Oconee Street UMC members voted unanimously on Sept. 15, 2019 to join Reconciling Ministries Network and join a growing number of affirming congregations that advocate for full inclusion of LGBTQI+ people into church life and removal of discriminatory language from the Methodist Church’s Book of Discipline.

As a part of that decision, Oconee Street UMC adopted a Welcome Statement to make explicit the congregation’s stance supporting same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBTQI+ people who are called to ministry.

The Reconciling Ministries Network includes more than 40,000 United Methodists and over 1,000 churches and communities who stand for affirming people of all sexual orientation and gender identity and oppose discrimination.