The Rev. Irene Elizabeth Stroud 

The Rev. Irene Elizabeth (Beth) Stroud, 34, joined the First United Methodist Church of Germantown in Philadelphia as an associate pastor July 1, 1999. She oversees the youth programs in addition to preaching, offering communion and performing baptisms. Previously, she served as associate pastor of West Chester United Methodist Church. She earned her undergraduate degree from Bryn Mawr College in 1991 and a master’s of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York in 1996. Under the process in place at the time, she was ordained as a deacon in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church in1997 and became a full member of the conference in 2000. 

The Case

In April 2003, Stroud told the congregation in a letter and a sermon that she is a lesbian living in a committed relationship with another woman, Chris Paige, 33, now a consultant for small businesses and nonprofit organizations. 

In reaction to the announcement, the eastern Pennsylvania bishop started a process that led to a formal charge of engaging in “practices declared by the United Methodist Church to be incompatible with Christian teachings.” A trial was scheduled for Dec. 1 at Camp Innabah, a United Methodist camp and retreat center in Spring City, Pa., about 30 miles north of Philadelphia. If convicted, she risks losing her credentials as an ordained minister.

The proceedings will resemble a civil trial with retired Bishop Joseph H. Yeakel of Smithsburg, Md., serving as the presiding judge and 13 ordained United Methodists serving as the jurors. The Rev. J. Dennis Williams, a retired United Methodist minister, and Alan Symonette, an attorney who serves as a lay leader at First United Methodist Church of Germantown, will represent Stroud. The Rev. Tom Hall and attorney Robert Shoemaker Jr. will argue for the church. 

A conviction requires a guilty verdict by nine jurors. 

Church Law

The Book of Discipline, which outlines the laws of the United Methodist Church, says “because homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching, self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be accepted as candidates, ordained as ministers or appointed to serve” as pastors. 

But the book also says: “Inclusiveness means openness, acceptance and support that enable all persons to participate in the life of the church, the community and the world. Thus, inclusiveness denies every semblance of discrimination.” In addition, it says sexuality is “God’s good gift to all persons,” homosexuals are “individuals of sacred worth,” “God’s grace is available to all” and “certain basic human rights and civil liberties are due all persons.” 

In reaction to an acquittal in a similar case, the Judicial Council — the highest legal authority in the United Methodist Church — recently ruled that the church clearly finds homosexuality incompatible with Christian teachings and reaffirmed the church’s ban on the ordination and appointment of gay and lesbian pastors. The council did not consider whether the prohibition on ordination of homosexuals violates the church constitution. 

The Precedent 

In March, a jury acquitted the Rev. Karen Dammann of Ellensburg, Wash., of “practices incompatible with Christian teachings” for living with another woman in a committed relationship. In a statement, the jury said, “We searched the Discipline and did not find a declaration that ‘the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.’ ” Instead, the jury cited references in the Discipline to the “sacred worth” of homosexuals and the church’s abhorrence of discrimination. 

The Judicial Council ruling and the addition of the words “declared by the United Methodist Church” in the formal charge against Stroud preclude her from using the reasoning that led to Dammann’s acquittal.

First United Methodist Church of Germantown

The 210-year-old First United Methodist Church of Germantown, which straddles one of Philadelphia’s wealthier areas and one of its poorer, attracts a diverse congregation of almost 1,000 members. Long known for social activism, the congregation belongs to the national United Methodist movement Reconciling Ministries Network, which advocates the full inclusion of gays and lesbians in church life. 

The church is part of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church, which encompasses 498 churches with more than 138,000 members in 16 counties.

United Methodist Church

The United Methodist Church, which traces its founding to 1744, is the third largest denomination in the United States. The church claims 8.3 million members in the United States and about 1.5 million members in other countries. 

During a meeting last spring, the General Conference, which meets every four years, reaffirmed the church’s opposition to the ordination and appointment of homosexuals as pastors. 

Links of note: 

First United Methodist Church of Germantown: www.fumcog.org
The Rev. Irene Elizabeth Stroud’s defense: www.bethstroud.info
Eastern Pennsylvania Conference: www.epaumc.org
United Methodist Church: www.umc.org
Reconciling Ministries Network: www.rmnetwork.org