First openly LGBTQ bishop in the UMC reflects on faithful ministry
WJK Press Release
LOUISVILLE — Westminster John Knox Press is pleased to announce the release of Together at the Table: Diversity without Division in The United Methodist Church from Karen P. Oliveto, the first openly LGBTQ bishop in the UMC.
How do we open ourselves more faithfully and compassionately in a world that feels so divided? Will The United Methodist Church fully embrace its LGTBTQ brothers and sisters? Bishop Oliveto’s election in the UMC was and remains a controversial issue in a denomination that has long debated LGBTQ inclusion and which will convene in February 2019 to discuss where it stands on its LGBTQ members and clergy. Into this controversy, Oliveto offers Together at the Table. The book traces her ministry from a small church in rural New York where she lived fearfully in the closet with her partner, to the Pacific School of Religion where she counseled students seeking more welcoming denominations, to Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco where thousands of marginalized men and women joined her in worship every Sunday.
Oliveto writes, “Our differences are holy and all our lives are sacred.” In the exploration of her life, Oliveto reveals the lessons she’s learned during her faith and coming-out journeys, asking readers to seek empathy, celebrate diversity, and lean into ambiguity. With this latest book, Oliveto continues to prove herself to be a leading voice in the Christian LGBTQ community.
Of Together at the Table, Jim Winkler, president and general secretary of the National Council of Churches, says, “Bishop Oliveto’s story touches on one of today’s deepest fault lines in church and society. Hers is a deeply personal, revealing memoir about love and unity in a denomination wrestling with division. In an engaging, even gripping, style, she brings the reader to the table where issues are no longer abstract but fully human. This book has the power to change hearts and minds.”
Together at the Table will inspire readers from any religious community to celebrate the wonderful diversity in their neighbors. It is now available for purchase through Westminster John Knox Press and other major retailers.
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Karen P. Oliveto is the first openly LGBTQ bishop of The United Methodist Church, the second-largest Protestant denomination in the United States. She has served churches in New York and California and now oversees the Mountain Sky region, which includes churches in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.
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