A Celebration of our Intersectional Pride
In the month of our 11th Anniversary as a
Reconciling Ministry Network (RMN) Congregation
Black History Month
First United Methodist Church of Evanston
Saturday/Sunday, February 15-16th, 2025
First United Methodist Church in Evanston (FUMCE) is celebrating it’s eleventh anniversary as a reconciling congregation that seeks justice and dignity for all LGBTQIA+ persons. The event for February 15-16th is a time to revisit our commitment and move into the future in these difficult times.
Our focus is on Intersectional pride and justice. FUMCE is a welcoming Christian community of the United Methodist Church (UMC) that offers hospitality, congregational care, and fellowship to all. We embrace individuals and families of all gender identities, sexual orientations, ethnicities, races, and economic backgrounds. We are a community of faith seeking the transformation of the world through Jesus’ courageous love.
On the 11th anniversary of joining the RMN fellowship, we are celebrating this milestone with an event called “Rainbows, Resistance and Reconciliation (R3)”. Our desire is to bring the Reconciling community and prospective congregations in Evanston, our district area and Conference together in the spirit of love and fellowship.
These types of events in Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church have not happened since before the beginning of the COVID epidemic.
On Saturday, February 15th at the Anniversary Celebration we will welcome a national speaker. There will be local clergy and lay leaders participating in a panel on “What Next post UM General Conference and post Election 2024”, Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey is the preacher for the Anniversary Worship Service on Sunday, February 16, and will lead us in reflections on what is to come as we move forward together. There will be workshops focusing on various topics, including intersectional justice, queer and trans issues, being allies and biblical interpretation that heals not harms.
In this event we seek to:
- Provide opportunities for healing and hope: Build Community
- Vision faithful movement forward. Strategize about what people and churches need for this work.
- Identify ambassadors for LGBTQIA+ justice and advocacy (as RMN names them)
- Address issues facing us now like ongoing prejudice and the many hateful laws restricting gender affirming care.
- Strategize to take action against violence inflicted on members of the community,, especially transgender folk
- Address issues of mental health as relates to homophobic Christian teachings and societal attitudes and seek to reduce high suicide rates (ie mental health )
- Embrace Queer folk who because of cultural structural context (color) may still feel a need to be closeted