Date: Wed, 5 Apr 95 17:34:22 EDT From: "James D. Anderson" MORE LIGHT UPDATE May 1993 Presbyterians for Lesbian & Gay Concerns James D. Anderson, Communications Secretary P.O. 38 New Brunswick, NJ 08903-0038 908/249-1016, 908/932-7501 (Rutgers University) FAX 908/932-6916 (Rutgers University) Internet: janderson@zodiac.rutgers.edu or jda@gandalf.rutgers.edu Note: * is used to indicate italicized or boldface text. CHANGES The Rev. Howard Warren, Jr., is PLGC's new liaison with PAN: Presbyterian AIDS Network. You may contact him at 2807 Somerset Bay, Indianapolis, IN 46240, 317/632-0123 (Damien Center), 317/253-2377 (home). CONTENTS Come to General Assembly Celebrating Our Epiphany at General Assembly The Presbyterian Pentagon Safer Spirit, by Chris Glaser By Whatever Name, by Shelley E. Cochran She Had Such Potential, by Shelley E. Cochran More Light for Presbyterian Scouts, by David A. Rice Two Great Videos Maybe We're Talking About a Different God: Homosexuality and the Church, Produced by John Ankele and Anne Macksoud Scared to Death: Gay Youth Suicide, from The Lazarus Project Women's Committee Supports Ordination Effort Sexuality Workshop Bisexual Concerns: A Letter from PLGC Moderator Lisa Bove Time to Vote 1993 PLGC Ballot Presbyterian AIDS Network Elects Officers General Assembly Dates, 1993-1997 A Parting Gift, by the Rev. Jim White The Power of Relationships, A Sermon by Jeffrey K. Krehbiel Synod Calls for Lesbian and Gay Evangelism Great Editorial: "Is Homophobia Really Holy Writ?" * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Come to General Assembly According to *The Presbyterian Layman [sic]*, ordination of lesbian, gay, and bisexual Presbyterians as deacons, elders, and ministers will be THE hot topic at the 1993 General Assembly in Orlando. We think, for a change, they are right! We need EVERYONE who supports the full membership and participation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons in the life of our church to come to Orlando, June 2-9, 1993. Here are some details about our special events there. * PLGC's annual luncheon, featuring the very Rev. Dr. Jane Adams Spahr, whose call as co-pastor to the Downtown United Presbyterian Church of Rochester, New York was "set aside" by the High Court of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), will be held at noon on Saturday, June 5, in the Peabody Hotel, Plaza Ballroom B & C. Tickets are $22.00 (Sorry about these high Florida prices!). Students, unemployed and low income folks may request subsidized tickets of $12.00 each at the PLGC booth in the Exhibit Hall. THIS WILL BE AN HISTORIC EVENT. IF YOU ARE COMING ONLY FOR THE WEEKEND IN ORLANDO, YOU SHOULD PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE. Send checks *with self-addressed, stamped return envelope* to James D. Anderson, PO Box 38, New Brunswick, NJ 08903-0038. * PLGC's hospitality suite will be in the Peabody Hotel. We don't know the room number yet; you may have to ask for it under the name "James D. Anderson." It will be open most days during the assembly, June 2-June 8 from about 5 to 10 p.m. Evening worship will be around 7 p.m., with strategy sessions around 9 p.m. or when committees OR the assembly adjourns at the end of the day. It's also a great place to relax and talk with friends, and to meet new friends and supporters. * PLGC's annual membership meeting, Friday evening, June 4, 8-10 p.m., Peabody Hotel, Orlando Room #3. * PLGC workshops on issues of concern to lesbian, gay, and bisexual Presbyterians, their families and friends will be scheduled for Saturday afternoon, June 5. Topics, times and locations will be available at the PLGC booth. * PLGC's exhibit booth, number 123 in "love and justice row" (along with the Witherspoon Society, the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, the New Earth Covenant Community, Presbyterian Clergywomen, and the Women's Ministry Unit) will be a highlight of the General Assembly exhibit hall, Wednesday noon, June 2 through Sunday, June 6. This is the place to check first when you arrive at the assembly. * PLGC Sunday morning worship, June 6, with Lisa Larges preaching, Peabody Hotel, Florida Room #1. * Housing. The Office of the General Assembly has blocked rooms in four hotels near the convention center at rates ranging from $39 to $89 per night (single or double occupancy). To take advantage of these rates, you must fill out an official housing form, which you may obtain from the Office of the General Assembly by calling or writing to General Assembly Housing, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 100 Witherspoon St., Louisville, KY 40202-1396, 502/569-5417, FAX 502/569-8005. For information on other accommodations, contact the Committee on Local Arrangements of Central Florida Presbytery, 924 N. Magnolia Ave., Suite 120, Orlando, FL 32803, 407/839-3645. * Statewide Worship Service of Wholeness and Healing, Sunday, June 6, 1:30 p.m., sponsored by the Presbyterian AIDS Network and local groups. Before You Come to Orlando Contact the General Assembly commissioners from your presbytery. Ask your pastor or clerk of session for their names, addresses, and phone numbers -- or call your presbytery office. Write, call or meet with your commissioners and tell them of your concern about "Definitive Guidance", the Janie Spahr and Lisa Larges decisions, and the need for change. Face to face conversation is best, but letters and phone calls can be effective, too. Your commissioners must know that Presbyterians in their presbyteries want the exclusion of lesbian, gay, and bisexual Presbyterians to end! Express your concern for justice, equity, and responsible use of the Bible -- not as a weapon to keep people out but as a guide to evangelism. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Celebrating Our Epiphany at General Assembly Lesbians, gays, and bisexuals invite all heterosexuals who believe in an open, inclusive church to join us as we witness our Epiphany with our Presence and Presents at the General Assembly's opening service of Holy Communion on Wednesday, June 2, at 8 p.m. For details write or phone: The Rev. Howard B. Warren, Jr., The Damien Center, 1350 N. Pennsylvania, Indianapolis, IN 46202, 317/632-0123 work, 317/253-2377 home; The Rev. Lisa Bove, West Hollywood Presbyterian Church, 7350 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90046, 213/874-6646, or contact us at the PLGC booth after 12 noon on Wednesday, June 2. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Presbyterian Pentagon I once served a congregation whose sanctuary had six equal walls. Partially tongue in cheek, I suggested this slogan: "In our church we want all sides -- if we lost only one, we'd be the Pentagon." I'm saddened to find this unintended prophecy has come to pass. Our Presbyterian Top Brass is now indistinguishable from its military counterpart on a critical human issue. Both bureaucracies have issued identical orders: "We know you're out there in our ranks, lots and lots of you gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. Some are officers, most enlisted members. So listen up! Keep your mouths shut and your feelings hidden, and maybe we can put up with you. But if you say anything or reveal yourselves, then we're all in big trouble, and we'll have to get rid of you one way or another. Because it's well known you people are prejudicial to good order, discipline, morale, and (of course) unified mission support." Both institutions commissioned well-researched studies, which recommended abolishing their bans on homosexual persons. Both rejected such proposals. Yet, with a new Commander-in-Chief, the Pentagon may precede us Presbyterians into the Divine Realm. That will come by the acceptance of a workable and inclusive standard for behavior, not orientation. While we, with our touted diversity and actual exclusiveness, may be the last to go; dragged kicking and screaming against the grace of God in Jesus Christ manifest in our midst. By choosing pretense over reality, denial over honesty, I believe our Church is fossilizing a heritage we claim as "Reformed, Yet Always Reforming." How did we come to lose one side of our sanctuary, shifting our shape and thus tattering our theology, poisoning our polity, soiling our spirituality, and eradicating our evangelism? Check the changes in our polity, which is vital to our functioning together. Seventy years ago, a General Assembly unilaterally imposed on ministers and candidates doctrinal tests not found in our Constitution. The next year 1274 ministers signed a protest, the Auburn Affirmation, claiming the General Assembly was trying to commit our church to certain theories. "But . . . these are not the only theories allowed by the Scripture and our standards, and . . . all who hold to these facts and doctrines, whatever theories they may employ to explain them, are worthy of all confidence and fellowship." The controversy was entrusted to a special commission, whose report was adopted by the General assembly in 1927. Two points were crucial: 1) Only by **joint** action of the Assembly and Presbyteries may our Constitution be amended; 2) The powers of Presbyteries are general and inherent, and a person constitutionally ordained cannot have that status revoked by the General Assembly. It is claimed that time and reorganization have voided these decisions. Just five years ago we completed bargaining away such historic liberties. We granted the General Assembly power to provide authoritative interpretation of the Book of Order, binding on all governing bodies. This "ex cathedra" role is the more novel and dangerous when one examines how it has been readily used. Our General assembly has authoritatively interpreted a point that does not even exist in the Constitution, except by the most strained of inferences. And the General Assembly has bound us to this "definitive guidance" on the ordination and call of certain persons, even though it contravenes other provisions clearly spelled out in the Book of Order. Further, since the most recent interpretation is the one that shall be binding, we are likely to lose the integrity of our Constitution. It will be subject to the desires of succeeding Assemblies, which are often quite different in temperament. Like the Joint Chiefs, some of our leaders are seemingly desperate, frightened by theories about homosexuality, and driven by political expediency. No wonder another protest is being circulated, a Declaration of Conscience, which holds the General Assembly and its Permanent Judicial Commission as being wrong and injurious in these actions. And Scripture says, "We know and believe the love God has for us . . . . There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear" (I John 4:16a, 18a RSV). If we act in God's love through Christ, we need not fear our human love, whether gay, straight, or in-between. Perhaps at our upcoming General Assembly there will be enough Orlando Magic to melt stony hearts and relieve stiff necks. Otherwise, our obituary will eventually be written by our Pentagon "twinstitution", as stated during the Viet Name war: "We had to destroy this Church in order to save it." -- a former minister, now a member. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Safer Spirit by Chris Glaser Copyright (c) 1993 by Chris R. Glaser. All rights reserved. Most of us know that there is no such thing as absolutely "safe sex" that involves a partner, which is why HIV/AIDS educators instead teach methods of "safer sex," suggesting ways we can lower the risk of infection while we enjoy the intimacy and ecstasy that physical and sexual vulnerability and engagement offer. But how many of us have considered that there is no such thing as absolutely "safe spirit" that involves a community of faith? The *Star Wars* trilogy, a re-mythologization of the de-mythologized Christian story of good vs. evil, recognized that there is a "dark side" to "The Force," from which people can suck spiritual power to achieve evil ends. Before moving on, the implicit racism of calling this the "dark side" must be noted. And the theology that implies the divine force may somehow be responsible for its evil manipulation must be questioned. Better to understand divinity as so compassionate that it is willing to be crucified for the sake of redemption, i.e., suffer evil so as to persuade rather than to coerce, to inspire rather than to control. The crucifiers of Jesus were the Romans, though the Jews got blamed (which led to more racism). The cross was a Roman form of execution. The Jewish execution would have been stoning. As most of us know from sermons and church classes, Christianity began to move throughout the Roman Empire, and so the gospel writers blamed the Jews rather than the Romans for Jesus' death. While recognizing that Jesus' early followers were themselves Jewish, and that even Jews who didn't follow Jesus objected to his execution, nonetheless I believe it's important to recognize that the religious leaders of his day were at least complicitous if not actively seeking his demise. It was not a "Jewish thing," but a "self-righteous thing" that prompted religious leaders to persuade Rome to kill Jesus. How little things have changed. Some of you know that more than a year ago I began a part time position as a news reporter for *Frontiers*, a gay newsmagazine, writing on a variety of assigned stories. A few months ago, I was asked to step in full time as news editor. I regretted that I had not been able to survive doing "missionary work" in the church. But I had no idea the amount of spiritual warfare I would continue to witness in my new "secular" position, because the vast majority of those who oppose us claim to be religious. But they are sick and evil people. They suck out spiritual power -- ours included -- for twisted ends. And like the self-righteous religious leaders of Jesus' day, they are in collusion with political authorities in an attempt to circumvent the spiritual movement of humankind. Lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgenders, and people with HIV/AIDS have been treated as "sick" or "evil," when, in reality, those who oppose us need the healing and forgiveness that we offer. In the role of news writer, I interviewed Kevin Tebedo, founder of Colorado for Family Values which initiated Colorado's anti-gay Amendment 2. He did not know that I wrote for a gay and lesbian audience. So I played dumb and told him I wanted to get a "fuller" understanding of his organization, and I asked what other "family values" his organization promoted outside of its anti-homosexual stance. Surprised by my question, he responded naively but revealingly, "Oh, none. This is our only issue." As I held him on the phone, I thought how stupid he was that his own words did not suggest to him the narrow and bigoted scope of his work. A prominent preacher who still continues to oppose us in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has recently been caught in multiple misbehaviors with members of his parish. Sexual prejudice prompted someone to ask me if he was homosexual. No, no, no, I had to say, the man is as straight as they come. And he is intimate friends with several "high steeple" pastors who may not have blown the whistle on him but have been quick to blow the whistle on the imagined sexual expression of gays and lesbians within the minister's own families, parishes, and our denomination. Another pastor leading the opposition is said to have *his whole faith depend* on homosexuality being a sin, and so he becomes overwrought by our presence and seeks to exclude gay-positive workshops in presbytery and synod gatherings. And yet another such pastor surprised those of us testifying to the Presbyterian task force on sexuality by admitting his opposition grew from his own unresolved homosexual feelings. These are the people in need of healing. And though tempted to add that these are the people who should be excommunicated, I don't want to return evil for evil. They need Jesus as much as I do. They need God's gracious love as much as I do. And yet these are the people who led the defeat 75-73 in my own presbytery March 9 of an overture that would have left to presbyteries and congregations the right to choose and ordain leaders regardless of sexual orientation. These are sick and evil people. They suck spiritual power -- the whole church's -- for twisted ends. They do not realize that the very source of their healing and forgiveness is found within those they oppress. In the *mean* time, we must discover a spiritual prophylactic that prevents them from infecting us and the whole church. Organizations like Presbyterians for Lesbian & Gay Concerns can only suggest ways we can lower the risk of spiritual infection while we enjoy the intimacy and ecstasy available in spiritual vulnerability and engagement, for most of us know that there is no such thing as absolutely "safe spirit" that involves a community of faith. Jesus knows this well. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * By Whatever Name by Shelley E. Cochran Copyright (c) 1993 by Shelley E. Cochran. All rights reserved. In his presentation before the Permanent Judicial Commission hearing the case against the Genesee Valley Presbytery over the call of Janie Spahr, Julius Poppinga, counsel for the complainants, made a telling statement. He said that if the Commission let the call stand, it would send the wrong message to ethnic groups who might not understand "our sophisticated" Presbyterianism. A puzzled hush fell over the room the minute he said it. A few jaws even dropped open. For most of us, such a statement came as a surprise. We thought we had come for a debate on sexuality, not racism. We expected discussions on polity, church law, or at the very least, a discussion on the controversial "grandparent clause," Paragraph 14. We even expected homophobia. And we got it, too. But without having expected it, we also got a taste of racism. We should not have been surprised, though. That's how the system works. Oppressions are interrelated. They feed on each other, build on each other, support each other. The intended targets may be different. The hateful words may vary from time to time. The vehemence with which the words are hurled, even the amount of violence used to back up the words may differ. But the end result is the same. It is all oppression, whether it is homophobia, discrimination against those who are differently abled, racism, agism, sexism, or any of the other myriad -ism's which plague us. It is all oppression. Sometimes we get so focused on our own struggles, our own liberation, it's easy to forget that. We can often get so wrapped up in reports, court cases, judicial commissions, and the like that it takes a Poppinga to remind us again of how our oppression is indeed connected to the oppression of others. It's all connected -- even in the church. Of course, a racist comment won't hurt me (a white woman) as much as it might my black sister-in-law, but it still hurts. And most of my straight friends won't be as hurt by the "definitive guidance" of a homophobic church as I am, but that, too, still hurts. Such words and the attitudes behind them, whether they are meant for us or not, hurt all of us. They hurt you. They hurt me. They hurt the church, for when any one of us is put down, or labeled, or shut out, we all are. That's how the body of Christ works. We are all in this together, all of us, regardless of our race, our gender, our age, our physical abilities, or our sexual orientation. In the midst of our own struggle with the ecclesiastical powers that be, it's important to remember that. We must always remember our connectedness, our common bond with all those "others" who through the years have been mistreated by the institutional church. For in Christ, we are indeed all one. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * She Had Such Potential . . . by Shelley E. Cochran Copyright (c) 1993 by Shelley E. Cochran. All rights reserved. It was the day after the General Assembly vote on the Human Sexuality report in 1991. I had read about what happened in the paper that morning and had, somewhat heavily, made my way up the hill to my office in the church. I hadn't been there long when the phone rang. It was a reporter from one of the local TV stations looking for someone who was willing to make a favorable comment about the report. Unfortunately she was having trouble finding such a person. She asked me if I would be willing to speak, and I too found myself reluctant (well, more accurately afraid) to do so, but I told her I would. I don't remember now what I said, but I still remember my conversation with the reporter. She was a young woman, probably five years or so younger than I. She was bright, articulate, and friendly. She was also un-churched, She told me she had dropped out of church some time back, convinced that it no longer spoke to the realities of her life. The church, she said, seemed to be standing still while the rest of the world simply passed it by. It didn't seem to have much to say to that world any more, so she quit and, except for weddings and a few funerals, hadn't set foot in a church for years. Then she heard about us Presbyterians and the Human Sexuality report. At last, she thought, a church willing to talk about real life. At last, a church saying something important. And she was impressed. Even thought she might check out a Presbyterian Church some Sunday. But the vote at General Assembly discouraged her. She was disappointed to find the church really hadn't changed that much after all. I was disappointed, too, for as far as I know, that reporter never did visit a church, Presbyterian or otherwise. That day the Presbyterian church lost a very promising prospect. It turned away an interested potential new member. I told her about More Light churches. I told her about Sanctuary churches and churches involved in peacemaking. But what the General Assembly had done spoke too loudly for her to hear. Who knows how many like her were out there, waiting to see if the church had changed enough for them to safely consider coming back? Who knows how many like her are still out there waiting -- every one of them a potential Presbyterian that we are missing because the church continues to live in fear that some of our members might walk if gays, lesbians, and bi-sexuals are welcomed fully into the life of the church. Who knows? I suspect there are a great many more than the church imagines. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * More Light for Presbyterian Scouts by David A. Rice I was at a panel discussion on gay and lesbian awareness in our federal agency's regional office in June 1992, which I'd attended as Equal Opportunity Committee chair. I looked around the filled room, which had only about a dozen faces I recognized and asked Gary and Jack, who had driven me there, "I wonder how many people here are straight?" Jack, with a mischievous grin replied, "It's hard to tell, isn't it?" and then added in a conspiratorial tone, "They're all around you!" While driving back, and at lunch later, Jack followed up with, "How did you come to support gays having the right to be in Scouting?" Here's my answer: I had grown up in Scouting with the then-expected attitudes toward gays; I knew none, but made the usual jokes. Later, as a professional Scouter (district Scout executive) for 16 years, I knew all about the "red-flag" file the Boy Scouts of America maintained on people it considered "undesirable" for leadership positions, and I enforced Scouting's rules to eliminate some adults from the program. Mainly I acted on actual cases of sexual abuse of boys. (But there are a few questionable cases I am not proud of sending on to the national office.) For the 23 years since leaving the Scouting profession I have served as a Scouting volunteer, most of the time as Scoutmaster. In that time I had two cases of sexual abuse to handle. In both cases the offenders had heterosexual lifestyles. (I happily noticed that Scouting in the mid-1980s had started requiring real proof that the offense had occurred, and would no longer drum a man out on unsubstantiated hearsay.) Then in the late 1980s came the case of Eagle Scout Tim Curran in Berkeley, California, who despite an outstanding record of service was excluded from Scouting, and I began to wonder what I would do in such a case. What would I tell a Scout who confided in me concerns about his sexual orientation? Would I kick him out of the troop? How many gay Scouts in my troops had never dared ask the questions? What would I do if one of my assistant Scoutmasters let me know he was gay? I was troubled but made no decision. In 1991 San Jose Scout Troop 260, sponsored by Christ the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, passed a resolution saying their troop was open to gay boys and leaders. I realized I supported their decision, and phoned and wrote Scoutmaster Mike Cahn. (They had certainly done it the right way; the resolution was first passed by the patrol leader council (boy leaders), then by the troop (parent) committee, and endorsed by the church.) The case received much media attention, and for a while it seemed the troop would be denied a charter by their local Scout council. During worship on March 1, 1992, at our First Presbyterian Church of Petaluma, California, I heard a sermon saying that while there was no guarantee that our decisions were right, we still had a duty to act. The thought hit me that God expected me to do something about gays and Scouting. I'm there, I know, I can, I must! At work I was pleased to have been asked to draft two memoranda extending the protection of the equal opportunity law to sexual orientation for both employees and volunteers, including Scout groups who frequently do volunteer work with our agency. (Of course, the courage shown by my boss in putting his career on the line by signing them is noteworthy too!) Since I'd started with this agency it has been open to gays. I'm pleased at how my wife and four grown children support my actions, and how our church's Peace and Justice Commission and pastor have backed me. Now I have a proposal to make to those who share my belief that Scouting's policy toward gays is immoral. The Boy Scouts of America says that chartered institutions that operate Scout units are in charge; that when they adopt Scouting they also adapt it as part of their youth program; that they have the responsibility to appoint qualified leaders. My proposal is that "More Light" Presbyterian churches (and similar churches in other denominations) apply to be chartered to operate Scout units! And I propose that members of "Forgotten Scouts" and other gay Scouts volunteer to serve! Let's call the Boy Scouts on their policy. I believe that only the churches can expose Scouting's inconsistency and force them to let the chartered institutions approve leaders and accept all boys without discrimination. (Can you imagine the Boy Scouts of America accusing a church of immoral actions?) Scouting has said there'll be no witch hunts. Let Scouting live up to its own ideals. This involves strong commitment: 1) Plan to operate a *fine* Scout troop or Cub Scout pack that carries on an active program; participates in camporees, Scout-O-Ramas, and roundtables; whose boys advance in rank; whose leaders take training, etc. 2) Establish your policy regarding gays and have it approved by the Session (or other church board); discuss it with parents and Scouts. 3) Have your legal resources lined up, for fee, *pro bono*, or through a legal defense fund. 4) Wait, don't rush it! 5) When a gay boy appears, or a gay Scout declares, or when a *qualified* gay adult applies to become a leader, accept him, befriend and counsel him, and say nothing outside the unit. 6) If the issue comes up with the local Scout council; have the *church* respond through both Scouting and denomination channels. 7) If a charter application is denied, or a leader is denied registration, or a Scout is denied a badge he's earned, or the troop is refused participation in an activity, *act!* Carry the issue all the way within the denomination and with the Scout council, region, and national council. 8) Take it to the public through the media. 9) Start legal action. 10) Keep your unit active; don't let them close you down. 11) Be patient! It may take a long time; don't give up the unit and let them win. This will not be easy, and may be expensive! Success is not assured, but if it's important enough to a church or to a Forgotten Scout to embark on such a course, I'm ready to help with my time and my advice. Contact me, I'll come if I can: Dave Rice, 433 Garfield Dr., Petaluma, CA 94954-3818, (415) 763-8378. [Shaded box at end of article: David Rice is an elder of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), a member, not now active on session, of the First Presbyterian Church of Petaluma, and a member of his congregation's Peace and Justice Commission. He has been active in Scouting 54 years, including 16 years as a professional Scouter and about 20 as a Scoutmaster (just retired); he has been awarded the Silver Beaver, holds Vigil Honor in the Order of the Arrow, and wears the Woodbadge. He is employed by the National Park Service, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, as an editorial assistant and is chair of the Equal Opportunity Committee there.] A Special "Boy Scout" Plea for New Jersey Folks The Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund is looking for present or former Boy Scouts, youth counselors, and information about Boy Scout use of public facilities in New Jersey. Lambda is representing James Dale, a recent graduate of Rutgers University and former president of the Rutgers University Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Alliance, in his lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America. Dale, a 22 year-old Eagle Scout, earned thirty merit badges and was invited to become an Assistant Scoutmaster before his twelve-year involvement with the Scouts came to an abrupt end. When a local newspaper ran an article picturing Dale at a seminar on the psychological health needs of lesbian and gay teenagers, he received a letter from the Boy Scouts revoking his membership simply because he is gay. Because this action has been filed in New Jersey State Court, it is imperative that lesbians and gay men who live or work in New Jersey become involved. Accordingly, Lambda needs your help to locate: * People who are or have been involved with the Boy Scouts in New Jersey as sponsors, contributors, scoutmasters, lesbian/gay parents of scouts, or have been former scouts themselves, and who would be willing to share their experience, provide information, or serve as witnesses. * Members of New Jersey lesbian and gay organizations who are involved in youth counseling or have written reports or essays on lesbian and gay youth issues who might have expertise to offer the court. * Information regarding the Boy Scouts' use of public facilities and the extent to which the Boy Scouts are publicly funded, or benefit from public entities such as schools, police and fire departments, etc. * Written reports or studies on gay issues (i.e., by government, schools, social service agencies, etc.) that would serve to show that the articulated purposes of the Boy Scouts are consistent with gay membership in the Scouts. Please help spread the word about these needs. Lambda would like to hear not only from people who can lend their own personal knowledge and expertise but also from those who can tell us where to obtain information. All responses to this inquiry will be held strictly confidential. Replies and materials may be sent to: Scott Salzman, Legal Intern Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund 666 Broadway New York, NY 10012 212/995-8585, 995-2306 FAX The lawsuit charges the Boy Scouts with illegal discrimination as a public accommodation, as an employer, and as an organization conducting business, all under the "sexual and affectional orientation" provisions of the 1992 amendments to the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination. Other legal claims challenge the Boy Scout's unfair practices in denying Dale a right to be heard as required by Scout rules, and in misrepresenting itself as a non- discriminatory group open to "all boys." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Two Great Videos Maybe We're Talking About a Different God: Homosexuality and the Church Produced by John Ankele and Anne Macksoud This is a half-hour video documentary about The Rev. Jane Adams Spahr, the lesbian minister who was called to serve as pastor of the Downtown United Presbyterian Church in Rochester, NY. Because this video documents the struggle of ordinary people coming to terms with their own difficulties around homosexuality, it makes an excellent tool for group discussion. A discussion guide is included. "This skillfully crafted film takes viewers inside the experience of a congregation that found good and sufficient reason to call a lesbian woman as its pastor. It shows that homophobia in the church is overcome not by argument, but by experiences of divine and human love" -- Tom F. Driver, Paul Tillich Professor of Theology and Culture, Union Theological Seminary, New York City. "The filmmakers, with great sensitivity, take us into the hearts and lives of people, regardless of sexual orientation, as they struggle for new understanding. This film offers the opportunity to liberate all of us from our ignorance and fear. No matter what your perspective, something in this film will make you feel better about yourself" -- Georgeann Wilcoxson, Ph.D., Experiential Learning Specialist. VHS Copies are $32.35 including shipping and handling. Send checks payable to Leonardo's Children, Inc., 26 Newport Bridge Rd., Warwick, NY 10990 Scared to Death: Gay Youth Suicide This video conveys actual stories by lesbians and gays of experiences during adolescence dealing with thoughts and attempts to commit suicide, plus the tragic story of a mother about her son's death. The video was made by The Lazarus Project, "a Ministry of Reconciliation Empowering Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Heterosexual Christians to Love One Another," in order to send a message to gay, lesbian and bisexual youth that they are not alone in dealing with problems of sexual orientation. Almost 40% of all youth suicides are gay- related. "We are killing our children with bigotry," says the Rev. Peg Beissert, Director of the Lazarus Project. The 29 minute video is available for $23, including postage and handling. Send a check payable to the Lazarus Project, West Hollywood Presbyterian Church, 7350 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90046. For more information call Peg Beissert at 213/874-6646. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Women's Committee Supports Ordination Effort San Juan, Puerto Rico. -- The Justice for Women Committee of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is sending a letter to PLGC expressing support for its efforts to overturn the "definitive guidance" barring the ordination of homosexual persons. This action was approved at the committee's Feb. 18-21 meeting here. At its meeting last July, the JFW Committee held an educational workshop on gay and lesbian concerns (see the Nov. 1992 *Update*, p. 18). Leaders of the workshop, including the Rev. Jane Spahr, made several suggestions to the committee on how to become advocates of gay and lesbian issues. Their suggestions included having an openly lesbian person on the committee, claiming lesbian concerns as a specific issue of JFW and establishing a liaison relationship with PLGC. In its letter, the JFW Committee responds to those suggestions by saying that "the purpose of the event was educational, not necessarily a means for establishing a relationship with PLGC or taking on gay and lesbian concerns as an issue," said the Rev. Mary Kuhns, associate for Justice for Women in Louisville. The committee, however, does express support for PLGC's effort to have the General Assembly overturn the definitive guidance and permit the ordination of gay and lesbian persons in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Last fall, PLGC sent a letter to the JFW office inviting General Assembly representatives to one of its meetings. The JFW executive committee responded by sending the Rev. Janet Lowery of Columbus, Ind., to a PLGC meeting in Chicago. When the time came for Lowery to report on the meeting, she requested that the information be "off the record." After a brief discussion, the committee voted to move into executive session. After reopening the meeting, the committee cited "security" reasons for closing the meeting, a provision included in the General Assembly open meeting policy. "Janet did not want the contents of the (PLGC) meeting to get in the press through her because it was not her committee," said Kuhns. "And the (PLGC) meeting was not a 'you all come' thing." -- Pamela Crouch, *News*, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), News briefs 9309, February 26, 1993, p. 4-5. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sexuality Workshop The 22nd annual workshop on sexuality at Thornfield, July 5-11, 1993, will focus on "Female and male gender, orientation and lifestyles." It is designed for professionals/graduate students in the helping professions. Topics include "What it is to be gay," by Brian McNaught, lecturer and author of *Being Gay*. For information and registration, contact Alison McCain Deming, Director, Box 447, Fayetteville, NY 13066, 315/637-8990. Cost ranges from $635 with meals to $835 with room and board. Additional tuition for 3 graduate credits. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Bisexual Concerns A Letter from PLGC Moderator Lisa Bove I am writing this letter in the *Update* to inform you of a motion I plan to present at our next Executive Board meeting and to seek your response and input. I believe we have for too long, at the very least ignored, and at the worst discriminated against the people in our midst who are bisexual. Therefore, I will make the motion at our Board meeting that our name be officially changed to: **Presbyterians for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Concerns (PLGBC).** I make this motion after much prayer and education. There is a wonderful book, *Bi Any Other Name,* which I recommend to you. People have raised this issue periodically. For the most part, we have included and named bisexuals in the outreach we do. And if we haven't named bisexuals as well as lesbian women and gay men, we should. It is my hope we may never be guilty of invisibilizing, discriminating against, being afraid of, being in competition for acceptance with any other group of God's beautifully created children. I invite you to communicate your feeling about this prior to the Board meeting on June 4th. I will share your communications with the Board if I receive them by May 28. Send them to Lisa Bove, West Hollywood Presbyterian Church, 7350 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90046. (You may also send them through May 31 to Jim Anderson, PO Box 38, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, FAX 908/932-6916, email jda@gandalf.rutgers.edu). I realize that changing our name is only the beginning. It is indeed my hope that this will challenge us in our own education and further outreach in love. -- Paz, Lisa. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Time to Vote It's time for members of PLGC to vote for their leaders. To be eligible to vote, you need to have joined or renewed your membership for 1993. All new memberships and renewals submitted since June of 1992 are considered 1993 memberships. If you have not yet joined or renewed for 1993, use the membership form below. All of this year's nominations are offered by your Nominating Committee: Harlan Penn (Chairperson), Marsha Botsford, Christeen Conrath, Cleve Evans, and David Wall. They deserve your thanks, which you can indicate by voting! The ballot, or a copy, must be received by May 31, 1993. Send to: James D. Anderson, Communications Secretary, P.O. Box 38, New Brunswick, NJ 08903-0038. Your name and address must be clearly written on the outside envelope. As soon as eligibility is verified, the ballot will be separated from the envelope before being counted. PLGC Is Your Ministry Presbyterians for Lesbian & Gay Concerns is an organization of ministers, elders, deacons, and members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) committed to the well-being of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, their families and friends within and without the Church; proclamation of the liberating and inclusive gospel of Jesus Christ to all people; reconciliation among all Presbyterians; education and dialogue that nurtures our biblical, theological, confessional, spiritual and personal development as individuals and as a Church. Join Presbyterians for Lesbian & Gay Concerns by sending us your name, address, name of your home congregation or presbytery, and tax-deductible contribution ($40 per year or whatever you can afford). Contributions to PLGC ought not displace or be a substitute for support of the local and general mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) -- especially for those parts of the Church that welcome the full participation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, such as More Light Churches. ************************************************************************ PLGC, c/o James D. Anderson P.O. Box 38, New Brunswick, NJ 08903-0038 Name_______________________________________Date_____________________ Address_____________________________________________________________ Telephone___________________________________________________________ Home congregation / Presbytery______________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ I enclose $_______ to support the work, ministry and witness of PLGC. ___Please enroll me as a member of PLGC. ___I am not a Presbyterian, but I want to support the work, ministry and witness of PLGC. Please enroll me as a PLGC Associate. PLGC's membership rolls and mailing lists are confidential and are not shared with anyone except officers of PLGC. 1993 PLGC Ballot Female Co-Moderator -- 2 year term, vote for 1. ____Susan Kramer, Schenectady, NY. Current member of the PLGC Executive Board, Susan is PLGC's Issues Coordinator at General Assembly, a regular columnist in the *More Light Update*, and leader of PLGC/Albany. ____Shirley Hinkamp, New York, NY. Former PLGC Recording Secretary, former member of the Executive Committee, former PLGC liaison to More Light Churches, Shirley is a long-time leader in PLGC/New York City and faithful PLGC advocate at General Assemblies. ____Other:_____________________________________________________ Female Executive Board Members -- 2 year terms, vote for 3. ____Lisa Larges, San Francisco, CA. A Candidate for ordination in Twin Cities Area Presbytery, Lisa's certification was struck down by the Permanent Judicial Commission of the General Assembly in November 1992. She is a leader of PLGC/San Francisco and of CLOUT: Christian Lesbians OUT Together. ____Laurene Lafontaine, Denver, CO. PLGC's Coordinator for the Synod of the Rocky Mountains, Laurene is a Presbyterian minister and leads an interfaith AIDS ministry. ___Faith Hawkins, Princeton, NJ. About to graduate from Princeton Theological Seminary where she is co-coordinator of the Women's Center, Faith hopes to begin doctoral work in New Testament, concentrating on feminist hermeneutics. ___Marsha Botsford, New York, NY. A long-time leader of PLGC/New York City and former member of the PLGC Executive Board, Marsha has organized our worship at General Assemblies for the past several years. ___Lindsay Biddle, Minneapolis, MN. A current member of the PLGC Executive Board and principal designer of the new PLGC fundraising brochure, Lindsay created the "Biblical Self-Defense Course on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Concerns" while she was campus pastor at the University of Minnesota. ____Other:_________________________________________________ ____Other:_________________________________________________ ____Other:_________________________________________________ Male Executive Board Members -- 2 year terms, vote for 2. ____Doug Calderwood, Chicago, IL. Co-creator, with Lindsay Biddle, of the new PLGC fundraising materials, Doug pursues street ministry in Chicago, where he is a leader of PLGC/Chicago. ____Scott Anderson, Sacramento, CA. After being "outed" as pastor of a 400-member congregation, Scott became the Associate Director of the California Council of Churches in the state capital and the principal religious lobbyist for gay, lesbian, and bisexual civil rights in the California legislature. ____Other:_________________________________________________ ____Other:_________________________________________________ Nominating Committee (vote for five) ____Marcia Ludwig, Cupertino, CA. Marcia is leaving the PLGC Executive Board after many years of service. ____Dick Hasbany, Corvallis, OR. A former member of the PLGC Executive Board, Dick was a long-time leader of PLGC/San Francisco and founder of PLGC/Oregon. ____Mary Stuart Hall, Atlanta, GA. Mary is an active PLGC advocate in the "southern stream" of our church. ____Woody Carey, Madison, WI. A pastor, Woody organized a recent PLGC conference and has been a long-time advocate for lesbian, gay, and bisexual concerns. ____Lisa Bove, Hollywood, CA. Lisa is our out-going Co- Moderator, a great leader over the past four years. ____Others:________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Presbyterian AIDS Network Elects Officers At its recent meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, PAN elected new officers and a leadership team. Co-moderators are Peg Atkins of St. Louis, MO, and the Rev. Phil Jamison of Frederickstown, PA. The Rev. Robert Gillespie of San Anselmo, CA was elected treasurer and Terry Troxell of Los Angeles was named secretary. Leadership team members includes Gwen Bieghle, Seattle, WA; Marianne Butziger, Albuquerque, NM; the Rev. Olive Haynes, Solana Beach, CA; the Rev. Howard Warren, Indianapolis, IN; the Rev. Lorna Jean Miller, Houston, TX; Marilyn Rauch, Little Rock, AR; Eileen Foster, Harrisburg, PA; James Stewart, Rochester, NY; Alice Davis, Miami, FL; and Dora Carrera, Tampa, FL. -- Jerry L. Van Marter, *News*, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * General Assembly Dates 1993, Orlando, FL, June 2-9. 1994, Wichita, KS, June 11-17. 1995, Cincinnati, OH, July 15-21. 1996, Albuquerque, NM, June 29-July 5. 1997, Louisville, KY, July 12-18. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * A Parting Gift *The Rev. Jim White, campus pastor at California State University, Long Beach, sent this letter to colleagues in Los Ranchos Presbytery shortly before he died.* May 22, 1992. To lay and clergy colleagues in Los Ranchos Presbytery: My energy is increasingly limited by AIDS, but before I retire in the fall, there is a special task to be done. As a gay Presbyterian, I need to come out publicly to my church. I did come out in a small way a year ago, to the session of the church where I was parish associate. The results were not positive. Yet I do believe that more and more Presbyterians are prepared to give fair and open-minded consideration to the question of homosexuality. If that is so, this letter may not be pointless. Many Presbyterians still adhere to the doctrine of "sola scriptura", the notion that Scripture is our sole authority. Despite this doctrine, the church was finally able to deny the legitimacy of slavery and male dominance over women, even though the biblical writers presupposed the legitimacy of both. These historical precedents give us hope that the church can affirm homosexuals, even though the letter of Scripture does not. A wise church will not continue its old attitudes toward homosexuality. As one of our great hymns puts it: "New occasions teach new duties. Time makes ancient good uncouth. They must upward still and onward Who would keep abreast of Truth." To preserve these old attitudes toward homosexuality is to deny the results of scientific research, it is to cause unjust suffering and oppression of an estimated 10% of our population, it is to convey to the world the impression that the Christian faith is the enemy of constructive social change, and it would demonstrate that our church does not understand the ever-fresh implications of Christ's love. . . . Whatever our differing views, we are united in a deep love. We love Jesus Christ and desire that He be glorified in the Church. May this common love sustain and unite us even as we search for more light on the question of homosexuality. . . . * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Power of Relationships A Sermon by Jeffrey K. Krehbiel West Presbyterian Church, Wilmington, Delaware Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost October 25, 1992 Text: Acts 15: 6-11 "And God, who knows the thoughts of everyone, showed approval of the Gentiles by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as God had to us. God made no difference between us and them; God forgave their sins because they believed." -- vs. 8. My favorite movie was on television last week. How many of you have seen Fiddler on the Roof? How many of you have seen it six times? The movie has many interweaving plots, but one focus of the movie is watching the lead character, Rebbe Tevye, struggle with the changing moral values of his children, in particular their changing understanding of marriage. For all of Tevye's life, marriage was something that one's parents arranged while you were still a child. You did not choose your spouse; your spouse was chosen for you. You might grow to love one another, you might not, but love was not the primary reason people got married and lived together for a lifetime. At best, it was an occasional fringe benefit. This was the tradition of his people for generations, a tradition that was not to be questioned -- until now. His first daughter, you recall, does not want to marry the butcher, Lazer Wulf, whom her parents have chosen; she is in love with the tailor and wants to marry him. They ask Tevye's permission. With reluctance, he grants it. He is impressed with their love, and besides even he can see that Lazer Wolf would not be the most appealing match for a young girl. Then his second daughter announces to him that she is getting married, and they are not asking for his permission! They believe marriage is a decision between a man and a woman. The parents should not decide for them. Again, reluctantly, Tevye gives his blessing. He loves his daughter and does not want to lose her. The third daughter, however, goes too far. She wants to marry a Christian. No, Tevye tells her, this cannot be allowed. This is too much, too far, too soon. It goes against too much of what he has been taught all his life to believe. He cannot accept it. The daughter marries anyway, and in one of the many tragic moments of the movie, Rebbe Tevye declares that she is no longer a member of the family. I imagine that at least some of you in this congregation can identify with Rebbe Tevye about now. When you think about all the changes in human relationships and values within your lifetime, it is staggering. Some of you remember when the very idea of women in ministry was considered an unthinkable abandonment of Biblical principles. Now, in the Presbyterian Church at least, the full participation of women has been raised to confession status. Many of you grew up in a time when Blacks and Whites never sat at the same table together or lived in the same neighborhoods, and certainly never worshiped in the same church. Now we come together in this church around the communion table, and our city has just elected its first African American mayor. For some of you, I know, these have not been easy changes to accept They required you to re-examine long-held beliefs and to try and understand the Bible's message in a new way. But you have, however reluctantly, learned to open yourself to the change, or you probably would have long ago left this congregation which has embraced these changes with great enthusiasm. And now along comes this new pastor who pushes at you, like Tevye's third daughter, to accept yet another change, to question the Bible's message yet again, and for some of you, it feels like too much, too soon, too far. It has been no secret that I support the full inclusion of gays and lesbians in the church and that I think our denomination's policy regarding their ordination is wrong. Some of you, I know, passionately share that conviction with me. Others of you are not so sure. For some of you it raises complex and difficult questions about how we interpret the Bible and understand its meaning. Someday soon I hope that we will explore those questions together. It is an important discussion that we need to have. But it strikes me in reflecting again on the experience of the early church, that the Biblical text is not the place to begin, however principled and Presbyterian that sounds. When the first Christians, all of them Jews, struggled with the question of whether or not to include the Gentiles within the church, it was not to their Scripture that they first turned. It was to their own experience among the Gentiles. What the apostles found, much to their surprise, was that God was active among the Gentiles in the same way that God was active among the Jews. The Holy Spirit, Peter declared, is present in their community. They did not first look at what the Scriptures say about including the Gentiles, and then begin their mission among them. Rather it was their experience among the Gentiles that caused them to look at Scripture again in a new way. When I reflect on the experience of my own life, and hear the stories of others who have gone through similar transformations, the experience of the early church as recorded in the Book of Acts rings true. I did not first become passionate about working among the poor in the city because of the Bible's many mandates. Rather it was experiences in the city, like spending the night with my commissioning class in an inner-city church in Chicago when I was in tenth grade, or visiting a barrio in Mexico City when I was in high-school, that spurred me to notice how much the Bible does indeed say about God's concern for the poor. It was not the passage from Galatians that declares in Christ there are no Jew nor Gentile, male nor female, slave nor free that convinced me that racism and sexism was wrong. Rather it was because I had Black friends in school growing up and among my family, because I listened to women I have known speak of their own experiences of having their gifts suppressed, that I knew such hatred and discrimination was wrong. In the same way, I did not one day decide that the church's policy regarding gays and lesbians was wrong and then begin to reach out. Rather, it was because of actual relationships and friendships I developed with people who happened to be gay and lesbian that caused me to question the church's stance and to re-examine what I had always been taught the Bible said. The most significant turning point in my own life was learning that my younger brother is gay. The most painful part of that revelation for me was not his sexual orientation -- I have learned to accept that, even appreciate it -- but the recognition that there are people in this world who will hate him, who will hurt him, who will exclude and belittle someone I love deeply without even knowing anything else about him. I would like to be able to tell you that I would feel exactly the same way about gays and lesbians if my brother weren't gay, but that's not the way it works. It is what I know about my brother's character and values and relationships that has shaped my understanding, and not the other way around. The Presbyterian theologian Robert McAfee Brown wrote that the most important lesson in his life was that it matters where you stand, because where you stand determines what you see; and it matters who you listen to, because who you listen to determines what you hear. If you spend no time among the homeless, it is unlikely you will ever feel passionately about affordable housing. That's why the Festival of Shelter was so valuable. If you have never heard a woman in the pulpit, it is not likely you will be as concerned about the full participation of women in ministry, no matter what our church's confessions say. And if you have never really known a gay man or a lesbian woman, never heard from them what it is like to be alienated from your family and made to feel like a pariah in your own church because of who you are, it is unlikely you will ever fully understand their cry for acceptance, no matter how compelling my or anyone else's exhortations from the pulpit might be. According to Luke, Peter's testimonial that day was a turning point in the life of the early church. I have no such illusion about my own preaching. My hope today is more modest. My hope is that we will all open ourselves to learn from our own experiences; and not just our own experience, but to listen intently, as the elders in Jerusalem did that day, to the experience of others. The Bible bears powerful witness that God speaks to us through the experiences of our own lives. Our own lives bear witness that God has continued to speak in our own lifetime, often in surprising and disturbing ways, opening us up to new and challenging understandings of what it means to be Christ's disciples. Think of how impoverished this church would be if we continued to bar women from public leadership. There would be no one left! Yet that was the case in our church not so many years ago, and still is in many others. Think how painful it would be if we were told that the different races in our congregation could no longer worship together. Yet that would still be true today if we lived in South Africa. And both the Afrikaner Church and the Roman Catholic Church -- as did the Pharisees -- believe that the Bible is on their side. I believe we are similarly impoverished when we exclude persons because of their sexual orientation. There are gifts to be shared, experiences to lifted up, and new voices to be heard! Let us listen together for the voice of God speaking to us today. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CHANGES The Rev. Howard Warren, Jr., is PLGC's new liaison with PAN: Presbyterian AIDS Network. You may contact him at 2807 Somerset Bay, Indianapolis, IN 46240, 317/632-0123 (Damien Center), 317/253-2377 (home). * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Synod Calls for Lesbian and Gay Evangelism In 1990 the Synod of the Northeast, meeting in Glassboro, New Jersey, acted "to develop evangelism strategies to reach out to the lesbians and gay men in the Synod which will: a. Reach out to these individuals and communities with Christian love. b. Deal forthrightly with the homophobia in all presbyteries as this prejudice, overt or not, prevents lesbians and gay men from feeling welcome in the church. c. Identify within the various presbyteries those individuals, straight or gay, who have a loving connection with the lesbian/gay men community and empower these individuals to go out into these communities. d. Find creative ways to include lesbians and gay men in the Christian community." A task force was formed to examine specific concerns of the lesbian and gay communities within the Synod, and to begin to develop strategies for evangelism and outreach within their communities. The following action was adopted at the June 1992 meeting of the Synod of the Northeast: Evangelism Strategies with Lesbians/Gays Preamble. The church is called to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people. The Presbyterian Church has seen the need at times to focus on specific groups with specific needs. In the past this has included groups whose behavior or way of life the church has considered to be sinful. In its sharing of the Gospel with any particular group, certain principles have guided the church in its witness. These have included a genuine sense of love and concern for those to whom the gospel is being presented. The gospel cannot be shared from an attitude of moral superiority or judgmentalism. Under God's grace everyone stands equally convicted of sin. Love and concern must be concrete. History affords ample examples of the church, as part of its evangelistic mission, becoming involved in meeting human needs of hunger, shelter and proper health care, in pursuing justice for the rights of persons, in providing companionship and emotional support for those in hurt or pain. These pursuits have generally been considered not as by-products of evangelism, but as part of the evangelistic task itself. In reaching out to gay and lesbian persons, the church can do no less than it has sought to do in the past. In developing an evangelistic approach to the gay and lesbian community, a *pastoral model* of sharing the gospel in love and compassion must be primary. The model will include the following: 1. canvassing churches (ours and those of other denominations) to see what is being done, and producing an annotated report of the current status; 2. providing and getting from other groups, educational role models that foster understanding through dialogue; 3. keeping apprized of the Theology and Worship Unit's work; 4. commenting from a moral/theological perspective on homophobia/bashing; 5. requesting a pastoral letter from the Synod with the "preamble" of this document as a suggested basis; 6. suggesting *Nor'easter* articles that are informational; 7. establishing a dialogue with Princeton and affiliated seminaries within our bounds to help develop resources in pastoral theology, doctrines of sin and evangelism as they relate to lesbian/gay concerns within the church. A survey was developed by the Evangelism and Discipleship for Church Growth Committee of the Synod Ministries Agency to be used in gathering information from presbyteries, churches and other organizations within our bounds. *Thanks to Carol Ann Fleming, Acting Associate for Evangelism for the Synod of the Northeast, for providing this information. -- JDA.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Great Editorial "Is Homophobia Really Holy Writ?" -- that's the title of a great editorial by Gabriel Rotello in *New York Newsday*, Wednesday, March 10, 1993. He writes: "Should religion hold gays to one standard and straights to another? Apparently some Presbyterians think so." Later in the piece, he suggests that "Protestants' qualms about homosexuality are indeed embarrassing when juxtaposed to their general acceptance of divorce. Fears of an imaginary gay threat to the family seem particularly absurd next to the very real damage divorce does to families."