Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church
Resolution of Confession
of / from harm caused by the Special Called GC of 2019
Whereas: “If one member of (the body of Christ) suffers, all suffer together with it.” (1 Corinthians 12:26a) And we know that the Special Called General Conference of 2019 caused suffering within and beyond the body.
Whereas: Jesus gave us a new commandment to “love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35) And we know that we have not loved one another well.
Whereas: We have broken John Wesley’s number one general rule to “Do No Harm” by causing harm to one another within and beyond the body of Christ.
Therefore: The Oklahoma Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church resolves to repent with the following confession as we recognize our sin and ask for the grace of Jesus Christ to forgive us.We celebrate the freedoms coming to the LGBT community in Oklahoma and we pledge our love, affirmation and equal treatment to all persons. We do so as we continue to pray and work for a fully inclusive United Methodist Church.
Let Us Pray:
For the tears that were shed, hearts that were broken, and persons who felt left behind or discarded by The United Methodist Church, forgive us.
For those who have left the church because we have shown judgment and hatred instead of love and grace, forgive us.
For insinuations of winners and losers when we are all part of the body of Christ together, forgive us.
For the rhetoric that was spoken without regard that we were speaking about children of God, forgive us.
For any we have made feel unwelcome, forgive us.
When we proclaim “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors,” but don’t live by it, forgive us.
When we have looked at our colleagues with different opinions and considered them enemies, forgive us.
When we have questioned the biblical faith of others because it doesn’t look like our own, forgive us.
When we have ignored the sexual sins in our own lives but have lifted up others as sinful, forgive us.
When the words of the church have added to the homeless rate of LGBTQI+ teens when they come out and are cast out by their loved ones, forgive us.
When we have added to the bloodshed of LGBTQI+ persons who commit suicide at a rate of 40% higher, forgive us.
When we have offered a false sense of home to LGBTQI+ persons, and put limits on it that we don’t put on others, forgive us.
When we have baptized our children into the ministry of Jesus Christ but have denied them their calling, not because they didn’t show the fruits of the Spirit, but because of their gender identity, forgive us.
When words have been spoken in sermons, Sunday School classes, or other small groups that make LGBTQI+ persons and family feel like they are an abomination, forgive us.
When we have claimed love for you but have not shown love to those walking beside us, forgive us.
When we give in to fear instead of believing in your perfect love, forgive us.
Forgive us, we pray. Make a new and right spirit within us. Help us to remember that we are not yet perfect in love and give us the courage to strive harder.
Forgive us, we pray. Let our hearts be strangely warmed by the love of Jesus. Remind us that we do not earn your love through holiness, but are recipients of your undeserving grace.
Forgive us, we pray. And strengthen us in love. Amen.
