Bishop Mark J. Webb
Upper
NY Area Episcopal Office
of
the United Methodist Church
324
University Avenue 3rd Floor
Syracuse
NY 13210
Dear
Bishop Webb,
In
the matter of Rev. Steve Heiss, my wife, Janet and I are sending you this
letter to share our thoughts,
and more, our feelings and hopes. We cannot suggest a way to help you reach a
decision given United
Methodists’ “The Book of Discipline.” We do not envy the decision you have to
make. Finding the
right thing to do, to
act justly and with faith, will not be easy.
In the matter of faith and
in many other things, as well, change can test us; change in culture and
convention can shake the foundations on which we stand. For Janet, the Methodist faith came with
birth and with nurture and with choice throughout her life. With Vito, the United Methodist faith was
something he came to in adult life, as much through his marriage to Janet as
his own experience dealing with change and the Catholic Church’s experience in
the 1960s. The ecumenical tone that was
struck during that time deeply remains a part of Vito’s current faith. A part of that experience, and we repeat, a
part, led him to eschew the Catholic Church’s teachings on contraception,
celibacy, and birth control. The
openness of United Methodism, its love and acceptance, allowed him to find a
home amidst the cultural shifts and personal beliefs in a way that the Catholic
Church was making difficult. To him,
acceptance was impossible under those circumstances.
With the current issue of
same-sex marriage, once again cultural shifts and personal beliefs and existing
tenets of faith are creating the turmoil that we are now witnessing.
Through
our personal experience of living with the same-sex orientation of a child, we
can understand without any debate, why Rev. Heiss officiated at the Service of
Christian Marriage of his child. For us,
love and acceptance is paramount, not only with respect to the relationship
with a child, but with the society and culture in which that child lives.
We are honored to be part
of a Reconciling Congregation and express gratitude that this has not been
challenged. What is just about our child
of God not being fully accepted in the United Methodist Church that preached to
him, “God is love” and “You are God’s beloved?”
We are troubled by the stance the United Methodist Church has taken
recently. We have our own experiences
witnessing change and watching communities of faith deal with the issues that
inevitably arise.
We wish you God’s speed and
grace while you ask the question, “What does the Lord require of me?”
Sincerely,
Vito and Janet Sciscioli
University United Methodist Church
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