How I Spent My Summer Vacation by Matt J Smucker
I was there for Matt Smucker's Ordination by Ike Porter
Reflections on Annual Conference 2002 by Kristi Zimmerman-Frost
Reflections on Annual Conference 2002 by Ineke Way
How I Spent My Summer Vacation
Matthew J. Smucker
It did not feel like I had a vacation this past summer. But it did begin with an unexpected emotional and spiritual high. The first week of June I was planning my ordination service, scheduled to take place on June 9 at Skyridge Church of the Brethren in Kalamazoo, Michigan. With a sense of great joy as well as numbness, I outlined with my pastor, Debbie Eisenbise, the components of a remarkable celebration; one that I never expected to occur for me in the denomination of my childhood.
Earlier, on April 29, the Michigan District Board had approved my candidacy for ordination through an intentionally thoughtful discernment process. This group of risk-takers affirmed my call to ministry in seminary administration at Chicago Theological Seminary. It marked the first time that an openly gay man was received in ordained ministry in the Church of the Brethren. As I anticipated their decision, I was prepared for a negative outcome, not expecting that God would open the hearts and minds of the Michigan district board. I was shocked when I learned the results of their discussion, and I had no idea what the rest of summer had in store for me.
While there were protests and objections, my ordination service moved forward with the official support of the district and jubilant surprise of my faithful congregation. For the past three years, the Skyridge congregation had supported and nurtured me through this journey, yet always expecting that each milestone would be the last. In the spring of 1999, the district ministry commission had approved me for license ministry, also a first for the denomination. Together we walked faithfully together, trusting that God would guide and protect us without knowing where our path would lead or where it would end.
During the Sunday morning worship, my ordination service took place with the love of family and friends celebrating the transforming power of God's Spirit. The service was amazing; full of music, dance, scripture, prayer, joy, and thanksgiving. One of my seminary professors delivered a message using images of living water (John
7:37-39) and the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-40), to offer her thought that "Maybe it is all about you." Yes, the gospel of Jesus Christ is radically inclusive.
The joy of this day was quickly suppressed by objections from across the denomination. The news of my ordination spread rapidly. In early July, the Brethren's Annual Conference gathered in Louisville, Kentucky. A query was on the agenda calling for discussion of the licensing and ordination of gays and lesbians. The query had been sent by another district the previous summer in reaction to my licensing, my graduation from Bethany Theological Seminary (Richmond, Indiana), and my search for congregational employment. While the query came with a particular bias, it did present an opportunity for the denomination to move into dialogue, both theoretically and practically. It was time for the Church of the Brethren to break the silence about homosexuality.
In the pre-conference discussion, the standing committee was clearly divided on how to proceed. But the conservative faction of the church prevailed. A motion was brought to the delegate body which called for the Church of the Brethren not to recognize the licensing and ordination for homosexual ministers. Without insisting on further study and deeper conversation, a delegate vote was called after less than an hour of conversation. The motion was passed with a 70 per cent vote of the 900 delegates. While this quick action provided comfort for some, it created deep distress for others. This action stirred up various concerns in terms of our congregational polity. I was shocked that a vote occurred so rapidly. While I had hoped for more thoughtful discernment and openness to God's leading, I realize that fear and ignorance prevailed.
In concern for my spiritual well-being, I had previously decided not to attend Annual Conference. Yet separation from my spiritual family and the negative vote created a sense of isolation and loneliness for me. My ordination and the decision at our Annual Conference attracted the attention of the national media. It compounded my sense of isolation. As time progressed, the story felt less and less like my own. As friends from across the country informed me that they had seen it in their local paper, the breadth of the publicity dumbfounded me and I felt frustrated by the lack of my personal participation in the process. To my surprise, I have not received one piece of negative correspondence as a result of this publicity.
By mid-August, church leaders and members were voicing their reactions and opinions. Some called for the withdrawal of my ordination; others affirmed the district board's bold decision. For some, the Annual Conference vote drew a distinct line in the sand, while others questioned the action and raised questions about the local church's authority. The battle lines were drawn as the Michigan District Conference approached.
The district leadership embraced the gathering with a faithful, discerning spirit. Unlike the process at Annual Conference, they hoped to provide a space for more dialogue and less action. As one side brought a petition to affirm the annual conference vote, the other side drafted a query for clarification to send back to next summer's annual conference. Knowing that this gathering would be even more heated and more personal, I again decided to stay away to nurture myself and protect my spirit.
As expected, the district gathering was well attended. Unlike most district gatherings, virtually every church sent delegates and Skyridge had nearly 20 members present. Leaders from the national body were there, including a church parliamentarian and the general secretary. In the business sessions, the conversations and speeches were passionate. The final outcome was that the delegates tabled the petition for one year and passed the query. These two actions allowed more time for dialogue.
My summer never felt like a vacation. It was a time for great joy as I was recognized for my gifts and ministry. I am grateful for the love and support of my family and friends. The Skyridge congregation and the leadership of the Michigan district boldly proclaimed their love and support for me. Emotionally and spiritually, I experienced pain in the silence of the spotlight and isolation as an instrument of change. I learned that those who oppose my gifts and ordination often retreat from personal engagement as they fear me and my story. As a result, they don't see me as an authentically gifted and called servant of God.
I learned to remain grounded and strong, watching and praying for the in-breaking of God. This summer I caught a glimpse of Jesus' life when he was taunted by the Pharisees and discovered why he took time in the wilderness to rest and recuperate.
At this point, I am still grateful for the opportunity to continue to walk this road less traveled. I am blessed to do work and ministry at Chicago Theological Seminary, where my gifts are affirmed and I am not under the daily stress of church conflict and commentary. I am hopeful for the possibilities for this year. I pray that this fall will provide opportunities for me to share my story and describe the amazing moments in my journey toward ordained ministry. I hope for safe places where I can proclaim the ways that God has been present to me. While I cannot say that my summer had the qualities of a typical vacation, it was nonetheless a journey down a wilderness road with unexpected turns and blessings.
I WAS THERE FOR MATT SMUCKER’S ORDINATION
by
Edward “Ike” Porter
I was there when Skyridge Ordained Matt Smucker. It was a wonderful service of celebration attended by persons from Matt’s family, the seminary where Matt attended and the one where he works, friends, persons from other faith traditions and officials from the denomination. The people one would have expected for a regular ordination plus a whole host of others because of the unique nature of ordaining an openly Gay man. I remember remarking to my oldest son that this would serve to stir things up and that the ordination probably wouldn’t stand.
I said this based on my experiences of the church. I have been a Christian for thirty years now and my faith pilgrimage has led me through a very narrow fundamentalist tradition, to the Mennonite Church, through the awakening of the Charismatic Movement of the mid 70’s and early 80’s, to this current adventure in the Church of the Brethren. When I was in the fundamentalist church, we took a vote to determine if black folks had souls or not. The vote passed and black folks then had the opportunity to experience salvation and entry into the Kingdom of God. There were some who were so opposed to the vote, they fought against it and threatened to leave the church if the issue passed. They quoted scripture and waxed powerfully on the curse of Ham. Some of them did indeed break fellowship rather than accept brothers and sisters of color. I was much younger then—both in years and in faith. I didn’t understand the vehemence and anger present.
Later in life, while serving the Mennonite Church, the issue of the ordination of women came to the church. Once again the church was polarized. Scriptures were quoted, I Cor. 14:34 and I Tim. 2:12 were the most quoted. The issue for me was how do we deal with these texts and still affirm the gifts given by the Holy Spirit. Once again, people threatened to leave the church rather than have fellowship with those who believed that they should accept the gifts God gave them. The church did allow the ordination of women and some left the denomination. Once again, I was surprised by the anger and vehemence present in the discussion. But as I thought deep and hard on this issue, I came to believe that some of my brothers and sisters believe that they have the mind of God and that anything that stands outside of what they think is not of God, therefore of the devil. Reflecting on my fundamentalist training, I recognize the fear of “going against” the Bible. I stand in the tension between that and the turmoil in the Church represented in Acts 15. I ask myself, “What does it mean to serve a living God who gives gifts where I would not expect to see them?” I don’t know. I know that God is bigger than me and that God can make stones cry out if that is what God desires to do. It seems to me that the church has a couple of ways to look at things. One, we can decide that it is our job to determine whom God will not accept and then work to exclude them or we can decide that it is our job to “destroy dividing walls of hostility” and find ways to accept and affirm those seeking to serve the Living God. At any rate, I have been tremendously blessed by the teaching and preaching of my sisters in Faith.
Later still, I was pastor in a community where a pastor from a neighboring congregation refused to accept into fellowship those persons who have been divorced and remarried. He was very evangelical and would lead them to a salvation relationship with Christ and then, when he learned that they were divorced, he would demand that they left their current relationship and returned to the former or remain single for the rest of their lives. The existence of children in the current marriage had no impact on his declaration. When I asked this brother about his actions, he tried to minimize his judgment by telling me that if the persons refused to divorce their current mates he would tell them that they could not come to his church but that the Methodists would accept them. I find this attitude very confusing. He was basically saying that God may accept these people and the Methodists may accept these people but that he would/could not, based on his understanding of scripture. When our standards are higher or even different from God’s, in my opinion, it is a form of blasphemy. Over the years, some have left the fellowship rather than having fellowship with the divorced and remarried.
Skyridge ordained Matt. Something I knew to be a courageous and controversial action. This act was something that was the culmination of prayer and discernment and testing. The congregation recognized the God given gifts that were made manifest in Matt and affirmed those gifts. This is in obedience to the directions of scripture. However, there was a lot of negative reaction at Conference concerning Skyridge’s actions. I found myself amazed at the surprise Skyridge expressed because of the reaction of her brothers and sisters. I found myself amazed when Skyridge was shocked that the actions of the Conference Delegates were less than loving and outside of normal operating procedures. I guess that is because in my experience, I have seen the church behave deceitfully and Non-Christ-like on many occasions. It happens when we face something that scares us deeply. Skyridge believed that her brothers and sisters would honestly hear their reasoning and trust their judgment.
In truth, I don’t understand homosexuality. I cannot comprehend being emotionally and sexually attracted to members of my own sex. It is outside my realm of normalcy. Because I do not understand it, I will not judge it. I will look for what I do understand. I understand faithfulness. I understand compassion and love (although my understanding is limited). I understand discipleship and commitment to the cause of Christ. I understand that God has gifted people to lead the church. I believe that God loves me and accepts me and believe, wholeheartedly, that if God can accept a wretch such as I, that God will accept anyone. I understand that life is a pilgrimage and that God continues to reveal Godself and God’s will to those who seek to follow. I started out faith as a warrior in the US Army, willing to kill and destroy at the command of a man. God loved me then and called me then. I am now a pacifist because God worked with me through my walk. I have no idea as to what God will do with Matt BUT I am certain of this, God loves Matt with an incredible love and Matt loves God. If God leads Matt to a different understanding of his life, Matt will accept this leading. When God changes us, it most often does not happen in the midst of rejection, it happens in a loving relationship. We all know that loving relationships are patient and kind. I don’t know about homosexuality but I do know that there are theologians and scholars on both sides of this issue who will tell us the will of God. I also understand that Christ died that we might be one and that that oneness is sometimes difficult and hard to do. However, our oneness is a command and the degree of difficulty has nothing to do with it. I understand that according to the Apostle Paul, Christ came to destroy the dividing wall of hostility and that when I allow myself to be a builder of walls that exclude, I am antichrist.
Now, I face going to a District meeting. I am older in years and in faith. I am a lot less the idealist and a lot more the cynic that I was earlier in life. I would like to believe that my brothers and sisters will listen to the process and understand that the actions taken with Matt were not done out of a matador spirit nor were they done in a malicious vain. The act of ordaining Matt was born in obedience and with a sense of humility. We do not understand the workings of God but we do embrace them. My expectations are that we will not be heard. My expectations are that many of my fellow delegates have already made up their minds and that nothing said will have any impact. My belief is that there have been strategizing sessions on both sides of the issue so that we will not have to listen to the voice of the Spirit at the meeting.
I find it amazing that one as disillusioned as I still sees himself as a churchman and still wraps the cloak of being the bride of Christ around himself as a form of identity.
Niebuhr once said, “Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore, we must be saved by love.”
I pray that when we gather, we will celebrate the work of Christ and continue the work of Christ through all of our actions.
Reflections on Annual Conference 2002
by
Kristi Zimmerman-Frost, 2002 Delegate
My parents took me to many Annual Conferences while I was growing up, but I went this year in a new role…as a delegate. Even though my congregation, Skyridge Church of the Brethren, Kalamazoo, MI, trusted me to represent them, I was nervous about my role at this particular conference. I went with eager anticipation and excitement, but was equally nervous about the importance of the business agenda. I knew that the decisions that I was going to participate in could potentially divide a denomination that I dearly love. Many reports and items of business were presented, but for the purpose of this article, I am going to focus on the query that was most important to me.
The query about the Licensing/Ordination of Homosexual persons to the Ministry in the Church of the Brethren was introduced on Tuesday. In short, the Standing Committee’s recommendation stated that it is inappropriate to license/ordain homosexual persons. I had not gone to Annual Conference planning to speak from the floor. However, with the narrow passage of the denominational name study committee the day before and the exclusive nature of the Standing Committee’s recommendation, I felt moved to speak. When the floor was open for comments, I was second to the microphone. I said, “I rise in opposition to the Standing Committee’s recommendation. Annual Conference and the denomination have given the power of discerning ministry calls to the districts. If we make the districts’ power conditional, by affirming this motion today, we are setting a dangerous precedent. Regardless of how you feel about the issue of homosexuality, once we pick a group to exclude from leadership in the church…it opens the door of exclusion. What group will be excluded next?”
The next two hours were spent hearing many speeches from the floor. The overwhelming majority of people who spoke from the floor were in opposition to the recommendation. The group of individuals who spoke in support of the recommendation was not very diverse. They all quoted similar biblical passages as their reason for support. The group of people who spoke in opposition to adopting the Standing Committee’s recommendation was a diverse group of individuals in both age and gender. The reasons for opposing the recommendation were also varied. The persons who both did not support the recommendation and also believe homosexuality is a sin tended to say that we should not rate one sin greater than another, and therefore should not deny anyone leadership positions in the church. Others who spoke in opposition said that we should not deny equal rights or membership into the church. Still others took the position that supporting discrimination in church leadership positions was not where we should be heading as a denomination. Others said that we should not be voting on this recommendation because it is actually polity disguised as policy. Those who spoke in opposition appealed to Church of the Brethren history and precedent, rightness of process, danger of excluding one group, the need for continued dialogue on the issue and Jesus’ example of inclusion.
When it came time for a vote, there were eight to ten Points of Order that were raised…one right after another. Unfortunately, two points of order that asked for clarification about what it would really mean if the statement got passed did not get adequately addressed. After a written ballot vote, the results came back 650 supporting the recommendation and 274 opposed…the statement unfortunately got the 2/3 majority vote it needed in order to be officially adopted. As I left my seat to find my family, tears started streaming down my face as I thought about my Brother, Matt Smucker.
Reflections on Annual Conference 2002
by
Ineke Way
As I reflect on the Annual Conference decision, it seems to me that we have personal and congregational decisions to make about what to do now, in response to hearing of the Annual Conference decision.
What was most powerful for me during the days that I was at Annual Conference, was the stories of how COB believers through the ages have taken risks for their beliefs and on behalf of justice -
· the early Brethren who risked certain death to go and be baptized in the river
· Sarah Rider Major, a courageous woman who experienced a call to preach, and who would not be stopped by Annual Conference decisions
· Manchester COB, who just this year approved commitment ceremonies
so, I believe that we do have examples for what to do next
Annual Conference has decided to approve a new policy (although it is not polity). And this is a “powerful” statement because Annual Conference approved it!!
But I recognize that we, as individuals and congregations, have a choice about how to respond to this decision.
I pray that instead of joining in and supporting the decision, that we will continue to move forward in love, and we will continue to work for inclusion and justice, and that we will continue to act with integrity
I pray that I, and we, will not get stuck in anger, that we will not get stuck in hopelessness, that we will not get into an us and them mentality, that we will not give up, and that we will not become paralyzed. Because I believe that God gives all people their gifts, and I want to support God’s call for all people to use their gifts.
I believe that we will need to work together with others, we will need to think through our next steps, we will need to be courageous, we will need to step out and take risks, and we will need to not give up.
At the conference it was said “God has a deep yearning for love, peace, and justice.” I believe that we are doing God’s work - I pray that we do not go away.
To My Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
Twenty years ago an invisible sign hung over Skyridge Church of the Brethren in Kalamazoo, MI. The same invisible sign hung over almost every church in America. We did not need to worry about a modern Martin Luther tearing it down, as it was invisible. The sign said, “Homosexuals not welcome, but if you come anyway, please stay in the closet. If you can’t do that, at least repent and live alone. Do not, under any circumstances, agitate us with your pain. This we proclaim in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” No one ever questioned, “should not what we do in the name of our Lord be positive?” Things like preaching the gospel, feeding the hungry, visiting the sick and imprisoned, standing with the poor, working for peace, feeding His flock?
Now, in the Spring of 2002, a young man stood before us. He was our friend, for he has said many beautiful things in our presence. I quote, “ I want to be more like Jesus.” “I find healing as I envision Jesus holding me in my hurt and in my pain.” “I want to be like Jesus in my heart.” Matthew Smucker had recently completed Bethany Theological Seminary. His voice is strong and beautiful, both for singing and preaching. His heart seems to welcome everyone into God’s presence. He won an award at Bethany for his skill as a preacher. He feels called to minister to God’s people. Now, Skyridge Church was being asked to recommend for ordination the first openly gay minister in the history of our denomination. We did not have an agenda or want confrontation. It simple felt like the only just action open to us. We arose and tore down the last remnants of our invisible sign.
We know that the majority of you do not agree with our decision. Just as many of our denomination have chosen to live out our faith by working for peace and not participating in war, regardless of the opinion of the larger body of Christians, so Skyridge Church of the Brethren has chosen not to exclude anyone who seeks our God. We have also chosen to continue to be in dialog with those who disagree, believing that not loving our brothers and sisters in Christ would grieve God a great deal.
Let all who read this know that if you claim the name “Christian”, it is you who are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and we will stay at the foot of the cross with you. We refuse to leave. We will stay until the blood and the tears and the living waters flowing from the side of our Savior wash away the pain, the wounds, and our divisions. Meanwhile, we wish only to journey with you – simply, peacefully, together.
Carolyn Dixon
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ,
The ‘O2 Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren made a decision not to honor the call for ordination of a fellow Brethren who is homosexual. This decision was done by delegates who had no experience of living in community with individuals affected by the decision, but did so based on their own understanding of scripture. The 1983 paper on Human Sexuality from a Christian Perspective admits on page 8 that scripture passages in the Bible “do not deal with some contemporary questions about various forms of homosexuality, about homosexuality as an orientation, about the onset of homosexuality prior to the age of moral accountability and about genetic and/or environmental predispositions.” That paper did not deal with scripture that speaks of those qualities of the spirit that are the determining qualifications for ministry. These are the loving fruits of the spirit that can only be determined by living in community with those in question. The founders of our denomination stated that scripture must be interpreted in community after prayerful discernment with the Holy Spirit. Annual conference can not be that community. It must be the congregation and those in the District who have taken the time to walk the faith journey with the person/people in question. We are not dealing with an issue, but the lives of our brothers and sisters of faith.
I have been a member of Skyridge Church of the Brethren for thirty-five years. It is a congregation which has taken seriously Jesus’ command to consider everyone our neighbor – especially those who challenge us to think beyond our stereotypes. Because of this, we became worthy of the trust of two outstanding Christians with wonderful spiritual gifts, Ruth Moerdyk and Matt Smucker, both of whom happened to be homosexual. We called each of them into the licensed ministry and each followed a call to go on to seminary. Matt graduated with distinction and later applied for ordination. By strong consensus, Skyridge recommended Matt to the Michigan ministry commission and later Matt was recommended by them to the District Board. Both of these groups spent time becoming acquainted with Matt’s gifts, listened to the conviction of his call, prayed and studied scripture together, and finally determined that his call was from God and that they should honor it.
We at Skyridge spent at least twelve years on this faith walk with our sister, Ruth, and then our brother, Matt. We started out with a lot of ignorance about homosexuality. Most of us were not comfortable dealing with the topic of sexual orientation. But we realized that to honor our brother and sister as Christ does, we would have to study and pray for understanding – not just intellectually, but in our hearts. The following is what came to me as I, along with the rest of the Skyridge congregation, recommended Matt for ordination.
1. Jesus taught that morality comes under the law of Love. He opposed the thinking of the Jewish leaders of his time who went by the rule book. He demonstrated this again and again as he healed the sick on the Sabbath, befriended the woman at the well and the woman who had been caught in adultery. I think that Jesus would be in favor of ordaining Matt – the issue should be whether homosexuality is sinful, but whether this person, Matt, is filled with the fruit of the spirit and faithful and loving in his relationships.
2. Heterosexual and homosexual acts are sinful when they are done to abuse another person – either to wield power over someone forcefully or to treat them simply as an object. Promiscuity is wrong, whether heterosexual or homosexual, but a loving committed relationship, which is intended to be lasting, is a blessed thing, whether between two people of the same or opposite sex. The important difference is in commitment, which exemplifies the qualities of 1 Corinthians 13. The true test for any relationship involves faithfulness, respect and honor of each other. (Jesus also speaks of judging character by the fruit of the spirit in Matt. 7:18).
3. The third reason, which is implied in the two above, is an answer to the question: “Does Matt exhibit the fruits of the spirit, named in Gal. 5:18-23?” These are “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, self-control; against such there is no law.” We who have worshiped with Matt and David, and have observed them and loved them as our brothers, bear witness to the fact that they manifest these fruits of the spirit with us and one another. As a people who hold the New Testament as our guide to belief, and the great commandment of love for God and our neighbor as the over arching law, how can we do anything but approve Matt for ordination, if we are faithful to the spirit of the law?
Your sister in Christ,
Lois (Lowey) Dickason