Inclusivity
When we say "all are welcome" we mean all.
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Speak out on behalf of the voiceless, and for the rights of all who are vulnerable.
- Proverbs 31:8 (CEB)
On February 19, 2019, The United Methodist Church voted in favor of the Traditional Plan, allowing what many considered to be hurtful and exclusionary language to stay in The United Methodist Church Book of Discipline. After a May town hall of TUMC-D staff and congregants, and a later August vote, the decision was made for TUMC-D to become a Reconciling Congregation in the Reconciling Ministries Network with the following statement:
Trinity United Methodist Church in Duncanville, TX fully embraces our call to do what is fair and just to our neighbor, to be compassionate, kind, and loyal, and to walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). We believe that ALL people have sacred worth and a place at the table. We welcome and celebrate ALL members of our community, regardless of age, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, ability, social status, sexual orientation, or place along their spiritual journey. We rejoice in the gifts that God sends us through the diversity of God’s people, and declare ourselves to be a Reconciling Congregation.
In 2020, a rash of incidents involving police brutality against people of color swept a nation already wrestling with a pandemic and increased hostilities against Asian Americans. Since then, the Black Lives Matter movement has brought to light the everyday obstacles people of color face. With TUMC-D’s mission of doing what is fair and just to our neighbor, the congregation adopted the following anti-racism statement and stance:
We as the congregation of Trinity United Methodist Church of Duncanville continue to embrace our call to do what is fair and just to our neighbor, to be compassionate, kind, and to walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8), by committing to being an anti-racist church. We believe racism, especially systemic racism, has no place in the church or in our society. We commit to educating not just ourselves, but also the community around us, about the harmful and corrosive effects of racism, (to) understand its impact on all levels of life and the privilege it creates for one group over another, and (to) act towards justice. We pledge to purge the evil of racism embedded in our church, our community, our society, and in the recesses of the human heart, so that racism can be eliminated once and for all, and God’s will can be done on earth as it is in heaven.
We understand that everyone comes from different paths and backgrounds regarding social justice. For some, these statements are too much and too political. For others, it will never be enough. It is our hope to bridge the gap, educate, understand, and act so that all human beings are treated as God intended us to be treated: as siblings that are all sacred and worthy
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The United Methodist Church North Texas Conference also adopted a resolution regarding the church and racism during its annual 2020 conference. The Conference also conducted a racial equity audit in May 2021. Both are linked and can be read below:
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