Date: Mon, 24 Apr 95 18:15:19 EDT From: "James D. Anderson" MORE LIGHT UPDATE May 1995 Volume 15, Number 10 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 Note: * is used to indicate italicized or boldface text. CONTENTS EVENTS Getting Ready for General Assembly The Communion Table at General Assembly Is Closed Open Table -- Closed Community GOOD NEWS Same-Sex Union Blessing Amendment Failing [It LOST!!!] Mel White's Fast and Prayers Prevail Pat Robertson Meets with Mel White in Jail PUBLICATIONS *Passion: Christian Spirituality from a Gay Perspective.* *Monday Morning: A Magazine for Presbyterian Leaders* JOBS Looking for PLGC's Treasurer FEATURES When Perpetrator Plays Victim, by Chris Glaser "Unveiling the Truth," A sermon by Charles Collins Getting Ready for 1996 Throw the More Light Churches Out (a failed overture) A Response from Capitol Heights Presbyterian Church Presbyterian Peace Conference? Time to Vote PLGC Is Your Ministry Membership Application/Renewal Form for 1995 1995 PLGC Ballot * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * EVENTS Getting Ready for General Assembly There was lots of information about General Assembly (Cincinnati, OH, Friday, July 14-Friday, July 21, 1995) in our April issue -- about our hospitality suite in the Regal Hotel, opening Friday, July 14, our exhibit booth, a planning meeting on Saturday, July 15 at 3 p.m., the executive board meeting Sunday morning, July 16 at 7 a.m., the PLGC Celebration Saturday evening, July 15, 8:30- 10:30, the annual PLGC membership meeting, Tuesday, July 18 at 8 p.m., and the pre-assembly "Celebration of Faith," Friday, July 14. So be sure to check the April *Update*! Here is some NEW information: The PLGC Exhibit will be in booth #312. This is the best place to get up-to-date information at the assembly. The Communion Table at General Assembly Is Closed Presbyterian Act-Up will be witnessing for a truly inclusive church at the assembly. Along with testimony through its famous signs, PAU will center its efforts on a "decently and in order" protest against the exclusion of lavender people at the opening communion service. Presbyterian Act-Up asks all who believe in an open, inclusive church to read this, pray about this and join us by refusing to take holy communion at the General Assembly opening service of worship, Sunday, July 16 at 10 a.m. at the Cincinnati Coliseum. Ponder the following statement by Mike Smith: Open Table -- Closed Community This is Christ's Table. In the sacrament of Holy Communion, Jesus Christ invites everyone to come to the table. We repeat Jesus' words, "drink from it, all of you." Christ's table is an open table. Yet General Assemblies and presbyteries are not open -- they are closed communities because they exclude self- affirming lesbians and gay men. Membership is closed to these persons who are not allowed to be ordained ministers or elders. In the name of Jesus Christ, how can a closed community administer a sacrament of open invitation to an open table? The situation is different for congregations -- membership is open to all, including self-affirming gay men and lesbians. Thus the logic and theological integrity of the open table is not violated. (Theology matters! -- JDA) However, there is no theological integrity, no faithful discipleship, in a closed-membership community celebrating the open-table sacrament of Holy Communion. Therefore, let us not partake of the elements when the sacrament is administered at General Assembly and presbyteries until those communities are open to everyone. Let us make a visible witness of our opposition to the Presbyterian practice of OPEN TABLE -- CLOSED COMMUNITY! -- The Rev. Mike Smith, First Presbyterian Church, 1025 5th Ave., Grinnell, IA 50112. The Rev. Dan Smith of West Hollywood Presbyterian Church finds his reason for not participating in the G.A. communion growing out of scripture. Matthew 5:23 states, "So if you are about to offer your gift to God at the altar and there you remember that your brother/sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar, go at once and make peace with your sister/brother and then come back and offer your gift to God." After two years of little or no real dialogue on ordination among so many of the governing bodies of the church, because of a mean spirit (anger) of those who wish to maintain the exclusionary status quo, those of us who want genuine dialogue are also angry, so how can we approach the altar -- the communion table at this present time, place and governing body that bans the lavender people from ordination, full membership and participation? So pray and ponder these issues. Here are some possible actions: 1. attend the service, sit with our group or with others. As communion is passed, stand, turn your back to communion and do not pass the tray to others; 2. Get up and leave as communion reaches you; 3. Come forward and stand silently with your back to the table as communion is passed -- perhaps hum and quietly sing our anthem of pentecost: "We are a gentle, angry people"; 4. Give Lisa and me feedback before final plans are developed. There will be an up-to-date flier available at the PLGC both, the PLGC Saturday night celebration, and at the PLGC hospitality Suite. -- The Revs. Lisa Bove and Howard Warren, Moderators, Presbyterian- Act Up, Howard Warren, Jr., 2807 Somerset Bay, Indianapolis, IN 46240, 317/253-2377 (home), 317/632-0123 (work). * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * GOOD NEWS Same-Sex Union Blessing Amendment Failing That's the headline for a story in *News Briefs Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)*, March 17, 1995. Here's the story by Jerry L. Van Marter. I'm hoping and praying it's not premature! -- Jim Anderson. *****[Note: as of 4-21-95, the "Same-Sex Union Amendment Is Defeated" -- *News Briefs Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)*, April 21, 1995. -- Hallelujah, Praise the Lord! -- JDA]***** Louisville, KY. -- With just over half the Presbyterian Church's 171 presbyteries reporting, the proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit the blessing of same-sex unions by Presbyterian ministers is headed toward defeat. As of March 6, the official tally (kept by the Office of the General Assembly) is 40 presbyteries in favor of the amendment, 38 opposed, and 11 "no action." In order to pass, the amendment must receive an affirmative vote by 86 presbyteries. "If this pattern of voting continues, the amendment will fail because it has received a plurality but not a majority of affirmative votes," said the Rev. Fred Jenkins, director of constitutional services in the stated clerk's office. The proposed amendment was initiated by the Presbytery of Southern New England. It would have added a sentence to the Directory for Worship provision on marriage (W-4.9001): "Therefore, it is inappropriate for ministers to participate in the blessing of any same-sex union." When the proposal reached the floor of last year's General Assembly, an amendment to it was approved changing the wording to "it is not permitted for ministers to participate in the blessing of any same-sex union." [See the August 1994 *Update* for the full story! -- JDA] The Advisory Committee on the Constitution advised the Assembly not to approve the amendment on the grounds that "it adds nothing that is not already in the *Book of Order*." Currently denomination policy, adopted by the 1991 General Assembly, states that sessions should not allow the use of their churches for same-sex union ceremonies if the session determines the ceremony to be the same as a marriage ceremony. Likewise, the policy states that "it would not be proper for a minister to perform a same-sex ceremony that the minister determines to be the same as a marriage ceremony." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Mel White's Fast and Prayers Prevail Pat Robertson Meets with Mel White in Jail March 10, 1995. -- Dr. Ann B. Carlson, of Integrity (Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Episcopalians and their friends), writes via the internet: I promised a report about Mel's press conference. I was so overwhelmed yesterday afternoon that I just couldn't sit down and write about it, so I'm trying this morning. [See the April 1995 *Update* for the preceding events! -- JDA] It was amazing to see him walk up to the deli where our little group had gathered. We were all drunk on the euphoria of a day we'd almost despaired of seeing. Mel told us all that he had finally decided the day before that he would stay in jail and even die there if Robertson didn't come see him. I'm glad he didn't tell us before he got out. I don't know if we were ready to hear that, but God knew our needs and our fears and now our joy. Mel was amazing. He was strong about our position but was gracious about Robertson. He said there were no losers. Robertson won because he did the Christian thing to do -- he visited the one who was in jail and showed compassion. We won because Robertson met with Mel and listened to the story of violence against God's gay and lesbian children. We will watch and will be back if there is no change -- they know now that we are serious about the truth. Pat Robertson Meets with Dr. Mel White in Jail March 9, 1995. "Robertson said he was meeting with me out of compassion for my parents for their son," White explained. "That's okay by me. Thousands of other parents now have hope that Robertson will care about their gay and lesbian children too." On the 23rd day of his prison fast, Dr. Mel White finally got his meeting with CBN founder, Pat Robertson. White, 15 pounds lighter, bearded and gaunt, met with Robertson and his spokesman, Gene Kapp, in a visitors cell at the Virginia Beach Correctional Facility. The meeting, arranged by Virginia Beach City Sheriff Frank Drew, was "brief, cordial and specific," said White. "I asked Pat to acknowledge and condemn publicly the hate crimes against gays and lesbians specifically and to meet with a delegation from PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) to hear the human side of this tragic story." After his surprise visit, Robertson dropped the trespassing charge against White, who was escorted from the city jail by Sheriff Drew. White paid no fine and posted no bail. "I'm free to come back to visit Robertson again," White said grinning, "and I will be back," he promised. "This is a victory for everyone. Before today, Pat has never agreed to meet with gay or lesbian Christians. I'm hoping this is the beginning of a constructive dialogue between us." Bearing Witness, the interfaith group of gays, lesbians and their allies who organized to support White's fast and to maintain the daily vigil at CBN, will monitor Pat's 700 Club broadcasts, his print material and his fund raising letters. "We are going to be sure that Pat acknowledges and condemns the hate crimes against God's gay and lesbian children," said Dawn Rankin- Phelps, a Bearing Witness organizer. "And we're already putting together the PFLAG delegation that will meet with Pat to discuss with him the rise of hate crimes against gays and lesbians in this country and how the false rhetoric leads to these crimes." During his 23 days in isolation, White and the Bearing Witness team received over 12,000 letters, cards, telegrams of support. "There is no way of knowing how many faxes and letters Pat received urging him to meet with us," said Ms. Rankin-Phelps, "but it must have made a difference. Pat went to jail to visit Mel," she said exuberantly. "No one but Mel actually believed he would do it." Today, following a brief press conference, White lead Bearing Witness supporters numbering over 100 across Indian River Road to CBN property where he presented security with a dozen white roses and a card of thanks for Pat Robertson. They were met by Donald Spitz and his group of counter-protesters who bore signs of protest. After the presentation, White led the delegation peacefully back across the road and enjoyed lunch with the crowd. For information or interviews with members of the Bearing Witness team, call (804) 543-2460. Contact Dr. White through the Cathedral of Hope MCC, Dallas, Texas (214) 351-1901 or the UFMCC office in Los Angeles (213) 464-5100. -- Dawn Rankin-Phelps, (804)543-2460. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * PUBLICATIONS *Passion: Christian Spirituality from a Gay Perspective.* The Christian faith is incarnational, claiming that people come to know God in a human body. Christianity, at its faithful best, honors the body, knowing no other means with which to come into contact with the divine. However, the body alone does not constitute a person. Spirituality recognizes spirit, which is not in opposition to the body, but integral to it. The spirit of God is the breath of life. Spirituality helps believers hold a conscious awareness that God's breath sustains them. Personality and life experiences shape the various expressions of Christian spirituality. Being gay or lesbian does not define a person's entire existence, but it does highlight a way of perceiving that is strongly linked to sexuality. For this reason, it is possible to express Christian spirituality from a gay perspective. *PASSION* does not presume to speak for all gays, and surely not for lesbians. In fact, *PASSION* can only speak for it's author, who is a gay man. Yet this monthly newsletter intends to be of some help to lesbians and gays, and all who know that spirit and body are aspects of a whole person. Each month, *PASSION* gives its readers examples of how they can ponder the scriptures, understand Christian values, and pray from their own experience. *PASSION* is a companion to its readers, offering encouragement to maintain their personal contact with the divine. -- David Schimmel. Author David Schimmel has a M.Div. and a M.A. in theology. He has spent the past 13 years working in adult spiritual formation, as a program director, speaker, writer, retreat director and spiritual director. One year subscription to *PASSION* is $15.00 (U.S.), $18.00 (Canada), $22.00 (Europe and Australia). To request a free copy or to subscribe, write to (and make check, in U.S. funds payable to): David Schimmel, 4520 N. Clarendon, #801, Chicago, IL 60640-6171. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * And some good, recent commentary from *Monday Morning: A Magazine for Presbyterian Leaders*. Published twice monthly except during June, July, and August, when published monthly. General Assembly of the PC(USA), Room 5420B, 100 Witherspoon St., Louisville, KY 40202-1396, $12 per year. "On the Same-Sex Union Amendment," by Jane McI. Van Auken, Associate Pastor, First Church, Austin, TX, January 23, 1995, p. 15: "I find the language of the proposed amendment to be contrary to Reformed theology and inappropriate for inclusion in our *Book of Order*. Presbyterians do not *bless*. We *pray for God's blessing* -- for the revelation of God's wisdom, for the outpouring of God's goodness and grace. Such prayer is to be offered in any and all circumstances and is not to be engaged in or withheld according to the dictates of the Directory of Worship." "From the Pastor" [on gay and lesbian youth], by Robert M. Close, Jr., Pastor, John Calvin Church, Annandale, VA, February 6, 1995, p. 18-19: "I watched and listened with horror as the young mother spoke of her son's suicide. At high school his classmates taunted him with shouts of 'queer' and 'faggot' while the teachers did nothing. The mother then told of how she and her husband had gone to the minister, who said, 'Love the sinner, but hate the sin. Pray for a change!' After two years of trying to force a change and realizing that for him it was impossible, the young man took his life." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * JOBS Looking for PLGC's Treasurer Here's a job description of the position of PLGC treasurer. The salary is open, consisting entirely (at least so far) of lots of appreciation, hugs, and similar affirmations from PLGC'ers. If you are interested in the job, send us a note about yourself and your experience in financial matters. We can't wait to hear from you! Presbyterians for Lesbian & Gay Concerns is looking for someone to fill the position of PLGC treasurer beginning January 1, 1996. Ideally, the new treasurer should be selected during the PLGC board meeting at the 1995 General Assembly. This will give the new, incoming treasurer time to become acquainted with the job and its various responsibilities. Here is an outline of the major job responsibilities: 1. Maintain a set of books. Currently, the books are maintained with a general ledger package that operates on an IBM-compatible personal computer (PC). The organization operates on a simple cash basis. This system has been used for several years, and a reasonable system of accounts has been established for the purposes of recording income and expenses and maintaining records for tax purposes. The books show assets (monies in bank accounts, certificates of deposit), liabilities (funds designated for special purposes), income, and expenses. (The general ledger package is not owned by PLGC. Provisions will have to be made to acquire a new package if the new treasurer does not have access to a similar package.) 2. Generate reports for the executive board and membership. The treasurer generates four reports throughout the year that are used by the executive board to monitor the finances of PLGC. Reports are also generated for the annual PLGC meeting at General Assembly and for a year-end report to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) headquarters. 3. Prepare taxes. PLGC is a 501(c)3 organization, and contributions to PLGC are tax deductible. In order to maintain this status, careful records must be maintained and a tax statement must be filed every year. The tax statement gives a breakdown of expenditures and income, lists large donations and donations by board members and officers, and describes the major activities of PLGC to insure they are consistent with our stated purposes. Previous tax records plus a narrative provide guidelines for preparing tax information. 4. Maintain a list of contributors. An accurate list of contributors is important to the operation of PLGC. The current list of contributors is maintained with dBASE IV on an IBM- compatible PC. There are approximately 600 records in the database. A related database records the contributions of individuals and organizations throughout a calendar year. Software has been written for maintaining these databases and generating key records. The copy of dBASE IV is owned by PLGC. Both the program and the software will be available to the new treasurer. 5. Send annual thank-you letters and statements. The treasurer uses the contributor information to make an annual mailing of thank-you letters and financial statements to contributors. 6. General activities. The treasurer is responsible for paying bills under the general guidelines provided by the annual budget. The treasurer consults with other officers between board meetings when unusual requests for funds are made. The treasurer sends all address changes on to the communications secretary, who maintains the PLGC mailing list. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * FEATURES When Perpetrator Plays Victim by Chris Glaser Copyright (c) 1995 by Chris R. Glaser. All rights reserved. Permission granted for non-profit duplication. I anticipated my opponent would fight dirty in a debate before Western Colorado Presbytery this past February. I had listened to 450 minutes of tapes of his presentations to a church friendly to his cause, thereby learning his tactics. On the tapes he misrepresented "the other side" not simply to favor his view but to create in his listeners repulsion for gay people. I will not be using my opponent's name, not because I fear legal reprisal, but because I believe it will feed his ego. A fellow professor at his conservative Christian college told me that this man strutted around the campus, bragging about how he was going to beat this gay guy in Colorado. I choose not to give him any ego satisfactions by using his name or mentioning his forthcoming book, which ironically has "compassion" in the title. I witnessed no compassion in this man. A friend had warned me that he would do anything to win a debate. She had had him for classes, and now could not even bring herself to send him a "hello" through me. She's not gay, but she is a woman, and my opponent seems to have little more respect for women than for gay people. My opponent had obtained a copy of my latest book, *The Word Is Out -- The Bible Reclaimed for Lesbians and Gay Men*, which he proceeded to use against me. In his opening speech, the first major presentation of the day, he talked on and on about how offended and hurt he was by the way he was characterized in my book, as if my references to our opposition had to do with him personally! He claimed that I was divisive in the church, however I may present myself to the presbytery that day. Throughout all his talks, he quoted me out of context and either ignorantly misinterpreted or deliberated misrepresented what I had to say in the book. I told the presbytery I now knew what the biblical writers must feel like! Though I had ample information to attack my opponent personally, having listened to the tapes of his talks to a friendlier audience, I instead carefully crafted presentations to address issues I knew he would raise. I told them nothing of his belief that masturbation is sin, nor his hunger to be held by a big burly construction worker he once knew, nor his opinion that "radical feminists" are doing away with God, nor, of all things, his speculation that the artist is, by nature, an idolator, because the artist "creates his own universe where he is god"! Nor did I need to describe his sexual arrogance. At the beginning of his second presentation, he displayed that for himself, comparing homosexuality to his "inborn" adulterous impulses, which caused him to fantasize over his young female students, mentally undressing them, proud that he was good- looking enough to have them want him, and finally concluding that his sexual "inclination is not satisfied by my marriage." He did not present this information penitentially, but humorously, even charmingly, causing smiles and laughter from many in his largely heterosexual audience. Some of us did not laugh. Some of us were stunned. Especially when he added that he had done further "research" as recently as the night before, reviewing the swimsuit edition of *Sports Illustrated* in the airport en route to Colorado. His point was that, just as he had to rein in his "inborn" adulterous tendencies, so homosexuals had to suppress our sexuality, even if it was inborn (something he was not willing to believe). On the tapes that I had listened to, he went so far as to say that what is expected of heterosexuals -- monogamy -- was as difficult to maintain as what is expected of homosexuals -- celibacy! Therefore, there was no double standard in requiring celibacy only for homosexuals! I pointed out to him that it required chutzpah to compare his desire to *break* a covenant relationship to my desire to *make* a covenant relationship. I added that *my* inclination was completely satisfied by my same-gender union. His response was that he hoped someday to live in a church where he could be honest about his temptation toward adultery. Of course, that's not what I questioned, but rather, the comparison of adultery to homosexuality. I would also question the way in which he seemed to revel in his own desire for sexual misconduct. If I had said anything of the kind from a homosexual perspective, I would have lost the audience. But because he spoke from the dominant heterosexual viewpoint, the largely heterosexual audience apparently found it more acceptable. His twist that now somehow I was the bad guy for calling him to account for his adulterous confessions made me realize how neatly our opponents play the victim, when indeed they are the perpetrators. Those who perpetrate violence against lesbians and gay men -- whether verbally, emotionally, spiritually, or physically -- imagine themselves somehow "victimized" by our social and spiritual equality. Therefore, they believe that they have a right to their extreme reactions. More than once, those accused of violent crimes against gay people have used the so-called "homosexual panic" defense. Recently a male guest, surprised on a Jenny Jones talk show by a male "secret admirer," sought to reclaim his "manhood" a few days later by shooting and killing the supposed "offender." The self-proclaimed "traditional family values" movement, having metastasized to many states, is a primary example of this dynamic of perpetrator playing victim. Because heterosexuals are destroying their own family units, they lash out at convenient scapegoats: homosexuals, who are, ironically, struggling to maintain relationships with their families and are trying to establish family units. While in Colorado, I found myself -- rather, my books -- among those under attack from Colorado for Family Values. PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) had set up an exhibit in the Grand Junction Public Library of gay-positive books, including my own *Coming Out to God* and *The Word Is Out*. Colorado for Family Values objected to the display, and I had the rare opportunity to speak up for PFLAG to the library's board of trustees, explaining how important PFLAG's work (and, specifically, their book display) is for gay youth struggling with sexual identity. In the newspaper, a representative of CFV had dared to compare PFLAG with Nazis and hate groups! Colorado for Family Values, like other such groups, are the Nazis of our society. When I interviewed founder Kevin Tebedo during their campaign for Colorado's infamous Amendment 2, I asked, aside from their anti-gay crusade, what other family values his group promoted. Naively surprised by my question, he stuttered, "Oh -- none. This is our only issue." I would like to tell Kevin and those like him: you can remove all the gay people from society as you tried to do in Nazi Germany, and the traditional heterosexual family will face the same obstacles that it does now. You are not the victims of gays and lesbians; you attempt to victimize us! And why are "family values" leaders so passionate in being against gay people? People could readily understand why *we* would be so passionate about defending our rights, but why are *they* so deadset against them? Patrick Clements, a Tampa journalist, wrote in an opinion piece in the *The Washington Blade* (Mar. 18, 1994) that he believes the reason is that these leaders suffer from religious addiction, described in the Rev. Leo Booth's book, *When God Becomes a Drug: Breaking the Chains of Religious Addiction and Abuse*. Clements writes, "[Booth] describes religious addiction as compulsive, obsessive behavior through which victims often come to appear judgmental, prone to black- and-white thinking, crusading, sexually repressive, and in conflict with science, medicine, and education." Clements points out that the background of these leaders makes them susceptible to such addiction. Florida's anti-gay rights crusader David Caton openly wrote about his struggle with addictions to drugs, pornography, and masturbation. Oregon's "family values" mogul Lon Mabon was "saved" from addiction to mescaline, LSD, and cocaine. In my own experience, two of the southern California pastors who most opposed gays in the church have been brought up on multiple charges of heterosexual misconduct. And my opponent in the Western Colorado Presbytery debate appeared to feel toward gay people the repulsion he should have felt for his own adulterous desires. Clements rightly suggests that such people "have chosen to visit their unsuccessfully resolved inner conflicts on others." Even in his "sympathy" my opponent in the Western Colorado debate chose to victimize us by portraying us as pathetic victims of our own sexual desires, citing *ad nauseum* our supposed health problems -- even aside from AIDS -- but never citing his sources. In his opening speech, he said of us, "The body should not be sacrificed to the heart." In other words, we placed our bodies at risk by acting on our sexuality. At the time I immediately thought of Jesus, who sacrificed his body to his heart, placing his body at risk by acting on his spirituality. If only the Body of Christ would behave so "recklessly"! He stated later he knew how much pain I had suffered in my spiritual journey because "every two or three pages" of my meditation book described the death of yet another friend. This is not true, but look at what he was doing: he was trying to make himself look sympathetic to my plight at the same time he was asserting my being gay was the cause of my pain. How patronizing! He ignored the fact that most of the suffering and pain we suffer as lesbians and gay men is at the hands of heterosexist and homophobic people. When I responded to his statement about my "pain," I told the audience that I didn't like him speaking for me -- that indeed my spiritual journey was filled with more pleasure than pain. What I recognized on that day was what I identified on the tapes of his earlier presentations: an insidiousness that blames the victim and claims the perpetrator of abuse is actually the victim. As I experienced severe alienation from this opponent, I thought back to the previous week's after-church discussion at McKinley Presbyterian Church in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. Charlie Sweitzer, one of the pastors, disagreed with my cautioning against "us-them" thinking in the church's dialogue on homosexuality. I like to say that we, the church, are all in this together -- that we are all working on our heterosexism and homophobia, that the freedom we seek is not ours alone but also the freedom of those who oppose us, that we are all one in Christ. I spoke of hearing Mel White's address upon receiving the annual Lazarus Award in Los Angeles in January. Mel, the former ghostwriter for the religious right who came out as gay last year, described a more recent transformation. A friend of ours in Atlanta, a gay white male who serves as personal assistant to Coretta Scott King at the King Center for Non-Violent Social Change, had persuaded Mel to consider the "violence" of the language with which he was now fighting his former employers. He was meeting violence with violence. Chastened, Mel began studying more carefully the writings on non-violence of Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. It was moving to hear his "conversion" to reach out with greater love, overcoming what is named in Ephesians as "the dividing wall of hostility." (This transformation is what led to his recent attempt to bring Pat Robertson flowers on Valentine's Day. Robertson had him arrested for trespassing when Mel refused to leave the Christian Broadcasting Network grounds in Virginia without seeing him. The arresting officer, providentially, was the late John Boswell's brother, who later spoke on Mel's behalf at a rally protesting his imprisonment. Mel had chosen to fast in jail until Robertson came to see him. Weeks later, Robertson did so at the request of two 700 Club members -- Mel's parents!) [See related stories in the April *Update* and also in this issue. -- JDA] Charlie listened patiently to my viewpoint, but disagreed heartily, saying that he was struggling with "them" and did not consider himself one of "them." At Western Colorado Presbytery, it was indeed difficult to understand myself as one with my opponent, especially when he denounced me with prooftexts from my own book that he claimed demonstrated my intention to divide Christ's Body, ignoring the many places in my book where I point out the danger of "us-them" thinking and I speak of our unity in Christ. But the larger question that Charlie rightfully introduces is whether or not we are really part of "them." Perhaps I have somehow been deceived. Maybe I am not really a part of an organization -- albeit the church -- that would want my Colorado opponent's membership -- or, more to the point, would desire his membership *more* than my own. And maybe I am not a part of a church that values the membership of those who don't stand up to such bigotry more than the membership of those who do. Maybe I am not part of a church that cares more for the membership of the Presbyterian Lay Committee than for the membership of families that have gay members. Maybe I am not part of a church that turns its head at injustice, wrings its hands rather than laying them on us in ordination, and whose lips curse rather than bless gay covenant relationships. Maybe I am not part of a church that cares more for itself than for its calling to be like Christ himself, who risked his own brokenness to do the right thing. After spending yesterday writing this column, I found my ending last night. Ormewood Park Presbyterian Church, to which I belong, is preparing for a mission study and a pastoral search. A facilitator has offered to help us in the process of defining ourselves and our mission. As part of that, she asked us to write our personal answers to Jesus' question of the blind men in Matthew 20:32, "What do you want me to do for you?" I was surprised by what I wrote. It wasn't a selfless and general wish, like bringing peace to our world, healing homophobia, or curing AIDS. After all, she had asked us to make it personal. Nor was it a wish that might have been expected, like healing for my grief and anger, or writing a bestseller. I wrote, "I want to be an ordained pastor." I immediately wanted to qualify it in my mind: "Well, ordination isn't really necessary to serve as a pastor -- after all, I'm doing ministry right now." I almost crossed out the word "ordained," but then I realized that, no, I want Jesus to give me an opportunity to pastor a church, and I can't do that without ordination. God's future will tell if the church as the Body of Christ gives me -- and all of us -- that opportunity. Only then will I know for certain that we are truly one in the Spirit. In the *mean* time, people like my opponent at Western Colorado Presbytery are permitted -- even encouraged -- to accuse us of hurting the church with our quest for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Yet it was my opponent who refused to help lead the closing worship because I too had been invited to do so. He is not the sacrificial victim here. Christ is once again the body broken -- this time on the cross of homophobia. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "Unveiling the Truth" A sermon preached on Transfiguration Sunday, February 26, 1995 by Charles Collins at Northminster Presbyterian Church, Troy, Michigan Copyright Charles S. Collins. All rights reserved. Text: II Corinthians 3:12-4:2 (sung a capella) "We are one in the Spirit. We are one in the Lord. We are one in the Spirit. We are one in the Lord. And we pray that all unity may one day be restored. And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes they'll know we are Christians by our love." We don't really expect people to believe those credentials, do we? They'll know we are Christians by our love? Congregations with large modern facilities and state-of-the-art sound systems are attracting new members in large numbers. Others regularly have members give testimonials of how they were healed by the power of Jesus, easily winning converts. Still others claim to have deciphered all the mysteries of scripture. And in these confusing times, that's bound to be popular. So Paul, give us something to stand on like a fabulous building, a miracle or two, or an answer to the complexities of scripture. But don't just tell us to stand before God and the people, in naked honesty and expect them to believe us. That's no way to build a church. We modern Christians are just as skeptical of Paul's advice as the first century Corinthians. We are desperately afraid that we won't be believed, that our faith will be seen as phony, and that people will leave our churches by the droves. This fear is particularly intense when there are those within our own denomination who declare that we have been deceived by Satan and that the faith we profess is godless. So we turn to Paul and ask, "Paul, what proof can we show to people so that they will believe us? And by the way, written proof would be nice." Do you ever wonder why Jesus didn't write the authoritative truth of God and turn it over to his disciples before his crucifixion? Think for a moment about his final journey into Jerusalem. As he approached the city, he wept saying, "O Jerusalem, if only you knew the things that make for peace. But now they are hid from your eyes." (Hid from their eyes, as though covered by a veil.) But they had the Hebrew scriptures, the law of Moses, the exhortations of the Prophets. Surely somewhere in those holy books they could find the things that make for peace! If not, Jesus could have written an appendix, just to clarify exactly what it is we must do to have peace, and justice. But he didn't. Perhaps he knew the tendency of language to limit and distort the truth. Perhaps he knew that faithful people in centuries to come would face challenges inconceivable to Matthew and James and John. Instead of a holy book, Jesus gave his disciples a promise. He said, "I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, the Spirit will guide you into all the truth." The Spirit of truth, eh? Ask someone today if they believe in spirits and see what they say. Spirits, like ghosts from another world. Invisible spirits who commune with seers and witches under moonlit skies. Unpredictable spirits which blow where they will; now you see them, now you don't. Our notion of a spirit, holy or otherwise, suggests that the term "Spirit of truth" may be an oxymoron. Truth is absolute, unchanging, the unfathomable essence of God. Spirit is amorphic, elusive, adaptive. An oxymoron, like a mountain of water, and yet that is exactly what Christ has promised us: the source of truth will be a spirit. Do we really believe this promise? We say all of the right things in our creeds and confessions. We declare that we believe in the Holy Trinity: Creator, Son, and Holy Spirit. But do we really believe? In our practice as the church, our holy trinity is not Creator, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is Creator, Son, and Holy Scripture. Spirit we can't see, or hear, or touch. Scripture we CAN see, and read, and memorize, and recite, and debate, and use to build up and tear down and judge. In our practice as the church we have limited the Spirit to one function only. We call upon the Spirit to illuminate scripture or to inspire us as we pray, then just pull the plug when we've finished. And judging from our sometimes violent disagreements over the interpretation of scripture, the Spirit is a miserable failure when it comes to teaching us the things that make for peace. We just don't trust the Spirit, and yet if we believe Jesus and Paul it is exactly this Spirit which we must pay attention to in our quest for God's truth. So we turn to Paul again and ask, "How do we recognize the Spirit of truth? How do we know we're not being led by some evil spirit instead?" And he replies, "If you expect to recognize God's Spirit among you then you've got to be truthful with one another. Remove the veils. Like Moses, your leaders cover their faces with veils. Like the Israelites before you, your minds and faces are covered with veils. Remove them, and together you will behold the glory of God." Imagine if our leaders felt free to tell the truth. Imagine if President Clinton were not afraid of upsetting the delicate relationships he has worked to establish on Capitol Hill. Imagine if John Paul could remove the burdensome responsibility for centuries of Roman Catholic tradition and speak from his heart about the brilliant ministries of women in his church. Imagine if all of us in our leadership positions could simply speak our conscience without fear of rejection or loss of credibility. When Moses returned to his people after seeing the Lord face-to-face, he dared not tell them what he saw. We dare not. It would upset the social order. They just might crucify us. It's not only our leaders who hide the truth behind veils. Our minds are covered with veils as well. Everything we see or hear or experience is filtered through a patchwork veil composed of our biases, our prejudices, our traditions. We Americans, we Presbyterians, we men, we women, we white people, we middle class, we college graduates, we heterosexuals, we More Light congregations, we know the truth! We have seen the light. Don't bother us with another workshop on racism or testimonial of a mother on welfare or story about children with AIDS. There is nothing we have not heard or seen. I was leading a diversity workshop not long ago when half way into the workshop I could no longer remain silent about my homosexuality. There were just too many hateful comments about gay people being dropped thoughout the room. I removed the veil I was wearing and told the group that their comments were hurting me deeply because I am gay. A young woman in the room insisted that I could change my sexual orientation. She said I could change my feelings. I said I could deny or repress my feelings but not change them. Back and forth we tossed the ball until I said, "What if I as a man were to say to you that you can change your innner most feelings as a woman? Your joy, your love, your sorrow, your anger. Just change them!" I could see the veil begin to drop in her eyes. We all wear veils on our faces as we walk through life. We are skilled artists of delusion, worthy of an Academy Award. Our smiles, our gestures, our careful phrases, our tone of voice can mask our inner selves. We have been carefully taught to play roles, to keep a stiff upper lip, to act like a responsible adult. And why? Because it isn't safe to be honest. If we tell the truth our families will disown us, our friends will turn their backs on us; in short, our worlds will collapse. Better to hide behind a veil. But Paul says, "Let me tell you what the Spirit can do when we remove the veils. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord are being changed into his likeness, from one degree of glory to another." In her letter to the editor of the *Des Moines Register*, a woman from New Hampton, Iowa describes life without a veil: "Forty-some years ago, I saw a deaf man for the first time in my life. He scared me. Today I wish I knew sign language. "I saw a black man when I was only three. I stared at him. Today I am intrigued by black history, traditions, and recipes. I want Louis Armstrong's 'A Beautiful World' played at my funeral. "At the age of 45, I attended college for the first time. I studied, worked and played with people unlike any I'd ever known. It was a Lutheran liberal arts college; I am Catholic. "Today I admire my Japanese friend Mika, my German friend Kersten, my Nigerian friend Dr. Aquaba, and my gay friend Christopher more than I can tell you." This is how you encounter the Spirit of truth: one person, one human story at a time. First you must set aside the veil which covers your face, which keeps you from being the person God created you to be. Then you must trust the Spirit enough to set aside the veils which cover your mind; the prejudices, stereotypes and expectations that blind you to the truth. And with an unveiled face and mind, you will become a beacon of hope to the stranger in your midst, the alien whose face was veiled from your sight, keeping you from seeing God's image behind layers of fear. By looking directly into the eyes of the stranger and listening without judgment to his story, you like this woman from Iowa will be changed into the likeness of Christ, from one degree of glory to another. So these are our credentials as Christians. "By the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to every human conscience in the sight of God." Believe the good news, you yourselves are your own letters of commendation, written on your hearts by the Spirit of truth. I invite those of you who know the words to sing with me now. "We are one in the Spirit. We are one in the Lord. We are one in the Spirit. We are one in the Lord. And we pray that all unity may one day be restored. And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes they'll know we are Christians by our love." AMEN. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Getting Ready for 1996 Throw the More Light Churches Out We're hoping for a calm and loving General Assembly in Cincinnati as the Presbyterian Church enters into the last of the three years of dialogue in preparation for the 1996 General Assembly in Albuquerque (June 29-July 5). In 1996, the church has promised, at long last, to decide whether there is room at the Presbyterian table for Christ's people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or anyone else who is not a "proper straight and narrow heterosexual." Already, proposals are being floated. We present here an overture that was offered to Denver Presbytery, suggesting that More Light Churches be "invited" out of the denomination. We include also the response of Colorado's only More Light Church. Guided by the Spirit, Denver Presbytery soundly defeated the proposal -- it received only 12 yes votes. But there will be more to come, so consider, share and pray! -- JDA The session of the Corona Presbyterian Church approved on January 5, 1994 [sic] the following overture: Whereas, the More Light Church movement began in 1978 as a voluntary coalition of churches who welcome all persons, including lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons, into the full life of the Presbyterian Church (USA) at all levels including the ordained office if chosen; and Whereas, More Light Churches encourage all PCUSA congregations to become fully inclusive of lesbian, gay, and bi-sexual persons (More Light Mission Statement); and Whereas, the 190th General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church in the United State of America (1978) adopted "the following definitive guidance: That unrepentant homosexual practice does not accord with the requirements for ordination . . ." (Minutes, UPCUSA, 1978, Part 1, p. 265); and Whereas, this position was declared the law of the church by the 197th General Assembly (1985) through the ruling of the Permanent Judicial Commission in a remedial case (Minutes, 1985, Part 1, pp. 118-23); and Whereas, the 203rd General Assembly (1991) voted 96% to 4% against the ordination of self-affirming, practicing homosexual persons to offices of ministry in the church; and Whereas, the 205th General Assembly (1993) reinforced the "definitive guidance" ruling by adopting as "authoritative interpretation" the report of the Advisory Committee on the Constitution stating that "current constitutional law in the Presbyterian Church (USA) is that self-affirming, practicing homosexual persons may not be ordained as ministers of the Word and Sacrament, elders or deacons;" and Whereas, More Light Churches, with sincere intent and passion for inclusivity, have been challenging the sexual standards taught and upheld by denominational policy of the PCUSA, and have become a source of contention whereby the peace, unity, and purity of our connectional church has been disrupted; therefore, be it Resolved, that the Presbytery of Denver, meeting at __________ on __________ respectfully overture the 207th General Assembly to allow designated More Light Churches (designated as such on or before July 12, 1997), the option to petition their respective presbyteries in order to withdraw from the denomination with their property intact. Such petition shall be received by the respective presbytery on or before June 13, 1998. Upon receipt of such a petition, the respective presbytery shall transfer all property to the petitioning More Light Church as provided by section G-8.0300 of the Book of Order. This section states that "Whenever property of, or held for, a particular church of the Presbyterian Church (USA) ceases to be used by that church as a particular church of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in accordance with this Constitution, such property shall be held, used, applied, transferred, or sold as provided by the presbytery." The conditions defined in Article 13 (13.3 a-h) of the Articles of Agreement recording the contractual commitments pertaining to the reunion of the Presbyterian Church in the United States with the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, shall be applicable to a More Light Church seeking to be dismissed from the denomination with their property intact. Prior to petitioning a presbytery, a More Light Church shall meet the conditions of Article 13.3 a-h. In the event a More Light Church chooses to remain in the denomination after June 13, 1998, any such church shall be dismissed from the denomination as of June 13, 1998 without their property notwithstanding the provisions of section G-8.0300 of the Book of Order. -- Dr. Jeffrey W. Winter, Senior Pastor, Corona Presbyterian Church; Mr. Craig Goellner, Clerk of Session. A Response from Capitol Heights Presbyterian Church Dear Sisters and Brothers of Denver Presbytery, Some weeks ago, Dr. Jeffrey W. Winter, Senior Pastor of Corona Presbyterian Church, contacted the Rev. Mark Meeks of our congregation to discuss the overture regarding More Light congregations that Corona has proposed to the Presbytery of Denver for action on February 28, 1995. Inasmuch as Capitol Heights is the first and only congregation in Denver Presbytery or the Synod of the Rockies to officially affirm this position and identify with the More Light network, we appreciate Dr. Winter's directness and initiative in sharing the overture with us before bringing it to the Presbytery. As the overture notes, More Light congregations welcome and affirm the participation of all persons of faith, including lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons, into the full life and ministry of the PCUSA at all levels, including service in ordained officers, if elected. The overture proposes that congregations holding this position voluntarily leave the denomination with their property prior to June 13, 1998 or be dismissed thereafter from the Presbyterian Church (USA). As you respond to this proposed overture, we ask you to consider it in a context which includes the experience and motivation which prompted our action, the ways in which this action is congruent with other aspects of our life as a Presbyterian Church (USA) congregation, and the larger implications of the proposed action. Our experience and motivation. We took this official action in the spring of 1990 after a period of study and reflection. Events in the Presbyterian Church and actions of the General Assembly seemed to us to call forth congregations to study and make clear their understanding of how the Gospel and tradition regarded sexual orientation as a criterion for membership or ordained office. Our congregation has functioned with a conscious inclusiveness regarding sexual orientation for at least twenty years. We believe this experience has been guided by the Holy Spirit and grounded in the Gospel. In this and other ways, as we have sought to practice an open and inclusive community, we have experienced a lively call to cross social, cultural and traditional boundaries to establish new relations with persons through the authority of Jesus. In turn, such new relations, in this instance with gay, lesbian and bisexual persons, have helped us discover a greater faithfulness to the Gospel which we seek to preach and serve. We have communicated these experiences previously to Presbytery and would gladly do so again. Our life as a Presbyterian Church (USA) congregation CHPC is a small, unusual congregation, relatively free in our size and style to take actions which could be more difficult for larger, more encumbered congregations. We have a long history of seeking to offer Christian hospitality and to practice what we understand to be Christian inclusiveness. These practices have taken shape and borne fruit in a variety of ways. For example, * Over the past fifteen years, out of a congregation of fewer than 50 Presbyterians, we have sent persons into the ordained ministry of the Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist, and UCC denominations and currently include one candidate with the Presbytery of Denver. * We enjoy a twenty-year history of ecumenical relationship with the 10:30 Catholic Community with whom we share our building as well as periodic worship and ongoing fellowship, education, and social outreach. Clergy and lay leaders of Capitol Heights have been instrumental in the development of the Capitol Hill United Ministries (CHUM), an ecumenical network of seventeen urban congregations in Denver. * Following many years of welcoming refugees from Asia and Africa and Central America, we joined with the 10:30 Community in the 1980's to declare our communities a Sanctuary for refugees fleeing El Salvador and Guatemala. We were the only congregation in the Presbytery of Denver to do so. * Our building houses the Colorado Alliance for the Mentally Ill and we have singly and with other congregations carried out a variety of inclusive ministries with persons who are chronically mentally ill. Like our More Light affirmation, none of these activities or experiences is the primary defining characteristic of our congregation. In each of them we have discovered the inadequacies of our faith and resourcefulness and the abundance and wonder of God's grace. We believe God's hand has been with us in these activities. We have found them to be quite consistent with our life and tradition as a Presbyterian Church (USA) congregation. We honor and value that tradition and seek to live out our calling within it. The larger implications of this issue. There are vast differences of opinion, orientation, faith and practice within the Church of Jesus Christ, with the Presbyterian and Reformed traditions, and even within our denomination and Presbytery. If we focus on our differences and seek to separate from or exclude each other based on such differences, there is no end to the divisions we can form, but what will we gain and how will the Gospel be served? In our congregation, the More Light affirmation is one way among many in which we seek to affirm and declare our faith. Because it does seem to us to express a faithful response to the Gospel, this particular affirmation is one we seek to hold to strongly and without wavering. But it is the Gospel calling which is central to our life together, not any one particular expression of it. Whatever action the Presbytery takes on this overture, we hope it will help us all to move more fully into dialogue with one another. It is our conviction that God has called us into community with one another with our individual and congregational differences, profound and difficult as they may sometimes be to bear. We pray that we may all be enabled to be so deeply rooted in Gospel truth that we can embrace one another as sisters and brothers in the faith, even as we engage our differences. It is in that spirit we join the congregations and members of this Presbytery in considering this overture. -- The Session of Capitol Heights Presbyterian Church, Adopted on February 12, 1995. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Presbyterian Peace Conference? [Virginia Davidson, the More Light Churches Network Co-moderator for Advocacy and frequent side-kick for lesbian evangelist extraordinaire Janie Spahr, sent this letter to *The Presbyterian Outlook.* We hope they publish it, but just in case, here it is.] February 28, 1995 -- Grace and peace to you in the name of Christ. In your February 20 *Outlook Editorial*, you suggest it may be time for a "Presbyterian Camp David." In your proposal, the two parties coming to the conversation, I presume, would include some members of the General Assembly Council as well as representatives from the Presbyterian Lay Committee now serving on the Committee on Reconciliation. I agree with you that we owe a large measure of gratitude to Moderator Robert Bohl for his sustained and patient listening in search of reconciliation. It may also be, as you suggest, that gratitude is due Jim Brown, members of the Lay Committee who met in Montana with the Moderator, the Board of Pension, and even representatives of Presbyterians for Pro-Life. I'm unaware of the occasion when "some members of the gay/lesbian community" have willingly "risk[ed] rejection in public discussions of sexuality issues." The instances you first mention have all been detailed in press releases. However, I recall no press account of any event so far which included gay or lesbian Presbyterians meeting with church leaders. It is true that Jim Brown cordially welcomed both the Rev. Jane Spahr and me for a personal conversation in November in Louisville. And I've been told that an unannounced meeting, convened by the chair of a General Assembly Committee last October in Cincinnati, included perhaps one openly gay man and one lesbian minister. It's also true that Moderator Bohl has graciously accepted our invitation to be present for a few hours at the 11th Annual More Light Conference in Baltimore on April 29th. Unfortunately, it *is* indeed a risk in the present situation for most gay, lesbian, and bisexual Christians to speak out in public discussions, although there are a few noteworthy and courageous exceptions. This continues to be a regrettable limitation to achieving a balance of voices for open dialogue leading to new understanding. At the present time, the only reasonably safe place for conversation which honors equality and mutuality of voices for lesbian, gay and bisexual people is within welcoming More Light congregations -- there are now 63 of them. Whatever might be decided if "the chief combatants [were] to closet themselves somewhere for a few days" as you suggest, the voices of lesbian, gay and bisexual Christians would still be excluded. It's an interesting thought: combatants choosing to closet themselves for a few days in order to agree on whether or not our denomination will continue to keep an entire class of people closeted *permanently*, for the safekeeping of the rest of us! At this moment, the special ministry of pastoral caring, which More Light churches now choose to provide, will need to continue until more of us acquire an appetite for justice and a capacity for its fulfillment, through a taste of God's unending grace in our lives! May God continue to bless your life and ministry. -- Faithfully, Virginia West Davidson, Co-Moderator for Advocacy, More Light Churches Network * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 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 1995. All new memberships and renewals submitted since June of 1994 are considered 1995 memberships. If you have not yet joined or renewed for 1995, use the membership form below. All of this year's nominations are offered by your Nominating Committee: Chuck Collins, Cleve Evans (chairperson), Merrill Proudfoot, Janie Spahr, and Georgeann Wilcoxson. They deserve your thanks, which you can indicate by voting! The ballot, or a copy, must be received by June 30, 1995. 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, bisexual and transgender 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; and education and dialogue that nurtures our biblical, theological, confessional, spiritual and personal development as individuals and as a Church. Together, we strive to ensure full membership and rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members in both church and society; offer care, affirmation and support to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, their families and friends; study and raise the concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people; and witness to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that the church of Jesus Christ is the church of all God's people. Join Presbyterians for Lesbian & Gay Concerns by sending us your name, address, name of your home congregation or presbytery, and tax-deductible contribution ($50 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, bisexual and transgender people, such as More Light Churches. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Membership Application/Renewal Form for 1995 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 or renew 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 or renew me as a PLGC Associate. PLGC's membership rolls and mailing lists are confidential and are not shared with anyone except officers of PLGC. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 1995 PLGC Ballot Female Co-Moderator -- 2 year term, vote for 1. ____Laurene Lafontaine, Denver, CO. Laurene was chosen by the executive board to fill out the term of Susan Kramer. She has represented PLGC at meetings of the National Council of Churches and the General Assembly Council, as well as General Assembly. In Colorado she is a leader in PLGC, Equality Colorado, and AIDS/HIV ministries. ____Other:_______________________________________________________ Female Executive Board Members -- 2 year terms, vote for 3. ___Lindsay Biddle, Minneapolis, MN. A Presbyterian minister and current member of the executive board, Lindsay is the creator of the "Biblical Self-Defense Course on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Concerns," which she presents around the country. ___Lisa Larges, San Francisco, CA. Lisa was certified eligible for ordination by the Twin Cities Area Presbytery, but her eligibility was quashed by the Presbyterian "supreme court" (the GA PRC) because she is an open, happy and proud lesbian! She leads the Witness for Reconciliation and is a current member of the executive board. ____Tammy Lindahl, Kansas City, MO. A Presbyterian minister, Tammy is parish associate at Van Brunt Boulevard Presbyterian Church, one of our newer More Light churches. She is a leader of the Kansas City chapter of PLGC. We elected her last year to fill out an unexpired term. Now she is standing for a regular 2-year term. ____Others:______________________________________________________ Male Executive Board Members -- 2 year terms, vote for 2. ___Scott Anderson, Sacramento, CA. Scott, a current member of the executive board, has been our chief strategist in recent years. After being "outed" as pastor of a 400-member congregation, he became the associate director of the California Council of Churches. ___Tony de la Rosa, Los Angeles, CA. A long-time PLGC member and activist at general assemblies and in the L.A. area, Tony has both an M.Div. and a law degree. He has served the national church on committees dealing with litigation. ____Others:______________________________________________________ Nominating Committee (vote for five) ___Jim Beates, Detroit, MI. Jim is a Presbyterian minister active in both PLGC and HIV/AIDS ministry. ___Edward L. Blanton, Arlington, VA. A retired naval chief petty officer, Ed is a long-time leader of the Washington DC PLGC chapter. ___Doug Calderwood, Cedar Crest, NM. Doug is retiring from active service on the executive board. He designed our latest membership brochure. ___Kathryn Cartledge, Asheville, NC. A Presbyterian minister, Kathryn helped start the Atlanta Interfaith AIDS Network, the National Interfaith AIDS Network, and PAN: the Presbyterian AIDS Network. ___Martha Juillerat, Kansas City, MO. Martha, another Presbyterian minister, is a leader of Unity-in-Diversity, the joint dialogue project of PLGC and the More Light Churches Network. ____Others:______________________________________________________ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *