We finished our study of The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs by Joel Salatin and completed our worship series, Living water. We learned how connected we are to each other, to our own identity, to the earth, and to God.
The world is an interwoven tapestry, and Joel Salatin’s book brought to life the connection between scripture and organic farming. God’s plan is for you and me to live healthy, happy lives, but we’re often misled by profit motives and false promises.
Our book for June was written by seminary student J. J. Warren. J. J. is a speaker, preacher, and advocate for LGBTQ+ rights in the church. He is a graduate of New York’s Sarah Lawrence College and is currently attending Boston University School of Theology.
As a certified candidate for ordination in The United Methodist Church, J. J. faces a process that traditionally disqualified openly gay candidates. However, the UMC is in the midst of a historical argument that makes way for J. J. and hundreds of other candidates to respond to God’s call on their lives. While able to live as the persons God created them to be.
J. J.’s visibility increased quickly after an impassioned plea for the inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons at a special meeting of the UMC’s top lawmaking assembly in 2019. After his speech went viral, J. J. was later interviewed by HuffPost, NBC, and WXXI Radio.
In his book, Reclaiming Church, J. J. Warren calls for his generation to come together in transforming the contemporary church from an exclusionary club to a movement that is open to all people. A church that not only welcomes the LGBTQ+ community but offers leadership and ordination regardless of gender identity and sexual orientation.
A few of us meet in person each week, and we invite you to join us for our conversation about J. J.’s book. New cases of the coronavirus are at their lowest levels in a year in Michigan. However, we continue to encourage diligence.
While our regular attenders are vaccinated, we realize that there remains a large number of persons that are not vaccinated. Therefore, we require masks in our building for all persons when not eating or drinking. We strongly urge all persons to get vaccinated as soon as practical unless advised not to by your doctor.
We each make our own arrangements for lunch at this point. We look forward to returning to pot-luck lunches later this summer if the national targets for vaccinations are met. The CDC relaxes recommendations for wearing face masks.
If you prefer to avoid groups or live too far away I encourage you to join us online for our Wednesday gatherings. Alternatively, you can call in by phone, be heard, and hear what others say by calling (929) 436-2866 — enter the meeting ID, 282 039 5568#.
We are a diverse group, and we are delighted when new persons join us. I hope that you will join in on our discussion.
You can contact our office with questions, by phone or simply type your question on our website’s homepage — FlintAsbury.org.
1 Warren, J. J. Reclaiming church: a call to action for religious rejects. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2020.