Monday 11:30 p.m. (CST)

ST. LOUIS (Feb. 25) — Delegate Karen Wright shared her thoughts about the results of General Conference, day 3:

Today’s session was heartbreaking. The stonewalling of the conservative delegates was chilling. They would not listen to repeated explanations that the One Church Plan would not mandate a change to their beliefs or practices within their own contexts. They simply refused to hear or budge.

If you want to know what the Church should be, look to the Queer Clergy Caucus. Their smiles radiate joy, their eyes are full of love, and their voices resound with the passion of their faith. They support each other and fight for unity. Although the denomination insists on hurting them, they persist in loving and accepting all of us. The UMC would be blessed by the full inclusion of these sisters and brothers, daughters and sons. To deny them equal status in the family is to deprive ourselves of their spiritual gifts and love.

It seems clear that even if the One Church Plan is brought up in the plenary session through a minority report tomorrow, we do not have enough votes to pass it. The UMC will be on the wrong side of history, its decline in the US will be hastened, and mine will be just one of many broken hearts.