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| 3220 Terrace Drive, Cedar Falls, IA 50613 Phone (319) 266-0464 Email info@sttims-umc.org |
Worship Services Every Sunday 10:15 am | |
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St. Timothys welcomes and includes all who seek to join us in our journey
together toward better understanding of our relationships with God and each other
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 Affiliation with Reconciling Ministries NetworkPRESS RELEASE FOR DECEMBER 5, 2007 The Leadership Council of St. Timothys United Methodist Church of Cedar Falls decided at a recent meeting to affiliate with the Reconciling Ministries Network. After more than a year of serious consideration, the Church and Society Ministry Team of St. Timothys proposed that the church affiliate with the Network and adopt a statement of inclusion as follows: The congregation of St. Timothys United Methodist Church in Cedar Falls celebrates God's gifts as a faith community built upon the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. We are called and strive to be an open, loving, and caring congregation; to proclaim Jesus' love and justice to all; and to live out God's unending love through the inclusiveness and welcoming of all persons, including those of all sexual orientations and gender identities. The Church & Society Ministry Team noted the importance of making this kind of witness in the church and community as an affirmation of the United Methodist Church's core values, "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors." They also noted that within the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender) community, the widely held assumption is that they are not welcome in churches unless a congregation states specifically that they are welcome. Leading up to the Council's decision, a study on the Bible and homosexuality was offered, and in separate worship services the congregation listened as four members of the church shared personal stories of how their being gay or having a gay friend or sibling affected their lives. The Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN) is a growing movement of United Methodist individuals, congregations, campus ministries, and other groups working for the full participation of all people in the United Methodist Church. As of December 2006, the RMN encompasses 227 Reconciling Congregations, 28 Reconciling Campus Ministries, and 39 other Reconciling Communities and Ministries. There are over 18,000 Reconciling United Methodists.
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