And you are beloved by us

I was surprised and pleased by a half page ad that appeared in last Sunday’s Detroit Free Press. The rainbow background caught my attention. It is “A letter to our LGBTQIA+ siblings and their allies from Michigan United Methodists.” A bit of what they wrote:

We grieve the actions taken by the recent global gathering of The United Methodist Church. … These actions do not reflect our own hopes and dreams for The United Methodist Church. Our resistance to this injustice is based on Biblical teaching and our membership vows to “resist evil, injustice an oppression in whatever form it presents itself.” … We commit to advocating and working for the full inclusion of all people in God’s Church. And we humbly ask for your prayers and forgiveness. We say to you our LGBTQIA+ siblings: you are beloved children of God and you are beloved by us.

Most of the space of the ad is taken up by 1700 names, by my estimate, in print a bit too small to read without aid.

I’m pleased some group got the names together to do this.