Reconciling Ministries Network

Trans Day of Remembrance: Telling Our Stories (Pittsburgh, PA)
2023-11-19 12:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | 5401 Centre Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15232, 5401 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, United States
Join First UMC of Pittsburgh, PA, for a powerful afternoon of celebrating the lives and stories of transgender and genderqueer folx in and around our community. Participate in an education and advocacy fair. Share a delicious lunch. Listen to the stand-up comedy of Bailey Pope and Asher O’Briant. Hear stories from trans folx and the allies who have walked with them through a transition. Honor and express your own story through interactive art with Suzanne Werder.
Children are enthusiastically welcomed to participate, but childcare is available if needed.

How Can RMN Help You? | VBS & Resource Needs w. Nick Mundwiller
2024-01-18 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | PA
Whether you’re planning your VBS for this summer or looking for resources, RMN wants to help. As partners in ministry, we also want to know what else we can do!
Special guest Nick Mundwiller, RMN’s VBS Managing Editor, will share their expertise and insights on the JUST Like Me VBS and other resources available to your ministry. Don’t miss out on this informative and interactive session to benefit those you serve. Register today to hold your spot.

INCOMPATIBLE: How the Church Cast Out LGBTQ Christians & Where We Go Next
2024-01-25 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | PA
Come learn about the fantastic work of Rev. Charlie Baber, creator of the Wesley Bros. comics, and how he uses comics to tell the story of how we got to where we are today in the UMC. Whether you’re a reader of comics or not, you’ll enjoy this conversation with the author.

Making Connections to Make Change: Use Your Story for LGBTQ+ Advocacy
2024-02-01 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | PA
When we live in challenging times that see rights diminishing and threats increasing, how can we be an activist? When change needs to happen, we need to know how to use our stories to open doors for conversation.
Chris Pepple will discuss how we use storytelling to bring about change in our churches, schools, communities, and states.
She’ll also explore how we can use our voices for activism and how we tell our story in different circumstances and to different audiences.

General Conference is Coming. What Can You Do?
2024-02-06 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | PA
What are our GC2024 legislative priorities?
Why become a Reconciling Ministry now?
How else can you get involved?

General Conference 2024 is drawing near, and this is a historic opportunity for the Reconciling movement to advance justice and inclusion for LGBTQ+ United Methodists in the Church. RMN Organizers will discuss what you can do to make an impact in this season. Come ready to learn and be energized, and bring a friend!
Register here.

The Future of LGBTQ+ Inclusion in the UMC, feat. Bishop Karen Oliveto
2024-02-08 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | PA
At this historic juncture in United Methodist history, come learn from Bishop Karen Oliveto about what is possible through policy change and what our Church could become. Bring your hopes and your questions!

How to Use the Parent Support Group Toolkit
2024-02-13 12:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | PA
RMN’s newest resource was published recently: the Parent Support Group Toolkit.
You can download it for free to use in the creation of a group for family members and loved ones of LGBTQ+ young people.
Come hear from Parents Reconciling Network board member Rev. Audrey Myers about how you can optimize your use of this new Toolkit.

(Westfield, NJ) Bobby Jo Valentine LIVE in Concert
2024-03-24 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | FUMC Westfield, NJ, 1 East Broad Street, Westfield, NJ, 07090, United States
First United Methodist Church Westfield presents singer/songwriter Bobby Jo Valentine for a community concert of hopeful folk and pop music. His songs speak of the gentle, everyday spiritual awakenings of an openhearted life.

Attendees are encouraged to make a donation at the door to support FUMC Westfield as a Reconciling Ministries Network partner. RMN celebrates that LGBTQ+ persons are a good expression of God’s diverse creation and exists to advocate for the affirmation of all of God’s children in the church and around the world.

Reconciling @ Rí Rá: an RMN Fundraiser
2024-04-28 18:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | 208 North Tryon Street Charlotte, NC 28202, 208 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC, 28202, United States
Halfway through General Conference 2024, come lift your spirits! Celebrate & support the Reconciling movement with RMN at Rí Rá Irish Pub.

Liturgy of Queer Lament & Celebration
2024-05-02 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | 501 N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202, 501 N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC, 28202, United States
Join RMN, LYNC, UMQCC, and UMQDC for an evening of lament and celebration at 7pm – First UMC, 501 N. Tryon St.

New Dimensions! A Sending-Out Service & Baptism Renewal
2024-05-04 09:30 - 11:00 (America/Chicago) | 501 N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202, 501 N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC, 28202, United States
Join the Love Your Neighbor Coalition (LYNC) and RMN for a sending-out service and baptism renewal at the end of General Conference.

[Sycamore UMC, IL] Pride Formal
2024-06-10 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | 160 Johnson Ave., Sycamore, IL, 160 Johnson Ave., Sycamore, IL, 60178, United States
The PRIDE group of Sycamore United Methodist Church (a Reconciling Community) is putting on a prom-like formal dance to raise funds for its group to have a table at the DeKalb Pride festival and grow in its philanthropic and outreach efforts. If you’re in the area, you’re invited!

You're Invited: Glenn Memorial UMC 10th Reconciling Anniversary!
2024-08-25 11:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Glenn Memorial, 1660 N Decatur Rd NE, Atlanta, GA, 30307, United States
On August 25, Glenn Memorial UMC in Atlanta, GA, is celebrating their 10-year anniversary of becoming a member of Reconciling Ministries Network!

There will be lunch on the lawn after worship. Wear a Glenn Pride shirt or Pride colors and bring a side dish to share!

Their own Jay Horton will be preaching. There will be invited guests and special music! Join in and invite your friends!

You can get your Glenn Pride shirt here. Bonfire T-shirt campaign for the ATL Pride Parade has directed all proceeds to RMN.

The 2024 Morgan Forum @ Candler School of Theology, Atlanta, GA
2024-09-19 13:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | PITTS THEOLOGY LIBRARY, 1531 Dickey Dr #560, Atlanta, GA, 30322, United States
Bible. Started in 2023, in connection with Pitts Theology Library’s establishment of the J. Michael Morgan English Bible & Psalmody Collection, this annual event brings together biblical scholars, translators, collectors, and the general public to consider the impact of the Bible on the church and culture and to learn from one of the world’s premier collections of English Bibles.
“When Translation Really Matters: Momentous Decisions in the History of the English Bible”
This year’s Morgan Forum highlights the significance of translation choices. When faced with the hundreds of English Bible translations available, some may ask, “Does it really matter which one I choose?” This event seeks to answer that question with a strong affirmative by exploring some major decisions made by translators over the five centuries of English Bibles documented by the Morgan Collection. The centerpiece of the event is a screening of the critically acclaimed 2022 documentary 1946: The Mistranslation that Shifted Culture, followed by a panel discussion with the filmmaker, local church leaders, and faculty from Candler and Columbia Theological Seminary. The day will also include updates on the Morgan Collection and presentations from the 2024 Morgan Research Fellows.
Register here: https://candler.emory.edu/about-candler/events/register-for-the-morgan-forum/
For more information, visit here: https://candler.emory.edu/about-candler/events/the-morgan-forum/

A Table For Everyone: A Choral & Worship Experience
2024-10-06 18:30 (America/Chicago) | Centenary UMC – STL, MO, 1610 Olive St., St. Louis, MO, 63103, United States
A Choral and Worship Experience Celebrating the Faithfulness of Centenary UMC & Lafayette Park UMC’s 30th/25th Anniversaries of becoming Reconciling Congregations!
Sunday, October 6, 2024 at 6:30pm at Centenary UMC
All Singers must use original copies from your church library or purchase their own copies of the music for the festival. Packets can be ordered through Midwest Sheet Music at (314) 291-4686 or you can order from your favorite music retailer. Singers will wear all black and should have a black folder.
Screenshot

Whom Shall I Send? [Welcoming LGBTQ+ Clergy Candidates]
2024-11-07 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | PA
The doors of The United Methodist Church have just opened a little further. This is a kairos moment. As United Methodists: who do we now choose to be?
The Church voted to do away with mandatory discrimination against LGBTQ+ people. In name, we’ve removed barriers against ordination for called and qualified LGBTQ+ clergy candidates. Now, we must live out that commitment to a fairer, more equitable process.
Reconciling Ministries Network invites you and your annual conference’s Board of Ordained Ministries, District Committee, and Cabinet to a 1.5-hour virtual training to equip you for more equitable consideration of LGBTQ+ clergy candidates.
You’ll come away from this training with:

Concrete steps to improve your AC’s structure and interview process
An up-to-date understanding of LGBTQ+ language and terminology
A deeper investigation of gracious engagement across theological lines, examination of policies and procedures, and more.

This training will be led by RMN board and staff and by knowledgeable United Methodist experts on policy, procedure, and theology.
* * *
For over 40 years, Reconciling Ministries Network has been committed to intersectional justice across and beyond the United Methodist connection, working for the full participation of all LGBTQ people throughout the life and leadership of the Church.
Learn more about what RMN does in this video, or visit our website.

[Northern Illinois] Rainbows, Resistance, and Reconciliation
2025-02-15 - 2025-02-16 | First UMC of Evanston, IL, 516 Church St, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
Rainbows, Resistance and Reconciliation (R3)

A Celebration of our Intersectional Pride
In the month of our 11th Anniversary as a
Reconciling Ministry Network (RMN) Congregation
Black History Month
First United Methodist Church of Evanston
Saturday/Sunday, February 15-16th, 2025
REGISTER HERE
Grace Imathiu, Senior Pastor
Britt Cox, Executive Pastor

First United Methodist Church in Evanston is celebrating its 11th anniversary as a Reconciling Congregation that seeks justice and dignity for all LGBTQIA+ persons. We invite the reconciling/welcoming communities and prospective congregations in the UM Northern IL Conference and Evanston to gather for a Convocation to revisit our commitment, encourage and support one another, and move into the future with pride in these changing and challenging times.

In this event we seek to:

Provide opportunities for healing and hope: Build Community
Vision faithful movement forward. Strategize about what people and churches need for this work.
Identify ambassadors for LGBTQIA+ justice and advocacy (as RMN names them)
Address issues facing us now like ongoing prejudice and the many hateful laws restricting gender affirming care.
Strategize to take action against violence inflicted on members of the community,, especially transgender folk
Address issues of mental health as relates to homophobic Christian teachings and societal attitudes and seek to reduce high suicide rates (ie mental health )
Embrace Queer folk who because of cultural structural context (color) may still feel a need to be closeted

Christ calls us to welcome all, especially those on the margins, and creates inclusive communities based on love and justice. Intersectionality is key in our commitment to be reconciling; we seek justice in all communities.
Our United Methodist church has been an important center for spiritual convocations for over 100 years (see our history, below). We are member of the Northern Illinois Conference, a diverse UM Conference, rural and urban, with 54 Reconciling Ministry Network (RMN) congregations plus 4 RMN Communities and 5 campus ministries. While our congregation is one of many Reconciling and welcoming congregations in Evanston, we were one of the early members of the RMN fellowship since its inception. LGBTQIA+ persons are in all of our United Methodist communities representing many identities including: nationalities, races, backgrounds, languages, educational attainment, economic conditions, abilities, genders and sexual orientations.

[Pittsburgh, PA] Trans Day of Advocacy Resource & Advocacy Fair
2025-04-06 12:30 - 14:00 (America/Chicago) | First UMC of Pittsburgh, 5401 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, United States
FUMC Pittsburgh is hosting a resource & advocacy fair in the Fellowship Hall on Saturday, April 6, from 12:30pm-2pm.
Come for legal, medical, mental health, political, and theological resources for trans folx and those who love them. Refreshments will be available!

UNCHARTED [Convocation 2025]
2025-07-24 08:00 - 2025-07-27 12:00 (America/Chicago) | 203 Wisconsin Ave, Madison, WI 53703, 203 Wisconsin Ave, Madison, WI, 53703, United States
Every other year, Reconciling people gather for Convocation, an energizing, life-giving get-together.
If you haven’t been to Convocation before, you can expect:

Heart-opening musical worship and preaching
A wealth of educational offerings
Fellowship with other LGBTQ+ and allied United Methodists
Stirring and provocative Bible study

As with the last Convocation, there will be opportunities for one-day engagement, pre-conference extension ministry gatherings, and online participation.
This July, come to beautiful Madison, WI, to refresh your soul, enlarge your capacity, and find your travelers on this justice journey. Just in time, RMN is poised to create a different, stronger movement in this era of our Church and our world.
Click to see photos of Convocation by Jocelyne Cutchens and Jennifer Von Essen.
***
If you’re new to the Reconciling family, this is the perfect year to attend Convocation. Your witness, friendship, and authenticity have never been more needed.
You can register here. Early-bird pricing is now available!
