EVENT SPONSORS

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In Honor of Rev. Gilbert Caldwell, we are grateful for sponsorship by 

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Rev. Dr. Don and Dr. Bonnie Messer

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In Honor of Rev. Julian Rush, we are grateful for sponsorship by 

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Rev. Steve and Mrs. Ingrid Burnett

​Ms. Karen Hanson and Ms. Mary Lou Fenili

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JOY AND JORETTA RESPOND TO RECEIVING AWARD

With Thanks: In Response to the UMARC Bishop Oliveto and Ridenour Award

Joy Allen & Joretta Marshall; May 30, 2026

 

(Joretta) We are deeply honored and grateful for this award. We accept it on behalf of ordinary people – like us – who have persisted in living fully as LGBTQ persons in the world. We are aware that we stand in a long line of people who have faithfully worked to bring the gospel to life by being open-minded and open-hearted, and who want the church to reflect the best of God’s grace by offering hospitality and inclusion. In accepting this honor, we want to thank UMARC for stepping up to the plate at a critical time in the church’s history and for its continued prophetic presence in the church today. We need people like those of you in this room and others who share similar commitments to keep on doing the work. Especially on our minds are those who have gone before us and who helped open the way. Some of them lived ordinary lives of daily resistance, some were outspoken and courageous in their confrontation of the church, and some – like Bishop Oliveto and Deaconness Ridenour – carried their spirit in such a way that a whole church experienced their transforming love. Our friends, colleagues, and churches we have been a part of have made a difference in our life and we are truly grateful.

 

And in our gratitude, we are also deeply aware of the twin experience of grief that has been part of the journey for so many, including us.

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LOCATING OURSELVES (Joy) We chose to stay in the church. It was a deliberate, conscious choice because we understood there were many ways to walk this journey. Because of our time in history, family backgrounds, support systems, and our beliefs we made the best choices we knew to make along the way.  But we had so many, many conversations about whether we were doing it ”right,” as we continually balanced safety and courage.

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Both of us grew up in the United Methodist tradition.  I had many relatives on both sides of my family in the Evangelical United Brethren church ministry.  Joretta was creating sermons in her mind as a junior higher in response to the sermons she heard in her small town 50 member church. Because of this background and our own theological educations, we believed in the church even when we weren’t sure it was supportive of us.

We have tried to live graciously. We have tried to live our lives with quiet authenticity. We worked together (and received support from others) to create meaningful ministry paths and life choices in spite of ongoing constraints. Ours is truly a good and meaningful journey of being carried forward by grace.

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GRIEF & GRATITUDE (Joy) We are aware and grateful for the opportunities, resources, and support we experienced. We have been blessed by many of you and others who have companioned us – sometimes in silence or in quietness and sometimes with the full hearts and voices of leadership and advocacy. We were privileged to walk with clergy and devoted laity in their work, to share conversations and classes with church groups and staffs, to hear the stories of faithful people needing support on their journeys and to experience gifts and graces far beyond what we could ever have expected.  

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And in the midst of the gratitude there was often grief, perhaps just perpetual sorrow.  The church moved too slowly for so many of us. And, the un-noted, not-counted costs are ever-present: the cost to a couple or family of not having an open, public affirmation of their relationships; the cost for people sitting on the edges of churches until getting some message that they might be welcome or experiencing quiet injury and slipping away unnoticed; the cost to friends who hear stories and lose their faith in a God of justice and hope; or the cost to too many churches that lose vitality because of not enlarging the table of grace.  

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It is probably one of the hardest things about our journey – holding the gratitude for our experiences and opportunities while also grieving slower progress.  Certainly, we have been formed by this tension.  It has made our lives both richer and hopefully more compassionate toward others. 

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(Joretta) We grieved leaving local church leadership in order to explore more fully who I was and to develop a voice that would challenge the existence of heterosexism and genderism in theological education. Our relationship was certainly impacted at times by the lack of acknowledgement or celebration of who we were. But the distress we felt about church didn’t just belong to us alone. Our parents and siblings had to figure out what to do with us when none of them belonged to churches who could help them.

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We carried anger, hurt, disappointment, despair at times and yet we did not stay in those feelings in ways that did us irreparable harm even though it was difficult at times to sit in the pew or teach students. I am so aware of the loss of leadership and the gifts of a generation or more of women and men who could not stay in the church, who were dismissed or had to leave the institutional United Methodist Church in order to restore and nurture their souls. It is painful to bear witness to this discounting and waste of the talents and potential of others. I grieve their loss among us.

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Joy and I refused to let bitterness be the primary word, or the last word. It is precisely because of our faith and church background that we were able to stay connected although not always as fully as we would have wanted. Sometimes we had to step back to maintain a relationship with this church that we also loved. And we still know that our current privilege is fragile as the world around us seems to be taking steps backward.

Yet, the church was and is inching its way forward as more individuals in our communities of faith find a way to speak up. People who were once quiet have found voices of resistance and possibility. There are more churches that are finding ways to open their doors with genuine love. It matters that people say out loud the convictions of their hearts.

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THERE IS STILL WORK TO DO (Joretta) Even with the gains the church has made, there is still much work to do. There are far too many lesbians and gaymen, nonbinary and trans folks, bisexual and asexual people, families of choice and difference, people of color, people who lack material resources, and many others who experience feeling left out of the church’s proclamation about justice.

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We need churches that offer more than benign hospitality, but who naturally embrace welcome in ways that transform the life of the church and those who are part of it. We need more churches that are not the “first” to accept a clergy person who is not straight. We need churches that know what is needed for queer pastors to thrive. We need safe spaces for nonbinary children and youth to be who they are called to be, and ways to support families seeking safety in a climate that is oriented toward ridding the world of their presence.

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We need to work seriously on the intersections of racism, sexism, heterosexism, ableism, and classism. We can’t just choose to support lesbians and gay men who fit traditional understandings of individuals or couples; rather, we must find ways within the movements of justice to root out bigotry and fear and hatred. We need to be bold in confronting the bias in our current culture for the kind of Christian nationalism that distorts what it means to be a follower of Christ. And, we must trust the next generation of queer leadership to lead the way.

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HOPE-FILLED GOOD NEWS (JOY) The Good News rests in this work that is yet to be done. Our prayer is that churches can believe in God’s realm on earth in such a way that we live boldly into the spaces and places of grief and gratitude, not denying our sadness nor overstating our thanks. We are called to live knowing that the world is claimed by God’s love. Thankfully, we had people throughout our journey who loved us and cared about us. We believe in the importance of this witnessing to transforming love, whether in a quiet way or a loud way because we know that it makes a difference. May we go forth in the world knowing that such a powerful, intimate love can transform the church and the world. So be it!

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Please find links to the video tributes shared during the celebration.

Videos by Bishop Karen Oliveto/ Deaconess Robin Ridenour, Rev. Dr. Don Messer,

Rev Amy Stapleton, and Rev. John Thompson

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PRESS RELEASE - May 10, 2026​

Bishop Kristin G. Stoneking to Keynote UMARC 2026 Inclusiveness Celebration Breakfast

by Donald E. Messer

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Denver, Colorado —Laity and clergy are invited to hear Bishop Kristin G. Stoneking, United Methodist episcopal leader of the Mountain Sky Conference, Denver, keynote the 2026 Inclusiveness Celebration Breakfast, at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at Hope United Methodist Church in Greenwood Village, Colorado.

 

Tickets are $30 per person.  Sponsored by the Association of United Methodist Retired Clergy (UMARC), registration is at www.umarc.org

 

“Bishop Stoneking’s leadership has modeled what it means to lead with courage, compassion, and hope during a time of transition,” said Rev. Dr. Donald E. Messer, UMARC Co-Chair. “Her voice brings theological depth and pastoral wisdom to our celebration of inclusiveness.”

 

The event will honor Rev. Dr. Joretta Marshall and Joy Allen as the 2026 recipients of the Bishop Karen Oliveto/Robin Ridenour Inclusiveness Award. Oliveto served as the denomination’s first openly lesbian bishop, and her wife, Robin Ridenour, is a United Methodist deaconess and nurse anesthetist. Marshall is a retired professor of pastoral care and counseling and former administrator at Iliff School of Theology, Eden Theological Seminary, and Brite Theological Seminary. Allen, a licensed clinical social worker, dedicated her career to counseling couples and leading marriage enrichment workshops nationwide. Together they courageously challenged discrimination against LGBTQ+ persons within the church and society.

 

The celebration will also include music by Daryl J. Walker of Park Hill United Methodist Church in Denver, remarks by the honorees, and video tributes from Rev. Amy Stapleton (St. Andrew UMC, Highlands Ranch, CO), Rev. John Thompson (Columbia, SC), and Rev. Dr. Donald E. Messer. Rev. Dr. Kay Palmer-Marsh of Longmont, Colorado, will preside.

 

UMARC friends can sponsor tables, honoring historic leaders in the movement for inclusion, including Bishop Melvin Wheatley, Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, Rev. Gilbert Caldwell, and Rev. Julian Rush. Sponsorships help underwrite the event and support UMARC’s ongoing ministry.  Event registration and sponsorship information is also available at: https://mtnsky-reg.brtapp.com/UMARCInclusivenessBreakfast .

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Bishop Kristin G. Stoneking

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PRESS RELEASE - April 10, 2026​

Rev. Dr. Joretta Marshall and Joy Allen, LCSW, M.Div. Named Recipients of Bishop Karen Oliveto/Robin Ridenour Inclusiveness Award
by Donald E. Messer

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April 10, 2026 – Centennial, Colorado – Rev. Dr. Joretta Marshall and Joy Allen of Plymouth, Minnesota, have been named the 2026 recipients of the Bishop Karen Oliveto and Robin Ridenour Inclusiveness Award by the United Methodist Association of Retired Clergy (UMARC).

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Life-long United Methodists, Marshall and Allen have faithfully served the church despite its historically discriminatory policies toward gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ+) individuals—policies not rescinded until the 2024 Charlotte General Conference.

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The awardees will be honored at a special UMARC brunch on May 30 at 9:30 a.m. at Hope United Methodist Church in Greenwood Village, Colorado. Tickets ($30) and sponsorships are available on UMARC’s website: www.umarc.org.  People can be sponsors of Inclusiveness Tables honoring Bishop Melvin Wheatley ($1,000), Bishop Mary Ann Swenson ($500), Rev. Gilbert Caldwell ($250), or Rev. Julian Rush ($150).

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The program will feature remarks by the awardees and Bishop Kristin Stoneking of the Mountain Sky Conference, music by Daryl J. Walker of Park Hill UMC, Denver, and video tributes from Rev. Amy Stapleton, St. Andrew UMC, Highlands Ranch, Colorado, Rev. John  Thompson, Columbia, South Carolina, and Rev. Dr. Donald E. Messer, UMARC Co-Chair, Centennial, Colorado. Rev. Dr. Kay Palmer-Marsh, Longmont, will preside.

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Allen and Marshall have shared 44 years of commitment to one another. Early in their careers, Joy served as a Christian educator in Minnesota, while Joretta was an associate pastor in southwest Wisconsin. Allen, a licensed clinical social worker, spent decades counseling couples and leading marriage enrichment workshops across Tennessee, Colorado, Missouri, and Texas, retiring from clinical practice in 2024. Marshall served as a professor of pastoral care and counseling, as well as an administrator, at The Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis, and Brite Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, retiring in 2019. Her first book, Counseling Lesbian Partners (1997), broke ground in pastoral care. She has served as the first openly lesbian President of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors and on the boards of the Reconciling Ministries Network and UMARC.

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The Oliveto-Ridenour Award honors individuals or organizations that courageously challenge church policies by proclaiming and living an inclusive Gospel, rejecting the stigmatization and mistreatment of LGBTQ+ people. Robin Ridenour is a United Methodist deaconess and nurse anesthetist, and Bishop Karen Oliveto was the denomination’s first openly lesbian bishop.

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The inaugural award in 2024 recognized the Reconciling Ministries Network. In 2025, the late Bishop Melvin Wheatley, retired Bishop Roy Sano of Oakland, California, and retired Bishop Mary Ann Swenson of Pasadena, California, were honored for denouncing denominational anti-gay policy and advocating for inclusiveness at the 1996 General Conference in Denver.

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Rev. Dr. Donald E. Messer serves as Co-Chair of UMARC and Board Chair of the Center for Health and Hope, Centennial, Colorado.

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INVITATION​​

Dear Friends (Laity and Clergy),

 

You are invited by the United Methodist Association of Retired Clergy (UMARC) to our Inclusiveness Award Celebration Breakfast on May 30, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. at Hope United Methodist Church in Greenwood Village, CO.

 

We will celebrate the ministry of inclusiveness in The United Methodist Church, honor Dr. Joretta Marshall and Joy Allen, LCSW, M.Div., with the Bishop Karen Oliveto/Robin Ridenour Inclusiveness Award, gather friends around the table, and listen to keynote speaker Bishop Kristin Stoneking.

 

Individual tickets are $30. Many of our supporters choose to go a step further by becoming a Table Host, helping bring friends and colleagues to the celebration while also supporting UMARC’s ministry. You may host a full table, part of a table, or simply purchase individual tickets. Bring a friend!  Fill a table! Support the ministry! You can be a supportive sponsor, even if you cannot attend.

 

Inclusiveness Table Host Opportunities Honoring:

• Bishop Melvin Wheatley - $1000

  • Reserved table – 10 guests; recognition on website & in Program; helps underwrite celebration

• Bishop Mary Ann Swenson - $500

  • 8 guests; recognition on website & in Program; helps underwrite celebration

• Rev. Gilbert Caldwell - $250

  • 6 guests; recognition on website & in Program

• Rev. Julian Rush - $150

  • 4 guests; recognition on website & in Program

 

We hope you will join us for a time of celebration, inspiration, and music. Your presence — and your support — enable us together as laity and clergy to create an inclusive church and society.

 

With gratitude,

Don Messer & Harvey Martz (Co-Chairs) & Kay Palmer-Marsh (Event Chair)
United Methodist Association of Retired Clergy (UMARC)

 

 

ABOUT HONOREES ​

Joy Allen and Joretta Marshall celebrate 44 years of commitment to one another. Early on Joy was serving as a Christian Educator in Minnesota while Joretta was an Associate Pastor in a church in Southwest Wisconsin. In August of 1983 they moved to Nashville where Joy began her Master of Divinity program and Joretta began a PhD program in Pastoral Theology. Joy added a Master of Social Work from the University of Tennessee, becoming the first to complete the dual degree program in a joint endeavor at Vanderbilt. Joy started working for a non-profit Family and Children’s Service after her graduation, while Joretta worked at Vanderbilt as an Assistant Professor.

 

In 1993 they moved to Denver, Colorado where Joretta joined the faculty of her alma mater, Iliff School of Theology. While in Colorado Joy worked as a therapist at a United Way agency as well as a Pastoral Counseling Center in Brighton, Colorado, eventually starting a private practice in Denver. During this time Joretta also became involved in the leadership of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, serving on the Board for many years.

 

Joy and Joretta were invited to move to St. Louis in 2001 where Joretta worked as an Academic Dean at Eden Seminary. Along with service to the American Association of Pastoral Counselors as the first openly lesbian President, Joretta also began service on the Board of Reconciling Ministries. Joy began another private practice in St. Louis, developing a specialization in working with couples. She was certified by the Gottman Institute and began to co-facilitate couples’ workshops.

 

2007 took the couple to Fort Worth, Texas where Joretta joined the faculty of Brite Divinity School. She served as the Chair of the Reconciling Ministry Board and also became the Academic Dean at Brite. Joy continued her work as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and developed a robust practice in Fort Worth while also active in coordinating clinical peer groups and offering marriage enrichment to churches and congregations through couples’ workshops.

 

In 2021 they returned to their midwestern roots by moving to Minnesota after Joretta’s retirement from Brite. In retirement she joined the work of the United Methodist Association of Retired Clergy until 2024. Joy retired in 2024 from her clinical practice.​​​​​