Struggling through alienation and loss
11 Dec 2004
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Friends,
On the evening of the trial verdict, Beth and I gathered to eat dinner with our family, as well as with a few of our supporters who had been most generous in their pro bono services. The depth of joy we experienced on that evening was profound, particularly given the day's context and struggles. Indeed, in breaking bread together, we experienced that Grace which comes from the knowledge that nothing "in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:38-39, NRSV)
Rev. Fred Day offered the following prayer to bless that meal. It is shared again now (see link below), with great love, as we are increasingly aware that so many of you struggle on through understandable feelings of deep alienation and loss.
Meanwhile, we invite each of you (and most especially those of you in positions of church leadership) to find ways to reach out to people in your own community who might be hurting at this time. In the words of the 2000 General Conference of the United Methodist Church, to dedicate ourselves "to a ministry of Christ-like hospitality and compassion", including: quote:
- welcoming sexual minorities, their friends, and families into our churches and demonstrating our faith in a loving God;
- a willingness to listen and open our hearts to their stories and struggles in our churches, districts, annual conferences, and General Conference;
- encouraging study and dialogue around issues of sexuality;
- and praying for all those who are in pain and discord over our Christian response to this controversial issue.
Reference: http://www.umc.org/interior.asp?ptid=4&mid=928 (emphasis added)
May it be so.
Chris
Rev. Fred Day's Prayer (December 2, 2004)
Transcript provided compliments of Susan and Alan Raymond:
http://www.thecongregationmovie.com/ |
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Thank you for your all victorious love.
07 Dec 2004
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The Stroud and Paige family went out to dinner Thursday night (after the verdict), with key supporters from our legal team, communications team, and vigil coordinator. Rev. Fred Day shared this prayer... |
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Witness and Response
06 Dec 2004
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We are now compiling reflections both from people who witnessed the trial, as well as other responses to the verdict. We hope that this sharing will be of encouragement to everyone who is struggling with the news of the verdict.
To contribute, send email to: respond@bethstroud.info
Meanwhile, we are also beginning to compile a Frequently Asked Questions page |
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Ubi caritas et amor, ubi caritas Deus ibi est
05 Dec 2004
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Where there is charity and love, God is there.
We were back at First United Methodist Church of Germantown this morning. God's sunlight was streaming through the stained glass windows to cast a wonderful light...
...We are eager for the broader public to know that there are people and congregations within Christianity that are welcoming of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people -- places where God's love for all people is proclaimed.... |
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"This is the day that the Lord has made."
04 Dec 2004
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Some thoughts from the homefront... (more details in the full article)
- If you attended the trial, let me invite you to email me with some of your reflections on the experience.
- Please pray for Beth's continued wisdom and discernment as to what God would have her do next.
- Consider reaching out to others in your community who may be hurting because of what happened at the trial.
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The Day After
03 Dec 2004
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Friends,
We have just arrived home -- to be warmly greeted by our dog and 2 cats. I am looking forward to a warm bath and a good night's sleep in our own bed. Today will be a day of rest -- and more time with our family.
Thank you to everyone who has offered their support through prayer, email, letters, in person, and in material ways. We have over 550 unread emails right now and they continue to pour in -- literally several a minute now that I got the website problem taken care of. I'll be sorting them as we move through the coming week.
The trial itself is still a blur. Immediately after the verdict, FUMCOG associate, Melody Porter hugged me and said, "God is still here." So are we.
Keep the faith. Peace be with you.
Chris |
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Updates during the trial
03 Dec 2004
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My short notes during the trial... (reconstructed, due to technical difficulties) |
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Some final words before we leave
30 Nov 2004
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A quick public thank you to the hundreds of people who have written to us expressing your support and prayers -- especially in the last few days. We have not been able to respond to most of your notes, but we have been comforted and strengthened in the reading of them. We know that we will be fine, no matter what happens with the verdict. How could we not be with such an incredible cloud of witnesses surrounding us?! And as Beth said on Sunday, she plans to be back working at FUMCOG on Saturday regardless.
Please continue to pray -- not only for us, but for everyone involved in the trial. Please pray for their endurance as well as ours. We are especially grateful to everyone involved in providing legal, communications, and vigil support -- too many names to try to list in a hurry (But you know who you are!). They have all been working very hard on our behalf. But please also pray for Bishop Yeakel, the counsel for the church, the jury and jury pool, the witnesses, the Conference and Camp staff.
Please also continue to pray for everyone who is being touched by this trial around the world -- especially lesbian, gay, and bisexual people as well as United Methodists who are experiencing acute grief and alienation due to the on-going policies of the United Methodist Church, as represented in this trial process. Please think about reaching out to someone in your own community who may be struggling. For your convenience we even have some casserole recipes posted!
During the Trial, our time and internet access will be even more limited, but we hope to post updates to this website and to our mailing list. Meanwhile, we hope you will find ample information on our website for your information and edification.
Peace be with you.
Chris (and Beth) |
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