Statement in Response to the UMC Special General Conference 2019

We the members of Bridgewater United Methodist Church believe in the sacred worth of all human beings and as such, we believe that all of God’s children should be able to have full participation in the United Methodist Church, including ministry and marriage. We believe that the decision by the Special General Conference 2019 of the United Methodist Church to approve the amended Traditional Plan does egregious harm to our community.

We renounce this decision and lament the continued discrimination and exclusion of LGBTQIA+ people from a full life in the United Methodist Church. We look forward to joining with like-minded churches and conferences to explore what a new branch of Methodism might look like, one that fully includes all people united by our love of Jesus Christ and steeped in a Wesleyan heritage.  In the meantime, we will continue to be a connectional United Methodist Church by supporting its mission and ministries.

We welcome all of God’s children and celebrate diversity of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ability and social status. We will seek to faithfully live into the credo of our church: Inviting All, Engaging Hearts and Minds, and Serving Others With The Love of Christ.

Faithfully,
The Pastors, Leadership and Congregation of Bridgewater United Methodist Church