My heart is heavy. Today I learned of the passing of Rev. Tim Tennant-Jayne. For many years, Tim served as the Co-Spokesperson for Affirmation: United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns. Tim's leadership helped deepen an understanding of ministry on the margins, even among LGBTQ persons in the Church. Tim mentored young leaders, challenged notions of inclusiveness beyond a simple welcome. He was an evangelist for God's grace. I give thanks for Tim's life, witness, and ministry.

As I celebrate Tim's life, I am also aware that another saint in The United Methodist Church is in need of our prayers. Gayle Felton is known by many as a witness to God's love and grace to LGBT United Methodists in North Carolina. Often a lone voice, Gayle's spirit has sustained and nurtured many gay Christians. Gayle served on the board of the Reconciling Congregations Program, now Reconciling Ministries Network. Others know Gayle because she was a teacher to future leaders of the Church at Duke Divinity School. But her reach goes far beyond the walls of Duke. Many United Methodist seminarians and clergy have read and inwardly digested Gayle's work as she was the lead author of

By Water and the Spirit and This Holy Mystery, seminal works on United Methodist understandings of baptism and holy communion. Gayle has entered hospice care, and we join our prayers with her, her family, and her friends.

Tim and Gayle gave of their time, talent, and treasure to MFSA and to the wider church. Their lives are a testament to servant leadership, lives of personal and social holiness, and genuine care for all of God's children. May peace be theirs now and always.

In this new year, have you considered what commitments you'll make to combating racism in 2014?

Mychal Denzel Smith, a blogger for

The Nation, makes three succinct points surrounding his commitment to combating racism. First, he suggests reclaiming the notion that racism is more than name-calling - it is a system of oppression.

Second, Smith suggests putting 'respectability politics' on the shelf. He states, "Children were being shot dead in the streets, and we were debating whether their pants sagged too low. Their schools were being closed, and we talked about whether they had good father figures in their home. They were stopped, frisked and beaten by police, and we somehow managed to chastise them for littering."

Finally, Smith states, "We must make every politician say the words 'mass incarceration.'" Following up on MFSA's Fall Panel Discussion on the Criminalization of Race, this is central to developing a deeper understanding on the insidiousness of racism in the American prison system.

Read Smith's three commitments here, then reflect on your own commitments. If you'd like to share your commitments you can contact one of our staff and we'd be glad to incorporate your commitment in our blog or social media posts.