"Liberating Love": National Theme for More Light Sunday, June

This is the fourth year of the annual tradition of celebrating the presence, faith and gifts that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons, their parents and families bring to the life, ministry and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Online sign-up is available now. Visit the 2007 More Light Sunday web page - Order worship bulletin inserts - Order adult education resources - Download worship resources: sample orders of worship, hymn and biblical text ideas, liturgical suggestions, including "10 Affirmations for GLBT Spirituality" Read the original (2004) press release about More Light Sunday.

Liberating Love
How does Love liberate us? What is liberating about God's love for us, and for all the world? What is liberating about being in love? What is liberating about our love for each other as part of the Body of Christ and the realm of God on earth?

What actions are required of us to liberate Love in our lives, churches, communities, nation and world? How is God calling us in this time and place to liberate Love? How might God be calling you, and all of us, to set God's Love free to do its life-giving, life-saving work? These are questions and meditations we offer for this More Light Sunday.

The first Sunday of June is chosen for More Light Sunday in recognition that June is the tradition of LGBT or Gay Pride Month. Pride celebrations were held in June to honor the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City, a watershed moment in the LGBT equal rights movement. We encourage each welcoming church, campus ministry or MLP Chapter to consider ways you can be part of your local or state Pride celebration.

A third of the churches that have participated in More Light Sunday are not affiliated as More Light Presbyterian Churches. Participation includes More Light Churches and is certainly not limited by this intentional ministry and witness.

We are grateful for the "Ten Affirmations for GLBT Spirituality" from Pittsburgh and offer them for your use on More Light Sunday. With our own Church and other faith traditions' concerns about "unity," we are particularly inspired by the first affirmation: "We celebrate the unity we create in our diversity." We are inspired by Jesus' prayer for his disciples "that they be one" in the Gospel of John 17: 20 - 21.

More Light Sunday is June 3, 2007 and if you choose that day you will be joining other churches, campus ministries and MLP Chapters around the country in worship, celebration, solidarity and witness. We recognize that this particular Sunday might not work for you, so it is absolutely fine to hold "More Light Sunday" on another day.

We invite you to sign up online for More Light Sunday 2007 at http://www.mlp.org/morelightsunday for liturgical resources, examples of a More Light Sunday worship service, a list of hymns and Biblical texts. We commend to you Pittsburgh's "10 Affirmations for GLBT Spirituality" for your worship service or community celebration.

Special worship bulletin inserts are available free to you through the online sign-up and order process. Please order your inserts at least 2 weeks in advance of the day you need them. One local More Light Sunday Coordinator per church or group is helpful for this process.

Jesus' life, example and teachings are reflected in this year's theme of "Liberating Love." It is our prayer that indeed we will be "one" when love is liberated and faith is embraced in new and deeper ways within our life together as the body of Christ and the realm of God on earth.

Signing up online is an easy process. We have expanded our welcoming worship resources online which should be helpful in your planning. And, order your free More Light Sunday worship bulletin inserts online and they will be shipped directly to you at no charge. For more information and to sign up now - go to http://www.mlp.org/morelightsunday

Liberating Love
More Light Sunday 2007
www.mlp.org