June 1: Email from Bob Miles to the group

Dear church friends,

Several of you have asked about steps your spokespersons are taking after sending notes from the Zoom meeting with members of the UCC Western North Carolina Association (WNCA) on May 18. 

After careful consideration, we re-contacted Rev. Colleen Samson, Associate Director of the WNCA, to ask that a member of the Committee on Ministry who participated in the Zoom meeting facilitate a meeting between members of our group and church leaders.  We believed that a discussion with church leaders might be more productive with this facilitator. 

We are concerned, however, about Rev. Samson’s reply on Friday, in which she briefly explained the control they wish to exercise and the length of time before we could expect resolution of issues facing our church.  As a result, we again will contact Phil Taylor, church moderator, to ask for a Zoom meeting with church leaders.  Bob Miles will talk with Phil to suggest inviting a local person to facilitate the discussion and discuss how members of this group can participate.  

In addition, we are writing a summary that includes the sequence of dates since the policy was announced on March 11, questions we have raised, actions we have taken, and links to relevant documents.  It is intended to inform the entire congregation about our concerns before the issue comes to a congregational meeting, which most of us agree is necessary. The summary will be sent to all of you and Phil Taylor as soon as it is updated.  We understand that he may consult with other church leaders about sending it to the congregation.

We believe that we speak for this group of 40+ by insisting that the new policy is inconsistent with the church value of inclusion and that this important question must be decided by the entire congregation. 

We understand the need to bring healing to the church.  As before, we appreciate your feedback, concerns and questions.

In peace,

Bob Miles, Ben Coonrod, Diane Rhoades, Bonnie Rash and Judith Nourse

JB Note:  To clarify, the 5 folks who were chosen to represent the group at this meeting with CoM decided that we should NOT agree to involve CoM in the process and that this should be communicated back to Phil.