First let me start this off by stating I am not physically present at General Conference 2012, I am at school in Denton. School is so boring, and what really captivates and motivates me is happening all the way in Tampa, FL. I am not captivated by the legislative process, but in what it means for the UMC as a whole, and consequently how it will affect me in the future.
So far a lot of decisions have been made that I have not been happy with, I was very upset with the church for not voting to remove the "incompatibility clauses" or the punitive language in ordination and same-sex unions. I was not pleased that the committee on General Administration could not reach a decision on church re-structuring, and I was not appeased when it came to the bullying of LGBTIQ delegates/observers/clergy. I was not happy with the decision to move on legislation that removes guaranteed appointments to ordained clergy, and the decision not to speed up the ordination process. Not to mention women's rights are completely being ignored, as are most of the voices of the Central Conferences.
In spite of all of the actions/in-actions I did not like, God was still very present, and very much moving. Last night a new trend on Twitter arose from out of GC2012, and it was very inspiring. The hashtag "whywearemethodist" was so very inspiring. I was so overwhelmed with emotion I did not know what to do with myself. Just hours before I was online shopping for another denomination, since it seemed like the UMC did not want me. I was so close to calling my home district and telling them to withdraw me from the ordination process, cause I was moving onto greener pastures. The tweets about "whywearemethodist" reminded me of why I love the UMC so much, about how she courted me and wooed me unto herself and consequently reminded me of my love and desire to be with Christ. I may not love everything the Church decides this week but honestly, I really do think I am going to stick with her as long as she will let me.
