Today, QCF’s Communications Manager, Aiden Nathaniel Diaz, who is currently in the UMC ordination process, speaks to us about what the changes from the postponed 2020 United Methodist Church General Conference actually mean for our everyday lives and how we continue to move towards inclusion in all of our ministries, churches, and communities of faith. You can read his bio here. Photo of Aiden Nathaniel Diaz. You may have heard a lot of news coming out of Charlotte, North Carolina over the last week or so in reference to all of the passed petitions at The United Methodist Church’s General Con ..read more

Beloveds, the 2024 United Methodist Church General Conference has been historic for our LGBTQ+ siblings who are members of the UMC. Today, we want to uplift the words of Rev. Tyler Sit as he offers his response to The United Methodist Church lifting its 40-year ban on gay ordination. Rev. Tyler Sit is the founding pastor of New City Church, a church in Minneapolis that is led mostly by queer people of color. New City became the first 'built from scratch' church plant to charter in Minnesota United Methodism in decades. And in 2022, New City launched its second branch, Northeast United Methodi ..read more

“These communities, as well as the reminders to pray and listen for the Spirit, and the confidence we have in our belovedness as God’s creations, can be foundations of strength from which we can face these trials and tribulations together without fear.” — Grant Showalter-Swanson The United Methodist Church’s 2024 General Conference starts their second week of conversations and voting today, and we are asking LGBTQ+ Christians and allies to — Read. Pray. Share. — alongside the stories of our LGBTQ+ siblings in the United Methodist Church as they fight for inclusion within their denomination. Th ..read more

“We are in an era where those in power are trying to legislate queer people out of existence. One of the common justifications for this violence is Christianity. The United Methodist Church taking steps towards the full inclusion and affirmation of LGBTQ+ people is a way to challenge the legitimacy of this argument.” — Josie White The United Methodist Church’s 2024 General Conference started this week, and we are asking LGBTQ+ Christians and allies to — Read. Pray. Share. — alongside the stories of our LGBTQ+ siblings in the United Methodist Church as they fight for inclusion within their deno ..read more

“What began as an impassioned plea for LGBTQIA+ inclusion from my own experience as a gay candidate for ministry on a secular undergraduate campus, has unfolded into a ministry of care for the very people our denomination has excluded.” — Rev. J.J. Warren The United Methodist Church’s 2024 General Conference started yesterday, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, and we are asking LGBTQ+ Christians and allies to — Read. Pray. Share. — the stories of our LGBTQ+ siblings in the United Methodist Church as they fight for inclusion within their denomination. This global conference is where they can vote on pol ..read more

“Although I had witnessed many highly public trials, being a member of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, I needed to know — whatever the risks — that I had done everything that I could do to let that young person know God loved them, and to help my church proclaim as much publicly.” — Rev. Hannah Adair Bonner Last week, we started the Looking Forward campaign, where we are asking our community to — Read. Pray. Share. — the stories of our LGBTQ+ siblings in the United Methodist Church as they head into the 2024 General Conference. This global conference is where they can vote on policies tha ..read more

From April 23rd through May 3rd, United Methodists from all over the world will converge in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the 2024 General Conference. General Conference is a space where delegates come together to vote on policies that will govern the denomination until they can meet again, shaping the lives of United Methodists worldwide. This is a gathering that has been postponed for the last four years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a lack of equitable internet access for all voting members worldwide. This upcoming conference is the first meeting since the called 2019 General Conferenc ..read more

We celebrated Trans Day of Visibility last week on March 31st. Trans visibility is important because in the current global and national political climate, trans and gender-expansive people often experience negative forms of visibility, such as discrimination and oppression because of their identity. Trans and gender-expansive people are also often victims of hate-crimes. In the United States, there are currently over 400 active pieces of legislation that are being considered which discriminate against or deny healthcare to trans and gender-expansive individuals. Many of these bills harm adults ..read more

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! On Easter Sunday, churches around the world joyfully proclaim the resurrection of Jesus Christ, not that Christ has risen but that he is risen. We refer to Christ as "our risen Lord." While the disciples only knew that Christ had risen from the grave, we have 2000+ years perspective to know that Christ is risen and continues to be present in our midst. This year, Easter Sunday and Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) share the same date. While Trans Day of Remembrance memorializes those who have been murdered as a result of transphobia, TDOV celebrates t ..read more

Today we spend time with the death of Jesus. The Romans have mocked and tormented him, they have hung him on the cross, and they find Jesus dead before the others he had been crucified with. Death can be difficult to understand and cope with and we must also acknowledge that without Jesus’ death, there could be no resurrection. We must sit with the fact of death on Good Friday before we can know the joy of Easter. One of Jesus’ last acts on the cross is to tell his mother and the disciple whom he loved that they are now a family. (John 19:26-27) Mary, mother of Jesus, takes this beloved disc ..read more