On May 17th, 2015 the congregation voted to approve our welcoming statement:

The First United Methodist Church of Western Springs is a Reconciling Congregation – whatever your race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, economic situation, background or belief, age or ability, single or partnered, you are God’s beloved and are welcome here.

With this vote and public statement, our church is now part of the Reconciling Ministries Network, an organization working to include all people, including those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, into the full life of the church. Everyone is welcome to join us here in Western Springs, a place where people form meaningful relationships with one another and with God. All means all; so we also welcome those who have diverse views on this topic.

Our Reconciling Process began in summer 2014, when several of our members with a passion for this issue formed a Reconciling Committee. (we are Methodists after all!) Over the past several months we studied the topic through sermons and Sunday school classes. We also listened and learned people’s viewpoints through one-on-one conversations  and group discussions. We received help in our journey from our friends at First United Methodist of La Grange and others in the Northern Illinois Conference. We also used the toolkit developed by the Institute for Welcoming Resources to help guide the journey.

We view the vote and the welcoming statement as a first step in a new ministry. We hope you will visit and find that we are sincere when we say were are truly welcoming to all.