A handful of Methodist leaders in central Ohio are among the more than 100 clergy members and clergy candidates who publicly came out today as having gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and other orientations in defiance of the United Methodist Church's rules governing sexuality.

A handful of Methodist leaders in central Ohio are among the more than 100 clergy members and clergy candidates who publicly came out on Monday as having gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or other orientations that are in defiance of the United Methodist Church's rules governing sexuality.

The group of 111 came out in a "love letter" to the church on Monday, a day before the denomination opened its 10-day general conference todayin Portland, Oregon, where issues of sexuality will be debated by 864 delegates from around the world.

"We love you, dear church. Through you, we have stood on sacred ground and seen the face of God more clearly. Our prayer, as the church begins its time of discernment, is that you will remember that there are nameless ones around the world, hungry for a word of hope and healing," the letter says.

Video: Minister speaks out

The letter is part of the "It�s Time" campaign of the Reconciling Ministries Network, which advocates for LGBT people in the Methodist church. Among the signers is the Rev. Laura Young of Westerville, who said the denomination has left clergy members no choice but to make a public statement.

"The United Methodist Church urges us to hide our light under a bushel basket, and God calls us to shine our light brightly," she said. "The don't-ask-don�t-tell policy is damaging to a person's soul, and we can't allow it to go on any longer."

Young serves the denomination as executive director of the Ohio Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. She said that other local ministers who have signed the letter are the Rev. John Wooden, pastor of Stone Village Church in Italian Village, and the Rev. John Girard, associate pastor at Worthington United Methodist Church. A local candidate who currently lives in San Francisco also signed the letter.

The church's Book of Discipline calls homosexuality "incompatible with Christian teaching" and prohibits ordination of self-avowed practicing homosexuals. The book also prohibits Methodist ministers from conducting same-sex marriage ceremonies, and Methodist churches from hosting them. Violating the rules could result in discipline, including suspension or defrocking.

Since 1972, the church's general conference, held every four years, has hosted difficult debates on sexuality issues. More than 100 pieces of legislation on sexuality will be considered at the current conference, which ends May 20 and is the first since the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

The letter was written two days after the Rev. David Meredith, a Methodist minister, married his same-sex partner at Broad Street United Methodist Church in Downtown Columbus. The move prompted the Evangelical Fellowship of West Ohio, which seeks to uphold traditional Methodist values, to ask West Ohio Conference Bishop Gregory Palmer to suspend Meredith and two other clergy members who took part in the ceremony.

Meredith signed Monday's letter, and is attending the conference in Oregon. He said that he believes the church can withstand this debate: "I trust God, and God has never let the church destroy itself."

Palmer was not available for comment on Monday. The West Ohio Conference issued a statement saying that clergy hold a "sacred trust." The UMC, the statement says, has a processes for addressing suspected breaches of that trust or violations of the church's covenant.

"All persons are beloved to God and of sacred worth. All may attend our worship services, participate in our programs, receive the sacraments and become members of any local United Methodist church," the statement says. "In areas of disagreement we believe our Christian response must be to pray and work together for justice, reconciliation and healing, while keeping our eyes focused on our primary mission � making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world."

The moves are the latest in a string by Methodist clergy who have challenged the church laws, including the coming out of 15 clergy members in the New York Annual Conference last Monday.

Young said she will not leave the denomination, even if her actions lead to suspension or dismissal. Her grandparents met in a United Methodist church in Bucyrus, and she grew up singing Methodist hymns while standing between them in a church pew.

"The theology of those hymns formed my spiritual life, and they helped form my identity," she said. "I am a United Methodist, and I plan to stay that way. I will not hide my most authentic self to be able to serve in this capacity."

The United Methodist Church has about 12 million members worldwide, including more than 7 million in the United States, where it is the largestmainlineProtestant denomination. The 58-county West Ohio Conference is home to nearly 170,000 United Methodists, 1,600 clergy members and 1,100 churches.

jviviano@dispatch.com

@JoAnneViviano