MWR : Church to host sexuality conference

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Jan. 4, 2010 issue

Church to host sexuality conference

LANSDALE, Pa. — Grace Mennonite Church will host and lead a conference, “Affirming the Faith: What the Mennonite Church Believes About Homosexuality,” on Feb. 20.

The conference will feature Mennonite Church USA pastors from Eastern District and Franconia conferences, “providing biblical teaching on homosexuality as affirmed by our Mennonite Confession of Faith,” according to a news release from Grace Mennonite Church.

MC USA’s Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective states that “God intends marriage to be a covenant between one man and one woman for life” and that “right sexual union takes places only within the marriage relationship.”

The conference will “educate, equip and encourage members of the Mennonite church in our affirmed denominational position concerning homosexuality so that they will be more firmly grounded in what God’s Word teaches,” according to the news release.

Statements approved in 1986 and 1987 by delegates of MC USA’s predecessor denominations — the Mennonite Church and General Conference Mennonite Church — state that homosexual practice is sinful.

“The purpose of the conference is not to provide an open forum for dialogue between differing positions but to undergird and articulate what the Mennonite church affirms the Scriptures to teach about homosexuality,” the news release states.

“The conference will help persons to understand why God has sanctified the union of one man and one woman and forbidden homosexual expressions of sexuality, and to better discern and respond to teachings and claims regarding aspects of human sexuality that are at odds with the Scriptures.

“The conference will also offer a biblical approach to shaping a redemptive, rather than enabling, message for those involved in homosexuality, affirming God’s love for all sinners and his desire for all people to walk in holiness.”

Grace Mennonite Church is taking the lead in organizing the conference, with support from several other local Mennonite pastors, said Jay Gordon, associate pastor at Grace, in an e-mail.

Comments

Register for the conference at www.affirmingthefaith.eventbrite.com

- Jay Gordon (jan 13 at 4:29 p.m.)
God bless you my brothers and sisters in the Lord.My wife and I have been involved in ministry anongst the homeless on the streets of Los Angeles for 14 years. We have encountered many homosexuals and have been able to lead them to Christ. We have a great problem on our conference (PSMC) A Pastor licensed by the conference has an allinclusive congregation in San Francisco. She has married gay people. She has co-authored a letter called Open Letter signed by other Mennonite Pastors advocating for inclusion. marrying, membership and ordination of gays and lesbians in the conference.The majority of congregations on the conference are African and Indonesians. We have told them if they fail to take action against that Pastorand if thehe conference leadership does not openly and intentionally affirm the MC USA position of marriage being between a man and a woman we shall leave the conference. They claim because we are people of color we are not aware of the American culture. They do not see anything wrong with same sex lifestyles. They Pastors are mainly Aglo and urban and actually in the minority. We are running out of options. Pray for us and may God richly bless you.

- Pastor Chuwang Pam (feb 5 at 1:52 a.m.)

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