 Report from your MLP Board: 08-B to GA
2010
Nashville, TN: Following the "God's Whole Family!"
Conference, the National Board of Directors of More Light Presbyterians held
their fall board meeting September 6 - 7. Vikki
Dearing and Janet Edwards, Co-Moderators, facilitated
the meeting with worship provided by Sandy Winter and
Brian Spolarich.
The key matters for discernment, discussion and decision
included preparations and overture development for the 219th General
Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) July 3 - 10, 2010 in
Minneapolis, MN. Being inspired by the extraordinary collaboration during the
Amendment 08-B Campaign, we are grateful to continue working with
Covenant Network, Presbyterian Promise,
Presbyterian Welcome, TAMFS and
Witherspoon Society-Voices of Sophia. MLP continues its absolute and passionate commitment to
the achievement of spiritual equality,
ordination equality and marriage equality for
LGBT people and their families in the life, ministry and witness of the
Presbyterian Church (USA). We are grateful for the "Revise-B" Ordination
Overture passed by the Session of Northside Presbyterian
Church, Ann Arbor, MI and call for other sessions to
prayerfully consider ordination overtures to bring to their presbyteries for
consideration.
 Regarding marriage equality, we look forward to receiving the report
expected out soon by the Special Committee on Christian
Marriage of the 218th General Assembly. We believe that love is a gift
from God. With the growing number of states and countries that support legal
marriage or civil unions for same-sex couples, it is important for Presbyterians
to support marriage equality in both Church and society. Recognition,
counseling and blessing of same gender loving couples and opposite sex couples
are pastoral care responsibilities that must be taken seriously in this national
conversation about marriage.
 Restoring intellectual integrity and historical accuracy
to a historic confession of our faith and the Reformed tradition, the
Heidelberg Catechism, is of grave important to us. We believe
this importance is shared by the Presbyterian Church (USA) because of the
creation of the Special Committee on the Heidelberg
Catechism by the 218th General Assembly. Education is the key to
understanding and addressing the mistranslations of the current version of the
Heidelberg Catechism in our Book of Confessions. We are informed and inspired
by the recent action of the Reformed Church in America to correct these
translation errors. We hope that the Special Committee on the Heidelberg
Catechism will recommend similar changes for the PCUSA. Such a process requires
a 2/3's vote for ratification which means education about the Heidelberg
Catechism in every church and presbytery. New educational
resources on the Heidelberg Catechism will be available online soon at
www.mlp.org
In addition to legislative and advocacy ministries, we
did an evaluation of the recent "God's Whole Family!" Conference, reviewed
financial reports, approved minutes of previous board meetings and discussed the
initial findings from a professional audit that is nearing completion.
We also worked on future programming and events
including: Coming Out for More Light 2009,
October 10-11, our MLP house party weekend in conjunction with the National
March for Equality in Washington, DC and Days of Service around the county; and
the RainbowCorps 2009 mission trip rebuilding houses in New
Orleans with Project Homecoming of the Presbytery of South Louisiana and
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, November 16 - 20. More information and online
registration for these events available soon at www.mlp.org
We give thanks to God for you and the
ministries that each of you faithfully offer through leadership and service in
your local church and presbytery, on your college or seminary campus; through
your prayers and spiritual partnership; and by your financial support of More
Light Presbyterians. Together we are building a Church for all God's
people.
Peace and grace,
Vikki Dearing and Janet
Edwards, Co-Moderators, and Michael J. Adee, Executive
Director & Field Organizer, and the National Board of Directors, More Light
Presbyterians.
PS -- A matching grant automatically doubles any
donation you make to continue and expand the outreach and ministries of
MLP. A tax-deductible secure donation can be made online now at www.mlp.org at the top
of the home page "contribute." Or, you can mail your donation check to MLP,
4737 County Rd. 101, Box 246, Minnetonka, MN 55345.
More Light Presbyterians
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