On May 22, 2022 the Church of Christ Uniting (COCU) in Kingston, a merged United Methodist and Presbyterian USA congregation, approved an historic vote to become a Reconciling Ministries congregation.
Reconciling Ministries Network equips and mobilizes United Methodists of all sexual orientations and gender identities to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves (www.rmnetwork.org).
We are the third church congregation in the Susquehanna Annual Conference (www.susumc.org) and the first congregation, out of approximately 107, in the Scranton Wilkes-Barre District (www.swbdistrict.org/) to become a Reconciling Ministries congregation.
Only the General Conference of the United Methodist Church (www.umc.org) —which next meets in 2024—can change official policy, which at present does not allow LGTBQ+ individuals to be ordained pastors or couples to be married in their sanctuaries. While this vote does not change anything in the polity of COCU presently, it proclaims openly and publicly our desire to affirm all people.
As followers of Jesus, we commit ourselves to the pursuit of justice and pledge to stand in solidarity with all who are marginalized and oppressed.
