First United Methodist Church

Our Welcome to The Trans Community

 

As people of the gospel, the United Methodist Church in downtown Medford remains committed to serving God’s people in all its diversity. To our trans and gender expansive community we say, “You are loved, you are wanted, and you are welcome in our Beloved Community.” We believe God loves you and claimed you as “very good” when you were created. (Gen 1:31). Our congregation only affirms what God has already authorized.

Though we have sometimes failed in word and deed, this stance is not new for us. In the early days of the AIDS pandemic when individuals with the virus were rejected from their families, churches and the wider community, we formed support groups for the dying and survivors as a way of showing God’s unwavering love and presence.

So today, at a time when projects and spaces for diversity and inclusion have been barred from federal government agencies, hospitals and schools, our welcome to the gender expansive community remains unwavering. As a plethora of anti-LGBTQ legislation advances through Congress and state house legislatures our congregation’s commitment remains steadfast.

We do not come to this conclusion on our own. Our reading of scriptures have formed our hearts and minds in this way. Ancient and sacred texts are riddled with gender-non-conforming people. Joseph and his amazing princess dress (Gen 37:3 & 2 Sam 13:18-19), Deborah the Prophet (Judges 4), the man who carried water (Luke 22:10), and the Ethiopian eunuch baptized by Philip (Acts 8:26-40) are just a few of the Bible characters who demonstrate that gender-expansiveness is not novel but is part of human history.

We confess that the church has not always been the Beloved Community. For far too long we have been places of exclusion. Therefore we recommit ourselves to being and serving the whole of God’s people. We commit to listening to the voices of our trans and gender-expansive siblings. We commit to amplifying their voices when we can. We commit to learning from
their experiences. And we commit to changing how we act and how we advocate based on what we learn.

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Our mission statement at Medford First United Methodist Church reads in part together we strive to live out the teachings of Jesus. We believe that first and foremost our religion should make us kinder, more compassionate, and create in us a greater capacity to love.

We desire this to be true.

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