CALLED OUT INFORMATION SERVICE
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We have received this press release from the Reconciling Congregation
Program:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 28, 2000

Shower of Stoles to Make Visible At General Conference the Loss of Gay and
Lesbian Leadership in The United Methodist Church
Submissions still accepted for Display of Stoles in Cleveland – 300 United
Methodist Stoles needed by April 15th!


Chicago –(RCP) Hundreds of liturgical stoles are being gathered to testify
to the many Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) folks in the
church -- as well as their supporters. The Shower of Stoles Project is
partnering with the Reconciling Congregation Program (RCP) to gather 300
United Methodist stoles for display at the United Methodist General
Conference (GC). Any LGBT person of faith may submit a stole. Many of the
stoles in this collection are from ministers, elders, deacons, diaconal
ministers, church musicians, Christian educators and seminarians. Stoles
presented by United Methodists for the General Conference will be dedicated
in a worship celebration at First UMC of Cleveland at 1:30 on the afternoon
of Sunday, May 7.

Stoles may be submitted anonymously. One viewer commented on visiting a
showing of the Shower of Stoles, "What struck me was how many of the stoles
were anonymous! The need to submit a stole without one’s name being public
is a painful indictment of the church – that persons faithfully serving
their denominations must hide their name out of fear of attack or harsh
treatment by supervisors."

Other stoles are in honor or memory of persons who have served or been
excluded from serving the church. "Our congregation is doing one stole in
memory of John Bevan, a diaconal ministers who prepared the table at Foundry
UMC every Sunday that there was communion. He was a faithful servant of the
church. We want his ministry honored."

If you are (or have been) active in your faith community, regardless of your
status in the church, you are encouraged to submit a stole. Preparing a
stole for himself and for a friend who has left United Methodist ministry,
one ordained clergy person reflected on why he was placing a stole in the
display, "I want the church, the delegates to General Conference, to know
that my ministry has been irreparably harmed by policies and practices that
say I’m not ‘generally appointable’ because of my sexual orientation."

Straight allies are encouraged to contribute 'signature stoles' which are
created by ally groups and covered with signatures in support of the justice
struggle of LGBT persons in the church.

It is important to include your story with the stole. A brief clear
statement is more important in telling your story than the most elegant
artwork. Be sure to include your name (unless anonymous), denomination,
where you are from, and your service to the church. Stoles given to the
collection for GC will become a permanent part of the Stoles Project and
will travel after GC continuing to tell the story of the vital contributions
LGBT persons make in our churches. Once completed, your stole should be sent
directly to the Shower of Stoles Project 57 Upton Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN
55405. Contact Martha Juillerat, Director of the Stole Project, for more
information: (612) 377-8792 e-mail stoleproj@....

_________________

Detailed information regarding Reconciling Congregation plans for "Wide is
God's Welcome - Extend the Table" at General Conference can be found at
www.rcp.org.

For additional information contact: Marilyn Alexander, Interim Executive
Director, The Reconciling Congregation Program (marilyn@...) 3801 N.
Keeler Avenue, Chicago, IL 60641. Phone (773) 736-5526, FAX (773) 736-5475.

The Reconciling Congregation Program (RCP) is a growing movement of United
Methodist individuals, congregations, campus ministries, and other groups
which publicly welcome all persons, regardless of sexual orientation. As of
October, 1999, the RCP encompasses 160 Reconciling Congregations, 25
Reconciling Campus Ministries, and numerous other "reconciling" groups. As
of February 2000, there were over 14,500 Reconciling United Methodists and 6
Reconciling United Methodist Conferences

--- end release


____________________________________
Let's Do Justice Together!
Betti L Torrier
RCP Executive Assistant
betti@... www.rcp.org
773-736-5526 fax 773-736-5475

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