Political courage

An interesting day -- and I mean that in a good sense. Much of the day was spent in training in how to contact delegates to next year's General Conference. This is the gathering of world-wide United Methodists that has the responsibility of updating the denomination's guiding Book of Discipline that happens every four years. As has happened for the last 36 years there will be an attempt to remove the phrase, "Homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching." This time there is a chance the removal will succeed.

As part of the effort in getting it passed Reconciling Ministries Network and the Methodist Federation for Social Action are training people to contact their local delegates to make sure they know how we feel about particular votes. My area has 8 delegates and 4 alternates. I am to contact two of them, but I'm not the only one to contact those two.

One of the delegates I am to contact is head pastor of the downtown Detroit church. The church is across the street from the Occupy Detroit protests and has opened its doors to the protesters. The church and pastor are already known for their social action, the congregation has already declared they welcome gay people, and his lesbian daughter sat two seats away from me during the training. Some in our group wondered why spend the effort on him, but the national trainer said we are to contact all delegates. So this will be an easy one, though I was warned he might turn the conversation around and question me on whether I'm doing enough.

I don't know much about the other delegate assigned to me, though I hear we will have handbells in common. She is definitely not one to be antagonistic.

This evening was our church Harvest Dinner -- turkey and all that. Much to my surprise my state senator, Glenn Anderson, appeared. One of the people in my Sunday lunch group served a two year term as mayor of the city where the church is. He knows the senator and invited him when they met a couple weeks ago. Anderson brought his wife and a young man. The young man had a name tag declaring him to be a candidate for state House and will run in my district. I sat with them during dinner and learned a few things.

The young man is Cody Bailey and is currently a senior at my undergrad Alma Mater -- yup, he's young. He is hanging around Anderson to get to know how things are done. He begins his own campaign process in January. I've met candidates a year before the election then didn't find them on the ballot, so he may not actually make it.

Though Anderson has a couple more years before he is term-limited in the state Senate he has decided to run for US House. The year of redistricting is the best time to do it, he says. That means he will take on John Conyers, the House member with the second longest service, having been elected in 1965. Conyers' district used to be mostly Detroit and now is half suburban. In addition, he is 82 and showing his age and his wife is in jail. Anderson thinks he has a good chance.

To my friend and debate partner: Anderson is not the one in the Metro Times article you recommended to me. So, yes, there are three, maybe four, Democrats vying for that seat.

Here's a plug for Anderson. Equality Michigan, the group that advocates for gay rights in the state, just had their big gala awards dinner. During that party they gave Anderson an award for political courage.