At this year's global 2024 General Conference of the United Methodist Church, significant changes were made to several long-standing denominational policies:

• Regionalization: A constitutional amendment was passed for the regionalization of the United States.  If ratified by a majority 2/3 vote of Annual Conferences, United Methodists in the United States will be able to modify the Book of Discipline to meet the needs of ministry here in this country.

• Removed: The ban on ordination and appointment of LGBTQIA clergy has been removed. The harmful language that has said "Homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching" has been removed.  All people are welcome to respond to God's calling them to ministry in the United Methodist Church.

• Revised: There have been revisions (see below) to the United Methodist policy on weddings and our Social Principles.

1. The General Conference discerned a change in language that prohibited United Methodist clergy from performing weddings for same-gender couples. Our policy is now: "Within the church, we affirm marriage as a sacred lifelong covenant that brings two people of faith, an adult man and an adult woman, or two adult persons of consenting age into union with one another."

2. Pastors have the responsibility to decide about officiating at weddings.* Churches will continue to determine what weddings are held in their church buildings.

3. The United Methodist Social Principles are our denominational response to the most pressing social issues of the world around us.  The revised Social Principles as presented at General Conference are available at https://www.umcjustice.org/documents/124; the final version will be available by January of 2025.

*At Lakeshore, Pastor Cherie welcomes officiating at marriages for all people seeking to enter into that covenant with one another before God. Please contact her if you have questions.

We rejoice in these denominational steps that will help us live into Lakeshore's recent 2023 Welcome Statement:

Lakeshore Church, an inclusive United Methodist congregation, welcomes all persons with unconditional love, as part of the diversity of God's creation. Our desire is to help everyone use their gifts, talents, interests and inspiration to shine Christ's love to the world.