Reconciling Ministries Network is made of United Methodists that would like the church to fully include LGBTQI individuals in the life of the church. We look for ways to support the LGBTQI individuals we love and seek ways to heal the hurt they experience.
All Are Welcome Here
The United Methodist Church in Stow recognizes and celebrates God’s unconditional love and grace for all. As a faith community, we embrace the sacred worth of all people. We welcome and affirm people of all ages, races, sexual orientation, gender identity, family configuration, economic status, ethnicity, marital status, religious background, mental and physical ability, or culture. We welcome the full inclusion of all people into the life and ministries of our congregation.
How our church became a Reconciling Congregation
In 2019, a small group of individuals from the congregation formed a Reconciling Ministries Task Force to study together, listen to and speak with the congregation, offer educational opportunities, and determine a timeline to proceed.
After prayer and study as a group, the task force members led a book study over several weeks which was open to all who wished to attend. This was followed in the fall by a movie night and small group discussion after the movie. A skit was also presented during a Sunday service that explained about the task force and what we were doing. The task force members also followed up and visited with Sunday School classes and other groups within the church in order to listen and answer questions.
In October a survey was sent out to the congregation which included a draft welcoming statement. The congregation was asked to return a portion of the survey to indicate if they supported the statement or if they had questions about the statement. We received 93 responses to the survey which were overwhelmingly supportive of the welcoming statement.
On December 15, 2019 the congregation was given ballots and asked to officially vote on whether or not to accept the finalized Welcoming Statement and become a Reconciling Congregation. The result of the vote was 96.7% in favor of accepting the Welcoming Statement and becoming a Reconciling Congregation.
With the positive outcome of the vote, our church officially became a Reconciling Congregation and celebrated with cake and a photo of the congregation on December 22, 2019.
