December 2016
Dear Love Prevails supporter,
Through the disruption of business as usual at the church’s highest levels, during the last four years Love Prevails assisted The United Methodist Church in its gospel task of removing all of the anti-LGBTQ legislation from its Book of Discipline. Although dissatisfied with the outcomes of General Conference 2016, Love Prevails is proud of its work. We see our advocacy and disruption as the prime reasons for the system attempting to make any adjustments at all. The impact of our work is many-fold:
Love Prevails created a critical counter-narrative exposing the illegitimacy of our denomination’s anti-queer policies and the leaders who uphold them. Love Prevails is the only organization in our movement to clearly define that 1) the systemic justice issue is heterosexism and homophobia, and 2) the practical issue is hypocrisy. LGBTQ lives cannot be sacrificed on the altar of church unity. The primary task for church leaders at every level is to name and claim that homophobia is wrong, that The Book of Discipline must change and to act in accordance with these convictions.
Love Prevails demonstrated that the practice of Disruption is a necessary and effective means of change in our shared struggle for LGBTQ inclusion. After General Conference 2012, the language of Disruption was anathema to our movement. From 2012-2016, Love Prevails’ willingness to show up, disrupt and communicate our counter-narrative and actions with clarity and transparency made the power of Disruption clear.
Love Prevails’ willingness to confront power and shake up business as usual gave people hope, courage and the inspiration to act. By our own unflinching commitment to raise up the dignity and faithfulness of LGBTQ people within the context of the direct oppression and injustice of the church hierarchy, we inspire others to embrace their own sacred worth and ability to act in their own context.
We are buoyed by your responses to our work. You encourage us to keep acting in ways that you may not be able to because of context, circumstance, trauma, repression and internalized oppression. Because you cannot always show up in the ways that we can, we are asking you to support our work in 2017 and beyond as we continue to show up and disrupt business as usual.
Please consider supporting our work by giving an end-of-year donation. If it is possible, we would love for you to help sustain our work for the quadrennium through a regular monthly contribution. Please make your financial donation through PayPal at https://loveprevailsumc.com/donate/ or make a check payable to Kairos CoMotion in care of Mr. Steven Webster, P.O. Box 45234, Madison, WI 53744-5234.
In justice and in love,
On behalf of the Love Prevails Team
Love Prevails 