ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT God Loves All People To our LGBTQIA siblings. their allies, and the Williamsburg community: We, the undersigned United Methodist clergy in Williamsburg and New Kent lament the continued discrimination and exclusion of LGBTQIA people from full participation in the life of The United Methodist Church. We acknowledge that our churchs recent decision at General Conference to continue to deny ordination and marriage rites to LGBTQIA persons was only the most recent wound in our churchs nearly half century debate over full inclusion for all people. Even as we dissent from this decision, we also confess our complicity in the harm done by The UMC. We confess that we have benefited and prospered in a system that discriminates against and rejects members of the LGBTQIA community in the name of God. We repent the harm done to you, and we re-commit to working with you and for a transformed UMC that fully reflects God's love and longing for all people. We disagree with the General Conference decision to reinforce a narrow vision of God's intention for marriage, for ministry, and for human sexuality To our LGBTQIA kin, we want to be clear: you are beloved of God; you are loved by us. We affirm the power of God's baptismal covenant on you that calls Christians into ordained ministry. We take joy in your loving relationships and marriage commitments We recognize God's holy image in you, present in your body and spirit, in your sexual and gender identity, and in whatever calling you discern from God. There is one place in the United Methodist Church that is truly open to all: the sacramental table of Jesus. Jesus invites anyone seeking to live in peace with their neighbor to take part in the feast of Communion. There at the table, death is turned to new life, mourning to laughter, and anger to love. During this season of repentance, we invite all who are committed to confessing our brokenness and moving toward being a fully inclusive faith community, to meet at the banquet table of Jesus Christ. You are invited to this table - whoever you are, whatever your gender identity or sexual orientation, whatever your hopes, dreams, questions, convictions. We do not know what the future holds for our denomination, and right now, that's not the most important thing to us. Whatever the future holds, t begins and ends as family created and called by God, each one with a place at the table. Let us start our journey towards justice and healing together Peace, H. Braxton Allport, Jr K. Kay Barré David S. Benedict Max Blalock Carlton D. Case Robert T. Casey Helen E. Casey-Rutland Meghan Roth Clayton David M. Hindman Bi Jones Todd Query Richard N. Soulein Seokchane Suh Charles Swadle An earlier version of this statement was originally signed and published by UMC clergy serving in the city of Charlottesville, Va. That statement was written by Rev, Isaac Collins, Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church, March 6, 2019