Subject: Arrests Stun Methodists. Soulforce Announces 4-Year Followup Campaign.
From: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 14 May 2000 10:23:57 EDT

A Soulforce News Alert, May 15, 2000
TWO DAYS OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE STUN UNITED METHODISTS
218 ARRESTED DEMANDING JUSTICE FOR SEXUAL MINORITIES 

Gandhi, King, Civil Rights Heroes and United Methodist Bishops
Launch Soulforce Campaign to End "Holy War" Against Homosexuals

Soulforce Announces Plans for Presbyterian and Episcopalian Events 

CLEVELAND (May 13, 2000) Discriminatory policies against sexual minorities in 
the United Methodist Church resulted in 191 arrests, May 10, and 27 arrests, 
May 11, for acts of civil disobedience at the General Conference of the 
nation's second largest Christian denomination in Cleveland, Ohio. 

Those arrested included United Methodist Bishop C. Joseph Sprague (Northern 
Illinois) and Bishop Susan Morrison (Northern New York), civil right leaders 
from the '50s and '60s, members and clergy of The United Methodist Church, 
and Soulforce activists from 24 states.  It also marked a first arrest for 
Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mohandas Gandhi, who traveled to Cleveland to help 
launch the ecumenical, interfaith Soulforce campaign to end the "holy war" 
against homosexuals being waged by Catholic, Protestant, and Mormon churches. 

The May 10 civil disobedience coincided with an ecumenical worship service 
addressed by the (Anglican) Archbishop of Canterbury and attended by 5,000 
United Methodists and heads of 20 other denominations with anti-homosexual 
policies in place.  The arrest of 191 people of faith continued for ninety 
minutes as a dozen different Soulforce "Prayer Squads" blocked the exit from 
the Cleveland Convention Center in a Silent Vigil carrying signs that read 
"No exit without justice."  Hundreds of supporters sang hymns and applauded 
as each "squad" was arrested. Nearby, anti-gay protestors shouted obscenities 
and waved signs reading "God Hates Fags" and "Got AIDS Yet". Officials from 
the Cleveland Mayor's Office and Police commended the large Soulforce 
delegation for their disciplined and peaceful act of civil disobedience.

"For three decades Catholic and Protestant leaders have debated our issue," 
explained Dr. Mel White, Soulforce Founder and the last person to be 
arrested.  "Each debate ends with another act of injustice.  They've declared 
our lives 'incompatible with Christian teaching.'  They've refused to ordain 
us for ministry, to bless our loving relationships, or to budget funds for 
programs that assist or welcome our sisters and brothers.  We're blocking 
this exit to say to the 1,000 Methodist delegates and their ecumenical 
guests, 'This debate is over.  The suffering has gone on too long.  Stay in 
there this time until you do justice. And if you don't, we give you fair 
warning that we love the church too much to stand by in silence.  We are 
launching a plan today in the loving, nonviolent spirit of Jesus, Gandhi, and 
King that will demonstrate our determination to end the injustice forever."

The 191 Soulforce delegates who were arrested spent the day in jails across 
Cleveland.  They were fingerprinted and photographed.  Some were handcuffed. 
By evening, each person had appeared before a local judge to pay a $155 fine. 
 Soulforce activists paid almost $30,000 in fines and court costs to take 
this stand for justice. Thursday, May 11, when the delegates voted to 
maintain their anti-homosexual policies twenty-seven United Methodist leaders 
were arrested the second time after staging a Pray-In on the stage of the 
Convention Center.  

At a press conference and debriefing held Thursday, May 11, Greg Marlan and 
Karen Weldin, Co-Chairs for the Soulforce action in Cleveland joined Dr. 
White to announce a four-year Soulforce strategy to help end discrimination 
against sexual minorities by the United Methodist Church.  That campaign - 
RELIGHT THE FLAME - is enclosed below.  Soulforce will be working for justice 
at the upcoming Presbyterian and Episcopal Conventions later this summer.  
See www.soulforce.org for details. 

ABOUT SOULFORCE:
Soulforce (www.soulforce.org) is an ecumenical, interfaith coalition 
dedicated to applying the principles of relentless nonviolence as taught by 
Gandhi and King on behalf of all who suffer injustice, especially sexual 
minorities.  For information and helpful resources see WWW.SOULFORCE.ORG. 

CONTACT: Dr. Mel White, (949) 455-0999 or [email-masked]

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______________________________________________________________________
"RELIGHT THE FLAME!"

A FOUR-YEAR SOULFORCE STRATEGY
TO HELP END DISCRIMINATION AGAINST SEXUAL MINORITIES
BY THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Current U.M.C. policy discriminates against God's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and 
transgendered children.  This spiritual violence must end.  We love this 
member of the body of Christ too much to allow it to continue these policies 
that lead to suffering and death.  Because delegates to GC2000 refused to 
take a significant step towards ending these policies of discrimination, our  
"Relight the Flame" campaign begins May 14 and will continue until GC2004. 

Our Overriding Promise: The four-year "Relight the Flame" campaign described 
(in part) below will be guided ENTIRELY by the "soul force" principles of 
nonviolence as practiced by Gandhi and King.  Every action promised will 
represent the Spirit of Christ who called His followers to do justice above 
all else.  Our goal is not to "win" this endless debate about homosexuality 
but to end it by achieving reconciliation with our sisters and brothers who 
are victims of misinformation about sexual minorities.

Every local U.M.C. congregation features the denomination's logo: a cross and 
a flame.  That flame represents the presence of the Holy Spirit in that local 
congregation.  We are persuaded by Scripture, church teaching, and historic 
example that Christ's Spirit cannot remain where all God's children are not 
welcome.  How can the Spirit be present in a local congregation who makes 
outcasts of God's own children? Our logo for this entire campaign will 
replace that bright red flame with a plume of smoke and ash and the words 
"Relight the Flame." We are struggling to help save those congregations from 
policies that have driven the Holy Spirit from their midst.  We are working 
with you to help save the soul of the United Methodist Church

First Promise: 1,000 people of faith will be arrested in a massive civil 
disobedience on the opening day of GC2004.  Remember, the goal of a civil 
disobedience is NOT to intimidate or to embarrass but to change minds and 
hearts through our voluntary redemptive suffering.  Our May 10 civil 
disobedience had one goal: to demonstrate our love for the United Methodist 
Church.  Approximately 200 of us spent May 10 crowded into police vans and 
jail cells across Cleveland. We were fingerprinted and photographed.  The 
charge of "persistent disorderly conduct" will remain on our records.  
Together, we paid $29,605 in fines and court fees to help you understand how 
sincere and determined we are.  And we will do it again and again until you 
realize that this tragic debate is over.  The suffering must end.

Second Promise: Over the next years, U.M.C. congregations across the nation 
whose clergy or laity have been especially outspoken in support of these 
discriminatory policies will be the site of Sunday Morning civil disobedience 
actions (not unlike the civil disobedience conducted in Cleveland, May 10).

Third Promise: We will be organizing on the Internet to recruit and train 
U.M.C. members and other people of faith to stand vigil on Sunday mornings on 
the sidewalks in front of United Methodist congregations that support these 
discriminatory policies.  Marchers will carry banners that read clearly: THIS 
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH DISCRIMINATES AGAINST SEXUAL MINORITIES.

Fourth Promise:  We will be organizing on the Internet to persuade members 
and friends of U.M.C. congregations who support these discriminatory policies 
to give their tithes, offerings, and special large gifts to U.M.C. 
congregations who support full inclusion for sexual minorities. 

Fifth Promise: We will be organizing on the Internet to convince United 
Methodist clergy, musicians, Sunday School teachers, ushers, choir and 
committee members and all other volunteers who currently serve U.M.C. 
congregations that support these discriminatory policies to offer their 
services to U.M.C. congregations that support full inclusion for sexual 
minorities.

Sixth Promise: We will urge U.M.C. clergy to refuse to obey the unjust "laws" 
stated in the Book of Discipline.  Marry us!  Ordain us!  Welcome us into 
full, unqualified membership in your churches!  "It is as much our moral 
obligation NOT to cooperate with evil as it is to cooperate with good." Gandhi

Seventh Promise: We will launch a nationwide campaign to persuade the 
3,000-4,000 closeted U.M.C. clergy and the hundreds of thousands of U.M.C. 
laymen and laywomen to "come out" and join us in this campaign to "do 
justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God."  Without their courageous 
example, injustice will prevail and the suffering will go on. 

For more information or to volunteer to assist in our "Relight the Flame" 
campaign
Contact: [email-masked] or go to: www.soulforce.org "Relight the Flame 
Campaign"

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