The Rio Texas Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church

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Moved by Christ’s love to pursue reconciliation and peace, honoring the dignity of every individual made in God’s image, The United Methodist Church is unwilling to turn a blind eye to injustice. Although you, and possibly even your congregation, may lack the resources alone to effect change in a broken world, your giving is vital for the UMC to continue its global ministries of reconciliation.

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Dear Friends,

Grace and peace of the risen Christ be with you.

As you may have already heard, the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church heard arguments this week concerning the election of Bishop Karen Oliveto by the Western Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church. They will release a decision when they conclude their business, likely later this week. As we await the decision, I would like to share the following thoughts.

It is important to understand the limited reach of the Judicial Council's decision in this case.  The Judicial Council is the church’s highest court, but it does not make church law.   The Book of Discipline will not change because of the Judicial Council’s decision.  Only the General Conference can change The Book of Discipline.

The 2016 General Conference asked for the formation of the Commission on A Way Forward to work on a way by which those who disagree on issues of human sexuality can coexist in the same church. The Commission seeks to maximize the presence of a United Methodist witness in as many places in the world as possible. We seek to allow for as much contextual differentiation as possible, balancing different theological understandings of human sexuality with a desire for unity.  I am a member of this commission and its work is well underway.  The Council of Bishops called a special session of General Conference in 2019 for the sole purpose of hearing the report of the commission.