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Monday, March 22, 2004
By Shannon Dininny
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ELLENSBURG, Wash.—
ongregants in the Methodist
lurch where the Rev. Karen
ammann used to preach cele-
rated her acquittal Sunday, a
ay after she was cleared of
iolating church doctrine by
ing in a lesbian relationship.
, -‘Tin very pleased,” said
odie Haight, a member of the
angregation who sat through
^ ammann’s trial about 95
liles away in the Seattle sub-
rb of Bothell. “I don’t think
icjury had an easy task, but I
link they gave it long, thought-
il, prayerful consideration.”
Dammann, 47, was acquit-
S 20t 0 | d Saturday by a jury of 13
|| istors of violating a church
Hg.jjijj anon ordaining “self-avowed,
of sev{J racticing homosexuals.” If
h pan® iik juro^ had voted to con-
runtilili let,Dammann could have lost
S patiesfr ministry.
The United Methodist
theflars Iwrch has repeatedly voted
andtta tainst loosening policies on
ledamas omosexuality, but the
isponse to the verdict in this
.central Washington town
ras warm.
Haight said she arrived at
atproiec! lurch early expecting protest-
there were none.
“The people of the congre-
ition have been incredible to
he disea* ^"Dammann said Saturday.
But there was concern about
; fallout for the United
lethodist Church, the nation’s
ireroUri urd-largest denomination with
.5million U.S. members.
“I believe the vast majority
United Methodists are in
ef and shock today. I’m
ersonally heartbroken,” said
tana Miller. cutive
litector of the Confessing
kement, a conservative
wment within the United
'leipdist Church,
think the issue is, a part
Jthe jurisdiction has broken
Hfrenant with the rest of the
cent of
are caA
to si
:s toe!
church and has decided to go
the way of the world, as
opposed to being faithful to and
abiding by church law.”
The conservative renewal
movement, which claims more
than 600,000 members, was
formed 10 years ago. Miller
said she could not predict how
the tensions within the denomi
nation will play out.
“We’re just praying about
what is the proper response to
what has occurred,” she said.
u,
I think the issue
is, a part of the juris
diction has broken
covenant with the
rest of the church
and has decided to
go the way of the
world, as opposed
to being faithful to
and abiding by
church law.
— Patricia Miller
Director of
Confessing Movement
Church law prohibits the
ordination of open homosexu
als and the church's Book of
Discipline declares homosexu
ality to be “incompatible to
Christian teachings.” However,
the denomination's social
principles support gay rights
and liberties.
Dammann, 47, declared her
sexual preference in February
2001, when she sought a new
church appointment. She and
her partner of nine years,
Meredith Savage, married earli
er this month in Oregon. They
have a 5-year-old son.
Dammann said she and
Savage planned to stay out of
NEWS IN BRIEF
the public eye for a few days
rather than join her congrega
tion, but said she hopes to
return to Ellensburg as pastor.
She’s been on family leave
for more than two years, caring
for her son, who has a respira
tory illness.
At Sunday’s service, attend
ed by about 60 people, the Rev.
Ron Hines, superintendent of
the Pacific Northwest
Conference’s Seven Rivers
District, read a letter from
Bishop Elias Galvan.
“This decision will not
resolve the conflict within the
United Methodist Church, nor
within the congregations of this
conference,” Galvan wrote.
“As long as this issue is impor
tant to society, the church must
continue to reflect theologically
and biblically and lead in min
istries of justice and peace.”
Dammann said she realizes
the church has a difficult time
ahead of it. “For the church it
means the beginning of another
stage of the struggle,” she said
Saturday. “I’m mindful of that.
This is going to be painful.”
Since the late 1980s, Pacific
Northwest Methodist leaders
have petitioned for eased poli
cies on homosexuality at each
of the denomination’s General
Conferences, held every four
years. During past international
General Conferences, most
attendees have opposed change.
The next General Conference
begins next month.
Similar rifts have developed
in other Christian denomina
tions — most notably the
Episcopal Church, which con
firmed an openly gay bishop
last year. Since then, several
conservative parishes have
threatened to break ties with
the denomination.
“These are not easy issues
to agree upon,” said Rev. Jim
Finkbeiner. who prosecuted the
case against Dammann.
“Frankly, we in the Northwest
are still in the minority, but it’s
a growing minority.”
2 l,S. will retain power in Iraq
liter transfer of sovereignty
andebi
-care
nr a pci
irtmem
to offer
Iraq — The United States says Iraq will
.jj isovereign, no longer under military occupation, on
me30. But most power will reside within the world's
rgestU.S. Embassy, backed by 110,000 U.S. troops.
Ihe fledgling Iraqi government will be capable
tackling little more than drawing up a budget
id ng for elections, top U.S. and Iraqi
ify on til ficialssay.
'We're still here. We'll be paying a lot of attention,
the Ted
rvices, st
it
and we’ll have a lot of influence,” a top U.S. official
said on condition of anonymity. “We’re going to have
the world's largest diplomatic mission with a signifi
cant amount of political weight.”
In just over three months, the mantle of sovereign
ty in Iraq will be passed to an interim government.
Its composition and the manner of its choosing will
be decided after a United Nations team arrives
this week.
But with Iraqi elections scheduled for December
or January, the interim government will last a
fleeting seven months at most: a butterfly's life, in
legislative terms.
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BRIDGING T>J£ GAPS
The Future of the £tf-U.S. Relations
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10:30 — 11:45 am - Panel I
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Presidential Conference Center, Rooms 1011, 1011A
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“International Criminal Court”
Presidential Conference Center, Rooms 1011, 1011A
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“ Global Security Issues”
Presidential Conference Center, Rooms 1011, 1011A
4:15-5:00 pm - Concluding Remarks
Robert A. Bradtke, Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and
Eurasian Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Presidential Conference Center, Rooms 1011, 1011A
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