In May, over a hundred United Methodist clergy signed a letter to their denomination coming out as LGBTQ. Many of these were PSR alumni/ae. Join us as we hear from some of them about the consequences of that action and their scuesses and challenges in advocating for more inclusive policies within the United Methodist Church on LGBTQ issues.
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Meeting ID: 527 584 587
We also will hold space for a live audience discussion on the Pacific School of Religion Campus in Holbrook Room, 133.
Our Panelists include:
Rev. Jeanelle Nicolas Ablola received her M.Div. (2010) at Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley and is currently serving as Lead Pastor at Pine United Methodist Church, San Francisco. She serves as Co-Chair of the CA-NV Philippine Solidarity Task Force (PSTF), member of NRJ (Network for Religion and Justice for API LGBTQ people), on the steering committee of the National Ecumenical Forum for Filipino Concerns NorCal (NEFFCON), and member of the Annual Conference’s Advocacy & Justice Committee. In 2014, Methodist Federation for Social Action California-Nevada Chapter (MFSA) presented her with the Bishop Leontine T.C. Kelly Peace and Justice Award. She leads regular immersion/exposure Pastoral & Solidarity Visits to the Philippines, has presented on panels, had articles published, and spoken at public events. It is through activism that she experiences deeper connection with Jesus Christ and the people she is called to serve. Currently in ministry, her emphasis is on empowering community through supporting the deepening of their faith lives in love, transformation, justice, wholeness, and action rooted in the Holy Spirit.
Rev. Israel I. Alvaran is an ordained Elder in the Philippines Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. He has served in various ministry settings as pastor, youth minister and faculty at a UMC university and seminary in the Philippines. He is currently under episcopal appointment to serve as Western Regional Organizer with Reconciling Ministries Network. A long-time activist, Israel worked as Person-in-Mission of the UMC General Board of Global Ministries for the Manila Episcopal Area, focusing on advocacy for low-wage workers. For a number of years, he was a community outreach organizer for UNITE HERE Local 2 (the hotel workers union) and Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice of California. Prior to joining RMN, he served as national organizer for economic justice with the UMC General Board of Church and Society. A political asylee from the Philippines, Israel lives in San Francisco, CA and is immersed in the life of his community. Israel has a Masters of Divinity degree and a Masters of Theology degree from Union Theological Seminary in the Philippines. With a dissertation focused on faith-rooted organizing, he received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA in 2010 as a recipient of the UMC Crusade Scholarship
Rev. Brian Adkins has been the Pastor and Resident-in-Ministry at Open Door UMC since July of 2014. He previously served congregations in Richmond and Berkeley. He holds a Master’s in Divinity from Pacific School of Religion, part of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. Pastor Brian grew up on a farm in Ohio, where his Pentecostal grandmother had a great impact on his faith and formation. Prior to becoming a pastor, he worked in nonprofit development, as a fundraiser and program manager, and was trained as a faith-based community organizer. He is a former board member of the Reconciling Ministries Network, an organization aimed at moving the United Methodist Church toward full-inclusion. Pastor Brian likes reading and spending time with his dog, a rambunctious black lab called Waylon