NORWICH - In front of Broad Street United Methodist Church is a new flag which states, “Everyone is welcome here.”

Hopefully that statement is true for all churches. We have thought we were, and are, that kind of church. However United Methodists have rules- bylaws, that define who we are. This year at our General Conference (which happens every four years), the wording that was put in our bylaws doctrine in 1974, which stated that homosexuality was against Christian teaching, was finally removed. As most people who were aware of this bylaw know that this has been debated for many years.
Because of the removal of the harmful language some United Methodist churches have split from the United Methodist Church. Broad Street United Methodist Church decided that we needed a let people know where we stand. We formed a core team, Reconciliation and Inclusion, where we worked to become a Reconciling congregation. After a year we took a church vote and are proud to say we are officially a Reconciling church.  
We joined RMN, Reconciling Ministry Network, where we are listed as a Reconciling church. RMN works to advance justice and inclusion for all LGBTQ+ people in the United Methodist Church and beyond.