Chaplains offer Care in Person and Online
“I’m serving as a chaplain during the General Conference because I believe this expression of loving care, deep listening, and presence can renew and strengthen our United Methodist connection,” said Rev. Chet Jechura of the Baltimore-Washington Conference.
Rev. Chet Jechura and his dog Ollie as they staff the chaplain line remotely
Rev. Jechura is one of a 40-person Chaplain team brought together by Resist Harm in collaboration with Affirmation, Love Your Neighbor Coalition, Reconciling Ministries Network, and the Young Prophets Collective to serve as Chaplains during the General Conference. The Chaplain care team was developed out of a model of care used by Affirmation, and an awareness of how this long-awaited General Conference would bring up old and current hurts. Pat Luna and Rev. Molly Vetter collaborated with Jen Thurow, Rev. Hannah Adair Bonner, Rev. Michele Johns, and Rachel Gipson to bring the Chaplain team together.
“Holy conferencing is about more than the legislative process,” Rev. Jechura added. “The way we practice care across our connection can make our conferencing holier, with God’s grace.”
Some, like Rev. Jechura, are available by phone/chat from their home locations and others are in person in Charlotte. To communicate with a Chaplain, please call, text, or contact on WhatsApp at 424-467-946. Also, look for the “Chaplain” button (pictured). Additionally, you can join through the Gather Town virtual church space, hosted by the Young Prophets Collective – click here for more information to join through Gather Town.
Rev. Michele Johns (left) and Rev. Hannah Adair Bonner (right) are helping organize the Chaplain team brought together by Resist Harm in collaboration with Affirmation, Love Your Neighbor Coalition, Reconciling Ministries Network, and the Young Prophets Collective.
“I’m excited that we are able to offer people a variety of ways to engage that fit their context,” said Rev. Hannah Bonner, a member of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. “A delegate who is feeling overwhelmed can text the hotline without having to leave the floor. A young person on a computer in their home can log into the Young Prophet's gaming-style virtual space. An observer on the edges can bump into a Chaplain with a pin and ask to sit down and talk. I’m excited about the ability to meet people’s needs for support in so many different ways.”
General Conference can be exhausting and anxiety producing, not to mention a space of potential harm by words or votes. The Rev. Lisa Kerwin, a retired Deacon volunteering as a virtual Chaplain, said, “I care about those who could be harmed by words and results, those who feel anxious and I want them to know they are not alone, they are beloved, and surrounded by love and prayer.”
General Conference can evoke a range of emotions and the Chaplains provide valuable space for processing. “Being present with someone as a Chaplain is a way of honoring their felt experience. Providing emotional first aid helps keep things from scarring,” said Rev. Donald Kuntz, who is a part of the Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA) and Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN).
Rev. Ashley Prescott Barlow-Thompson, Deacon and Reserve Delegate for the Great Plains Annual Conference, reflected on the time so far in Charlotte, “As a Reserve delegate, tasked with the work of observing our General Conference work, I am also observing the impact our words, votes, and discernment is making on the LGBTQIA+ community, people of color, and all those who have been marginalized by our church.” Rev. Barlow-Thompson continued, “My heart and my hope is to support those who need care, a listening ear, or a prayer in the midst of all we are doing. In some small way, I hope us volunteer chaplains can practice what Christ calls our whole church to – to love, to be just, and to walk with one another as we head toward the Kin-dom of God together.”
The video-chat platform Gather Town is being used by the Young Prophets Collective to provide community and care during the General Conference. Rev. J Michael Cobb of the New York Annual Conference reported that Gather Town exceeded his expectations. “It’s a great way to build community for those with little real-world community,” Rev. Cobb said. “I was surprised and delighted at how it facilitated real, meaningful conversations. During worship, we broke into groups to discuss scripture.” The Young Prophets Collective will be open on Gather Town from 9 am-10 pm ET from April 29 to May 2, and from 9 am to 4 pm ET on May 3.
The buttons the Chaplains are wearing allow for points of connection. Rev. Dianne Tobey Covault, a clergy member of the East Ohio Conference, shared, “I love the reactions I have gotten while wearing my button both from members of the queer community/allies and others who are curious and open.” Rev. Tobey Covault is also striving to help people claim their identities, “I volunteered to become a GC Chaplain because I want to be a safe space for LGBTQIA+ attendees to GC. I have been a Reconciling UM since 1996 and an ally since my high school days in the 1980s. Now finally as an out gay pastor, I both want to claim my identity and help others claim theirs.”
Rev. Jacey Pickens-Jones of the California-Pacific Conference joined the Chaplain team to make sure that if anyone had a General Conference experience similar to hers in 2026, there would be a number to call/chat. “I want to help as a chaplain because at GC2016 my faith and my call to ministry as a queer person were deeply shaken,” Rev. Pickens-Jones said. “I clung to those close to me and would have really loved a space like this to feel safe and heard. I want to help create that for others.”
Rev. Michele Johns, of the California-Pacific Conference who serves in the Washington, DC area, noted, “The reality that we need this Chaplain care team is a visible and present reminder of the harms LGBTQ+ folks and allies have experienced by the discriminatory rules and practices of the UMC as well as reminders of the presence of God’s ever-flowing and abundant love and grace present through the Holy Spirit.”
The Chaplain team will continue to be available for conversation and prayer during the remaining days of the postponed 2020 General Conference.