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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION HONORING THE FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF ARLINGTON HEIGHTS
WHEREAS, the First United Methodist Church of Arlington Heights (FUMCAH) adopted an inclusive statement in 2009, “We celebrate humanity’s diversity of age, racial and ethnic background, sexual orientation, gender identity, special needs, socio-economic conditions, and family status. Created in the image of God, all persons are worthy of God’s love and grace and welcomed into full participation in the life of our congregation.”; and
WHEREAS, FUMCAH has lived these values while facing a string of hateful acts where a rainbow Pride flag was vandalized or ripped down several time over the course of six months; and
WHEREAS, FUMCAH hosted a Pride Parade of Lights on January 17th; and
WHEREAS, a gathering of 200 people including church members and other community members marched with lights and stood with lit candles along Euclid Rd. to counteract the hateful acts and love boldly; and
WHEREAS, FUMCAH has shown its commitment to radical inclusivity for years through its programming and ministry; and
WHEREAS, FUMCAH established it’s Reconciling Ministry over a decade ago which is dedicated to seeking justice for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities; and
WHEREAS, the Reconciling Ministry participates in local LGBTQ events including Pride Parades to show their full support of the LGBTQ community; and
WHEREAS, the Reconciling Ministry also offers workshops on how to incorporate the use of pronouns, normalize the practice, and to support people that are going by different pronouns; and
WHEREAS, FUMCAH offers the Pinwheels Support Group where parents with transgender children and their siblings have a safe space to meet where the kids can play together while the parents share experiences and resources; and
WHEREAS, FUMCAH hosts a Rainbow Circle, a group for LGBTQ Christians to gather regularly to share their experience, worship, and attend social events; and
WHEREAS, this church community represents the inclusivity that is vital to realizing equity for the LGBTQ and other marginalized communities; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Cook County Board of Commissioners do hereby honor the First United Methodist Church of Arlington Heights for the outstanding work they do in Cook County; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that suitable copies of this resolution are presented to the First United Methodist Church of Arlington Heights, Lead Pastor Melissa Earley, Pastor of Faith Formation Lynn Mikels, and the Chair of the Reconciling Ministry Thom Frerk.
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