* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

			MORE LIGHT UPDATE 

		      January-February 2002 

		       Volume 22, Number 3 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

			   HIGHLIGHTS 

 

Strong More Light Women. Historic Ordination. Historic Call.  

Celebrating Virginia Davidson. Another Beginning. PCUSA Moderator  

Speaks. Prisons. Commentary. Our National Field Organizers. 

 

Note: The Print Version will have a membership and suppport flier  

with inserted reply envelope.  For folks reading online, please  

go to www.mlp.org to renew your membership and support! 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

			  FULL CONTENTS 

 

CHANGES 

OUR COVER: Celebrating an Ordination, 1st Presbyterian Church,	

     San Anselmo, CA. 

OUR NATIONAL FIELD ORGANIZERS 

     On the Road with Michael Adee & Katie Morrison 

2002 More Light Presbyterians Conference 

MLP Board at Worship 

EVENTS 

JOBS: TAMFS Texas & Chicago 

FEATURE STORIES 

     Celebrating Three Generations of Strong More Light Women 

	  Out Lesbian Minister Ordained in PCUSA 

	  Bid to Block Lesbian's Ordination Fails 

	  Chastity: "What does the seventh commandment teach us?" 

	  PCUSA struggles with gay-ordination issue 

	  Celebrating Janie Spahr 

	  TAMFS Celebrates Virginia Davidson's 85th Birthday 

	       "Another Beginning" by Sylvia Thorson-Smith 

     The Church We Are Called to Be, by Jack Rogers			  

     Musicians -- Get A Voice in Presbytery -- Get Certified! 

POETRY: General Assembly, 2001, by Patricia Culver 

PRISONS 

     A Letter from Prison, By Bettie Hussey 

     California Conference on Prison Crisis, by Jud van Gorder 

COMMENTARY [Not in print version] 

     The Compassionate Heart of God, by Rev. Rusty Lynn, LCSW 

     "Love with your heart the one who is not (like) yourself." 

	  by Mary Jane Newman 

     Open Letters to Our Church and World 

	  On Deciding Who's "In" and Who's "Out" by Etta and Harry Smith 

	  Katie Morrison at Colby College, by Lisa Larges 

MLP OFFICERS 

     MLP Board of Directors 

     MLP National Liaisons 

MLP PRESBYTERY LIAISONS 

MLP CHAPTERS 

MASTHEAD (Publication Information) 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

		 *We limit not the truth of God 

		 To our poor reach of mind, 

		 By notions of our day and sect, 

		 Crude, partial and confined. 

 

		 No, let a new and better hope 

		 Within our hearts be stirred: 

		 for God hath yet more light and truth 

		 To break forth from the Word.* 

 

 -- Pastor John Robinson, sending the Pilgrims to the New World,    

1620; paraphrased by the hymnwriter George Rawson, 1807-1889. 

 

			  SEXUAL ETHICS 

 

      "More Light Presbyterians (MLP) envisions that  

      Christian sexual ethics marked by covenantal  

      fidelity shall be the standard for all  

      Presbyterians, irrespective of sexual orientation." -- MLP Board, September 

1999. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

	   For all ministers, elders, deacons, members 

	 and friends of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 

 

		    More Light Presbyterians	       

		 4737 County Road 101, PMB# 246 

		    Minnetonka, MN 55345-2634 

 

			MORE LIGHT UPDATE 

		    James D. Anderson, Editor 

			   P.O. Box 38 

		  New Brunswick, NJ  08903-0038 

     732-249-1016, 732-932-7500 ex 8210 (Rutgers University) 

	      FAX 732-932-6916 (Rutgers University) 

		Internet: JDA@mariner.rutgers.edu 

		   (or JDA@scils.rutgers.edu) 

		     Email Discussion List: 

	     MoreLightPresbyterians@yahoogroups.com 

		    (To join, send email to: 

	MoreLightPresbyterians-Subscribe@yahoogroups.com; 

		    to leave, send email to: 

       MoreLightPresbyterians-Unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com). 

 

		MLP home page: www.mlp.org 

 

     Masthead, with Publication Information at end of file. 

 

    Note:  * is used to indicate italicized or boldface text. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

CHANGES 

 

New Contact information for Peter Oddleifson, one of our judicial  

issues liaisons: 120 Douglas Rd., Rochester, NY 14610, 585-473- 

8930, oddwall@aol.com 

 

New Contact information for Tammy Rider, MLP liaison: Tammy  

Rider, 100 2nd St., Claremont, MN 55924, 507-528-2086,	

trider@clear.lakes.com 

 

Please make sure you have the correct email for board member  

Deborah Mullen: DMullen@McCormick.edu (the D was omitted from the  

DMullen in the Sept.-Oct. Update!). 

 

Soon, Katie Morrison will be in her new home: 42 Fayette St. #2,  

Cambridge, MA 02139-1112, 617-547-6774. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

OUR COVER: Celebrating Katie Morrison's ordination with the  

laying on of hands, First Presbyterian Church, San Anselmo, CA	

(photo from Katie). 

 

Other photos have been contributed by Michael Adee, Katie  

Morrison, Janie Spahr, and Jack Hartwein-Sanchez. 

 

*Send us your photos -- especially photos of More Light  

Churches!*  (We need physical photos, not digital!) 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

OUR NATIONAL FIELD ORGANIZERS 

 

			   On the Road 

			with Michael Adee 

		  MLP National Field Organizer 

 

			   God With Us 

 

As I reflect upon this holy season in our lives as people of  

faith and in the Church from Advent to Epiphany, images of light  

and Immanuel keep coming to my mind and heart.	Immanuel -- God  

with us and the whole world. 

 

God with us.  Because of the fundamentalism present in our church  

and world, I am so cautious of language, attitudes and beliefs	

that suggest that God is only with us. God is not in our  

possession, no one has proprietary claim on God or the truth, nor  

can we fence in God's love, welcome and grace.	And yet, our  

current church law and disposition toward LGBT people, our  

families and friends does exactly this. 

 

The 212th General Assembly has offered the Church the gift of  

Amendment 01-A that goes a long way in taking down this fence and  

addressing the categorical prejudice and anti-gay attitudes in G- 

6.0106b.  During this time the majority of Presbyteries will be  

considering and voting on 01-A.  It is essential that each of us be  

faithful stewards of this opportunity for education, outreach and  

discernment within our own churches and presbyteries. 

 

From the road, I met with the leadership from the *Triangle MLP  

Chapter* and the *Charlotte MLP Chapter* in Raleigh, NC to work  

together on the *National MLP Conference* that will be held on May  

24-26, 2002 on the campus of North Carolina State University,  

Raleigh.  "Live Into Hope" is the theme taken from the inspiring  

hymn by Jane Parker Huber.  Save that date and join us in Raleigh  

for this extraordinary conference experience. 

 

The former winter camp of the San Francisco Giants in Casa  

Grande, AZ was the site for the *Synod of the Southwest's Unity  

and Diversity Conference*.  I still cannot quite believe that they  

made the pool in the shape of a baseball bat.  It was quite  

something indeed.  *Clarice Martin* offered excellent Bible studies  

and we met in roundtable discussions throughout the weekend.   

*Rachel Srubras*, pastor/spiritual director of Southside  

Presbyterian Church, Tucson, was our table's facilitator.  She	

did an extraordinary job as we were people of faith coming  

together from every imaginable human difference.  

 

On Saturday night when the session was over, a dozen or more of  

us danced and sang with the DJ and his karaoke.  A younger  

heterosexual couple not with our conference watched us having so  

much fun.  I invited them to join us on the dance floor and told  

them we were a church group.  They happily joined the mix of  

LGBT, heterosexual, Anglo, Hispanic and African American,  

married, coupled and single Presbyterians on the dance floor.	

They thought we were locals and told me they would like to join  

our church. 

 

Katie's ordination weekend was a sacred and delightful	

celebration of God's call to ministry.	*Chandler Stokes* and First  

Presbyterian Church, San Anselmo, CA provided a most welcoming	

and inspiring space for worship and the ordination service.   

Surrounded by the *Shower of Stoles Project*, all of us were aware  

of how many people have been and are denied the call to serve  

God, the church and world. 

 

*Bear Ride* and I worshipped at Montclair Presbyterian Church,	

Oakland with our host, *Chuck McLain*.	*Karen Stokes, Sally  

Juarez* and church members provided thought-provoking reflections  

on September 11 and their faith.  Bear and I met with the More	

Light Committee after church.  *Sloan White* is providing excellent  

leadership with this group, which put together a "More Light on  

Transgender" Weekend for the Bay Area with *Erin Swenson*. 

 

*Ken Cuthbertson* led the first retreat for the Northern New Mexico  

MLP Chapter at Ghost Ranch Conference Center, near Abiquiu, NM.   

The retreat was held prior to the fall Presbytery meeting.   

Looking at our individual faith journeys, Ken led us through  

Bible study, prayers meditation and walking the labyrinth.  This  

Chapter has strong leadership with *Jeanne McGown, Patty Davison,  

Doug Calderwood, Ken Cuthbertson, Hank Bremer, Marna McKenzie,	

Ruth Simms* and *Don Wilson*.	 

 

*Susan Craig, Bear Ride* and *Tony De La Rosa* hosted a MLP  

fundraising party at Susan and Bear's historic, beautiful home	

after the Covenant Network Conference in Pasadena, CA.	With over  

60 people present, *Katie Morrison, Martha Juillerat* and I  

provided the program.  Clergy *Susan Craig, Dan Smith* and *Chuck  

Houdek* and members from our 3 More Light churches, United- 

University, West Hollywood Presbyterian and Baldwin Park  

Presbyterian, were with us.   

 

During the *Covenant Network Conference*,  I offered 2 workshops on  

pastoral care for LGBT people/families with *Deborah Block* and *Ann  

Graham-Johnson*.  Highlights of the Conference included the  

preaching of *Letty Russell, Jack Rogers, Peter Gomes* and *Barbara  

Anderson*, among others and the witness of The Shower of Stoles  

Project. 

 

To be in the company of the United-University Church at USC, Los  

Angeles, CA with *Susan Craig*, pastor, *Bear Ride*, director, The  

Peace Center, and this extraordinary congregation was a delight  

and an inspiration.  I offered gratitude to them for being one of  

our More Light Presbyterian churches and shared a "more light"	

program over a fellowship luncheon. 

 

Westminster Presbyterian Church, Buffalo, NY hosted and Third  

Presbyterian Church, Rochester, co-sponsored a Unity Conference  

that was put together by the Task Force on Inclusion at  

Westminster under the leadership of *Sawrie Becker* and *Peter	

McNally*.  *Barbara Wheeler, Oscar McCloud, David McFarlane, John  

Wilkinson*, and *Tom Yorty* spoke to a more open, inclusive church  

with *Jack Haberer* providing a counterpoint to such.  *Ralph  

Carter* and I heard *Phil Siddons* preach at his church.  A long- 

time ally, Phil has declared himself as a More Light pastor.  I  

also met with a group of clergy and lay leaders hosted by *Tom	

Yorty* at Westminster to work on development of more light  

ministry in that region. 

 

Recently two Sessions decided to join with MLP and affiliate as  

More Light Presbyterian Churches -- *Parkside Presbyterian  

Church*, Madison, WI and *Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church*,  

Minneapolis, MN. *Carole Bergner* provided leadership at Parkside  

for their discernment process, while Tammy Lindahl did the same  

for Bryn Mawr. 

 

Join me in rejoicing for the faithful witness of these two churches  

and the now 107 More Light Presbyterian Churches in 27 states  

plus Washington, DC.  And, may all of us continue to seek and be  

"more light" so that all persons might understand and live into  

the promise and fact of Immanuel, God with us and the world. --  

With hope and grace, Michael. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

			   On the Road 

		       with Katie Morrison 

		  MLP National Field Organizer 

 

		    The Fruit of Your Labors 

 

Greetings, friends in the More Light movement!	I am extremely	

thrilled to be on board as your second National Field Organizer.   

It has truly been full-time since I officially began work in  

September, and I have truly enjoyed traveling and ministering on  

your behalf.  I have a great deal of gratitude for the ways in	

which MLP has ministered to me and has "brought me up" in this	

movement.  I have benefited greatly from the work so many of you  

have done to help broaden our denomination's awareness of LGBT	

issues locally as well as the tireless advocating that has taken  

place at the General Assembly level.  I feel a great deal of  

appreciation each day for the ways in which our long time  

"missionaries" have helped to make a "way out" of "no way" in  

order that a new generation might be spared the sting of  

homophobia and exclusion that so many have faced from their  

churches.  While I personally have not been spared from the sting  

of our church's disagreement over issues such as ordination, I	

have been a benefactor of the work that so many who have gone  

before and beside have given from their hearts.  As I have begun  

to say to you when I see you in my travels, "I am the Fruit of	

your labors!"  Thank You.  It has been my joy to have been able  

to offer Good News in return -- that YES, indeed, I was ordained  

"decently and in order" by the Presbytery of the Redwoods on  

October 21, 2001.  Hallelujah! Amen!  Please join in celebrating  

with my family and me this wonderful celebration of a dream come  

true! 

 

We are moving into a time where we are having tangible change to  

celebrate in our movement, such as the "gift" of the  

passage of Amendment A-01 at G.A.; the hiring of a full- 

time National Field Organizer; the hiring of a second  

National Field Organizer; and most recently, an openly	

lesbian candidate being approved and ordained as a Minister of	

Word and Sacrament!!!  How nice it is to have tangible fruits of  

our labors. Meanwhile, the work of the day to day continues, and  

we have been busy! 

 

In September I set out on a two-week journey including a  

*Revitalizing Ministry Through Worship* conference at Chapman  

University in Orange County, where I was able to connect with  

students there through participating in the leadership of  

the conference.  Some highlights were having the opportunity to  

facilitate a small group throughout the conference (our group was  

called "Justice") and being able to paint improvisationally  

during the closing worship. 

 

I then met in Chicago *Eily Marlow* (seminarian at  

McCormick Theological Seminary and staff person to TAMFS- 

Chicago), her partner *Jamie Jazdzyk, Martha Juillerat* (director  

of The Shower of Stoles Project), and *Janie Spahr* (TAMFS- 

National) where we initiated a "Three Sisters" (MLP, TAMFS, and  

TSOSP partnership) Rural Tour through parts of the Midwest.   

Martha educated us as we drove on the vocabulary and practices of  

farmers in this region during harvest time.  At our stops, we  

were able to meet in different church group gatherings with  

wonderfully good-hearted Presbyterians at several different  

churches in Southern Illinois and Indiana.  Our first stop was in  

the *Wabash Valley Presbytery* where we were treated to a yummy  

chili lunch by *Pastor Ken Locke* at Range Line Community  

Presbyterian Church in Hebron, IN. We met with several clergy  

from the region and had the opportunity to share our stories and  

some of the stoles from the Stole Project.  We then listened to  

the ways in which they have been working with one another in the  

Presbytery towards the passage of Amendment 01-A. We then  

journeyed on to the home of *Rev. Marcia Smith-Wood*, pastor of  

First Presbyterian Church of Rensselaer, IN where we joined in a  

meeting of elders that evening.  The study that night was on a	

section of the brief statement of faith.  What a wonderful  

opportunity it was, as we sat around Marcia's dining room table,  

to share faith stories and experiences, read from the Bible  

together, and talked about how it is we're called to be disciples  

in the world as Christians 

 

The next day we drove to Indianapolis and met with pastors in the  

*White Water Presbytery* for lunch at a local restaurant,  

coordinated by the *Rev. Dave Liddle*, for whom we are grateful.  

Once again, we shared our faith stories and discussed the  

importance of passing 01-A, not just because it is a way to  

reclaim our reformed tradition and polity, but also because of	

the many who long to serve this church but have instead been  

excluded.   

 

That afternoon, Janie and I visited with our beloved *Rev. Howard  

Warren* the one whom I fondly call "Grandma," a name that came	

out of a joke at GA in 1993 but has stuck ever since. We brought  

greetings on behalf of More Light and the many of you who have	

been holding him in your hearts and prayers. Howard experiences  

dementia and is in and out of being able to hold conversation,	

but he continues to maintain his sparkle and still comes up with  

fabulous comments.  We felt his love as we asked him to bless us  

in our work, building on the gift that he has been to us and this  

church. 

 

Next we drove to Champaign, IL and shared dinner with friends at  

the home of Julie and Jodi.  As we arrived they welcomed us with  

a sign on their front porch which read, "Congratulations Rev.  

Katie."  The next morning we met with clergy from *Southeastern  

Illinois Presbytery* hosted by *Rev. Don Mason* and colleague  

*Rev. Debbie Layman* at First Presbyterian Church in Urbana, IL.   

We laid out stoles, shared our stories, and listened to all that  

presbytery is doing, not only around 01-A, but educational events  

and resources too.  At this point, *Rev. Doug Baer*, Interim  

Pastor at McKinley Memorial Presbyterian Church, joined us on our  

tour. 

 

We then traveled to the Campus Ministry Center at Illinois State  

University in Normal, IL where *Rev. Sue and Rev. Bob Ryder* are  

protestant chaplains and co-pastors. They hosted a marvelous  

dinner and Forum where about 35 students joined us as well as  

members of *Great Rivers* and *Southern Illinois Presbyteries*.   

The stoles were laid out around the room, touching everyone  

there. We each shared our stories and then we heard stories from  

those who gathered with us.  It was a moving evening and  

wonderful to have such a great turnout from the LGBT group at the  

University who came out to offer their support and learn more  

about what a group of nice lesbian Presbyterians were doing in	

Normal, IL.  It was here where I had to leave the group in order  

to fly to Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina for our Fall MLP Board  

meeting.  The group went on to Columbia, MO then next day and met  

with the "partnership for freedom" group convened by *Rev. George  

McCall* of the *Missouri Union Presbytery* and a dinner organized  

by *Dorothy Angell*, a PFLAG mom. 

 

Martha was the one who put a call out to us to make this trip to  

"the heart and soul of America's family."  We loved traveling  

though the bean fields together and meeting the wonderful  

friends, old and new that we have in the heart and soul of our	

country. As Janie says, "There is something very powerful in  

letting folks see us as the people of faith we are -- living  

lives of integrity, wanting justice."  This was a ride that was  

well worth it! 

 

After the board meeting, I headed up to *Union Theological  

Seminary* in New York City where I had the opportunity to meet	

with and share a couple of meals with seminarians there.  I was  

hosted by second year M.Div. student, *Letitia Campbell* who  

coordinated a meeting with Presbyterian students through Auburn  

Seminary.  It was great to encourage those in the care process	

and to share the Good News of my having been approved for  

ordination.  We celebrated together this hopeful move as many of  

them face a call to ministry in a church that gives mixed  

messages about how "out" one can be in the process.  MLPer  

*Patrick Evans*, who is taking his sabbatical as the musical artist  

in residence at Union made a trip with me down to ground zero and  

we witnessed together the devastation downtown.  It is a gift to  

have such a loving MLP community in so many places along our  

travels in which to share in life's celebrations as well as  

concerns and deep grief. 

 

I then traveled to *Stony Point Center* in New York for the 7%	

Conference, a gathering of Presbyterian pastors who are 40 or  

younger.  It was a rare and wonderful opportunity to connect with  

peers in the church and build collegial relationships outside of  

a General Assembly context.  Highlights included a workshop let  

by *Dr. Cynthia Campbell*, president at McCormick Seminary,  

Keynote presentations by Jesuit priest, pacifist, and author  

*John Dear*, who shared captivating stories from his own life  

about ways in which he has stood for peace and justice in the  

face of great dangers, and a life-giving closing sermon by Rev.  

Dr. Jim Forbes from the Riverside Church in NYC. 

 

In late October, I traveled back to Champaign, IL for another  

visit with our friends at *McKinley Memorial Presbyterian  

Church*, a long time More Light Church.  I was invited to share  

with them in worship on Reformation Sunday.  One of the most  

moving moments during my travels yet, was having the privilege of  

celebrating the sacrament of Communion with them (my second time  

ever) and looking out at teary-eyed-faces as I consecrated the	

meal. We then shared in a very moving time after the service as  

about twenty-five gathered for lunch and a workshop exploring our  

dreams together for the future of the church, including an art	

project where we drew out pictures of our visions of the church  

"at it's best."  *Bill Capel, Julie Vogel* and her partner Jodi,  

and *Karen Perry* along with her partner Karen all did a  

wonderful job hosting me throughout the weekend. On Monday  

morning, I was able to meet with a some Presbyterian students  

from the University of Illinois with McKinley associate *Rev.  

Laura Hull Johnston*.  Our friends at McKinley are a great bunch  

and their ministries witness to a full inclusion into the  

liberating Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

 

At the beginning of November, I joined colleague *Michael* Adee  

and Co-Moderator *Mitzi Henderson* along with many of our friends  

in Southern California at the *Covenant Network Conference*  

hosted by my home church, Pasadena Presbyterian.  The highlight  

for me was a warm gathering of wonderfully supportive MLP folks  

hosted by board member *Rev. Bear Ride* and *Rev. Susan Craig*. 

 

Toward the end of November, I traveled down south again to share  

in worship with one of our two original More Light Churches, West  

Hollywood Presbyterian at the invitation of their pastor *Rev. Dan  

Smith* who has served there seventeen years now!  West Hollywood  

is always a fabulous place to worship and my partner the *Rev. Curran  

Reichert* and I had a ball participating in the leadership of the  

service.  In true West Hollywood fashion, Curran sent us out with  

a jazzy version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."  Curran, Dan and  

I had a lovely lunch with long time MLPer the *Rev. Lisa Bove*, her  

partner *Renna Killen*, and their two lively young ones.  Lisa has  

been busy having babies and being a mama, but she sends us all	

greetings from her full-house family bliss. 

 

In a recent email from *Ralph Carter*, a highly valued long time  

member and current board member, he captures what I believe is at  

the heart of who we are as a movement and why it is that we can  

feel so assured of the value of our work.  In response to a  

touching story Michael relayed from a recent trip, Ralph wrote,  

"The pastoral care that God enables through MLP is awesome and	

humbling.  We see dimly now the difference made in people whom we  

meet.  Only when we meet our Maker will we know fully the extent  

of the duplication of these loaves and fishes for so many whom we  

either do not know directly or for whom the deep meaning and  

blessings of MLP we are currently unaware.  Miracles and causes  

for rejoicing abound every day, even when in the moment, in our  

own humanity, we may be tired and dispirited." I am thankful to  

God for the opportunities we have to provide pastoral care and a  

loving witness within a denomination for whom so many of our  

member's pastors are not equipped to address. Please continue  

praying that we will connect with those who have the greatest  

need for the care and ministry that we are able to provide. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

			 Live Into Hope 

	    2002 More Light Presbyterians Conference 

		  Raleigh, NC, May 24-26, 2002 

 

"Live Into Hope" is the theme for the annual National More Light  

Presbyterians Conference, May 24-26, 2002 to be held at North  

Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.  Join us for inclusive	

worship, educational workshops on LGBT concerns and spiritual  

growth, and celebrating our faith with friends from around the	

country.  The conference registration fee is $100 prior to 4-1-02  

and $125 after that.  Housing on campus in the dormitory is $25  

double/night and $35 single/night; with housing at the Brownstone  

Conference Center at $69/night single/double.  Community housing  

is available on a first come first served basis.  A meal plan on  

campus will be available. Child care will be provided upon  

request. 

 

To register online and for more information, go to the National  

MLP website www.mlp.org. 

 

Scholarships for youth, college and seminary students, and  

persons on limited income are available through MLP.  For  

scholarship information contact Michael Adee, MLP National Field  

Organizer at MichaelAdee@aol.com or 505-820-7082. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

	      MLP Awards David Sindt Vision Grants 

 

			  Media Release 

 

November 1, 2001 -- The MLP Board is excited to announce the  

recipients of the David Sindt Vision Grants. Over $6,100 in  

grants has been awarded to Presbyterian churches and MLP chapters  

who are seeking to initiate innovative projects, which provide	

outreach, evangelism, programming, and pastoral care to lesbian,  

gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons. In addition, some  

projects provide for the creation and development of ecumenical  

and interfaith relationships, as well as partnerships with local  

LGBT community groups. 

 

1) United University Church (Los Angeles, CA) has received  

funding for its Welcoming Church Project: Rainbow Ministries.  

They seek to heighten awareness of the church's unique and  

welcoming congregation-based campus ministry. 

 

2) Faith Presbyterian Church (Baltimore, MD), as part of their	

church growth strategy, has received funding for initiating  

educational classes and support groups for LGBT parents. 

 

3) Greenfield Presbyterian Church (Berkley, MI) has received  

funding for enhancing their education and advocacy in the  

Presbytery of Detroit through an innovative evangelism program	

and programming for youth. 

 

4) Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church (Chicago, IL) has received	

funding for educational programming on transgender issues in  

conjunction with the Lakeview Coalition of Welcoming Churches, of  

which they are a member. 

 

5) Montclair Presbyterian Church (Oakland, CA) has received  

funding for a Conference on Transgender Issues to educate members  

of Montclair Church, in addition to six other More Light Churches  

in San Francisco Presbytery. 

 

6) First United Presbyterian Church (Troy, NY) has received  

funding for evangelism outreach through advertising, coordinated  

by Seeking God's Wisdom, Plus -- a group of Presbyterian clergy  

and lay persons working within Albany Presbytery to maintain the  

presbytery's support for an inclusive church. 

 

7) Tabernacle Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, PA) has received  

funding to help produce a newsletter, which will cover LGBT and  

religion news, through its association with the Interfaith  

Working Group. 

 

Congratulations to the recipients. We look forward to hearing the  

stories of your ministry within your local communities. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

		      MLP Board at Worship 

 

At the October 2001 MLP Board meeting, new board member Katie  

Ricks led devotions.  Here's her message! 

 

Luke 4:16-30 

 

We too are in our hometowns, 

	      our home churches, 

	      our home denomination. 

 

We too have been asked to stand, 

		       to read, 

		       to proclaim. 

 

We too have been anointed to bring good news to the poor, 

			   to proclaim release to the captives 

				and recovery of sight to the blind, 

			   to let the oppressed go free. 

 

We too have experienced alienation, 

			rejection, 

			questions about our worthiness. 

 

This has been called Jesus' coming out text, and it is ours as well! 

 

When you're an LGBT person or ally, you have to come out many  

different times.  It doesn't just happen once ... you meet new	

people, join new groups, sit next to new people on the plane .... 

 

Coming out is a continuous, on-going process or dance that  

happens as we grow to understand ourselves better and those  

within our communities better. 

 

"Coming out" is more than self-identifying as a LGBT person or	

ally. "Coming out" is living into how we've been created.   

"Coming out" is living into our baptisms.  "Coming out" is living  

fully as a child of God, in relationship with other children of  

God. 

 

And, when Jesus takes out the Isaiah scroll, he proclaims to  

others and reminds himself of his calling and of his anointing,  

as he begins his ministry. 

 

And, even if we've been in the movement for years or, if we've	

just begun ... we're in a new era.  It's a similar dance with a  

little different beat.	And, so, as we continue to gear up for	

this year, this text reminds us of our call ... of our mission	

... of our annointing .... 

 

The Spirit of God is upon us -- lesbian, gay, bisexual,  

transgender .... 

 

The Spirit of God is upon us -- families, friends, allies ... 

   because the Spirit has anointed us 

     to bring good news to the poor ... the alienated ... the excluded .... 

 

The Spirit has sent us to proclaim release to the captives --  

   LGBT people and allies trapped in closets of fear 

   and, persons shackled by economic injustice. 

 

The Spirit has sent us to proclaim recovery of sight to the blind --  

   those who cannot see -- and witness the Spirit of God, alive and present 

in the midst of our churches ... our families ... our lives. 

 

The Spirit has sent us 

   to let the oppressed go free 

   and to proclaim this year of God's favor!! 

 

This IS our coming out story ... let us grab the scroll, roll it  

out, and proclaim our anointing to the world. 

 

Prayer:  God of Living Water, you have marked us and made us your  

own. You call us to speak, even when our throats hurt from  

talking.  You call us to hear even when our heads hurt from  

listening.  You call us to be present, even in the midst of the  

pain.  And, God, we ask the same of you ... speak to us, listen to  

us, walk with us. 

 

Renew us ... refresh us ... re-create us as we continue our  

work here and throughout the year.  We ask your blessings upon us  

in this room and those who could not join us this weekend.  We ask  

your blessings upon those who are hidden, sad, and feeling alone.   

We ask your blessings upon those who choose this year to speak	

out. 

 

God of Hope, we find comfort and strength in your promise of a	

new heaven and a new earth 

  ... a place where tears and death are no more ... 

  ... a place where we live the vision of your realm ... 

  ... a place where we can join together as one people, gathered by 

	 your loving arms of peace. 

 

In the name of the one who was called before us and with us, we  

pray.  Amen! 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

EVENTS 

 

January 10-13, Thursday-Sunday. Men Touching Men Touching God:	

Retreat for Gay and Bisexual Men. Chris Glaser, John Ballew and  

Dana Rose. 6:30 p.m. Thurs. dinner through Sun. lunch. $310 ($150  

registration deposit). Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center, 2495  

Fox Gap Rd., Bangor, PA 18013-6028, 610-588-1793, fax 610-588- 

8510, www.kirkridge.org. Financial assistance available. 

 

March 15-17, 2002, Friday-Sunday. CALLED OUT: The 11th National  

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Allied Seminarians  

Conference, including Queer Theory, Theology and Biblical Studies  

Colloquium. Conference Theme: Militating -Isms. Chicago, Illinois  

at McCormick Theological Seminary. 

 

March 29-31, 2002, Friday-Sunday, Celebrating the Gay Male  

Spirit, led by Rob Bauer, clinical social worker and body- 

centered psychotherapist. All gay, bi and transgendered men, in a  

relationship or single, are welcome. Rowe Camp and Conference  

Center, King's Highway Rd., Rowe, MA 01367, 413-339-4954 & 339- 

4216, fax 413-339-5728, www.rowecenter.org,  

retreat@rowecenter.org. 

 

April 11-14, 2002, Thursday-Sunday. The Voices of Sophia National  

Gathering, St. Ferdinand, Kentucky.  For more information or to  

become a member, please visit the VOS website at  

www.voicesofsophia.org. 

 

April 12-14, 2002, Friday-Sunday, Attention: Princeton Seminary  

Alumni/ae! BGLASS: serving the GLBTQ and supportive community at  

P.T.S. is planning a "Queer and Allied Princeton Alumni/ae  

Homecoming Weekend" on campus -- April 12-14, 2002.  Please  

contact BGLASS co-moderators Rob Ater and Shannon Abbott at  

bglasspts@yahoo.com for more information.  Provide us with your  

name, graduation year, address and e-mail.  BGLASS would love to  

welcome you back to P.T.S. in April. 

 

May 24-26, 2002, Friday-Sunday.  More Light Presbyterians  

Conference, Raleigh, NC. See separate story in this *Update*. 

 

Summer 2003. WOW: Witness Our Welcome conference.  For more  

info., go to www.wow2k.org, or write to PMB #111, 5250 N.  

Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640, 800-318-5581. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

JOBS 

 

	  Minister of Reconciliation and Social Justice 

	for That All May Freely Serve Texas (TAMFS Texas) 

 

(Note: TAMFS Chicago is seeking to fill a similar position.   

Contact tamfs_chi@ameritech.net, or TAMFS Chicago, 600 W.  

Fullerton Pkwy., Chicago, IL 60614, 773-755-9373, fax 773-248- 

1915.) 

 

Responsibilities: Witness to the powerful, inclusive love of  

Christ; Develop programs of education, reconciliation and  

advocacy that honor diversity and strive to gain full membership  

including the right to be called, ordained, and installed as  

deacons, elders, and ministers of the Word and Sacrament for gay,  

lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons; Work within the state  

of Texas, and particularly in New Covenant and Mission	

Presbyteries, to increase the number of congregations that are	

consciously inclusive of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender  

persons by teaching, advocating, and providing resources; Work	

cooperatively with Presbyterian and other faith communities in	

Texas to: Provide retreats, educational opportunities, spiritual  

formation and sensitivity training; Coordinate a support network  

for More Light Churches and Inclusive Churches; Coordinate a  

Speaker's Bureau to address issues of sexuality, spirituality,	

and theology; Help facilitate the process of More Light Churches  

encouraging other congregations to become inclusive and proactive  

about the need to challenge discriminatory church policies or  

practices; Coordinate the fund-raising activities of That All May  

Freely Serve Texas. 

 

Requirements: Candidates must have life experiences that allow	

them to fully understand and embody the issues facing LGBT  

people; Master of Divinity or equivalent; ordained or ordainable;  

Presbyterian, with good knowledge of PCUSA polity; Excellent  

communications and preaching skills; Some administrative  

experience, management, and organizational skills; Experience or  

proclivity to work with and supervise volunteers; Able and  

willing to travel; Respect and knowledge of ecumenical and  

interfaith diversity; Program development experience and ability;  

Basic computer skills. 

 

Desirable Qualities: The person should be enthusiastic, a self- 

starter, a visionary, a person of faith, comfortable with people,  

justice-oriented, a person with a strong sense of self and call,  

and understanding of his/her own strengths and weaknesses. This  

person should possess a sense of humor. Some experience with  

fund-raising is desirable. Supervisory relationships: Reports to:  

TAMFS/Texas Board of Directors. Supervises: Any additional hired  

staff; volunteers. 

 

For an application packet with further information about the job  

and the organization, contact Gail Rickey, Search Committee  

Coordinator, at patrickey@aol.com, 281-440-0353, or 13114 Holston  

Hills, Houston, TX 77069. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

FEATURE STORIES 

 

		  Celebrating Three Generations 

		   of Strong More Light Women 

 

This *Update* celebrates the contributions to our church from three  

generations of strong More Light women.  We begin with our just- 

ordained Katie Morrison.  Next, we celebrate the 10th  

anniversary of the Rev. Janie Spahr's historic call as co-pastor  

to the Downtown United Presbyterian Church in Rochester, New  

York, which led to her career as lesbian evangelist to the PCUSA.   

And we share in the 85th birthday celebration for Virginia  

Davidson, who chaired of the 1976-78 Task Force on Homosexuality  

and the Church (and much much more!). Enjoy! -- Jim Anderson,  

Editor. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

		  Out Lesbian Minister Ordained 

		 in Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 

 

			MLP Media Release 

 

San Anselmo, CA, October 22, 2001 -- For the first time since the  

1978 ban on the ordination of "practicing, self-affirming  

homosexuals," an openly lesbian candidate has been ordained as	

Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). 

 

Redwoods Presbytery, one of the 173 local governing bodies with  

jurisdiction for ordination of ministers in the 2.3-million- 

member denomination, voted 90-37 September 21 to approve the  

ordination of Katie Morrison, M.Div., a life-long Presbyterian	

and 1997 graduate of San Francisco Theological Seminary. 

 

"Where the world closes a door, God opens a window for more light  

to break through. Allelujah!" said Morrison. "I am thrilled about  

this wonderful opportunity to live further into my call to  

ministry within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)." 

 

The 2-hour service of ordination and installation was held  

Sunday, October 21 at First Presbyterian Church, San Anselmo, CA,  

Morrison's current congregation. The worship service was joyful in  

tone, celebrating the historic moment and Morrison's gifts and	

call to the ministry. Participants included Executive Presbyter  

of Redwoods Presbytery Brian Tippen, Chandler Stokes, pastor of  

First Presbyterian San Anselmo and chair of Morrison's Committee  

on Preparation for Ministry, the Rev. Dr. Yvette Flunder of the  

City of Refuge Ministry in San Francisco, and Katie's father  

Steve Morrison, Elder at Pasadena Presbyterian Church (Pasadena,  

CA). Also participating were Mary Wright Gillespie, the Moderator  

of the Presbytery, Rev. Barbara Rowe, Associate Minister at  

Westminster Presbyterian Church in Tiburon and Rev. Carolyn  

Osborn, Associate Minister at First Presbyterian Church of San	

Rafael. 

 

Bill Moss and Mitzi Henderson, Co-Moderators of More Light  

Presbyterians (MLP), participated in the installation of Katie	

Morrison as a National Field Organizer for MLP, which works for  

"the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and	

transgender people in the life, ministry, and witness of the  

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)." 

 

"We live into hope that the door is open to all God's people,"	

said MLP Co-Moderator Bill Moss. "With this act today God opened  

this door to Katie. Katie's job is to keep that door open and to  

welcome others into the church who have been excluded." 

 

Especially poignant was the acknowledgment throughout the  

service that there is a huge cloud of witnesses who have been  

denied opportunities to serve the church in an ordained capacity.  

The sanctuary was adorned with a multitude of liturgical stoles  

from the Shower of Stoles Project, donated by individuals barred  

from service in the church because of their sexual orientation or  

gender identity. Martha Juillerat, Director of the Shower of  

Stoles Project, spoke about the meaning of ordination, as a woman  

who gave up her ministry in order to be out, and later found she  

reclaimed ordination in its truest sense as understood in the  

Bible and in the Reformed tradition. Juillerat said, "For all  

those folks who never saw this day or who lost their ministries,  

this is certainly an amazing ray of hope." 

 

The Rev. Dr. Jane Adams Spahr, a lesbian minister whose call to  

the Downtown United Presbyterian Church in Rochester NY was  

denied by the denomination's highest judicial commission in 1992,  

delivered one of the reflections during the service. Lisa Larges,  

who was denied ordination as minister in 1993 because she came	

out as a lesbian, delivered the charge. Rev. Susan Leo, who left  

the PCUSA so she could serve openly in the United Church of  

Christ, presented the invitation to Communion. 

 

Katie Morrison began work as MLP National Field Organizer in  

September 2001. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

Now, some background from the church press: 

 

 

	     Bid to Block Lesbian's Ordination Fails 

 

		     Synod PJC denies stay, 

	  so Redwoods Presbytery ordains Katie Morrison 

 

	  by John Filiatreau, Presbyterian News Service 

	 Copyright (c) 2001 Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 

		       All Rights Reserved 

 

Louisville, October 22, 2001 --  Presbyterians who opposed the	

ordination of Katie Morrison, a lesbian ministerial candidate  

endorsed by Redwoods Presbytery in Northern California in  

September, failed in their effort to prevent or delay it. 

 

Morrison's ordination took place as scheduled on Oct. 21.  Her	

ordination could have been blocked if three or more of the 11  

voting members of the Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC) of the  

Synod of the Pacific had agreed to issue a stay. 

 

Wayne Fuller, the PJC chairman, said on Oct. 20 that only two  

members had requested such an order, "and that is not enough  

persons to stay the action" through the process provided in the  

Book of Order. 

 

Morrison has said she will abide by the Presbyterian Church  

(U.S.A.)'s constitutional requirement that unmarried clergy be	

"chaste." 

 

Redwoods presbyters on the losing end of the 90-37 vote to  

proceed with Morrison's ordination charged that the process was  

illegitimate, voicing a suspicion that her understanding of  

"chastity" is different from the church's historical position  

that forbids any sexual activity between unmarried partners. 

 

They questioned whether the examiners in Morrison's case probed  

deeply enough into sexual matters, beginning with the Committee  

on Preparation for Ministry and continuing through the floor  

debate at a presbytery meeting. 

 

Though the stay was denied, the complaint filed by those opposed  

to the ordination itself will still be heard by the synod's PJC.  

The hearing has not yet been scheduled. 

 

Redwoods Presbytery voted to approve Morrison's ordination as a  

"field organizer" for More Light Presbyterians (MLP), an advocacy  

network for gay and lesbian Presbyterians. She would be MLP's  

second field organizer. 

 

Mitzi Henderson, a co-moderator of the organization, said it gets  

so many calls for speakers that it needs another organizer to  

help congregations learn to provide pastoral care to gays and  

lesbians and their families and to assist in dialogues about  

homosexuality -- a subject that has been at the center of PCUSA  

political debates for nearly three decades.  ... 

 

The Rev. Chandler Stokes, the chairman of the presbytery's  

Committee on Ministry, said the examination process in Morrison's  

case "seemed to be no different from our usual process," and  

Morrison met "all of the usual criteria" for ordination. He added:  

"We don't ask our heterosexual candidates about their fidelity in  

marriage, or investigate their sexual behavior. I think to do so  

in this case would clearly have been discriminatory."  ... 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

[SIDE BOX: Chastity: "What does the seventh commandment teach us?  

That all unchastity is condemned by God, and that we should  

therefore detest it from the heart, and live chaste and  

disciplined lives, whether in in holy wedlock or in single life. - 

- The Heidelberg Catechism, *Book of Confession*, 4.108. 

 

Shouldn't the meaning of "chastity" for the PCUSA come from the  

PCUSA's own historic documents? 

 

The index to the *Book of Confessions* lists "chastity" only  

once, and that refers to this quote from the *Heidelberg  

Catechism*.  It's clear that "chastity," which pertains to both  

"holy wedlock" and "single life," relates to the quality of  

relationships and quality of living, and should not be confused  

with sexual abstinence.  One would think that the proponents of  

the "chastity" amendment should know the *Book of Confessions,*  

since their amendment also includes a line about "any self- 

acknowledged practice which the confessions call sin."	The sin  

here is "unchastity," and it clearly applies to those of us who  

are married and to those of us who are not.  It does *not* forbid  

faithful loving relationships among LGBT people!  If the framers  

of this amendment meant "sexual abstinence," then they could have  

said so! -- JDA.] 

 

 

	    PCUSA struggles with gay-ordination issue 

 

			  Key question: 

       What is meant by the constitutional term "chaste"? 

 

	    by Alexa Smith, Presbyterian News Service 

	Copyright (c) 2001 Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). 

		       All Rights Reserved 

 

Louisville, October 2, 2001 -- In separate cases on opposite  

coasts of the country, presbyteries of the Presbyterian Church	

(U.S.A.) are questioning gay activists, assessing their suitability  

for ministry. 

 

In the East, the Presbytery of Baltimore is organizing an  

investigative committee to consider a complaint filed against the  

Rev. Don Stroud, an openly gay minister who was ordained in 1975  

in North Carolina in what was then Mecklenburg Presbytery. 

 

In the West, some members of Redwoods Presbytery in Northern  

California are seeking to prevent the ordination of Katie  

Morrison, a lesbian whose ordination was approved by the  

presbytery on Sept. 21. Morrison reportedly has said that she  

will abide by the church's constitutional requirement that  

unmarried clergy in the PCUSA be "chaste." 

 

In the Baltimore case, a member of the Presbytery of Los Ranchos  

in Southern California alleges that Stroud has willfully and  

deliberately violated his ordination vows and a clause (G- 

6.0106b) in the constitution that says unmarried clergy may not  

be sexually active. The complaint also charges Stroud with  

heresy.  [Note: G-6.0106b does *not* mention sex!  It relates to  

fidelity and chastity! See sidebar! -- JDA] 

 

The PCUSA prohibits marriage between gay people, lay or clergy.  

[Marriage is a "civil contract" -- *Book of Order* W-4.9000. The  

PCUSA has neither the power nor the authority to forbid civil  

contracts.  The PCUSA does not *recognize* marriages between  

persons of the same sex. -- JDA] 

 

The complaint against Stroud was brought to the presbytery's  

Sept. 26 meeting after Stroud waived his right of confidentiality  

in what could become a disciplinary action against him. Stroud is  

a minister of outreach and reconciliation for a group named That  

All May Freely Serve (TAMFS), which is working to eliminate  

barriers to gays' and lesbians' full participation in the  

PCUSA.	... 

 

The PCUSA's Permanent Judicial Commission -- the denomination's  

highest court -- is already considering a case from Stamford, CT,  

in which a gay elder says he considers himself chaste "in God's  

eyes," although he lives with another man. That case turns on the  

question of the investigatory responsibility of a church that  

wants to ordain a member, but has questions about whether the  

candidate's sexual life meets denominational requirements. 

 

The hearing in the Stamford case, which was scheduled for the  

week of Sept. 11 in Chicago, was postponed because of the terror  

attacks in New York City and Washington and has not been  

rescheduled.  [The PJC decided not to decide this case because	

Wayne Osborne's term of office has expired! -- JDA]  ... 

 

The constitutional provision at the center of this debate, G- 

6.0106b, is itself under debate. The provision requires "fidelity  

within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or  

chastity in singleness" for church officers. 

 

The church's 173 presbyteries will vote over the next several  

months to retain or strike it. In the latter event, the PCUSA  

would leave it to congregations and presbyteries to examine  

candidates and decide on their suitability for ordained ministry.  

Those who favor striking G-6.0106b say that would merely restore  

the church's historical process. 

 

G-6.0106b was put into the constitution in 1997. An attempt to	

delete it was decisively rejected by the presbyteries the  

following year. 

 

One day after Baltimore Presbytery announced that it intended to  

put an investigating committee together to consider the  

allegations against Stroud, the Rev. Jane Spahr, a Presbyterian  

lesbian activist, voiced deep dismay. 

 

"People say things like this: 'What's the matter with people like  

Don Stroud and Jane Spahr and Katie Morrison? What's the matter  

with them?' Well, that's the wrong question," Spahr said. "The	

question is, 'What's the matter with a church that keeps  

excluding its very own children and grandchildren who want to  

serve?' 

 

"What do people think we are?" asked Spahr, who formed TAMFS to  

combat stereotyping and work for the inclusion of gay and lesbian  

Presbyterians in ministerial roles. "This gets down to the  

mythology of who people think we are. These are good people with  

tremendous faith in God, and who love Jesus. It is the	

scapegoating of victims of oppression." 

 

Stroud, who was in parish ministry until he began working with	

TAMFS in 1999, said he's not surprised that someone is trying to  

oust him. After he served as his presbytery's commissioner to the  

General Assembly, he said, he got a letter by certified mail  

outlining his alleged offenses and demanding that he respond by  

Aug. 31 or face disciplinary action. 

 

Stroud said the letter was signed, but he doesn't know the  

writer. (In disciplinary cases, names are kept confidential;  

Stroud waived his confidentiality.) 

 

The Rev. Charles Forbes, the stated clerk of Baltimore	

Presbytery, said an investigating committee will be named in  

November. 

 

According to a TAMFS release, that committee could decide against  

filing formal charges. If charges are filed, there could be a  

number of possible outcomes: Stroud could be acquitted; rebuked;  

rebuked with supervision and rehabilitation; temporarily excluded  

from office; or defrocked. 

 

"You just have to take that chance when you're working to counter  

the present constitutional barriers," Stroud said of his decision  

to give up confidentiality. "This is something you go into with  

your eyes wide open -- but not that many times have More Light	

Presbyterians or TAMFS (faced disciplinary action.)" 

 

The complaint does not explain the charge of heresy lodged  

against Stroud. 

 

In the Redwoods Presbytery case, events -- who asked what of whom  

-- are muddled. 

 

The executive presbyter, the Rev. Brian Tippen, said nobody side- 

stepped the issue of chastity during the examination. In fact,	

she said, the subject was broached during the presbytery meeting:  

"Someone asked Katie directly whether she intended to live in  

compliance with G-6.0106.b, and her answer was yes. The  

presbytery, at the conclusion of the exam, voted 90-37 to approve  

her for ordination. It seems fairly straightforward to me.  The  

only issue with G-60106.b is whether a person agrees to live in  

compliance." 

 

Lucky Phelps, Redwoods' stated clerk, backed up Tippen's account,  

describing the process as "careful" at every turn. "This was not  

taken lightly," she said -- adding that, after the vote, three	

protests were filed and three dissents were noted.  ... 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

		     Celebrating Janie Spahr 

 

	Statement on the Occasion of the 10th Anniversary 

		of Jane Spahr's Call as Co-Pastor 

	 of the Downtown United Presbyterian Church and 

	 What Would Become **That All May Freely Serve** 

 

November 18, 2001 -- On this special Tenth Anniversary of the  

call of Janie Spahr as Co-Pastor, Downtown United Presbyterian	

Church and what would become That All May Freely Serve, we are so  

grateful for the inspiring and life-giving ministry of Janie, the  

Downtown United Presbyterian Church of Rochester, and of That All  

May Freely Serve. 

 

We rejoice in the faithful witness of the Downtown United  

Presbyterian Church as a More Light Presbyterian Church and for  

your vision to call Janie to serve with you in 1992. We deeply	

regret that the anti-LGBT sentiments in our Church prevented her  

from serving as Co-Pastor and delight in your creativity and  

resourcefulness in calling her as your evangelist. 

 

We are grateful for the vision of both the Downtown United  

Presbyterian Church, Rochester, and the Westminster Presbyterian  

Church, Tiburon, California for your support of "more light" and  

of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of faith.  

Clearly it is the commitment of More Light Presbyterian Churches  

like these two that made such ministries possible. 

 

To the National Board of TAMFS and all of its regional	

partnerships, we so appreciate your ministry and the  

relationships we share with you through the "Sisters" along with  

Martha Juillerat and The Shower of Stoles Project. We look  

forward to continued collaboration and the change we are making  

within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the world so that all of  

God's children are respected and valued, so that our Church  

becomes a true community of hospitality, and so that all may  

freely serve. 

 

Yours in faithful service, -- Mitzi Henderson and Bill Moss, Co- 

Moderators, More Light Presbyterians, with Katie Morrison and  

Michael J. Adee, National Field Organizers 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

       TAMFS Celebrates Virginia Davidson's 85th Birthday 

 

		  Rochester NY, August 25, 2001 

 

	(Reprinted, with thanks, from the TAMFS website,	   

	   www.tamfs.org, Jim Tiefenthal, Webspinner) 

 

Wise woman 

Trail-blazing feminist 

Mentor 

Friend 

Woman of Faith 

Snowy-haired "het" 

Traveling partner 

Kind 

Generous spirit 

Fighter for justice and equity for all persons 

Gracious host 

Turtle woman: advances by sticking her neck out 

Always in motion 

Early advocate for LGBT equality 

Wife 

Mother 

Sister 

Partner in ministry 

Sister dragonfly 

"Ginbin" 

 

These are characterizations of Virginia West Davidson during a	

celebration of her life today at Downtown United Presbyterian  

Church sponsored by That All May Freely Serve. Davidson is co- 

moderator of TAMFS and has been a leader in justice issues for 30  

years. 

 

"Content" was Virginia's request for the event. During the more  

than six-hour-long gathering, speakers suggested by Virginia  

lectured on topics related to Virginia's interests. 

 

Johanna Bos said she first heard of Virginia Davidson when, 26	

years ago, Davidson officially challenged in presbytery the call  

of Bos' husband, David, to be pastor of Downtown United  

Presbyterian Church. Davidson was making the point that the  

pastorate was not equally available to all regardless of gender,  

ethnicity, or sexual orientation. The presbytery affirmed the  

call and neither Bos has harbored hard feelings. Indeed they've  

become friends. 

 

Johanna Bos, professor at Louisville Presbyterian Theological  

Seminary, presented a sermonette on the theme: "trajectories of  

wisdom." She spoke of: 

 

Wisdom in the city (of which the above Davidson story was a  

part); 

 

Wisdom in creation: the desire for justice and equity has set  

Davidson "a whirling," a reference to Proverbs 8; 

 

Wisdom in the house: Davidson deliberately chose to build a house  

in the city and it has become a place of food, conversation,  

council. 

 

Bos recognized Davidson for: "your fearless and tireless speaking  

to justice in the structures of the church, for your playful  

invitation to continue the work of critical feminism in the  

church and the world, for your welcome and hospitality and your  

mentoring of those who have come after in the struggle for  

justice and the healing of creating." 

 

Sylvia Thorson-Smith and Marvin Ellison spoke of the wish "that  

all may freely partner," a reference to Davidson's ideas about	

ministry expressed in her thesis at Colgate Rochester Divinity	

School, "Ministry: A Partnership Affair." Davidson earned a  

masters degree in church history and theology in 1988. 

 

Ellison, now professor of church ethics at Bangor (Maine)  

Theological Seminary, said he first corresponded with Virginia	

Davidson in 1976 as a young doctoral candidate at Union Seminary  

in New York City. Ellison had heard of Davidson's work as chair  

of the Presbyterian Task Force on the Church and Homosexuality.  

Now an out gay man and ordained Presbyterian minister, Ellison	

spoke of his gratitude for the courage of the task force and its  

report, which looked to the possibility of ordaining LGBT  

persons. (At the 1978 General Assembly, the report was replaced  

by a minority report, which prohibited the ordination of "self- 

avowed, practicing homosexuals.") 

 

Along with Ellison, Sylvia Thorson-Smith participated in the task  

force that produced the 1991 report "Keeping Body and Soul  

Together," which urged "justice-love" as the sexual ethic the  

denomination should embrace. The report was not adopted by the	

General Assembly. 

 

Thorson-Smith teaches religious studies at Grinnell College in	

Iowa. 

 

During the dinner part of the event attended by 120 people,  

Virginia's children and grandchildren spoke of their memories. In  

a talk you can hear on the TAMFS web site, Virginia Davidson  

outlined her path to awareness of gender issues including: 

 

A minister friend coming out to her as a gay man in the 1960s; 

 

Feminist books given by her family at Christmas; 

 

Member of COWAC, Council on Women and the Church; 

 

Moderator of her presbytery and General Assembly commissioner in  

1974. Elected GA vice moderator, the first woman to serve in that  

post. "I had an understanding then about how Mary must have felt  

when the angel told her she was pregnant. 'Who me, God?'" 

 

Unsuccessful candidate for GA moderator in 1976; 

 

Member of the Committee on Pluralism and Conflict; 

 

Chair of the task force that delivered the 1978 study on the  

church and homosexuality; 

 

Considered leaving the church after General Assembly rejected the  

study, however entered seminary instead. 

 

Received "Woman of Faith" award in 1991 and therefore attended	

the General Assembly that year at which the "Justice-Love" report  

was not adopted. 

 

Long-time member of Downtown United Presbyterian Church,  

including in 1991 when Janie Spahr was called as co-pastor. The  

call was blocked by the Permanent Judicial Commission because  

Spahr is a lesbian. 

 

Founding organizer of That All May Freely Serve; 

 

Traveling partner with Janie Spahr; 

 

Co-moderator of That All May Freely Serve. 

 

After dinner, Sandy Brawders led a spiritual celebration of  

Davidson's life. Brawders, already an out lesbian in 1978,  

attended the General Assembly that year as a Seminary Advisory	

Delegate. 

 

TAMFS Minister Director Rev. Janie Spahr said during the event	

that contributions in honor of Virginia Davidson's birthday and  

work exceed $120,000. These are dedicated to fund the position of  

"Regional Partnership Coordinator" of That All May Freely Serve.  

Donations are still being accepted, including via the TAMFS  

website. Installment pledges are welcome by check, electronic  

funds transfer, or credit card. 

 

Davidson's 85th birthday was Tuesday, August 28, 2001. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

Over the next few months, we plan to share with you the four  

papers presented at the Virginia Davidson celebration!	Here is  

Sylvia Thorson-Smith's rich contribution! 

 

 

		       "Another Beginning" 

   In Celebration of Virginia (Ginny) Davidson's 85th Birthday 

 

		     by Sylvia Thorson-Smith 

 

			       I.  

 

This, dear friends, is a delightfully daunting task you've given  

me: to say Happy Birthday and Thank You to one of a handful of	

women who are at the top of my list of Sheros and who have  

influenced my life in the most profound ways possible.	Time is  

short -- so let me start with a personal tribute and some lessons  

I've learned from our amazing Gin-Bin. 

 

My appreciation to Ginny begins with a special thank-you to Rev.  

Bruce Billman, who gave me two gifts -- the gift of personal  

truth-telling, and an introduction to his dear friend, Virginia  

Davidson.  Ginny came to speak at our church in Wichita, Kansas  

where Bruce was an associate pastor, and our friendship was  

immediate and pivotal for me.  I've been in countless feminist	

groups where we're asked to name women who have been our primary  

role models -- I always name four: my mother, Ruth Thorson, Liz  

Verdesi (the staff person for the Council on Women and the  

Church), Carol Konek (a professor at Wichita State), and Virginia  

Davidson.   Ginny Davidson became for me the face of courage,  

caring and faithfulness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.	For  

almost 30 years, she has been a model of what it means to be a	

feminist heterosexual ally in solidarity with gay, lesbian,  

bisexual, and transgender persons. 

 

One of the first symbols that I associate with Ginny is the  

turtle.  She and Bruce had established a fondness for turtles,	

and he used to call her the Turtle Woman -- I believe in part,	

because turtles can advance only by sticking out their necks.	

Ginny taught me how to stick your neck out -- boldly, without  

fear, not holding back from risk to oneself.  Turtle's necks are  

really very vulnerable; they're much safer in their shell.  But  

they don't get anywhere that way either.  They have to stick  

their necks out to move.  This wonderful Turtle Woman that we  

honor today has been sticking her neck out with such a joyful  

passion that she's inspired a host of other turtles of all kinds  

to come out, be out, and move forward in the full sunlight of  

God's love and justice. 

 

This summer at General Assembly, Ginny gave a prayer at the More  

Light/Three Sisters dinner -- and I believe she had a wand (like  

this) that she waved over the group.  Seeing her with that wand  

made me think of the writer Margaret Atwood and another story  

about strong necks.  One of Atwood's ancestors in Massachusetts  

was hanged for being a witch (witches often have wands!).  Atwood  

writes that "this was before they invented the drop, and  

therefore her neck was not broken ....	When they went to cut her  

down the next day, her neck was not broken and she was still  

alive.	Because of double jeopardy, she could not be rehanged, so  

she lived another 14 years -- and probably people gave her a wide  

berth.	Tough neck!" (i). 

 

Ginny Davidson's tough neck and fearless spirit have taken her to  

the places of power, to speak truth to those who hold it with the  

voice of a prophet.  She was among the very first women to serve  

on the denomination's Council on Women and the Church, and I  

attended one of its first workshops around 1977.  The topic was  

"Women and Power," Ginny was one of the leaders, and I can't  

describe to you how tentatively I set off for a weekend to  

discuss this previously unthinkable subject. 

 

Mike and I were at Ghost Ranch this summer.  Mike's seminary  

class had a reunion, and I spent the mornings doing my favorite  

thing -- just reading, while looking out on Pedernal and Kitchen  

Mesa and that whole glorious horizon.  This fall I'm teaching a  

Gender and Women's Studies course, so I was reading one of my  

textbooks, *Feminism in Our Time* (by Miriam Schneir), and I was  

transported back to the 70s, when women's anger at sexism was  

just coming into bloom.  Again and again, women described their  

isolation from each other and their profound sense of connection  

when they discovered that the personal is political.  Voice by	

voice they started to speak up, tentatively at first as women  

raised their hands and suggested that things should be different,  

and later, with their necks full out, demanding freedom and  

liberation.  As I sat outdoors at Ghost Ranch, I laughed out loud  

when I read what Robin Morgan wrote when she'd "had it" with  

male-dominated liberal groups: "Goodbye to the illusion of  

strength when you run hand in hand with your oppressors; goodbye  

to the dream that being in the leadership collective will get you  

anything but gonorrhea" (ii).  (Robin Morgan helped organize the New  

York City chapter of WITCH:  Women Inspired to Commit Herstory.)    

In the 60s and 70s, women were seen as humorous sex objects by	

men in the civil rights and anti-war movements, but women took	

that humor of victimization and turned it into power, righteous  

ridicule.  Jewish feminist Rachel Adler says we still need a  

big dose of feminist laughter to debunk and dethrone the power of  

patriarchy.  Mutuality, equality, and peace are fitting and  

rational for God-created human relations -- domination, hierarchy,  

and oppression are absurdities. 

 

Ginny Davidson has spoken truth to power and laughed at the face  

of patriarchy.	She knows well the folly of it and has unmasked  

some of its most vicious and ridiculous manifestations.  In the  

aftermath of Re-Imagining, when church leaders were wringing  

their hands over the whole thing, Ginny wrote a fabulous essay in  

which she observed that the girls had gotten out of the corral	

and the boys in power were scrambling to try to get them back in  

again.	With her incisive wit and clarity, she exposed the  

absurdity of old models of power-holding and the untamable force  

of God's Spirit-Sophia, wisdom and freedom. 

 

So many lessons I've learned from this wonderful wild woman.  As  

a matter of fact, I have to show you a t-shirt she gave me that  

says "Wild Women Don't Get the Blues!"	Ginny has written that	

only in hindsight can we discern the connecting patterns in our  

lives and realize that what seemed like random happenings are  

really God's providential leading.  She has said: "It is God who  

calls us to partner with God's self to do the work of 'hard love'  

together -- not just simple caring -- for the excluded, the hurt,  

the powerless around us" (iii).  Feminist pioneer Kate Millett	

has penned my very favorite quote that I share with every class I  

teach: "The work of enlarging human freedom is such nice work,	

we're lucky to get it" (iv).  Ginny Davidson gives that quotation  

a human face.  For almost 30 years, she has taught me what "hard  

love" in pursuit of human freedom looks like, and when done in	

her company, it's the most fun anyone could have! 

 

			       II. 

 

We are all here today, taking part in this glorious celebration  

of "another beginning," because Ginny doesn't believe in the  

"star" model of leadership but has made her name practically  

synonymous with the transformative word, Partner.  Because she	

believes so completely in a partnership model of power-sharing,  

she wanted this time to be a moment for "doing a new thing ... in  

the company of partners.  That's mutuality in ministry" (v).  We've  

been asked to provide some "content" -- to tweak your brains a bit  

with some ideas about what needs to happen into the future so  

"That All May Freely Partner."	Marvin and I are each sharing our  

thoughts about some dimensions of justice work and partnering.	I  

could talk about each of these at length, but let me just suggest  

a few ideas that have seemed pressing to me this summer. 

 

First of all, I have to say something about sex, and when I say  

sex, I mean sexuality in its fullest, broadest sense -- our whole  

being as embodied persons, not just genital acts.  This year, in  

the Presbyterian Church, we have the great good fortune to be  

seeking passage in the presbyteries of a new overture that would  

remove barriers to the ordination of lesbian, gay, bisexual and  

transgender persons.  Discussions are being held about whether	

this is a polity issue or a sexual one.  I believe it's both/and.   

We are obviously dealing with changes in policy norms, but these  

legal regulations are about our understandings of real people who  

lead real lives. 

 

In her testimony before the ordination committee at General  

Assembly, a young 20-year-old Youth Advisory Delegate named Amy  

spoke movingly told about her brother and how they both felt  

called to ordained ministry.  Because Amy is heterosexual, her	

call is affirmed; Adam's, as a gay man, is not.  With the  

poignancy of a hurting child, she asked a question that still  

reverberates in my mind: "Can't we make this be over with?"  We  

have a marvelous opportunity this year to make this exclusionary  

policy "over with," but at some point, we are still going to have  

to talk about sex, because sexuality is at the heart of why some  

people are fit for all of the rights and privileges of the  

Christian community and others are not.  We are still going to	

need to talk about sexuality, gender, sexism, and the  

particularities of racism, classism, ageism, and historic  

Christian fears about the body, sinfulness, and homophobia.  We  

are still going to have to talk about relationships, partnership,  

mutuality, reciprocity, friendship, and the justice-loving model  

of Jesus who had the audacity to suggest that we should live as  

if God sat on the thrones of power, whether they are in our  

nation, our churches, our corporations, or our homes.	I,  

frankly, welcome the opportunity to really talk about this,  

because I believe in the liberating good news of the Gospel, and  

talking about sexual justice is good news. 

 

Rev. Jimmy Creech, a Methodist minister who lost his clergy  

credentials for performing holy unions, spoke at the General  

Assembly Three Sisters dinner and said that attention to same-sex  

relationships has the possibility for transforming marriage.  As  

a sociologist, I would agree.  Studies show that same-gender  

couples have less role rigidity and more egalitarian  

relationships than the heterosexual couples (vi).  Rachel Adler,  

whom I mentioned earlier, contends that heterosexual marriage is  

unequivocably rooted in a master-slave model of patriarchy, and  

it's going to take some mighty hard transformative work (as well  

as radically re-imagined wedding ceremonies) to divest marriage  

of its unequal roles and privileges (vii). 

 

Celebrating same-sex unions has the hope of destabilizing unjust  

power relations between women and men, and turning our attention  

toward the substance rather than the form of relationships.  The  

presence of LGBT persons in church and society is good news, and  

we need to talk more about the ways in which we experience  

gender, race, and sexual injustice in our lives.  In light of  

this, I would like to affirm the recent invitation by six  

Presbyterian elders and ministers for others to come out during  

this critical year and put flesh and blood on this polity issue.   

As they make clear, LGBT persons are multifaceted and not  

focused only on sexual issues, but it is in coming out as other  

than heterosexual that provides both opportunity and risk for  

contesting exclusionary policies. 

 

Shifting gears: let me share with you some other things that have  

been on my heart this summer.  First of all, a book, and then an  

experience.  (I thought it appropriate to tell you about a book  

today, because Ginny Davidson reads everything and is always the  

first one to read anything good!)  This book is, without  

question, one of the very best novels I have ever read.  It has a  

long title, "The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse,"   

by Louise Erdrich, and in a nutshell, it's about a Roman Catholic  

priest who becomes a missionary to the Ojibwa tribe of North  

Dakota -- with a twist that the priest is really a woman in  

disguise.  In commending this book, a *New York Times* review  

observed that Father Damien's parishioners have a spirit and a	

"faith that is strong enough to bend priests, and it is that  

bending that keeps Father Damien's faith supple" (viii).  What a  

concept!  The idea of having a strong, supple, bendable faith.	 

After praying in a sweat lodge with the tribal leader Nanapush,  

Father Damien (really Agnes) confronts the realization that  

according to church doctrine, it was wrong to worship in such an  

alien place, and yet, was it wrong to feel suddenly so at peace  

and comforted? I wanted to read this book because a few weeks ago,  

Mike and I drove through the Dakotas where I lived 30 years ago,  

and I wanted to reconnect with these roots and these people.  A  

highlight of the trip for us was a visit to the Crazy Horse  

monument in Custer, South Dakota -- the unfolding of a dream by  

the native peoples of North America to carve a magnificent  

sculpture of Crazy Horse into a mountain not far from Mt.  

Rushmore.  The size of this monument is staggering.  If it were  

to be completed, the four presidents on Mt. Rushmore would fit in  

Crazy Horse's head, and the height would be taller than the  

Washington Monument.  These native people chose Crazy Horse as a  

corporate symbol because he never surrendered, he never  

compromised his identity, and he was stabbed in the back by a  

U.S. soldier while standing under a white flag of truce.  The  

investment in this monument by all of the native tribes is  

breathtaking, and we moved among their arts and treasures with	

utter grief, awe, shame, and enormous respect for the basic human  

dignity that will not be denied. 

 

In a year when Presbyterians have debated, word by word and jot  

and tittle, the significance of Jesus, and some have charged the  

General Assembly with apostasy and abandoning tradition, we stood  

before a carving of the words of Chief Joseph of the Nez Pierce  

tribe, who in 1881 said: "They will teach us to quarrel about  

God, as Catholics and Protestants do.  We do not want to do that.   

We may quarrel with people some time about things on earth, but  

we never quarrel about the Great Spirit.  We do not want to learn  

that."	Christians often think they know so much about God that  

there is little interest in having a supple, bendable faith.   

This summer, as I read about the blendings of Native American and  

Christian theologies, and as I viewed monuments to powerful  

presidents and Native heroes of resistance, I learned anew how	

much the ways of violence and oppression depend on theological	

arrogance and unbendable certainty.  If we are to truly partner  

with others different from ourselves, we need to renounce our  

inclination to think we have God in our back pocket.  The  

confident faith is also the bendable, invitational, and welcoming  

faith. We might call this the Paradox of Partnering: we can be	

most certain that we are in touch with God when we are willing to  

joyfully abandon our claims to absolute certainty and welcome  

others in the yeasty space of mutual encounter.  That All Might  

Freely Partner means expanding our tight little circles, opening  

ourselves to unfamiliar workings of God's Spirit, and setting our  

faith free to be comforted and enlivened by unexpected miracles  

in our lives. 

 

Lastly, I believe That All May Freely Partner when we are willing  

to move into the really deep places of ourselves and encounter	

our highly vulnerable zones of discomfort.  Like turtles, we have  

to stick our necks out, and when we do, we often look back and	

see our own shell -- our protective covering of power and  

privilege.  As a white, heterosexual woman, I know that I live my  

daily life insulated by layers of comfort, convenience, leisure,  

and opportunity.  I wear my white skin like a glove, rarely  

thinking of it as a signal of my inclusion, my normalcy, my  

safety, my badge of comfort, recognition, and acceptance.  I live  

in my gender and my heterosexuality and in my culture's  

heterosexualism as though this is what human looks like, as if	

deviance is not only different but deformed, as if others like me  

are blessed and those not like me are in some way cursed, or less  

blessed.  We are here today to celebrate the 85-year-old life of  

a woman who has stuck her neck out and looked around at her own  

shell, her own marks of privilege, and in seeing, has spent her  

life questioning cultural and religious hierarchies and re- 

imagining models of equality and partnership.  Through the years,  

Ginny has done the hard work, the hard reading, the hard  

encounters, the hard strategizing to upset the rest of our  

comfort zones and reshape them to look like partnership zones. 

 

Last spring, one of the students in my course on Gender, Sex, and  

Power had the class read an article by Iris Marion Young entitled  

"Abjection and Oppression: Dynamics of Unconscious Racism,  

Sexism, and Homophobia."  Since then, I've known that I wanted to  

share the content of this article with all of you, because I  

think Young has profound insights for us as we celebrate the past  

and consider new beginnings.  Young observes that we now live in  

a time of "explicit normative and legal commitments to equality,"  

but we continue to "structure relations of privilege and  

oppression through feelings, bodily reactions, images and  

stereotypes, linguistic and behavioral habits.	People behave  

differently toward one another according to their group  

identification, ... often with symptoms of avoidance,  

objectification, disgust, dislike, or discomfort ....  [O]ur  

unconscious fears and aversions continue the perception of some  

groups as having despised and ugly bodies ... [which] arise because  

of our own anxieties over loss of identity."  Young contends we  

have established a formal equality, supported a public etiquette,  

and taken practical legal steps to dislodge ideologies of natural  

inferiority and group domination, while ignoring the significance  

of our group-based fear and loathing.  Feelings toward others who  

are different are repressed because of the anxieties they  

produce, and a sanction of silence blankets the tension and  

ignorance.  A unique discomfort results from oppressive behaviors  

that are jettisoned to the margins and forbidden from speech, and  

members of oppressed groups constantly experience avoidance,  

aversion, nervousness, condescension, and stereotyping.  Such  

behaviors, indeed the whole encounter, throw marginalized persons  

back onto their group identity, making them feel noticed, not  

taken seriously, or demeaned.  Discomfort and anger are borne in  

silence, but they permeate our cultural meanings, actions, and	

policies. 

 

What is at issue in all of this, for Young, are borders,  

boundaries of self which must be kept in place for fear that the  

loathsome object might ooze through and obliterate our borders.   

Unlike fear of an object, which one attempts to control, Young	

says that fear of the abject is dread of the unnamable, the  

ambiguous, the boundary between self and other.  Xenophobia  

throughout history has constructed categorizes of race and  

labeled certain bodies as degenerate abjections.  Homophobia is  

the paradigm of border crisis because it is impossible to  

identify differences except through choice of sexual partners.	 

Homophobia is one of the deepest-held fears of difference  

precisely because the border between gay and straight is the most  

permeable.  Ageism and able-ism also exhibit high border anxiety  

because in confronting old people or persons with disabilities,  

we confront our own death. 

 

Iris Young concludes her article with a section on consciousness  

raising as a strategy for justice.  Remembering the women's  

movement of the 1960s, she says that it's time again for a new	

level of deep personal story-telling and recognizing how the  

personal is political, and the political is personal.  It's  

time, once again, to bring unconscious behaviors and images to	

vocalized awareness.  The requirements for going forward toward  

real justice and genuine partnership rest in recognizing that  

legalistic gains are incomplete unless they are accompanied by	

deep psychological, sociological, and theological digging to root  

out our fears and entrenchments to keep out the Other. 

 

Sustained, intentional consciousness-raising is one way that we  

can do social therapy and address the issues of justice that  

comes only from a loosening of the desire for control and  

uniformity.  The revolution of partnership-making allows for a	

shifting process, rather than a single coherent identity. 

 

One last thought:  this is heavy stuff!  Ginny, God bless her,	

wanted content!!  And content indeed, is what all of us need.	

What would our lives be like, had they not been touched by  

Ginny's wisdom, wonder, and willingness to dig deep and drink  

fully from the wells of personal discovery and social  

transformation?  I shudder to imagine it. 

 

Molly Ivins, the political columnist, in speaking to a Planned	

Parenthood group, said that she hates "it when we win a fight [on  

abortion rights] and then you have to go back to fight it again  

... there's so much more we have to do!" (ix).	Wise woman that  

she is, Ginny Davidson knows and embodies what Molly Ivins then  

added to her statement: You have to "have fun while you're  

fighting, because as you may have noticed, we don't always win	

... so it may be the only fun you'll ever have!  I know what you  

do is deadly serious, but it's important that you laugh.  Take	

fun seriously!" 

 

What a joyful, delicious, deadly serious, fun-generating ride  

you've taken us on, Ginny Davidson!  You have long known that  

it's about life and death, and you have helped us choose life in  

the most glorious ways.  Molly Ivins said her ambition was "to	

look at the next generation of freedom fighters and tell 'em how  

much fun it was!"  Well, we're here to join you, dear Ginny, in  

declaring: We've had a ball, and the good times are just  

beginning! 

 

			   References 

 

i. Peri, Carille, "Witchcraft" (an interview with Margaret Atwood),  

Mother Jones, April 1989, 28. 

 

ii. Morgan, Robin, in *Feminism in Our Time*, ed. Miriam Schneir,  

New York: Vintage Books, 1994. 

 

iii. Davidson, Virginia, *Called Out With*, ed. Sylvia Thorson- 

Smith, et al, Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1997. 

 

iv. Millett, Kate, *Sexual Politics*, New York: Simon & Schuster,  

1969. 

 

v. That All May Freely Serve newsletter. 

 

vi. Schwartz, Pepper, *Peer Marriage*, New York: The Free Press,  

1994. 

 

vii. Adler, Rachel, *Engendering Judaism*, Boston: Beacon Press,  

1998. 

 

viii. Klinkenborg, Verlyn, *New York Times Review of Books*, April  

8, 2001. 

 

ix. Ivins, Molly, *The Source* (Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa  

newsletter) 1. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

		 The Church We Are Called to Be 

 

			 by Jack Rogers 		      

		Moderator, 213th General Assembly 

		 Professor of Theology Emeritus 

	       San Francisco Theological Seminary 

 

		    Address delivered to the 

		2001 Covenant Network Conference 

			November 2, 2001 

 

I was in Louisville, at the Presbyterian Center on September 11.  

If I had to be anywhere at that time of tragedy, except at home,  

I was glad I was there. I want to tell you how very, very proud I  

was of the national staff and the volunteers in the building on  

that day of crisis. They immediately went to work to provide  

resources for our congregations and governing bodies. I became a  

spokesperson for the church in a way that I would not have been  

had I not been there. 

 

Within minutes, the media people asked me to write a prayer which  

they put out on the internet. The Theology and Worship staff put  

together a service of hymns, prayers, and Scripture readings. I  

was there with two former Moderators working on the Task Force on  

the peace, unity, and purity of the church that has recently been  

announced. Together, the three of us, with others, led a service  

of worship in the Chapel at the Presbyterian Center. It was full.  

Wall to wall people, and spilling out into the hall. When Freda  

Gardner began to read the 23rd Psalm, everyone began to recite it  

aloud from memory. There was a sense of solidarity. 

 

Afterwards I met the TV and print media who were there. An AP  

reporter asked me: "Why did you do this?" I replied that two  

things seemed clear: "We knew we needed God. And we needed each  

other." It seemed the most natural thing to want to be together  

to share our shock and grief. We worshipped and witnessed. Then  

everyone went back to work. People were on the phones, and email,  

and fax, contacting the congregations in the hardest hit areas,  

offering assistance. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance was  

immediately brought into action. World Wide Ministries was in  

touch with our mission personnel overseas. Theology and Worship  

was responding to requests from pastors about how to interpret	

these events to their congregations and to parents about how to  

interpret them to their children. Before the day was over, Cliff  

Kirkpatrick, who was in Geneva, Switzerland, and John Detterick,  

and I, had issued a pastoral letter that went out to all of our  

presbyteries to be distributed to our congregations. 

 

In a time of crisis we reach down deep inside ourselves to find  

the resources to meet the challenge. For me, and for many in our  

church, those resources are found in the wisdom of our	

Confessions. *The Heidelberg Catechism*, Question 1: "What is your  

only comfort in life and in death?" Answer: "That I belong -- body  

and soul, in life and in death -- not to myself, but to my  

faithful Savior, Jesus Christ." We drew on that resource when we  

wrote *A Brief Statement of Faith*, the newest statement in our  

*Book of Confessions*, "In life and in death we belong to God." 

 

We have a strong, vital denomination, with committed and  

compassionate leaders. The first lesson of September 11 is that  

we must stand united. I preached for Joanna Adams at Trinity  

Presbyterian in Atlanta. She told that in those first days when  

we were all transfixed in front of our TV sets, there was a strip  

of announcements of canceled events running across the bottom of  

the screen. One from the law courts said: "Arguments canceled,	

today and tomorrow." Would that it applied to the church as well. 

 

I don't know how the vote on Amendment A will come out. I have	

seen no running tallies of early votes in presbyteries. I wish	

that we would all take a September 11 pledge -- not to put forth  

any more legislation nor initiate any more judicial action  

regarding ordination standards until the Task Force on the peace,  

unity, and purity of the church presents its final report in  

2005. We need to give this representative group time to consult  

with the church and to help us understand the way forward into	

the 21st century. We need more education, not legislation. 

 

I couldn't leave Louisville, as planned, on September 11. I was  

there until Friday, the 15th when planes started flying again. I  

couldn't get to Spokane, Washington, where I was supposed to be  

preaching. I couldn't get back home to Los Angeles. But I could  

get to Omaha. I was to be there the following week, meeting with  

three presbyteries. My wife Sharon's mother lives in the village  

of Bennington, just outside of Omaha, and she took me in. She is  

the matriarch of that town. At 93, she still drives her car and  

goes to two or three events a day. In Bennington, Nebraska,  

ecumenism is having the option to choose between being	

Evangelical Lutheran and Missouri Synod Lutheran. In deference to  

my limitations we went to Fremont to the first Presbyterian  

Church where I brought greetings. Then we attended a family  

gathering. When we got home, a neighbor was standing on the  

doorstep. She said: "Come over for pie and coffee." 

 

There were three couples, and Gretchen and I. We were talking  

about the tragic events of September 11. One of the women said:  

"What I don't understand is how some of those terrorists could	

have been in this country four or five years and not realized  

that our way of life is better and changed their minds." That is  

the second, painful lesson of September 11. There are people in  

every country and every religion that only see the dark side.  

America has many faults, and we have made many mistakes in our	

foreign policy. We know these things and we try to correct them,  

but we move on knowing the positive as well. When people only see  

the negative about others and then cast their attitude in  

religious term, they are called "fundamentalists." 

 

About 10 years ago Martin Marty, now retired Professor of Church  

History at the University of Chicago, got the American Academy of  

Sciences to authorize a "Fundamentalism Project." Most people  

thought it was a waste of time. Who cares about fundamentalists?  

Now Marty looks like a genius! His team has compiled about 10  

volumes of research on fundamentalisms worldwide. Recently in an  

article in the *New York Times Sunday Magazine*, Marty listed  

four common characteristics of all fundamentalisms. First, they  

grow on soil that has been conservative, traditional, orthodox.  

Second, they imagine that there was once an ideal community in	

the past and that the modern world is a defection, a falling  

away, a perversion of that ideal community. Many conservative  

people might share those first two attitudes of fundamentalism. 

 

To be evangelical, or conservative, is not to be a  

fundamentalist. What distinguishes a fundamentalist is militancy.  

George Marsden, in his book, *Fundamentalism in American  

Culture*, defines fundamentalism as "militant anti-modernism."	 

[So third,] fundamentalists believe that they must react. They	

must fight a holy war against change. Those, of their own  

community, who do not support this holy war are called apostate.  

Their opponents are described as minions of Satan. Fourth, these  

militant fundamentalists usually select a few features of their  

imagined perfect past and make them absolute. This often is set  

forth as the necessity to believe a few precisely worded  

doctrinal statements. 

 

What is most painful to say is that we have a militant	

fundamentalist group within the Presbyterian Church. The common  

fundamentalist themes can be found in the attitudes of the  

Presbyterian Lay Committee. It was founded 36 years ago to try to  

change the Presbyterian Church into a body that would not deal	

with social issues and that would interpret the Bible with a  

surface literalism. Growing on the soil of a denomination that is  

conservative and theologically orthodox, the Lay Committee  

idealizes the era in the 1920s when a fundamentalist party ruled  

the church. In that period, candidates for ministry were forced  

to conform to five precisely worded doctrines called the five  

essential and necessary articles. The Lay Committee has 3  

doctrines to which everyone must adhere in their particular  

wording. They want their statements to become the basis for  

hiring and firing people in the church. They declared our 213th  

General Assembly "apostate," unchristian. 

 

Many other Moderators have had to struggle with issues that the  

Layman have blown out of all proportion to reality. Moderators	

have tried to bring about reconciliation with the Lay Committee.  

General Assembly committees have held hearings and issued reports  

indicating that the Layman is unwilling to work constructively	

within the denominational structures. This year the Lay Committee  

has gone further in their destructive course than ever before. 

 

I went to Orlando, Florida, for the last day of a three-day  

meeting sponsored by the Coalition, an umbrella organization  

encompassing about 15 conservative groups in the denomination.	

The last morning session was to be an "open mike" at which anyone  

could say anything they wanted to. Without announcement,  

suddenly, the Chairman of The Lay Committee, Bob Howard, appeared  

on the platform and gave a half-hour power-point presentation on  

a strategy for making war on the denomination. "War" was his  

word, and he asserted that it was appropriate. 

 

He outlined the strategy by which the Lay Committee plans to take  

over the Presbyterian Church. First, Howard announced that the	

Confessing Church Movement, a group of churches that have pledged  

adherence to the 3 statements of the Layman's creed, is now the  

agency of connectionalism in the denomination. Howard described  

the Confessing Church Movement as a "shadow church." The Lay  

Committee wants to radically downsize the denominational  

agencies. They hope to take the vote away from retired persons	

like me, anyone who is not an active pastor in a congregation, or  

elder. If they got control of the denomination, they would invite  

churches that do not agree with their version of "biblical  

ordination standards" to leave the denomination with their  

property. If these churches will not leave, the Lay Committee  

would threaten them with being disciplined. Howard encouraged  

congregations to withhold both per capita and mission funds and  

divert them to causes more to their liking. 

 

Just as we must be very careful not to stereotype all Arabs, or  

all Muslims, as terrorists, so we must not characterize all  

conservatives, or evangelicals, as militant fundamentalists.  

There is a significant difference between evangelicals who want  

to change the church in a more conservative direction, and  

fundamentalists who want to tear down the church and refuse to	

work within it. I believe that most evangelicals and members of  

the Confessing Church movement want to affirm their faith and  

remain within the denomination. Why then align themselves with a  

potentially schismatic group? 

 

What does the Confessing Church Movement have to offer? A hastily  

drawn up, rigidly worded, 3-point creed tied to a political  

agenda. We have as a denomination something far better: A *Book of  

Confessions*, representing centuries of wisdom from our forbears  

in the faith who have lived and died for the faith that they have  

bequeathed to us. We have something more: A democratic process,  

involving the whole church, by which we prepare and choose the	

creeds by which we will live. I had the privilege of serving on  

the Committee that prepared *A Brief Statement of Faith*. A  

representative committee, chaired by Jack Stotts, took six years  

developing a draft. Then 3 General Assemblies and a special  

revision committee had a part in shaping it. The whole church was  

given opportunity for input which the committees took very  

seriously. The result is a creed for our time that was approved  

by almost all of our presbyteries. Do we want to toss aside the  

wisdom of the church, and a democratic process, for the  

dictatorship of a special interest group with a self-serving  

political agenda? 

 

People signing on to the Confessing Church Movement say that  

Jesus Christ alone is Lord of all and the way of salvation. The  

statement about Jesus Christ, "fully human, fully God," is much  

richer in "A Brief Statement." Jesus "proclaimed the reign of  

God," followed by those wonderful gospel verbs --  preaching,  

teaching, healing, eating with outcasts, forgiving sinners, and  

calling all to repent and believe the gospel. "Jesus was  

crucified, suffering the depths of human pain and giving his life  

for the sins of the world. God raised this Jesus from the dead,  

delivering us from death to life eternal." Contrast that gracious  

statement with one whose primary purpose is to say that some  

people are excluded from God's grace. Scripture says that "God	

our Savior desires everyone to be saved and come to the knowledge  

of the truth" (I Tim. 2:4). The Theology and Worship paper, and  

the Assembly, wisely say that "we neither restrict the grace of  

God to those who profess explicit faith in Christ nor assume that  

all people are saved regardless of faith." We are not God and  

should not play God. Our task is to introduce people to the  

gracious Jesus of the Bible and the Confessions so that their  

lives will be transformed as they come into relationship to God. 

 

The second article of faith proposed by the Confessing Church  

Movement is "That Holy Scripture is the triune God's revealed  

Word, the Church's only infallible rule of faith and life." That  

only tells part of the story. A Brief statement draws on the  

language of many confessions in our Book of Confessions saying,  

"The same Spirit who inspired the prophets and apostles rules our  

faith and life in Christ through Scripture, engages us through	

the Word proclaimed." 

 

I've been reading the Bible every day since I was a small boy.	

Most of my study and writing during my adult life has been  

regarding biblical and confessional interpretation. I even wrote  

a five hundred printed page dissertation on the first chapter of  

the Westminster Confession on Holy Scripture. I can tell you with  

complete confidence that the real Bible is much deeper and richer  

and more challenging than the superficial literalism that passes  

for believing in Scripture in some quarters. 

 

I try to read some of the Gospels every day, along with other Old  

and New Testament passages. I find no evidence that Jesus spent  

his time leading a moral crusade to support the status quo in  

society. I find no evidence that he was busy seeking out people  

who should be excluded from the church because they were  

different from the majority. The only people that Jesus  

continually was in conflict with were the people who were  

determined to uphold the law, as their culture defined the law.  

Jesus continually defied the norms of his culture. He interpreted  

the Old Testament to accept and include those whom the religious  

leaders rejected as unclean -- Samaritans, women, tax collectors,  

people with leprosy. The list goes on and on. That accepting  

Jesus is the Jesus of the Bible. We need to read it, and preach  

it, and share it with everyone that feels excluded by our self- 

righteous, religious culture. 

 

Ah, yes. The 3rd and final point in this new abbreviated creed:  

"That God's people are called to holiness in all aspects of life.  

This includes honoring the sanctity of marriage between a man and  

a woman, the only relationship within which sexual activity is	

appropriate." I care about holiness. I believe that every person  

in this room does. If we didn't believe that being a Christian	

made a difference in people's lives, we wouldn't be here. You  

know that line in *A Brief Statement of Faith*, "we strive to serve  

Christ in our daily tasks and to live holy and joyful lives."  

"Holy" That's my word. I suggested it late one hot August  

afternoon and the Brief Statement committee gladly accepted it.  

The church is called to holiness. It is not the private property  

of just people who use it to exclude others as unholy. 

 

I care a lot about marriage. I've been married to the same  

wonderful woman for 44 years. We all ought to care deeply about  

marriage. Marriage is in trouble in this country. In the last one  

hundred years, the United States has gone from being the most  

marrying society in the world to the one with the most divorces  

and unwed mothers. The divorce rate has risen from 7% in the  

1860s to 50% today. As recently as the 1960s, the rate of out-of- 

wedlock births was 5%. Today the overall rate of out-of-wedlock  

births is near 30%. Cohabiting, living together without being  

married, rose from 430,000 couples in 1960 to 4.1 million couples  

in 1997. We live in an era of family disruption that leads to  

talk of an emerging culture of "'serial marriage' and  

'nonmarriage.'" 

 

None of these alarming trends has been caused by homosexuals who  

want to marry. None of these trends will be solved by denying  

same-sex couples the right to legal and church sanction for  

publicly committing to a life-long relationship. In a culture of  

non-marriage, it is very ironic that we are spending great  

amounts of money and energy in trying to prevent people from  

marrying who want to do so in a way that would contribute to the  

stability of society and the enrichment of the church. 

 

Why are the sides so far apart on matters of human sexuality? We  

are still talking past one another. Everyone thinks that we are  

debating matters of principle, but underneath all the arguments  

from Scripture and tradition we are really differing on matters  

of fact. A recent book, being touted as the definitive study of  

what the Bible says on homosexuality, is actually not based on	

revelation, but on natural law. The author declares that we don't  

need biblical revelation because the Old Testament writers and	

Paul said what they did because they could see that women and men  

were "anatomically complementary sexual beings." So we are making  

assumptions based on our human evaluation. Another prevailing  

assumption among those opposed to full inclusion of homosexuals  

is that all persons are born heterosexual. To be homosexual is to  

have had bad childhood experiences. But to behave as a homosexual  

is to willfully, sinfully act against ones God-given nature. The  

cure is to repent and to submit one life to Jesus and thus to be  

changed. Persons supporting full inclusion of gay and lesbians	

people predominantly believe that affection for persons of ones  

own sex is for some people a given of their nature. Many  

homosexual people are deeply devout Christians who cannot and  

should not change to be heterosexuals but are living their lives  

in a faithful committed relationship to a partner just as  

heterosexuals are called to do. We are not really arguing about  

the Bible or the Confessions, but about prevailing assumptions in  

contemporary culture. How can we get past this impasse? 

 

Sharon told me that she had read that in the week after September  

11, in Houston, Texas, 400 couples that had applied for divorce,  

withdrew their petitions and decided to try again. If that was	

just to grin and bear it in a loveless marriage, that would not  

be a good model. But, if those couples try to discover again the  

love that brought them together in the first place, it holds  

great promise and hope. That is our task as the church. We need  

to remember that it was the love of Jesus Christ that brought us  

together in the first place. We didn't chose each other because  

we agreed on every issue. God chose us and made us a part of  

God's family, the body of Christ. Let us acknowledge and rejoice  

in our common commitment to Jesus Christ and find therein a basis  

for continued relationship. 

 

You see, there is another, related, doctrine that the Layman's	

creed doesn't mention. I believe in the Holy Catholic Church.  

That is a doctrine we need to believe, and preach, and teach.  

There is a genuine danger of schism if the Layman cannot achieve  

its objective of tearing down the present church and putting its  

own fundamentalist church in its place. Calvin wrote: "There  

could not be two or three churches unless Christ be torn  

asunder." My favorite seminary professor used to ask us, "If  

Christ is divided, who bleeds?" 

 

I called my friend, Bill Pannell, one night from Atlanta. Bill	

and I taught together at Fuller, where he was professor of  

evangelism and preaching. His wife, Hazel, had had a back  

operation and I wanted to see how she was doing. Bill came on the  

phone and said: "Jack, people want to get back to normal. It is  

your job to tell them what is normal in the church." What a good  

insight. Normal doesn't mean the way we've always done it. A norm  

is a standard. I always told my students that the norm in our  

class was A+. The average was usually something less, but the  

norm was what we all had to work toward. 

 

What is the Church that we are called to be? John Calvin had two  

marks of the church -- where the word is truly preached and the  

sacraments are rightly administered. I see that happening all  

over the country in Presbyterian churches large and small. John  

Knox was a kind of radical student of Calvin, who went back to	

Scotland and added a third mark to the authentic church,  

"discipline." We would call it spiritual nurture. It meant that  

during the week before communion, the pastor and/or elders went  

to the homes of members of the congregation to inquire about the  

health of their souls. If they were deemed in spiritual health,  

they got a token, wood or metal, the size of a nickel or quarter,  

that admitted them to communion. I see spiritual nurture going on  

as well, in congregations across the country, where pastoral work  

is being done to support people in their spiritual growth. 

 

At the reunion in 1983 of the northern and southern streams of	

Presbyterianism, we got a new *Book of Order*. It has four new	

chapters at the beginning that give the theological underpinnings  

of our governmental practices. It begins with Christ as the head  

of the church, and gives the preliminary principles by which we  

function. Second is a wonderful chapter on "The Church and Its	

Confessions." Then, there is a third chapter on "The Church and  

Its Mission." It contains what I regard as two further marks of  

the church. The first mark of the authentic church is to be in	

mission in the world. The second is to be a community of  

diversity. By including women and men of all ages, races,  

conditions, and abilities the church is "providing for	

inclusiveness as a visible sign of the new humanity." 

 

These marks of the church are what make the church normal, up to  

standard: Preaching the Gospel; administering the sacraments;  

spiritual nurture; mission in the world; and, being a community  

of diversity. It is these last two: mission in the world, and  

diversity, that are hard to accept for some who are quite certain  

about the first three marks. As contemporary Presbyterians we  

need to affirm all of them to be true to what we have learned  

from Scripture under the leading of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus  

prayed in John 17:20 that "all may be one," it was not just an	

interesting option. The purpose is evangelism, "that the world	

may believe." 

 

I was at Columbia Seminary a few weeks ago. After an hour and a  

half discussion with students and faculty in which we had dealt  

with a wide range of problems in the church, their new president,  

my friend, Laura Mendenhall made the most helpful comment. She	

said: "I read through the *Book of Acts* last summer. They had	

problems greater than ours. But the Holy Spirit was at work and  

created a church that now is spread over the whole world." 

 

That is what I need to remember. This is God's church. The Holy  

Spirit is not done with us. Isaiah 43:19 depicts God as saying,  

"I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not  

perceive it?" I want, this year, to be open to discern what God's  

Spirit is doing in this great church. Amen. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

    Musicians -- Get A Voice in Presbytery -- Get Certified! 

 

		   An alert from Patrick Evans 

 

Folks, I've just returned from the Albuquerque conference of the  

Presbyterian Association of Musicians.	PAM is a national  

organization of pastors, church musicians, educators and lay  

folk, involved in music, worship and the arts. 

 

PAM offers three different levels of certification for church  

musicians, according to education and experience. I have never	

bothered with certification since my primary employment is as a  

University professor, *but* I discovered that Certified Church	

Musicians (CCMs) are given *voice* but not vote on the floor of  

Presbytery by the *Book of Order*, in the same way that certified  

Christian educators are. I am going to try to get certification  

before the 01-A debates in New Castle Presbytery. 

 

I requested permission from Council this year to have voice in	

the O debate so that they could hear from an openly gay person --  

they sympathized but felt that it was a "slippery slope." When a  

church musician has satisfied certification requirements, PAM  

will notify their presbytery exec.  The presbytery is then  

required to acknowledge the certification at the next presbytery  

meeting, and to invite the CCM to each presbytery meeting,  

according them privileges of voice but no vote.  This is not a	

debatable matter. 

 

I believe there may be many church musicians who might be close  

enough to receive accreditation in the next 6 months if they  

start on it now. Many have already attended continuing education  

events and would need only to document a certain number of hours,  

etc. Many may already be certified and not realize that they have  

voice on the floor of Presbytery. Could we identify church  

musicians, particularly in swing presbyteries, and encourage them  

to seek PAM certification? I would be glad to work on this if it  

seems like it would be helpful. I think it might also be a good  

idea to try to identify friendly certified Christian Educators,  

and remind them of their voices. Thoughts, suggestions, starting  

places? -- Peace, Patrick. 

 

[It may be a little late to start a certification process now, in  

time for the 0-1A debates this year, but don't worry, there will  

be more issues in the future!  So do it!! -- JDA] 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

POETRY 

 

The General Assembly, 2001 

A Commentary by Patricia Culver 

 

The old preacher stood 

just outside the hall where 

a multitude of the Religious Leaders, 

the Left and the Right, 

sifted the jots and tittles, 

a multitude of words, 

words that could bless or stone 

the prophets among them, 

without Robert's Rules to keep it all 

"decently and in order." 

 

Though some averted their eyes, 

the preacher stood, 

as queer as Jesus, 

the Heavenly Hen, who, 

in any age, 

longs to gather the multitudes under His Wings, 

the homey God, 

whose words graced the preacher's hand-lettered sign. 

"This is my command:  Love one another, 

as I have loved you." 

 

They say the preacher's name is David, 

No one here seems to know for sure. 

"David" ... how appropriate! 

Standing there in his leg brace, 

the sign hung over his heart 

a slingshot-of-sorts, 

Christ's words proclaiming a "Hate Free Zone," 

and who knows thereby, 

how many of the good votes were won. 

 

(Yes, David is our very own David Tornblom, Las Cruces, NM --  

JDA) 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

		      A Letter from Prison 

 

Dear More Light Update, 

 

I was excited to see some of the articles in the July-August  

issue of *More Light Update.*  The more I learn about  

Presbyterians and the PCUSA, the more I want to be one and join. 

 

Chris Paige's sermon was very touching.  I agree with her on many  

points, but I'd like to add just one.  As Christians who welcome  

gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendereds, we need also to	

welcome the poor and the disenfranchised.  Now more than ever in  

light of September 11th's tragic events, Christians all over the  

world need to come together and love each other, because one  

doesn't know how long one has.	If 9-11-01's events teach us  

anything as Christians, I hope and pray that it teaches us to  

love everyone -- even and especially the terrorists -- because we  

are all made in God's image.  Chris is very "on-point" with regards  

to the epidemic of racism in our movement, but she neglects to	

mention classism.  Those who "have" frequently ignore and reject  

those who "have not."  Further, in addition, they often look down  

their noses at these people too.  God is no respecter of persons  

-- as 9-11-01's events should point out to us -- people young and  

old, black and white, gay and straight, rich and poor, felon or  

free, everyone was treated the same.  My heart goes out to all	

those affected.  I'm very lucky -- I'm in prison and have no  

"life" to speak of.  I had no one in my life taken from me.  I	

can't imagine the horror those poor people on the airliners  

faced.	It is sobering.  I am truly, deeply, saddened by their	

loss and the loss of so many others at the World Trade Center and  

the Pentagon.  I do not know God's will in this matter, but I  

hope our lesson has been learned.  I hope more lives won't be  

lost to learn God's will. 

 

Jud van Gorder's article was very "on-point" as well, but people,  

please do not think all of us in prison are monsters trying to	

soak you for all your money and time.  We are not.  Sure, there  

are some, perhaps even many, who are just like that, but there	

are also true Christians here.	It is incumbent upon all of you  

in free society to remember two very important parts of the Bible  

when dealing with inmates: Matthew 25:31-46 and Hebrews 13:1-3. 

 

Michael Adee's "Food for Thought" article, "How Welcoming Is Your  

Congregation?", was very well put together.  In fact, it is so	

good, you can apply it to all the marginalized people (to borrow  

a word from Chris Paige's excellent article), including the poor  

and ex-felons, even those in prison.  As I've said before, God is  

no respecter of persons.  God loves us *all*, unconditionally.	 

god's gift of grace is free for the taking by us all, even  

inmates like me -- so why is it that so many of us don't feel  

that love from our fellow Christians? 

 

Of all the organizations I've joined since accepting myself as	

God created me, only More Light Presbyterians has consistently	

been there for me.  Thank you so much, from the top of your  

organization, all the way to the bottom.  I truly do appreciate  

all of you, except those who categorically refuse to acknowledge  

and identify with me -- you know who you are -- and I love even  

you.  Most of all Jim Anderson earns my praise and adoration.	

Jim has written to me numerous times and reassured me a lot.   

Thank you, Jim! -- Your true sister in Christ, Bettie (Ms.  

Elisabeth D. Hussey, P.O. Box 466, Gardner, MA 01440-0466). 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

	     California Conference on Prison Crisis 

 

			 Jud van Gorder 

		  Retired Presbyterian Minister 

    Liaison to Prison Ministries for More Light Presbyterians 

 

California is our largest market, and a trend setter for the rest  

of the U.S.A.  This affects many public issues, including  

prisons. Over the past 30 years the state has had a 40%  

population increase, but an 800% growth in those incarcerated.	

About half of these are small-time, non-violent drug offenders.  

So it's fitting that a conference was held on the California  

Prison Crisis, June 2nd, 2001, at All Saints Episcopal church in  

Pasadena, next to Los Angeles. 

 

Mobilization for The Human Family, the sponsor, was begun in 1996  

as a progressive Christian movement, counterweight to the  

religious right. Professor John Cobb of he Claremont School of	

Theology and Dr. George Regas, then Rector of the host church,	

were co-founders. The Presbyterian Synod of Southern California  

and Hawaii was one of the support groups. 

 

Four hundred three persons attended, including ninety-one walk- 

ins; twenty of the total came over 500 miles to attend (and I  

thought my 370 mile drive heroic!).  This was more than the  

planners expected, one result being overcrowded workshops.  About  

half of the participants were representing non-profit agencies,  

Catholics, Pentecostals, and Protestants not previously  

associated with Mobilization. 

 

The plenary sessions featured three worship services and four  

main speakers. The twelve one-hour workshops covered both prison  

policy issues and churches' response to those. Each participant  

could take two workshops. 

 

I found Judge James Cray of Orange County the most impressive  

speaker. He said our drug laws were based or racism, the  

demonizing of users; on empire-building of massive prisons; and  

on fear, the prohibition of discussion.  He favors  

medicalization, not legalization, of drugs. 

 

Richard Polanco, State Senate Majority Leader, estimated the cost  

of one prison at $800 million to build, service the debt, and  

operate for one year.  Nineteen thousand California inmates, five  

prisons worth, are in for parole violation without having  

committed any new crime. 

 

U.S. Representative Maxine Waters gave the odds of a man being in  

prison: one in four if he's Black, one in six if Hispanic, one in  

twenty-three if white. 

 

The workshop on the prison industrial complex pointed out that	

the drive for more prisons was led by rural areas needing  

employment and tax revenue; they then pressed for tougher laws	

and longer sentences as a form of job security.  However, those  

communities do not in fact benefit from their prisons. The  

criteria for prison sites are about the same as those for opening  

a waste dump. 

 

The Three Strikes Law workshop mentioned one county study showing  

judges and prosecutors have discretion in 52% of such cases.  

Another study concluded that if this law were fully implemented,  

state Department of Corrections costs would double, to 18% of the  

California budget. 

 

Actor and death penalty opponent Mike Farrell gave the closing	

message.  He had many fascinating experiences of activism to  

recount; but, curiously, he read his script in a monotone. 

 

The day was well spent, and offered a model for same-theme  

conferences elsewhere; but a day wasn't enough, as the agenda  

felt rushed and packed. There wasn't an evaluation sheet, and  

some advocates took workshop time away from the presenters. There  

was much "preaching to the choir," and indeed present were many  

proverbial little old ladies in tennis shoes who do legwork for  

social justice. 

 

Perhaps the ultimate irony was a calendar coincidence. Just three  

days after, Los Angeles held a hotly-contested mayoral election,  

a perfect example of ambitious politicians reaping the bitter  

harvest of over-zealous and misguided laws. (One of our conference  

speakers was delayed due to campaign commitments.)  Many African  

Americans owed a debt of gratitude to the white mayoral  

candidate's father. The candidate himself, fairly liberal, used  

questionable tactics to attack the Latino candidate for being  

soft on drugs. It worked. Fear won again. It only needs one  

strike. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

COMMENTARY [Not in print version] 

 

		       September 11, 2001 

 

		 The Compassionate Heart of God 

 

		    By Rev. Rusty Lynn, LCSW 

 

(Rusty shares with MLP an article he wrote recently for the  

Center For Pastoral Counseling Newsletter.) 

 

On the morning of September 11, 2001 I sat glued to my television  

screen.  Like most people I've talked to, I could not comprehend  

what had taken place.  I could understand for a moment,  

understand that all those people had been killed, that planes had  

been hijacked and used like huge bombs, that the World Trade  

Towers had been demolished and the Pentagon badly damaged.  For  

moments I could take all that in.  Then, I would be stunned into  

disbelief again.  I don't know how many times I careened through  

these feelings and images -- the anger, the horror, and the  

numbness.  Suddenly, as I watched another replay of the second	

plane sliding into the Trade Tower and exploding, I knew and felt  

the terror and panic that all those people experienced in the  

moments before they died.  I saw them quaking, heard their  

screams, felt their hearts pounding.  I was shaking.  I also knew  

more clearly than ever before, each person on board those planes  

and in those buildings, yes, even the hijackers, each person was  

being held in the Compassionate Heart of God.  The words from  

scripture bit into my brain and I heard, as though for the first  

time, "Nothing can separate us from the love of God!"  The loving  

compassion of God holds all persons, even those who believe in an  

unforgiving god who tolerates only a narrowly defined belief in  

that god -- all persons are held continually in God's  

compassionate heart. 

 

In Psalm 139 we read of how God knit us together in our mother's  

womb, how our name is known to God long before we are born.  We  

read in Genesis that we are made in God's image.  In Jesus'  

parable about the son who was prodigal, we read about the father  

who never gave up hope for his son and ran out to meet his son	

when his son returned home.  In many other passages of scripture  

we read of the unfathomable, limitless love of God for God's  

creatures and creation. 

 

When I was in fifth grade in Kansas City, Kansas, in 1953, we  

could choose to go to a "released time" program at a church near  

our school.  I don't remember the church's denomination. I grew  

up in the Presbyterian Church and I know it wasn't Presbyterian.   

I remember learning the song "Do Lord, Oh Do Remember Me" and  

singing it loudly and with great spirit.  I also remember a  

poster on the wall of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Jesus' heart	

was red.  Jesus was depicted shedding tears for poor sinners who  

were lost.  I remember there was also a white heart which  

represented what our hearts would look like if we obeyed the  

rules and believed the right things.  There was also a heart  

which was black and was the heart of any person who did not obey  

and did not believe rightly.  What I did not see on that poster  

was the Compassionate Heart of God.  I think the Heart of God  

would be all the colors of the rainbow, indicating the	

inclusiveness of God's love for humanity.  (I guess that  

particular church had never heard about how inclusive God's love  

is.) 

 

As I sit with clients I hear about the anxiety and fear that so  

many of us are living with.  We hear daily about anthrax in our  

postal system and, for some of us, in our places of work.   And  

we hear about the bombing campaign in Afghanistan and feel sad	

and angry as we hear that innocent people have been killed by  

stray bombs.  Our government officials tell us of scattered  

terrorist acts which may happen anywhere, but we should go about  

our lives anyway.  Anyway we can.  We want to get on with our  

lives, our travels and business, our learning and growing.  But  

we are afraid and anxious. 

 

I have chosen to share this image of the Compassionate Heart of  

God because I believe God wants each of us to know of God's  

compassion for us, especially in times of fear and loss.  Now  

lest you think I believe in "cheap grace," I do believe we have  

to do something to join in the Compassionate Heart of God.  What  

we must do is be willing to hold, just for a moment, the  

possibility that we are welcome in God's heart.  That's all, and  

that's the good news! 

 

(Rusty wrote the following paragraph for the first version of  

this article for the Falls Church (VA) Presbyterian Church Advent  

Devotional Booklet.) 

 

We all have many lessons to learn about love and loving, about	

giving and receiving.  We in this prosperous country must realize  

how fortunate we are to live in the midst of all these gifts.  We  

must get it, the message from the Third World, that the freedom  

and democracy which we take for granted as though it were our  

right, is a very precious legacy with which we have been  

entrusted.  A legacy is a gift which previous generations have	

dreamed about, which we have been given to enjoy.  The gifts of  

democracy are not just for us, they are for the whole world.   

When we enjoy the Gifts of the Season of Christmas, we are  

enacting part of God's compassion for the whole world, compassion  

which I believe we are called to share with the whole world. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

   "Love with your heart the one who is not (like) yourself." 

 

		       by Mary Jane Newman 

 

(The organist and choral conductor of our church, Mary Jane  

Newman, made the following observations to our members.  Perhaps  

her words will help sustain us as we search the pews for God's	

hope in the weeks ahead. -- Jack Miller, Pastor, Mt. Kisco  

Presbyterian Church, NY.) 

 

Let us continue to pray and work for justice on earth.	As all	

people are equal in the kingdom of God, so are we equal in every  

aspect of our ecclesiastical and cultural life, whether or not	

Presbyterians count it so.  The bodies of gay and straight people  

are buried together beneath the crushing rubble of the World  

Trade Towers.  Gay and straight pilots and passengers died with  

equal bravery and sacrifice when their jets were rammed into  

buildings.  Gay and straight men and women were equally fearless  

and patriotic in their last moments, equally brave and courageous  

before God.   We died the same death in the Pentagon, just as we  

fight the same war in Afghanistan.  Gay and lesbian postal  

workers are exposed to anthrax bacteria every working day, and	

become just as desperately ill as any straight civil servant. 

 

This is the reality of God's Kingdom on earth, whether or not the  

Church believes it.  It's not about Biblical weaponry or  

wizardry.  It's about the one clear message of God to all  

people:  "You are equal, in your weakness and in your humanity.  

You are vulnerable alike to hate and terror, to sickness and  

death.	I have come to heal you." 

 

What is the greatest of all the laws ever imagined by Jews and	

Christians alike? 

 

"Love God with all your heart, mind and soul, and love your  

neighbor as yourself."	I know a bit of Hebrew. Perhaps a  

reminder of the original wording would help us:  "V'ahavta  

l'reiaka kamocha." The literal translation is: "Love with your	

heart the one who is not (like) yourself." 

 

If the living of that law cannot be found in churches or  

synagogues, praise God it was found in that community of saints  

on September 11.  It was the last cry of strangers who held hands  

and jumped out of buildings 100 stories high.  It was the last	

promise of those who stayed in the fire so their friends would	

not die alone.	It was the last act of faith by rescue workers	

climbing the stairs of those raging infernos, knowing they would  

never come back alive.	"Greater love has no one than this:  That  

you lay down your lives for one another."  Some ask, "'Where shall  

we find the kingdom of God on earth?  Is it here in our churches?   

Is it there in our denominations?'  The kingdom of God is neither  

here nor there.  Look again:  The kingdom of God is among you,	

and within you." 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

	      Open Letters to Our Church and World 

 

Michael Adee writes: 

 

MLP members, friends and allies, 

 

Here are two open letters to our church and world appealing to	

the very best Christian character and ethics in all of us and to  

the PCUSA to live faithfully into the Gospel and affirming our	

Reformed faith, theology and polity. The first letter is from  

Etta and Harry Smith, First Presbyterian Church, Santa Fe, NM and  

and the second is from Lisa Larges, Noe Valley Ministry (PCUSA),  

San Francisco, CA. 

 

These are three extraordinarily faithful Christians who live  

out the Gospel in their lives, relationships and service in their  

churches and communities. Here are their letters that I encourage  

you to share with people in your own church, Bible study, youth  

group, campus ministry, etc. -- with hope and grace, Michael  

Michael J. Adee, National Field Organizer, More Light  

Presbyterians. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

	     On Deciding Who's "In" and Who's "Out" 

	     by Etta and Harry Smith, Santa Fe, NM  

 

One of the preachers at a recent General Assembly exhorted us  

repeatedly, "Don't lower the bar!"  He was defending our Church's  

current standards which exclude certain persons and groups and	

define who is "in" and who is "out."  Persons have been  

categorized and barred from full participation in the church  

throughout its history. 

 

Whether today's church can learn from the experiences of the past  

is perhaps the defining question in determining the church of the  

future.  Deciding where the bar should be set has been influenced  

for us not just by our understanding of Jesus' example of  

acceptance and openness, but also by our own experiences, which  

deepened our commitment to inclusivity.  Our involvement in the  

struggle for racial justice provided us opportunities to learn	

from persons who suffered exclusion and were deprived of their	

human rights.  Our personal experience of divorce, placing us in  

a previously barred group, heightened our appreciation of the  

Church's increasing acceptance without judgment of divorced  

persons. 

 

Our involvement in the anti-war movement taught us the high cost  

of disagreeing with our government's actions as another category  

-- "un-American" -- was created to demean dissenters.  "You are  

either for us or against us" is still today a simplistic way to  

distinguish between our allies and enemies. Our daughters  

increased our sensitivity to gender exclusion, the challenges  

facing women in the Church's ministry, and the way our sexist  

language alienates and creates barriers, especially in our talk  

about God.  Our knowledge that two of our sons are gay heightened  

our awareness of how our culture labels and rejects those of  

different sexual orientations and how the Church, the institution  

that should be most open to those who do not fit into our  

culture's boundaries, currently bars them from leadership. 

 

Through our involvement in programs to feed the hungry in Santa  

Fe, we have learned firsthand the mistake made by lumping people  

into categories like "the poor," "unemployed," and "on welfare."    

Packing food bags alongside recipients helped us see them as  

persons rather than the categories which differentiate the poor  

from the affluent in our community.  Our exposure to sweatshop	

workers, coffee growers and underpaid laborers created a concern  

for the impact of economic globalization and the widening gap  

between the "haves" and the "have nots." 

 

We recognized anew our interdependence with the marginalized and  

our need to include them in our quest for justice.  These  

experiences have made us aware that even our theological  

categories exclude persons and groups.	Labeling as "unsaved"  

those who do not believe in God the way we do or respect Jesus as  

"the only way to salvation" is another way of excluding and  

dismissing a large number of God's creation. 

 

And in our discussion of inclusiveness, we must not exclude those  

with whom we disagree theologically.  Although some in our church  

want to determine who is "in" and who is "out," we believe that  

such decisions are not ours, but God's.  God's accepting love  

extends far beyond our categories. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

		 Katie Morrison at Colby College 

 

	     A Letter from Lisa Larges to Presbyweb 

 

Dear Editor, 

 

It's hard to see how a story that ran in a small college  

newspaper 10 years ago merits coverage on Presbyweb. I "Googled"  

(not a crime in most states) the name of the Presbyweb editor and  

found 58 results, many of which might bear reprinting on  

Presbyweb as well, though I found nothing from his college  

newspaper. Nonetheless, I look forward to more reprints of  

articles from the college days of other prominent or not-so- 

prominent Presbyterians such as members of the board of the  

Coalition or the staff of the Layman. 

 

To those critics that charge that Katie has achieved some sort of  

slight of hand by lifting up the word chastity in G-6.0106b I  

would make the following points: 

 

1. Katie has made no secret of her long-term committed	

relationship, not to the committee on preparation for ministry or  

to the Presbytery, or to anyone who would ask. Any deeper inquiry  

into the nature of that relationship would reveal that it is one  

founded on the love of God and a commitment to follow in Christ's  

service. The suggestion that Katie has tried to hoodwink the  

Presbytery by parsing definitions is simply unfounded. 

 

2. Appealing to the dictionary for definitions of theological  

terms seems foolish at best. Celibacy might be listed as a  

synonym for chastity in a dictionary of English usage but relying  

on that reference yields a definition of "God" as "A person or	

thing worthy of supreme worship", or "A great leader." The  

richer, more nuanced theological meaning of chastity (something  

Presbyterians should be more interested in) appeals to a higher  

standard of holiness in all human relationships. Perhaps this is  

why the authors of Amendment B chose the word "chastity" in  

preference to celibacy. I know Katie as one who strives to  

"practice" this virtue in all relationships, including that with  

her partner. 

 

The synopsis of the article from Katie's Alma Mater highlights a  

quote Katie made a decade ago: "I'm always on stage ...."  No doubt  

Katie feels her life is under more intense scrutiny these days.  

Just as ten years ago, Katie takes seriously her position as role  

model as one who, like all of us, bears witness to the grace of  

Jesus Christ. I deeply value Katie's witness of faith in my life  

and am sure that others would feel the same if they took the time  

to get to know her. -- Lisa Larges Member, Noe Valley Ministry,  

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Burlingame CA. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

		    MORE LIGHT PRESBYTERIANS 

		 4737 County Road 101, PMB# 246 

		    Minnetonka, MN 55345-2634 

		732-249-1016, http://www.mlp.org 

 

		    NATIONAL FIELD ORGANIZERS 

 

Michael J. Adee, M.Div., Ph.D., 369 Montezuma Ave., PMB #447,  

Santa Fe, NM 87501-2626, 505-820-7082, fax 505-820-2540,  

MichaelAdee@aol.com 

 

Katie Morrison, M.Div., 42 Fayette St. #2, Cambridge, MA 02139- 

1112, 617-547-6774, KatieatMLP@aol.com 

 

			  MLP OFFICERS 

  

Officers are also MLP Board Members.  The dates following each	

name indicate the end of current board terms; an "I" indicates	

board members representing individual members; a "G" indicates	

board members representing governing body members. 

 

CO-MODERATORS: Mitzi Henderson (2004-G), 16 Sunset Lane, Menlo	

Park, CA 94025-6732, 650-854-2598, fax 650-854-4177,  

mitzigh@aol.com; William H. Moss (Bill, 2004-I), 535 Steiner St.,  

San Francisco, CA 94117, 415-864-0477, WHMoss@yahoo.com 

 

RECORDING SECRETARY: Pat Rickey (2003-I), 13114 Holston Hills,	

Houston, TX 77069, 281-440-0353, 281-440-1902 fax,  

RickeyMLP@aol.com 

 

COMMUNICATIONS SECRETARY: Donna Riley (2002-G), 155 Prospect St.,  

Northampton, MA 01060, 413-584-7935, dmriley@alumni.princeton.edu  

 

TREASURER: John McNeese (2004-G), 1300 Brighton Ave, Oklahoma  

City, OK 73120-1404, 405-848-7498, John3317@home.com 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

		     MLP Board of Directors 

 

Ralph Carter (2003-G), 111 Milburn St., Rochester, NY 14607-2918,  

716-271-7649, rcarter@rpa.net, voicemail and faxes: 1-530-380- 

9722.	

 

Tony De La Rosa (2002-I), 3016 Waverly Drive, #109, Los Angeles,  

CA  90039-4115, 323-664-2787 (home), tonydlr@ix.netcom.com 

 

Marco Antonio Grimaldo (2003-I), 221 Ridgemede, #109, Baltimore,  

MD 21210, 202-669-2153, mgrimaldo@earthlink.net 

 

Dick Lundy (2001-I), 5525 Timber Ln., Excelsior, MN 55331,  

952-470-0093, DLundy@Spacestar.net 

 

Deborah Mullen (2004-I), 5050 South East End Ave. Apt 14C,  

Chicago IL 60615, 727-947-6271 DMullen@McCormick.edu 

 

Eunice Poethig (2003-I), 1000 E. 53rd St., #613, Chicago, IL  

60615, 773-324-8624, ebpoethig@unidial.com 

 

Katie Ricks (2004-I), 212 Adair St. Apt. E-7, Decatur, GA 30030.  

(404) 377-9531, auntkatier@hotmail.com 

 

Bear Ride (2002-G), 1680 N. Holliston Ave., Pasadena, CA 91104,  

626-398-9936, bears@usc.edu 

 

Mike Smith (2002-I), 1211 West St., Grinnell IA 50112, 641-236- 

7955, michael.d.smith@pcusa.org 

 

Erin K. Swenson (2003-G), 1071 Delaware Ave. S.E., Atlanta, GA	

30316-2469, 404-627-4825, ErinSwen@aol.com 

 

2002 NOMINATING COMMITTEE: Gene Huff, Ralph Carter, Bear Ride,	

Brian Cave & Tammy Lindahl. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

		      MLP National Liaisons 

 

MORE LIGHT UPDATE, James D. Anderson, Editor, P.O. Box 38, New	

Brunswick, NJ 08903-0038, 732-249-1016, 732-932-7500 ex 8210  

(Rutgers Univ.), FAX 732-932-6916 (Rutgers Univ.),  

JDA@scils.rutgers.edu 

 

WEBSITE: Donna Riley, 155 Prospect St.,  

Northampton, MA 01060, 413-584-7935, dmriley@alumni.princeton.edu 

 

MLP DATABASE: Dick Lundy, 5525 Timber Ln., Excelsior, MN 55331,  

952-470-0093, DLundy@Spacestar.net 

 

PRESBYNET: Bill Capel, 123-R W. Church St., Champaign, IL 61820- 

3510, 217-355-9825 wk., 352-2298 h., Bill@Capel.com 

 

CHAPTERS & LIAISONS: Michael J. Adee, 369 Montezuma Ave., PMB  

#447, Santa Fe, NM 87501-2626, 505-820-7082, fax 505-820-2540,	

MichaelAdee@aol.com 

 

SEMINARY & CAMPUS GROUPS: Katie Morrison, KatieatMLP@aol.com;  

Johanna Bos, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 1044  

Alta Visa Rd., Louisville, KY 40205-1798, jbos@lpts.edu 

 

STRATEGY: Bear Ride, 1680 N. Holliston Ave., Pasadena, CA 91104,  

626-398-9936, bears@usc.edu; Tony De La Rosa, 3016 Waverly Drive,  

#109, Los Angeles, CA  90039-4115, 323-664-2787 (home),  

tonydlr@ix.netcom.com 

 

JUDICIAL ISSUES: Bear Ride, 1680 N. Holliston Ave., Pasadena, CA  

91104, 626-398-9936, bears@usc.edu; Tony De La Rosa, 3016 Waverly  

Drive, #109, Los Angeles, CA  90039-4115, 323-664-2787 (home),	

tonydlr@ix.netcom.com; Peter Oddleifson, 120 Douglas Rd.,  

Rochester, NY 14610, 585-473-8930, oddwall@aol.com 

 

PRISON MINISTRIES: Jud van Gorder, 915 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz,  

CA 95060-3440, 831-423-3829. 

 

SHOWER OF STOLES PROJECT: Martha G. Juillerat, Director, 57 Upton  

Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55405, 612-377-8792, StoleProj@aol.com,  

www.showerofstoles.com. 

 

THAT ALL MAY FREELY SERVE: Jane Adams Spahr, P.O. Box 3707, San  

Rafael, CA 94912-3707, 415-457-8004, 415-454-2564 fax,	

JanieSpahr@tamfs.org, http://www.tamfs.org 

 

BISEXUAL CONCERNS: The Rev. Kathleen Buckley, 2532 Rosendale Rd.,  

Schenectady, NY 12309-1312, 518-382-5342; Skidmore College  

chaplain 518-584-5000 ext 2271, email kbuckley@skidmore.edu;  

Union College protestant chaplain, 518-388-6618,  

buckleyk@gar.union.edu; The Rev. Susan Halcomb Craig, c/o United  

University Church, 817 W. 34th St., Los Angeles, CA 90007, 213- 

748-0209 ext. 12, fax 213-748-5531, scraig@usc.edu 

 

TRANSGENDER CONCERNS: Erin K. Swenson, 1071 Delaware Ave. S.E.,  

Atlanta, GA 30316-2469, 404-627-4825, ErinSwen@aol.com 

 

YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULT CONCERNS: Brian Cave, ClemsonBC74@aol.com 

 

NRLR (National Religious Leadership Roundtable): Marco Antonio	

Grimaldo, 221 Ridgemede, #109, Baltimore, MD 21210, 202-669-2153,  

mgrimaldo@earthlink.net 

 

ILGA (International Lesbian & Gay Association): The Rev. Tom  

Hanks, Lavalle 376-2D, 1047 Buenos Aires, Argentina,  

thanks@thanks.wamani.apc.org 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

       MLP PRESBYTERY LIAISONS (www.mlp.org/liaison.html) 

 

Arkansas: Greg Adams, 314 Steven, Little Rock AR 72205, 501-224- 

4724, sgadams@Aristotle.net 

 

Cascades: Janet Stang, 1244 Looking Glass Way, Central Point, OR  

97502, 541-664-9189, stangp@transport.com 

 

Charlotte: John Barry Mays, 1020 Arosa Ave. #5, Charlotte NC  

28203, 704-358-8042, amayesd@worldnet.att.net 

 

Cincinnati: Hal Porter, 4160 Paddock Rd., Cincinnati OH 45229,	

513-861-5996, hgporter@hotmail.com 

 

Denver: Laurene Lafontaine, 1247 Utica Street, Denver, CO 80204,  

720-932-8772, lafden@earthlink.net 

 

Des Moines: Mike Smith, 1211 West St., Grinnell IA 50112, 641- 

236-7955, michael.d.smith@pcusa.org 

 

Detroit: John Lovegren & Dan Isenschmid, 269 McKinley Ave. Grosse  

Pointe Farms MI 48236, 313-885-9047, pointetox@CompuServe.com 

 

East Iowa: Robin and Rick Chambers, 907 Fifth Ave., Iowa City IA  

52240, 319-354 2765, RChamb2912@aol.com 

 

Heartland:  

 

Indian Nations: John McNeese, P. O. Box 54606, Oklahoma City OK  

73120, 405-848-2819, John3317@home.com 

 

Mid-Kentucky: Michael Purintun, 522 Belgravia Ct. Apt. 2,  

Louisville KY 40208, 502-637-4734, michaelp@ctr.pcusa.org 

 

Milwaukee: John Gregg, 3443 E. Waterford Ave., St. Francis WI  

53235, 414-486-9939, jgregg@wi.rr.com 

 

Missouri River Valley: Cleve Evans,3810 S. 13th St., #22, Omaha  

NE 68107, 402-733-1360, cevans@scholars@bellevue.edu 

 

National Capital: Jeanne MacKenzie, 725 3rd St. SW, Washington,  

DC, 202-554-8281, jmackenzie@execware.com 

 

New Hope: Jim Foster, 500 Meadow Run Dr., Chapel Hill NC 27514,  

919-933-0498, j-efoster@mindspring.com 

 

Newton: Laura Collins, 1 Wapalanne Rd., Branchville NJ 07826,  

revlic@juno.com 

 

New Brunswick: Jim Anderson, P. O. Box 38, New Brunswick NJ  

08903, 732-249-1016, Jda@scils.rutgers.edu 

 

New Castle: Patrick Evans, 91 E. Main St., #402, Newark, DE  

19711, 302-266-9878, pevans@UDel.edu 

 

New Covenant: Sara Jean Jackson, 4383 Fiesta Lane, Houston TX  

77004, 713-748-4025, sjackson@netropolis.net 

 

North Puget Sound: George Fuller, 5261 Dunbar St. Vancouver BC	

V6N 1W1, Canada, 604-261-33417, loisf@interchange.ubc.ca 

 

Northern Kansas: Tammy Rider, 100 2nd St., Claremont, MN 55924,  

507-528-2086, trider@clear.lakes.com 

 

Northern New England: Ken Wolvington, 118 Shore Road, Burlington  

VT 05401, 802-862-6605, kenwolv@prodigy.net 

 

Pacific: Lisa Bove, 570 N. Irving Blvd. Los Angeles CA 90004,  

323-465-5745, lbove@chla.usc.edu 

 

San Gabriel: Charles R. Houdek, 1420 Santo Domingo Ave., Duarte  

CA 91010, 626-303-5531, crh68@webtv.net 

 

San Francisco: Gene Huff, 658 25th Ave. San Francisco CA 94121,  

415-668-1145, genehuff@pacbell.net 

 

San Jose: Marcia Ludwig, 6247 Shady Grove Dr., Cupertino CA  

95014, 408-255-8467, church@fpcsj.org; Derrick Kikuchi, 29 Mar	

Vista Ct., Daly City CA 94014-1414, 415-586-1416,  

derrick@wkmn.com 

 

Seattle:  Lindsay Thompson, 200 W. Mercer St. Suite 207, Seattle  

WA 98119, 206-285-4130, tradelaw@thompson-law.com 

 

Shenandoah: John E. Harris, 572 Atwood Drive, Gerrardstown WV  

25420, 304-229-9227, john.harris1@ecunet.org 

 

Southern Louisiana: Ellen Morgan, 2285 Cedardale, Baton Rouge LA  

70808, 504-344-3930 

 

Southern New England: Jack Hartwein-Sanchez, 149 Bramble Way,  

Tiverton RI 02878, 401-624-6698, jackmlp@earthlink.net 

 

Utica: Judith A. Westerhoff, 33 Mulberry St., Utica NY 13323,  

315-853-6272, Br0adcloth@aol.com (first "o" is the number zero) 

 

Western Kentucky: Michael Erwin, 426 St. Ann St., Owensboro KY	

42303, 270-683-6836, pastor@centralpchurch.org 

 

Winnebago: Dick Winslow, 111 E. Water St. #100, Appleton WI  

54911, 414-731-0892, rwinslow@athenet.net 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

	    MLP Chapters (www.mlp.org/chapters.html) 

 

MLP chapters provide an opportunity for local lesbian, gay,  

bisexual and transgender Presbyterians and their straight allies  

to come together regularly to carry out a variety of functions	

and tasks which are seen to be important and appropriate for a	

particular area.  Some are large; others are small.  Most meet	

monthly, some less often but are always on call for taking on  

strategic tasks.  All are able to provide strong personal support  

to their members for the individual journeys they travel at this  

point in their lives and in the life of the Presbyterian Church.   

Chapters themselves decide what specific tasks and roles they  

wish to take on, based on the stated mission of MLP.  

 

For information about organizing a chapter, please refer to our  

brief statement called "Tips for Organizing a MLP Chapter."  It is  

found on our web page (http://www.mlp.org) or can be secured  

along with other advice from our national field organizer Michael  

Adee (369 Montezuma Ave., PMB #447, Santa Fe, NM 87501-2626, 505- 

820-7082, fax 505-820-2540, MichaelAdee@aol.com).  Corrections	

and other changes in the chapter information listings should be  

sent to Michael. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

		  Seminary and Campus Chapters 

 

LIAISON: Johanna Bos, Louisville Presbyterian Theological  

Seminary, 1044 Alta Visa Rd., Louisville, KY 40205-1798,  

jbos@lpts.edu 

 

CHICAGO THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: Heyward / Boswell Society. Marilyn  

Nash, 5757  South University Ave.,  Chicago, IL 60637,	

mnash100@aol.com 

 

COLUMBIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: Imago Dei, Andrew Foster Connors,  

404-377-2205, connors@mindspring.com; Katie Ricks, 404/377-9531,  

AuntKatieR@hotmail.com, Columbia Theological Seminary, P.O. Box 520,  

Decatur, GA  30031. 

 

LOUISVILLE PRESBYTERIAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: Student Chapter.	

Johanna Bos, 1044 Alta Vista Dr., Louisville, KY 40205, 502-8985- 

3411, jbos@lpts.edu 

 

McCORMICK THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: Acts 10:15, McCormick Theological  

Seminary, Tanya Denley, 1047 E. Hyde Park Blvd., Basement,  

Chicago, IL 60615, tdenley@juno.com; James Hicks, 1519 W.  

Rosemont Ave. #2W, Chicago, IL 60660, 773-338-5278,  

booyim@21stcentury.net 

 

PRINCETON: BGLASS, Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, and Straight  

Seminarians, c/o Christine Gannon, SBN 430, Princeton Theological  

Seminary, Box 5204, Princeton, NJ 08543, 609-497-9024,	

CGannon104@aol.com. 

 

SAN FRANCISCO THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: SFTS More Light  

Presbyterians.	Shelly Holle, 2 Kensington Rd., San Anselmo, CA  

94960, 415-482-0283, SHolle@sfts.edu; Mary Davis, 563 St. Mary	

Dr., Santa Rosa, CA 95409, 707-537-1133, mrydavis@aol.com; Pam	

Lupfer, 25 Richmond Rd., #303, San Anselmo, CA 94960, 415-457- 

7906, loopslair@aol.com; Tim Shipe, timothyshipe@hotmail. 

 

UNION-PSCE: Whosoever More Light Chapter, Union-PSCE, c/o Jason  

B. Crawford, 3401 Brook Road, Richmond, VA 23227,  

whosoeverunion_psce@yahoo.com. 

 

MACPROTESTANTS AT MACALESTER COLLEGE: Macprotestants, Lucy  

Forster-Smith, Chaplain, 1600 

Grand Ave., St. Paul, MN 55105, 651-696-6298 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

		 Presbytery & Regional Chapters 

 

	    Persons listed are moderators or contact 

		    persons for each chapter. 

 

BOSTON AND NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND: Ken Wolvington, 118 Shore Rd.,  

Burlington, VT 05401-2658, 802-862-6605, ken.wolvington@pcusa.org 

 

SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND: Jack Hartwein-Sanchez, 149 Bramble Way,  

Tiverton, RI 02878, 401-624-6698. 

 

GENESEE VALLEY: Kay Wroblewski, 74 Freemont Rd., Rochester, NY	

14612, 716-663-6632; Ralph Carter, 111 Millburn St., Rochester,  

NY 14607-2918, 716-271-7649, rcarter@rpa.net 

 

PITTSBURGH: Robert J. Boston, Moderator, P. O. Box 15784,  

Pittsburgh, PA	15244, 412-795-0828. 

 

LAKE ERIE: Robin Cuneo, P.O. Box 201, Findley Lake, NY 14736, 716- 

769-7394, cuneo@cecomet.net; Rev. Evon Lloyd McJunkin, 1721 W.	

31st St., Erie, PA 16508, 814-864-1920, evon@erie.net; Rev. Kate  

Irish Filer, 2816 Elmwood Ave., Erie, PA 16508, 814-676-4739,  

KIF1@juno.com 

 

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: "Open Doors," Dana vanBever, 3500 Russell  

Road, Alexandria, VA 22305, 703-683-2644, jdvangreen@aol.com;  

Jeanne MacKenzie, 725 3rd St., SW, Washington, DC 202-554-8281,  

jmackenzie@execware.com 

 

EASTERN VIRGINIA: Carol Bayma, 4937 Olive Grove Ln. Virginia  

Beach, VA 23455-5218, 757-497-6584, Carol and Alice@gateway.net 

 

TRIANGLE (NORTH CAROLINA): James R. Foster, 500 Meadow Run Dr.,  

Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8022, 919-933-0498, j-efoster@mindspring.com;  

Jack Cover, Chairperson, 919-933-0498. 

 

CHARLOTTE: John Barry Mayes, 1020 Arosa Ave. #5, Charlotte, NC	

28203, 704-358-8042; Gwen and Cullen Ferguson, Chapter	

Coordinators, www.gaycharlotte.com/morelight, mlpcharlotte- 

owner@yahoogroups.com, amayesd@worldnet.att.net 

 

DETROIT / SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN: John Lovegren & Dan Isenschmid,  

269 McKinley Ave, Grosse Pointe Farms,MI, 48236, 313-885-9047,	

pointetox@cs.com 

 

LAKE MICHIGAN PRESBYTERY: Rev. Janet Duggins, Westminster  

Presbyterian Church, 1515 Helen Avenue, Portage, MI 49002 

  

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: Dick Myers, 549 West Manor Circle, Bayside,  

WI 53217- 1735; 414-228-7466, dmyers@execpc.com; John N. Gregg,  

3443 E. Waterford Ave., St. Francis, WI 53235, 414-486-9939,  

JGregg@aero.net 

 

CENTRAL ARKANSAS: Greg Adams, 314 Steven, Little Rock, AR 72205,  

501-224-4724, sgadams@Aristotle.net 

 

LOUISIANA: Ellen Morgan, 2285 Cedardale, Baton Rouge, LA 70808,  

504-344-3930. 

 

OKLAHOMA: John McNeese, 1300 Brighton Ave, Oklahoma City, OK  

73120-1404, 405-848-7498, John3317@home.com 

 

GREATER HOUSTON: Lynn Johnson, 1625 Harold, Houston, TX 77006,	

713-523-5222, tilj1@aol.com; Sara Jean Jackson, 4383 Fiest Lane,  

Houston, TX 77004, 713-748-4025, sjackson@netropolis.net; Pat and  

Gail Rickey, 13114 Holston Hills, Houston, TX 77069, 281-440- 

0353, RickeyMLP@aol.com 

 

GRACE PRESBYTERY (Dallas / Fort Worth, TX): Jean Martin, 1220  

Brookside Dr., Hurst,TX 76053, 817-282-7449. 

 

GRAND CANYON: Kimberly Murman, 303 E. Patrician Drive, Tempe, AZ  

85282, 480-967-2767 kmurman@worldnet.att.net ; Rosemarie Wallace,  

710 West Los Lagos Vista, Mesa AZ 85210, forster@asu.edu 

 

NORTHERN NEW MEXICO (Santa Fe Presbytery): Jeanne and David  

McGown, 2751 Via Caballero Del Sur, Santa Fe, NM 87505, 505-471- 

7371. 

  

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

	       MASTHEAD (Publication Information) 

 

MORE LIGHT UPDATE, Volume 22, Number 3, January-February 2002.	 

ISSN 0889-3985.  Published bimonthly by More Light Presbyterians  

(for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns), an  

organization of Ministers, Elders, Deacons, Members,  

Congregations and other Governing Bodies of the Presbyterian  

Church (U.S.A.).  Elder James D. Anderson, Editor, P.O. Box 38,  

New Brunswick, NJ 08903-0038, 732-249-1016, 732-932-7500 ex 8210  

(Rutgers University), fax 732-932-6916 (Rutgers University),  

Internet: JDA@mariner.rutgers.edu (or JDA@scils.rutgers.edu),  

DeWitt House 206, 185 College Ave., New Brunswick, NJ 08901.   

Printer: Ken Barta, Brunswick Typographic.  Mailer: Associated	

Mailing Services Inc.  Electronic version available via email. 

 

Email Discussion List: MoreLightPresbyterians@yahoogroups.com (To  

join, send email to: MoreLightPresbyterians- 

Subscribe@yahoogroups.com; to leave, send email to:  

MoreLightPresbyterians-Unubscribe@yahoogroups.com). 

 

MLP home page: http://www.mlp.org 

 

Send materials marked "For publication" to the editor.	 

PUBLICATION DEADLINES: 6 weeks prior to issue months.  Most  

material appearing in MORE LIGHT UPDATE is placed in the public  

domain.  With the exception of individual articles that carry  

their own copyright notice, articles may be freely copied or  

reprinted.  We ask only that MORE LIGHT UPDATE be credited and	

its address be given for those who might wish to contact us.   

Suggested annual membership contribution to MLP: $50.00.  Annual  

subscription (included in membership) to MORE LIGHT UPDATE:  

$18.00. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

corrected version 12-16-01.