An Open confession from the People of Bonsack United Methodist Church to the LGBTQIA+ Community
You
are the beautiful and beloved child of God, yet we declared you an abomination.
You
are formed in the image of Jesus Christ, but we said you should be something
other than the one God created you to be.
You
are worthy of love and relationship, but we denied you the opportunity to marry
in our sacred spaces.
You
are called to lead the people of God, but we asked you to change in order to
fulfill your calling.
We
should have been your family, but we cast you out; we should have loved you,
but hate spewed from our lips. We should have shared the hope of the
Scriptures, but we made the Word of God into a weapon against you. We should
have cared for you in your times of fear, anxiety, distress and discernment,
but we turned you away.
We,
the Church of Jesus Christ, confess these sins. We acknowledge the
hurt we have caused and the lies we inserted as truth. We vow to turn from our
broken ways. We beg your forgiveness. We ask God's help to be
the family of faith you have always deserved, a family of love, acceptance,
admiration, belonging and shared purpose. We covenant to be a community in
which you feel safe and loved. We pledge to be your allies in the fight for
justice.
Forgive
us, we pray. In the name of Christ.