Good News from Ohio! Maumee Valley Presbytery approves Amendment 08-B

Wednesday, February 18 2009 @ 01:11 PM by Michael Adee

On February 17, at First Presbyterian Church, Bowling Green, Ohio, Maumee Valley Presbytery affirmed the 218th General Assembly's Ordination Amendment 08-B by a vote of 65 YES, 58 NO.

Maumee Valley is the seventh presbytery to "flip" from opposition in 2001 to approval in 2009 with Western North Carolina as the first presbytery to flip.

First Presbyterian Church, Bowling Green, hosted the presbytery meeting on February 17. We were delighted last year to welcome First Presbyterian Church, Bowling Green, Ohio, with its affiliation, ministry and witness as a welcoming and affirming, More Light Presbyterian Church into our national network of More Light Churches.

The Maumee Valley Presbytery vote of opposition to the Ordination Amendment in 2001 was 51 Yes to 70 No. Maumee Valley Presbytery describes itself as: Maumee Valley Presbytery is the body of Christ, Presbyterian (U.S.A.), in northwestern Ohio and southeastern Michigan. Maumee Valley Presbytery's ministry center is in Findlay, Ohio.

The Vision Statement of the Maumee Valley Presbytery reveals why a vote to end discrimination against LGBT Presbyterians and their families is possible within this presbytery: Maumee Valley Presbytery – A Christian Community Witnessing, Embracing and Teaching God’s Love.

Source of presbytery information: http://www.maumeevp.org/

Special thanks to all those working to end discrimination against LGBT Presbyterians and their families now in the Maumee Valley Presbytery. You are an inspiration.

We want to offer particular gratitude to Marcy St. John and others from First Presbyterian Church, Bowling Green, along with Rev. Debra Peevey, MLP and Rev. Tricia Dykers-Koenig, CN, for providing outreach and serving as resource persons with this presbytery.

We want to alert all of you working in local presbyteries to pass 08-B to prepared for any of the "No Action" efforts in your presbytery and be ready to address them.

For educational resources and our Resource Packet from the Answering God's Call to Serve! Yes on 08-B Campaign -- go to http://www.mlp.org/answeringgodscall

Thanks be to God for this stand for justice and victory in the Maumee Valley Presbytery! Together We are building a Church for all God's people.

with hope and grace,

Michael

PS -- Special thanks to Bruce Hahne, recent National MLP Board Member and Elder, First Presbyterian Church, Palo Alto, CA, a More Light Church for number-crunching and analysis of trends so far for Amendment 08-B -- go to http://yeson08b.blogspot.com/

Michael J. Adee, M.Div., Ph.D., Executive Director & Field Organizer

More Light Presbyterians, 369 Montezuma Avenue # 447, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 USA (505) 820-7082, michaeladee@aol.com, www.mlp.org

Answering God's Call to Serve!

For resources, stories, presbytery vote tally, and news from More Light Presbyterians

YES on 08-B Campaign go to http://www.mlp.org/answeringgodscall

_____________________________________________________________________

Thanks for this good news -- this is a no-to-yes flip. This is the 7th
presbytery to shift its vote to pro-equality this year, compared to 2001-2.

Maumee Valley:
2001-2 01-A: 51 yes, 70 no --> 42% YES
2009 08-B: 65 yes, 58 no --> 53% YES

It's nearly an 11% pro-equality shift from 2001-2.

Bruce
hahne at io.com

Dar Bevelhymer wrote:

> I don't know if anyone has given you an update yet but the Maumee
> Valley Presbytery meeting in Bowling Green, Ohio just voted on 08-B
> about an hour ago and the vote was 65 yes and 58 no.
>
> Darlene Bevelhymer
> Bowling Green, OH

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