Kindred in Christ,

Last Sunday we had the joy of baptizing some beloved members (and mermaids) from our community and celebrating the grace that is poured over all our lives. One of the many things baptism represents is the waters of new birth, or the waters of the womb of God. It is a bold reminder that since the beginning, before we were even aware, God’s sustaining love and grace was already with us. And this grace that brings us to new life is still flowing through us, propelling us into a meaningful life of love, service, and justice-seeking in the way of Jesus.

Something powerful happens when we collectively remember our baptisms. If we allow it, the communal ritual of baptism of friends and family members becomes the Spirit’s invitation for all of us to open ourselves up to what new birth can look like for our world, church, and selves in the present.

This past week, our denomination experienced a new birth of the Spirit, as diverse Methodist delegates from around the world gathered to pray, discern, and vote to finally remove the prohibitive and discriminatory language against LGBTQIA+ people, which had been imposed into the United Methodist Book of Discipline and Social Principles for so long. An overwhelming 93.14% of General Conference delegates voted to remove the harmful restrictions that sought to ban queer folk from living into their call to ordained ministry. And 76.46% voted to remove the “incompatibility” clause from our social principles and expand the definition of marriage. Along with this, the UMC has also moved to regionalize the U.S., meaning that we are decentering the United States and striving to decolonize our denomination to truly be a global church that shares power equally with other nations. These and many more strives forward are clear signs of rebirth for the people called Methodist.

While U Gathering and our Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Methodist Church has celebrated the ordination and marriages of the LGBTQIA+ community for years, this now makes it possible worldwide.

As I saw diverse delegates and members at General Conference crying tears of joy, and erupting into spontaneous worship and praise as they celebrated these historic changes in our denomination, I found myself feeling deeply connected and blessed by God’s grace that is still bringing new life. May this past week be a blessing and a charge. May we be blessed that we got to see the day our denomination changed, and may we accept the charge of living into a new day of greater inclusion and justice in the way of Jesus.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz