<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:10pt"><div><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span>I was wondering why your history didn't include </span><span style="line-height: 21px;">Rev. Don Fado of St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Sacramento, who performed the January 1999 wedding of church members Ellie Charlton, 64, and Jeanne Barnett, 69, along with 68 other United Methodist clergy.</span></span></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16.363636016845703px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">I was on the record as one of them, but because I had a direct schedule conflict, I was listed as a "co-officiant in absentia." My bishop decided that since I wasn't physically there, there was no
basis for a complaint.</span></span></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16.363636016845703px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">This event was the first of its kind, and the outcome was that now retired Bishop Talbert (who was formerly charged yesterday) eventually dropped </span></span><span style="line-height: 21px;">all charges against the 68 clergy.</span></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16.363636016845703px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">Now the Sacramento area Methodist churches have openly declared their policy of noncompliance with the Discipline, and so far nobody has been charged. My political point is that
"unconditional surrender" has already happened, and that everybody knows there's no way put hundreds of offending clergy on trial in this annual conference.</span></span></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16.363636016845703px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">I would count the 'Sacramento 68' as a significant piece of Methodist history. This was the first time that 'ecclesiastical disobedience' went unpunished after charges were filed</span></span><span style="line-height: 21px;">, and yet you didn't mention it</span><span style="line-height: 21px; background-color: transparent;">.</span></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16.363636016845703px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial,
helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">W. M. Jones</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br></div> <div style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <div style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <div dir="ltr"> <hr size="1"> <font size="2" face="Arial"> <b><span style="font-weight:bold;">From:</span></b> Obie Holmen <obie.holmen@gmail.com><br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> W. J. <synergi@yahoo.com> <br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></b> Saturday, March 15, 2014 9:14 AM<br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> Re: Methodists make history<br> </font> </div> <div class="y_msg_container"><br>
<div id="yiv28242080"><div dir="ltr">Thanks for your interesting comment. The IRD/Good News nexus--Lambrecht, Tooley, Lomperis, et. al--is fascinating and receives major treatment in both the Episcopal and Methodist sections of my recent book, <i>Queer Clergy.</i></div>
<div class="yiv28242080gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="yiv28242080gmail_quote">On Fri, Mar 14, 2014 at 7:55 PM, W. J. <span dir="ltr"><<a rel="nofollow" ymailto="mailto:synergi@yahoo.com" target="_blank" href="mailto:synergi@yahoo.com">synergi@yahoo.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="yiv28242080gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
<div><div style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif;"><div><span>I wrote a longer comment on the dynamics in the United Methodist system. Thought you might like to read it.</span></div><div style="font-style:normal;font-size:16.363636016845703px;background-color:transparent;">
<span>It's on the page with your article.</span></div><div style="font-style:normal;font-size:16.363636016845703px;background-color:transparent;"><span>W. M. Jones</span></div>
<div><br></div> <div style="font-size:12pt;"> <div style="font-size:12pt;"> <div dir="ltr">
<hr size="1"> </div></div></div></div></div></blockquote></div><div><br></div>-- <br>Obie Holmen<br>320-492-6660<br>
</div>
</div><br><br></div> </div> </div> </div></body></html>