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Pro-homosexuality UMs Organize To Pass Constitutional Loophole To Force Homosexual Ordination And Leadership In "All" UM Churches

Reconciling United Methodists and Friends of North Carolina

January 1, 2009

Dear friends,

With the new year, we bring a word of hope and encouragement! Our movement of reconciliation has a chance to make serious and substantial progress within The United Methodist Church. As part of our proposed campaign described below, you can help ensure that our churches are open and inclusive to persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as their families and friends.

Purpose: Our main goal is to contact and encourage delegates at Annual Conference to vote for an amendment to our church’s constitution (see reverse), an amendment that says "all means all." This legislation passed at the 2008 General Conference, and now must be approved by a cumulative two-thirds majority vote from delegates at all Annual Conferences. We believe this amendment will more fully ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons, as well as persons of different racial or ethnic backgrounds, economic status, mental or physical abilities, or any other difference are not denied membership in our churches.

Your Role: RUM NC will host a training event led by Sue Laurie from the Reconciling Ministries Network to share with you how you can be involved. There are several different responsibilities that you can choose to take on based on your comfort level and commitment time. They include:

Date: January 24^th, 2009

Time: 10:00am to 4:00pm

Location: Pinetops UMC, Third and Dunn St, Pinetops, NC

For more information, visit www.rmnwitness.org, and join the NC All Means All Campaign’s Google Group at http://groups.google.com/group/AMA-NCC.

Please RSVP by January 16^th to Caleb Parker via phone (919.667.3787), email (wcp0622@gmail.com), or mail (724 Stone Lion Dr., Durham, NC 27703). This will be the focus for our RUM group here in North Carolina for the first half of 2009, ending at Annual Conference this June. We hope that you can take part in this campaign!

Peace and joy,

Caleb Parker and Phillip Shoe

North Carolina Conference Campaign Co-Chairs

All Means All Legislation
Here are the changes to the section of the constitution for which we are campaigning. The first paragraph is what stands currently. The second paragraph is what was passed at the 2008 General Conference, and is the exact language that will be used if it is supported by a two-thirds affirmative vote from all Annual Conferences.

2004 General Conference: The United Methodist Church is a part of the church universal, which is one Body in Christ. The United Methodist Church acknowledges that all persons are of sacred worth. All persons without regard to race, color, national origin, status, or economic condition, shall be eligible to attend its worship services, participate in its programs, receive the sacraments, upon baptism be admitted as baptized members, and upon taking vows declaring the Christian faith, become professing members in any local church in the connection.5 In The United Methodist Church no conference or other organizational unit of the Church shall be structured so as to exclude any member or any constituent body of the Church because of race, color, national origin, status or economic condition.

2008 General Conference: The United Methodist Church is a part of the church universal which is one body in Christ. The United Methodist Church acknowledges that all persons are of sacred worth and that we are in ministry to all. All persons shall be eligible to attend its worship services, participate in its programs, receive the sacraments, and upon Baptism, be admitted as baptized members. All persons upon taking vows declaring the Christian faith and relationship in Jesus Christ shall be eligible to become professing members in any local church in the connection. Passed (must be ratified by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the aggregate number of voting annual members).

____________________________________________________________________________

All Means All Declaration
This is the document that churches, Sunday School classes, individuals, etc, can sign in support of our campaign.

We, the ___________________ United Methodist Church, together with other congregations of the__________ Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, declare our support for the Constitutional Amendment to Paragraph Four, Article IV of the United Methodist Constitution that includes all people in the life, leadership and rites of the church. Believing ALL MEANS ALL, our congregation welcomes persons of all ages, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities, economic conditions, marital status, mental or physical ability s to attend, join, and participate fully in the life of our congregation. Such belief advances our United Methodist mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world by applying the three simple rules: Do no harm, Do Good, Stay in love with God.

Affirmed: __________(Date)

By: :__________________(For example: ad council, voice vote by congregation, outreach committee)

Contact: _______________(Print name of contact person)

______________________(Phone, etc…)