Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN) equips and mobilizes United Methodists of all sexual orientations and gender identities to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.
Sunday, March 6, 2022: Biltmore United Methodist Church voted to become a member of the Reconciling Ministries Network
We, the people of Biltmore United Methodist Church, believe that all people are created in the image of God. As God’s children, each of us, is of sacred worth. Therefore, we seek to reflect God’s love and mercy to others. We are each freely given our Creator’s grace and love. As part of one family we are called to love one another, unconditionally, just as God loves us. Our Creator’s love knows no boundaries. We are grateful to know that nothing can separate us from the love of God! Jesus modeled this type of love throughout his ministry and it is through the grace of Christ Jesus that we are all invited to the large Table of the Lord.
We believe God’s Kingdom includes people of all gender identities, gender expressions, and sexual orientations; races, nationalities, and ethnic backgrounds; religious backgrounds; socio-economic statuses; ages; mental and physical abilities; health statuses; family configurations; immigrants and refugees; the housed and those waiting to be housed; and the least, the last, and the lost.
We, therefore, affirm that all people are welcome, without exception, into the full fellowship of our church family. We also declare our intention to advocate for their full inclusion and acceptance within the denomination, its leadership roles, and within the wider community.
It is our belief that we are all on this journey together and stand in need of God’s forgiveness and mercy. We seek to treat every individual with mutual respect, even those with whom we may have differences of opinion and beliefs. We believe that a diverse community enriches and strengthens our relationships and our practice of faith.
We seek to be faithful to our understanding of scripture in light of God’s sacrificial love for all humankind. We believe with John Wesley, that as United Methodists, we should above all else “do no harm.” We see ourselves at our best when we are serving others as the hands and feet of Jesus in this world, especially with those who are vulnerable, forgotten or have experienced injustice.
We affirm the Foundational Reconciling Statement of the Reconciling Ministries Network and declare ourselves as an Open, Affirming, and Reconciling Congregation. We seek to extend to all, the wide and inclusive hospitality of God, as embodied in Christ. We invite all people to join us as we worship God, our Creator and Redeemer, seek to grow as Christ’s disciples, and to nurture one another through the power of the Holy Spirit.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ.
Galatians 3:28
The journey towards becoming a Reconciling Church started many, many years before when the Biltmore UMC Branches Sunday School class became reconciling. They printed these words of hope in the Mountain Xpress:
We, the members of Branches Adult Sunday School Class of Biltmore UMC, believe that God calls us to love others unconditionally as God loves us. We also affirm that diversity enriched our witness and practice.
We reject literal interpretations of the Bible, which distort God’s message of love for all.
Therefore we pledge ourselves to welcome, support and defend immigrants and refugees, LGBTQ, people of all faith traditions and no faith traditions, persons of color, veterans, people who are homeless and /or hungry, survivors of abuse and bullying, women and children, and persons with disabilities.
We invite you to join us in proclaiming God’s love in voice and action.