Hundreds join in noontime march for peace
6/13/2010
More than 300 members of the 2010 Annual Conference session, during the noontime break, heard Bishop Julius Calvin Trimble say that a witness for peace and justice “is in the script.” Bishop Trimble and Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie led the marchers as they made their way from Hy-Vee Hall to Nollen Plaza.
“If you read the Bible, both the Old and New testaments,” Bishop Trimble said, “if you read our Social Principles and the Social Creed, if you read the racial charter that was started by the United Methodist Women long before it was popular to speak out on behalf of justice and peace you will realize that to be a United Methodist is to read and to believe the script.”
“When people are criticizing you for advocating on behalf of peace and justice, and people questioning why we oppose war and why it is that we think that the care for God’s creation is so important and environmental justice and treating everybody as a child of God…why is it so important that we advocate for humane immigration reform…why is it so important that we open our doors to all of God’s children no matter who they are…you can always remember that it’s in the script.”
When he’s received criticism for speaking out for comprehensive immigration reform he reminds his critics, “I’m not stating anything that we’ve not already adopted in our General Conference resolutions or that Jesus has not already set the example for.”
“It’s possible to support men and women in the service and be opposed to war...they’re not mutually exclusive.”
“It’s possible to open the doors of the church to all of God’s children and still be in support of evangelism.”
“It’s possible to pray and to sing, to plan and to protest and still be a child of God and a good citizen of the country.”
“I make no apologies for the statements that I’ve made relative to immigration reform…in fact, the Council of Bishops in May 2009, November 2009, and at the most recent Council meeting adopted statements in support of comprehensive immigration reform and spoke out against the law that was passed in Arizona. We hope that that won’t happen here in Iowa as well.”
“Friends, it’s never the wrong time to do what is right!”
Citing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Bishop Trimble said, “Almost always the creative dedicated minority has made the world better…one person can make a difference.”
The Bishop referenced the United Methodist Book of Discipline “The church must regard nations as accountable for unjust treatment of their citizens and others living within their borders. We deplore al forms of abuse and we affirm all persons as equally valuable in the sight of God.”
“The love of Christ transcends political opinion. The love of Christ is not Democratic or Republican. The love of Christ is not tea party or hot chocolate party or any other kind of party. The love of Christ transcends anyone’s political opinion.”