For Immediate Release

May 5, 2004

Contact:

Cynthia P. Brust

202-296-5360

202-412-8721

We rejoice in the United Methodist Church?s decision to uphold a Biblical theology of sexuality and marriage. The United Methodist Church?s actions clearly indicate they are unwilling to follow the same moral road ECUSA chose.   The United Methodist Church is at least four times the size of the Episcopal Church USA and in many ways represents a cross-section of the culture of North America.   In defeating the revisionist agenda for human sexuality and marriage, the United Methodist Church has proven that such an agenda is neither an intrinsic component of American culture nor inevitable for mainline Christian denominations.

We commend the United Methodist Church's General Conference as well as its Judicial Council?s ruling to maintain the church?s position on the ordination/service of practicing homosexuals as incompatible with Scripture.  We pray these decisions will cause the leadership of ECUSA to reevaluate its actions at General Convention 2003 and realize how far our Church strayed from the norms of Christian faith and practice.  We also encourage the Lambeth Commission to consider the strong statement of the United Methodist Church and the effect ECUSA?s decisions will continue to have on Christian unity and the ecumenical movement.

Date: 5/6/2004