioned Deacon, Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, PA
Pastor Schuyler
Rhodes, Temple United Methodist Church, San Francisco, CA
Pastor Peggy
Risenhoover, Leland Clegg United Methodist Church, OK
Pastor Kelvin Sauls,
Downs Memorial United Methodist Church, Oakland, CA
Pastor Dave Schlager,
Burlingame United Methodist Church, Burlingame, CA
Pastor Jane Schlager,
Superintendent, Goldengate District,
Pastor Rick Schlosser,
Clearlake Oaks Community UMC, Clearlake Oaks CA, California Nevada
Annual Conference, CA
Bishop Beverly
Shamana, California Nevada Annual Conference, United Methodist
Church, Sacramento, CA
Pastor Harry Shaner
(retired) San Ramon Valley Charge Conference, Walnut Creek, CA
Pastor Christine E.
Shiber, First United Methodist Church, Pacific Grove, CA
Pastor Dave Slorpe,
Mill Valley United Methodist Church, Mill Valley, CA
Pastor Judith Stone,
Sebastapol United Methodist Church, Sebastapol, CA
Pastor Paul Sweet,
Crystal Springs United Methodist Church, San Mateo, CA
Pastor Carolyn
Talmadge, Chaplain, The Edge Campus Ministry, San Francisco, CA
Pastor Richard Taylor,
East Mountain United Methodist Church, Tijeras, NM
Pastor Margo Tenold,
Council of Churches of Santa Clara County, Santa Clara, CA
Pastor Larry Thomas,
Half Moon Bay United Methodist Church, Half Moon Bay, CA
Pastor Steve Thompson,
Hillsdale United Methodist Church, San Mateo, CA
Pastor Tarah Trueblood,
Wesley Foundation at University of California; Berkeley, CA
Pastor Tony Ubalde,
Retired, California Nevada Annual Conference.
Pastor Ted Virts,
Superintendent, Delta District, California Nevada Annual Conference
Pastor Norman Wasson,
Sentinel/Rocky United Methodist Church. Sentinel Oklahoma
Pastor Cecil Williams,
retired, California Nevada Annual Conference, CA
Pastor Wanda Windsor,
Evergreen United Methodist Church, Fort Bragg, CA
Pastor Roger Wood,
First United Methodist Church, Heavener, OK
Pastor Motoe Yamada,
Wesley United Methodist Church, San Jose, CA
Pastor Michael
Yoshii, Buena Vista United Methodist Church, Alameda, CA
Pastor John
Youngbird-Holt, Round Valley United Methodist Church, Round Valley, CA
________________________________________________________________
(to add your name to this growing list, please email me at
pastor@templeumc.org. Include your name, church, city and state,
for identification purposes only. Thank you.
Pastor Schuyler Rhodes,
Temple UMC, San Francisco, CA)
