I am a 76-year-old lesbian, in a committed relationship for close to 30 years and a delegate to the Mennonite Church USA convention in Kansas City. For 25-plus years I have been respected, appreciated and fully involved as a member of a congregation of welcome. But my heart was breaking July 2, walking through the powerful silent sentinel put on by Pink Menno LGBTQ Christians and supporters filling a hallway. With pink duct tape across their mouths, they silently and respectfully demonstrated that the vote on Membership Guidelines said we are still to be silenced and kept from the table.
At one point in the delegate session, the saying, “Jesus is the center of our faith, community is the center of our lives, and reconciliation is the center of our work,” was read aloud. My prayer is that in the future this will not be a slogan that just sounds good in theory but that we can say it because we truly believe Jesus invited everyone in and we acted justly to make that happen.
Linda Gebert
Wichita, Kan.
Have a comment on this story? Write to the editors. Include your full name, city and state. Selected comments will be edited for publication in print or online.