REV. DOUG PETERS: We're eager to learn from LGBT community
Rev. Doug Peters remembers exactly where he was when he heard the historic Iowa Supreme Court decision granting gay and lesbian couples the freedom to marry. He was waiting at a stoplight going toward Walnut Hills United Methodist Church where he is pastor.
"I never would have imagined the Supreme Court would have been as couragious as they were," Peters said. "I hope we do the same as a congregation."
Walnut Hills voted to become a reconciling congregation in November. Peters said they are one of a handful of Methodist churches that, as part of the Reconciling Ministries Network, welcome people regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
"You can think you are as welcoming as you like, but it's not enough to be welcoming," said Peters. "You have to say publicly that you are welcoming, and in a way everyone understands."
The vote was overwhelming in favor of reconciling, and Peters says he is working hard to continue the conversation with parishnors who felt they had to vote no. He also said he was very clear that a vote to be reconciling did not mean the church would be advocating same-sex marriage.
"For some of us, it does mean we will see marriage equality as the next logical step," said Peters. "I love being a part of the United Methodist Church, but that is one area of growth. I will abide by the rules of the church, but I disagree with the rules of the church. Gay people can't be married or ordained in the UMC, and that sends a horrible message."
Peters credits the LGBT community for helping the Walnut Hills congregation grow.
"If the vote hadn't passed, I would have really thought about what that meant, but it did pass, and now what do we do?" Peters said. "We're eager to learn from folks in the LGBT community, and we're learning from other congregations who tell us what they went through."
"Like having 'partner' on our contact forms -- we needed to learn that," Peters adds. "We don't want anyone to feel like they're museum pieces being studied, but we're new at this, and we have some learning to do."
Like his congregation, Peters' awakening to the importance of gay rights was gradual.
"The way I was raised, I never would have imagined I would feel strongly about this," Peters said. "Meeting people of different orientations was the greatest gift I could have received. Once you know people, it changes everything."
At a post as a chaplain an in Iowa City substance abuse shelter, Peters had openly gay coworkers for the first time. When a lesbian couple he worked with approached him for relationship counseling, he was surprised and pleased.
"I told them 'If only you knew how blind I was, you wouldn't ask me.'" Peters remembers with a laugh. "LGBT folks are often trusting of those who might not have been trustworthy in the past. It's good for the church, and you meet people you might not meet otherwise."
Peters says it will take more time, but he thinks the UMC will eventually give same-sex couples equal standing, espcially as more congregations reconcile and truly welcome everyone.
"I give the LGBT community a lot of credit for being so patient with us," Peters said. "I would've liked for it to have happened already, but it will come in time and not be without pain and not be without loss. Issues like slavery have split the church before, but we went on, and I'm optimistic."
And if the change come later rather than sooner, Peters says he worked hard for an issue dear to his heart.
"Moses only glimpsed the promised land, he never got there," Peters said. "If it hadn't been for the people before us, we'd never gotten as far as we are today. To be a human being, you've got to be willing to do that hard work and realize you might never see the fruits of your labor. But it means everything for the next generation."
Share this: 
