AFFIRMATION OF ALL PEOPLE
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Duke Wesley is a justice-oriented, reconciling campus ministry. Just as Jesus welcomes all to the table, we value and celebrate differences in sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, economic status, ability, citizenship status, and faith background. We proclaim this word of welcome to all who have known the pain of exclusion or discrimination in the United Methodist Church, and commit ourselves to the radically transforming and all-inclusive love of God as revealed through Jesus Christ.
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Duke Wesley's journey towards fully celebrating God's work in people of all gender identities and sexual orientations can be traced back through generations of students and campus ministers across the decades. This commitment came into sharper focus starting with the team of students who traveled to Washington, DC in January 2018 to visit Foundry United Methodist Church. Out of that team's reflections came Wesley's "Affirmation of All People."
Following the 2019 General Conference, Wesley students began to seek additional ways of deepening the group's attentiveness to questions of human identity and worth. Through scriptural reflection, group discussion, and campus witness, we sought to embody our convictions amid the denomination's stark division. To that end, in October 2019, the students and the Board of Directors voted unanimously in favor of affiliating with the Reconciling Ministries Network, the coalition of United Methodists seeking justice and inclusion for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
For further reflection on Scripture, Christian community and human identity, you can read Rev. Allen's 2019 sermon, "The Same Old Bible"
Click here to read Rev. Allen's pastoral letter after the 2019 General Conference.
Following the 2019 General Conference, Wesley students began to seek additional ways of deepening the group's attentiveness to questions of human identity and worth. Through scriptural reflection, group discussion, and campus witness, we sought to embody our convictions amid the denomination's stark division. To that end, in October 2019, the students and the Board of Directors voted unanimously in favor of affiliating with the Reconciling Ministries Network, the coalition of United Methodists seeking justice and inclusion for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
For further reflection on Scripture, Christian community and human identity, you can read Rev. Allen's 2019 sermon, "The Same Old Bible"
Click here to read Rev. Allen's pastoral letter after the 2019 General Conference.