Priorities

EDITOR’S NOTE: The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City hosted its annual Leadership Institute September 25 – 27, 2019. This year the gathering focused on the future of the UMC, and ways to build a more inclusive church as the denomination prepares for General Conference 2020. Over 100 clergy and lay people from the Virginia Conference were among the 2,500 people in attendance. We asked Michelle to share her reflections on the event.

I arrived at Church of the Resurrection on Wednesday evening, just in time for worship. I was intrigued to hear Rev. Adam Hamilton clearly articulate the biblical, theological and social justice underpinnings for the need to be in a conversation about what’s next. But at some point in the service, I became aware of a great sense of disappointment that was slowly creeping over me. So much so, that I chose to ride in an Uber back to my hotel, alone. Sitting in the Uber I had a fleeting memory of an article I had read in my seminary days, which in the last year has resurfaced in my mind more than a few times. Theressa Hoover, the first African American to head the Women’s Division of GBGM, wrote an article in 1974 entitled Black Women and Churches: Triple Jeopardy, where she expounded on what she called the jeopardy of being black, female and working for the church (others have extrapolated “working” to include clergy). She made it a priority to continue to work for more, better and equal opportunities for women of color in the denomination. On that ride to the hotel I realized that the memory of Hoover’s article was a mental response to my emotional state. After hearing Adam talk about all of us being children of God, created in God’s image, looking different, but being loved the same…the thought occurred to me, “Hey, I am not so sure I am included in all of that.” That thought had been only been mental, but it had now become emotional.

Knowing that the United Methodist Church still struggles with issues of racism and sexism among other ‘isms’, I went to sleep feeling like I was about to end up in triple jeopardy. Friday morning brought some relief when Junius Dotson and Ginger Gaines-Cirelli so aptly reminded us of the history of African Americans and women in the denomination. But as soon as they stepped off the stage, I felt like the appropriate conversation was had and now it was time to get back to the real focus, the priority at hand. Please hear me when I say, that I am in no way attempting to diminish the conversation and work going on for LGBTQIA+ persons. It is important work, but the use of the word ALL, really doesn’t mean ALL right now. At least it doesn’t for me. Right now it means LGBTQIA+ is the priority and if things go the way we hope, we will be more intentional to include all the other “isms” in the conversation, in the future.

I came to United Methodism for the same reason that Richard Allen, the founder of the AME church, stayed Methodist. Allen said Methodism was “for the light of the Gospel we enjoy”. The “we” was about inclusion, about all. My journey with human sexuality began in 2011 when I was trained with a group of clergy and laity to facilitate holy conferencing on this issue in the Baltimore-Washington Conference. I was honored to hear the stories, watch the tears fall and summon the strength to wait and hope. When asked then what my thoughts were on the issue, my response was, “I just think it’s a convenient distraction. Needing to talk about how to treat people and not just treating people like the images of God that they are, just distracts us from the real work of making disciples.” For me there was a greater priority.

Now, eight years later, after GC 2019, realizing where this work has taken us, where the priority is, my response has changed, but probably not the way you think. For I am honored again to hear the stories, watch the tears fall and summon the strength to wait and hope. But now the former hope has shifted to look more like optimism. So now when people ask me my thoughts, I say, “I fear that we are prioritizing oppression, and I am not sure how that is going to work. I don’t have the privilege to prioritize. I don’t get to be progressive or centrist or traditional. I only get to be on the side of ALL means ALL.” I want all oppression to end. As a liberationist I understand that if ALL of Christ’s beloved children are not free, then neither am I. That’s my priority.

Michelle Holmes Chaney is an Elder, on loan from the Baltimore Washington Conference, currently serving as BiDistrict Coordinator for Church Revitalization and Leadership Development for the Arlington and Alexandria districts of Northern Virginia. Her passion is around building the beloved community.