On Sunday, April 28, Epworth church council members voted to send three petitions to the California-Nevada Annual Conference Session (regional body), to be held in Modesto, CA from June 19-22, 2019. One is a denunciation of the Traditionalist Plan and a re-affirmation of our commitment to dignity, love and welcome for all people; the second advocates for the creation of a task force to strategize and coordinate around the way forward for all of us; and the third redirects a p

Epworth United Methodists reaffirm commitment to LGBTQI inclusion following divisive global vote Church releases public statement in response to Special General Conference FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA - Epworth United Methodist Church, in Berkeley, announces its rejection of the decision at the Special Session of the United Methodist General Conference in February. Epworth will not adhere to the vote or church doctrine which restricts LGBTQI clergy and acceptanc

REPORT BACK FROM THE SPECIAL SESSION OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE UMC -BILL MILLER When I left for St. Louis my expectation was that the Traditional Plan would prevail. In the abstract or intellectual sense, this sensibility takes on some manner of dissociation. I saw that look on a number of people I presumed to be supporting the Traditional Plan. It was the effect of knowing and then waiting for an unwanted (in their case wanted) event to pass, without outwardly acknowl

Talk by Judy Cayot, co-Lay Leader of Epworth UMC Berkeley. Grief tempered by Joy Downtown St. Louis was cold and desolate the day after GC ended, reflecting my mood. As I walked there, our pastor, Kristin texted me asking how I was. I replied, “sitting with grief and joy. They are old friends.” That is where I am still. Great joy at seeing many long-time friends from across this country whom I have known because of our connectional church – in fact Anna Blaedel, who was an in

Beloved Epworth Community, The special general conference has concluded and the Traditionalist plan has prevailed. After the vote, the deep sense of sadness and resistance was expressed in the singing of “This is my story, this is my song,” and a liturgy that proclaimed that We Are the Church! At the same time, delegates and supporters of the plan that passed began singing a different song. It was an image of a deeply broken church. I put my head in my hands and wept, surroun

But now, this is what the Lord says— the one who created you, Jacob, the one who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze… Forget the former things; do not dwell on

For trips along the coast I typically pack my bag with books. Flying means I have to separate the wheat from the chaff and winnow it down to two. My wife is more clever than I as she uses Kindle. For St. Louis I will pack two books: The Book of Discipline and Sylvie Simmons’ I’m Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen. In preparing for this trip theologically, I have been distracted by many fears. Primarily I fear becoming the prototypical dyspeptic traveler: anticipating bad wea