Your specific church...

[blessedsuffering]

This is a question for United Methodists only please...

Is your particuliar congregation gay-friendly?
Te give a defenition of that: are openly gay people accepted at your partciculiar congregation as true and whole Christians? Or, (a vote of 'no' in this poll) is it viewed as a sin that calls for celibacy/changing.

Thanks and God Bless

[markbelieves]

While never specifically discussed during service I know that the Pastor and most of the congregation would treat them as any of us other sinners. Welcome, and let us help you turn from sin. Continuing to be an active homosexual would be seen as a decision not to repent.

[AquilaGT]

We follow the United Methodist Discipline which states that homosexual persons are of sacred worth in God's eyes, but that homosexual behavior is incompatible with Christian teaching.

We do not focus on any one particular type of sinful behavior, wanting to help all people, regardless of their personal sin issues, to repent and grow in God's grace towards holy living.

[MrsOsenga]

Well said!

[Ric]

This is a question for United Methodists only please...

Is your particuliar congregation gay-friendly?
Te give a defenition of that: are openly gay people accepted at your partciculiar congregation as true and whole Christians? Or, (a vote of 'no' in this poll) is it viewed as a sin that calls for celibacy/changing.

Thanks and God Bless

Our church is to young (about two years old now) for this issue to have come up. But I do know two thing for a fact...
1. We would welcome any gay person to our church without question in hope to share the Gospel of Christ with them.
2. No practicing homosexual is not a Christian nor ever has been a Christian. Homosexually is a choice one has made in one's life and no one is or ever was born a homosexual.
So if the issue were to ever come up in our church I know that we would help the homosexual in any way possible to overcome their life choice and to receive Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior alone.

Here in Orlando we have a ministry that is helping many homosexuals everyday with their problems and helping them to know Jesus.

Go to this link: Exodus International (http://www.exodus-international.org/)

[alaurie]

Our church is similar to AquilaGT's. Practicing homosexual visitors are welcomed as visitors in our church, but they (along with cohabitating heterosexuals) would not be allowed to become members of our congregation.

Our Sr. Pastor consistantly and lovingly preaches turning away from sin and towards pleasing God, so answer #2 "change their ways" applies.

[WiredSpirit]

Speaking for the UM congregation of which I am still a member, the issue has never come up in a sermon and there are no official statements the congregation has made, and we are not an official "affirming" congregation, but there are several gay people as active members and even a older lesbian couple that everyone loves. I guess that makes us gay-friendly.

[stephwalker1971]

Our Church would accept the person...not the lifestyle.
Our Church will NOT perform a same sex marriage
Our Church will NOT allow them to become members as long as they were still in that kind of relationship

[JACKSON BEACH]

We follow the United Methodist Discipline which states that homosexual persons are of sacred worth in God's eyes, but that homosexual behavior is incompatible with Christian teaching.

We do not focus on any one particular type of sinful behavior, wanting to help all people, regardless of their personal sin issues, to repent and grow in God's grace towards holy living.

Amen!

[kelco]

We follow the United Methodist Discipline which states that homosexual persons are of sacred worth in God's eyes, but that homosexual behavior is incompatible with Christian teaching.

We do not focus on any one particular type of sinful behavior, wanting to help all people, regardless of their personal sin issues, to repent and grow in God's grace towards holy living.

This would be how our church handled it too.

[gal4God]

It is not an issue at all/never mentioned in my church

[smileygirl0716]

Our Church would accept the person...not the lifestyle.
Our Church will NOT perform a same sex marriage
Our Church will NOT allow them to become members as long as they were still in that kind of relationship

this is pretty much what our church does

[herev]

well, I voted the first one, let me clarify a bit. WE accept ANYONE completely, but we do not condone their sin any more than any other sin. Nor do we judge them any more than any other sinner...

[sinner/SAVED]

2. No practicing homosexual is not a Christian nor ever has been a Christian. Homosexually is a choice one has made in one's life and no one is or ever was born a homosexual.


You could swap the word "homosexual" in this statement with any of a number of sins that are widely accepted in today's church, i.e. gossip, slander, uncharitable,lover of money, etc., etc., etc. and the statement would be just as true. So why do you think it is that homosexuality is always mentioned and these others are not?

[Ric]

You could swap the word "homosexual" in this statement with any of a number of sins that are widely accepted in today's church, i.e. gossip, slander, uncharitable,lover of money, etc., etc., etc. and the statement would be just as true. So why do you think it is that homosexuality is always mentioned and these others are not?

1 Corinthians 6:9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (NIV)

[sinner/SAVED]

1 Corinthians 6:9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (NIV)

The question still stands unanswered: Why is the church so vocal in condemnation of homosexuality, but not of thieves, the greedy, drunkards, slanderers, and swindlers. We have more of them in the churches than we do homosexuals.

Oh, wait. I probably just answered my own question.

[Ric]

1 Corinthians 6:9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (NIV)

[billychum]

The question still stands unanswered: Why is the church so vocal in condemnation of homosexuality, but not of thieves, the greedy, drunkards, slanderers, and swindlers. We have more of them in the churches than we do homosexuals

I haven't met any thieves, drunkards, slanderers, swindlers, or those that are greedy that most of which don't realize that they are lost sinners in need of God's forgivness, which as you know comes right after repentance. Big difference.
Billy <><

[billychum]

The question still stands unanswered: Why is the church so vocal in condemnation of homosexuality

So it's not OK to condem the act of homosexuality, but it is OK to condem the church for discerning from God's word that homosexuality is wrong.

I guess you did answer your own question.
Billy <><

[Ric]

So it's not OK to condem the act of homosexuality, but it is OK to condem the church for discerning from God's word that homosexuality is wrong.

I guess you did answer your own question.
Billy <><

Good Point!

Look for some "Reputation Poinst" coming your way!

[Diane_Windsor]

I don't know about "gay-friendly", but we welcome all sinners.

DIANE
:wave:

[Davis]

I voted no because there could have been one more answer I think. We will except them in off the streets because they are sinners just like everyone else. But once they hear the truth they need to repent. They can not go on living there lives in sin. They need to be confronted in a loving way to show them there sin and to see if they can repent and find grace and mercy in Jesus Christ.

[ImaginaryVoyager]

Our church accepts them completely.

[Lexi]

I'm not sure yet because I haven't visited the church but I did noticed a GLBTQ Youth Group that meets one day a week on their Weekly Happenings list. So I'd assume, yes.

[Linnis]

My church accepts homosexuals, that being said, because we accept them doesn't mean we agree with or help them continue their sin. We accept co-habiting couples, unmarried pregnant women, drug users....we cannot pick and choose who enters the house of God. We hope to be able to lead them to live in the Light by example and by the message of the Word of God.