Excluding LGBT people has become the main default agenda of some Mennonite congregations. The recently announced new fellowship of congregations appears to have fallen in line with all the other groups who wish to keep themselves separate from LGBT issues and from LGBT people who are part of the God-worshiping community. As a Mennonite clergyman who has lived for nearly 19 years in a state lacking a Mennonite congregation but has co-led an Anabaptist fellowship, I found a home with the United Church of Christ. Later I was sabbatical pastor for two welcoming UCC congregations. I have felt blessed to be with Christians who are in the forefront of recognizing that LGBT people are God’s creative handiwork. This position rests on a full understanding of the authority of Scripture, through which God is still speaking. Most important, it rests on following Jesus, the living Word of God to us. I was reminded of how essential this following is when our UCC pastor said that God’s word to us is, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him. Do what he says.” In contrast, the human inclination in the Transfiguration scene was to be in awe of the past and to dwell there. On today’s issues, our role is to listen. God is still speaking. Listen to Jesus.

Jesse Glick
Middletown, Conn.