Spotlight on Barb & Reg Olsen

Barbara and Reg Olson are members of the United Methodist Church, where Reg is a retired ordained clergyman.  We have enjoyed being a part of the Nexus Community.  It is known that we are also national coordinators of the Parents’ Reconciling Network, a group that seeks to reform the United Methodist Church’s  “closed door “ stance toward the LGBT community.   Why do we continue to be members of a church with which we disagree?

There are several reasons for our continuing work for change in the United Methodist Church, and all Christian denominations that are not open to the full participation of gays and lesbians in the Church.

                1. It would be easy to “drop out” and change our focus, but if we don’t do it who will?  The churches need such a reformation.

                2. We believe that we have been called by God to work for this acceptance of ALL GOD’s CHILDREN.  When our daughter came out lesbian God was reaching out to us to learn, pray and teach others about inclusiveness.  Like the prophets of old we ask, “why me Lord?” – why should I be involved in sometimes dangerous and thankless work.  After soul-searching we finally answered, “Here am I, sent me.”

                3. We feel that our struggle is in continuity with the best in the churches.  Their history is one of a gradual opening to accept all of God’s children as of sacred worth.  The mainline churches have grown closer to God, in their acceptance of racial diversity, of the poor, of ethnic diversity, of women, with all their gifts, and it will one day open its doors to gays and lesbians.

                4. We need to struggle against the powers of evil, as represented by the Institute for Religion and Democracy (the IRD).  This well-funded Washington-based lobby group is dedicated to bringing about change in the protestant church that have been “too progressive,”  so they can support the Neo-Conservative political agenda.  This group won a battle to prevent women from being leaders in the Southern Baptist Church.  The IRD has attacked the Methodists and Presbyterians, on being too open to the gay community.  And it has infiltrated many congregations of the United Church of Christ.  Two extremely important resources about the IRD ask to be read  -- United Methodism at RISK, a Wakeup Call, by  Leon Howell; and Steeplejacking, How the Christian Right is Hijacking Mainstream Religion, by Sheldon Culver, and John Dorhauer, two UCC denominational leaders.

Why do we attend Nexus?  Because it reflects values that we think are of utmost importance—values of diversity, justice, and the love of God; and because we have made many good friends here.  We too need to be fed spiritually.  We are being nourished at Nexus.  (Perhaps there is some nostalgia too, as Reg was raised in one of the denominational forbears of the UCC, the Evangelical and Reformed Church, and our daughter Beth’s partner, Shelly, our “Daughter In Love”  is now an ordained UCC pastor, in Pennsylvania.)

Attending Nexus and being part of the Nexus community does not necessarily require that one give up affiliation with other churches.