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September 30, 2005

The two bishops elected at the Western Jurisdictional Conference last year -- Minerva Carcano, assigned to Phoenix, and Robert Hoshibata, assigned to Portland -- denounced an unwelcoming attitude displayed by some in the United Methodist Church about the Reconciling Ministries Network holding its bi-annual convocation over Labor Day at Lake Junaluska in North Carolina.

Lake Junaluska is where the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference meets quadrennially. Southeastern is the largest jurisdiction by church membership, and is considered the most in favor of the current UMC position against full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people..

Bishop Hoshibata wrote in the Asian American News: "We are not of one mind when it comes to the question of inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons in our churches' ministries. But when did we lose sight of the importance of conversation and hospitality in our understanding of Christian conduct?"

Bishop Carcano attended the RMN convocation and expressed optimism that pro-LGBT stances would prevail eventually in the UMC. Carcano said that better use of all the donations given to conservative organizations like Good News, the Confessing Movement, and the Institute on Religion and Democracy -- as well as to the Reconciling Ministries Network -- would be channeling the resources into other work of Christ.

Hoshibata and Carcano had both been viewed somewhat skeptically by reconcilers about the depth of their commitment on LGBT issues at the Western Jurisdictional Conference a year ago.

Bishop Scott Jones of Kansas, supportive of the church's current stance on LBGT issues, also attended the RMN convocation -- as one of its panelists, in the spirit of keeping a dialogue open. In that spirit also, Bishop Sally Dyck of Minnesota, another RMN attendee but a supporter of its issues, will visit a Confessing Movement meeting.