
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – APRIL 26, 2023
SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS – The members of Springfield’s Douglas Avenue United Methodist Church (DAUMC) have agreed to designate themselves as a Reconciling Congregation and affiliate with the national Reconciling Ministries Network. DAUMC is the first church in the Springfield area and only the third in the 87 county Illinois Great Rivers Conference of the United Methodist Church to adopt this designation.
As a Reconciling Congregation, DAUMC has adopted the Foundational Statement of the Reconciling Ministry Network, which reads as follows:
“We celebrate God’s gift of diversity and value the wholeness made possible in community equally shared and shepherded by all. We welcome and affirm people of every gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, who are also of every age, race, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, level of education, and family structure, and of every economic, immigration, marital, and social status, and so much more. We acknowledge that we live in a world of profound social, economic, and political inequities. As followers of Jesus, we commit ourselves to the pursuit of justice and pledge to stand in solidarity with all who are marginalized and oppressed.”
The Reconciling Ministry Network works to advance justice and inclusion for all LGBTQ+ people in The United Methodist Church and beyond. Since 1984, the Network has strived to transform hearts, churches, and communities through grassroots organizing, providing resources and educating, spurring denomination-level change, pastoral care, and working with faithful people hopeful for a reconciled Church. The Reconciling movement spans four continents, 1,000+ churches, and 40,000+ individuals.
Rev. Meredith M. Brown (she/her/hers), lead pastor of the congregation said: “I am so honored to pastor with the loving folks of Douglas Avenue United Methodist Church. DAUMC has always been a church that welcomes and affirms all kinds of people with love, care and compassion. Becoming a Reconciling Congregation is a big deal, but it also feels like a continuation of who we’ve always been as people who love and follow Jesus.”
Allen Griffy (he/him/his) is the Chair of the Welcome and Inclusion Team at Douglas Avenue. He said: “Designation as a Reconciling Congregation tells our community, in a very public way, what our church family has always known: DAUMC welcomes, affirms, celebrates, and loves everyone! We are a beacon of hope for LGBTQIA+ individuals who feel that church has rejected them or shut them out. Here at DAUMC, we believe God calls us to love all God’s children just as they are. For us, all truly means all.”
The congregation will celebrate its designation and affiliation during the 8:15 and 10:30 a.m. worship services on Sunday, April 30, 2023. Members are encouraged to attend worship in pride clothing. Services are held at 501 South Douglas Avenue, Springfield, IL 62704. For more information about the congregation, visit www.douglasavenue.org or call 217-546-4631.