HELEN RYDE
(they/them)
September 2 is the first anniversary of Helen Ryde’s death. Their support and advocacy through the Reconciling Ministries Network brought her to the Shenandoah River District where they listened, laughed, lamented and encouraged us to stay the course toward full inclusion for all in the UMC. I witnessed Helen advocate in non-polarizing ways not only on the SRD, but at Academy for Spiritual Formation #42 at Camp McDowell in Alabama, as she responded to my emails, when she sat at table with those of opposing views near her home at Lake Junaluska, NC, and at the 2024 General Conference in Charlotte. She knew how to listen and how to have conversations. Her witness continues to inspire my commitment to the journey of those conversations in the churches on the SRD.
In tribute to Helen, I am sharing a part of the reflection by Andi Woodworth, Executive Director, Reconciling Ministries Network and an Elder in the North Georgia Annual Conference. It is my invitation to explore any and all of those points (or whatever is on your mind) with me and other members of the RMN on the SRD and throughout the Virginia Annual Conference. I hope you were able to visit the RMN display at the 2026 Annual Conference in Harrisonburg, and I look forward to our conversations, perhaps guided by the points below.
As we sit with the memory of Helen, and the place they have in our hearts even now — it is a good time to remember and recommit to a life lived like Helen. I invite all of us who knew Helen — or have heard Helen stories — to step up into this moment in a Helen sort of way.
- Who can you reach out to and offer a note of encouragement?
- What nearby congregation can you invite to practice deeper inclusion of every kind of LGBTQ+ human?
- Who can you gather with for a meal around your table with belly laughs until there are tears in your eyes?
- Where can you speak up and insist on the full humanity of LGBTQ+ people, and that all our neighbors deserve dignity and respect?
Laura Douglass, RMN member, Deacon (retired)
lauradouglass@vaumc.org