Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 14:30:07 -0500 (EST) From: "Donna M. Riley" Subject: MORE LIGHT UPDATE Nov.-Dec. 99 (147 K) (fwd) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * MORE LIGHT UPDATE November-December 1999 Volume 20, Number 2 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * HIGHLIGHTS Pride & Family Values; What Does the Bible Say Amendment B Court Cases; Christ Church Affirmation Ecumenics; Ethics; People; Chapters; House Parties; Hate Crimes; Events; Contacts FULL CONTENTS CHANGES OUR COVER: More Light Evangelism on the Streets of Chicago SEXUAL ETHICS: New MLP statement MLP AWARDS: Nominations sought PEOPLE On the Road with Michael Adee, MLP's National Field Organizer Janie Spahr Celebrates Susan Leo The Rev. Jim Beates' Presence Still Active AROUND MLP Celebrate Our New MLP Chapters 20 Years of More Light at Bethany Presbyterian Our Atlanta Chapter House Party! Want to have one? Southern New England Hate Crimes Briefing at Montreat Open Doors: National Capital Chapter EVENTS REQUESTS The Partners' Project RESOURCES Videos: Christians Discuss Gay Theology FEATURE STORIES Gay Pride & Family Values "The Ties that Bind," by the Rev. Janet Parker What the Bible Says, or Doesn't Say, About Same Sex Relationships, by Gene Huff Why Are You Still Around? -- An Interview with Elder M. L. Presby We're Here, We're Faithful, Deal With It: Challenging the Exclusionist Amendment B Christ Church, Presbyterian, Burlington, Vermont: Report of the Session to the Presbytery of Northern New England The Covenant Network: John Buchanan on the State of the Church ECUMENICS: In the Larger Church LGBT-Affirming Religious Leaders Carry Message of Faith to Colorado Springs Religious Roundtable Calls for Meeting with Focus on the Family's James Dobson MLP OFFICERS MLP Board of Directors MLP National Liaisons MLP Chapters Seminary and Campus Chapters Presbytery & Regional Chapters MLP State Liaisons PRESBYTERIAN ALLY ORGANIZATIONS (not recently updated, not included in print version) MASTHEAD (Publication Information) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *We limit not the truth of God To our poor reach of mind, By notions of our day and sect, Crude, partial and confined. No, let a new and better hope Within our hearts be stirred: for God hath yet more light and truth To break forth from the Word.* -- Pastor John Robinson, sending the Pilgrims to the New World, 1620; paraphrased by the hymnwriter George Rawson, 1807-1889. For all ministers, elders, deacons, members and friends of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) More Light Presbyterians 4737 County Road 101, PMB# 246 Minnetonka, MN 55345-2634 MORE LIGHT UPDATE (Presbyterians for Lesbian & Gay Concerns) James D. Anderson, Editor P.O. Box 38 New Brunswick, NJ 08903-0038 732-249-1016, 732-932-7501 (Rutgers University) FAX 732-932-6916 (Rutgers University) Internet: JDA@mariner.rutgers.edu (or JDA@scils.rutgers.edu) Email discussion list: mlp-list@scils.rutgers.edu (to join, send email to: Majordomo@scils.rutgers.edu; in body of message put: subscribe mlp-list; to leave list, put: unsubscribe mlp-list) MLP home page: http://www.mlp.org Masthead, with Publication Information at end of file. Note: * is used to indicate italicized or boldface text. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CHANGES Michael Adee, our super wonderful national field organizer, has a new, easier-to-remember email address! It's MichaelAdee@aol.com -- thanks, Michael! Charlie Sweitzer has retired; please remove as MLP liaison in Illinois. Washington State Liaison Dick Gibson has retired, so please change his address and phone to the following: Richard Gibson, 18808 68th Ave. W., Lynnwood, WA 98036, 425-774-7007, RKGibson@juno.com New Board Member. Mary Charlotte McCall resigned from the MLP Board to care for her ailing husband. The MLP Board has filled her position with The Rev. Robin White, 24 E. Mt. Vernon Pl., Baltimore, MD 21202, 410-230-0340 home, 410-435-4330 church, RKayeWhite@aol.com Board Member Lisa Larges has moved. Her new address and phone are: 1452 Vancouver Dr., Burlingame, CA 94010, 650-347-4087. Her email remains: LLL@igc.org Latin American Liaison. The Rev. Tom Hanks, long-time Latin American Missionary, now based in Argentina, and also executive director of Other Sheep, and international ministry with sexual minorities, is our new Latin America liaison, joining our Europe liaison, Jack Huizinga. Tom may be contacted at: Lavalle 376-2D, 1047 Buenos Aires, Argentina, thanks@thanks.wamani.apc.org Youth Concerns Liaision. Brian Cave is our new liaison for youth concerns. He's between moves in New York City, so for the time being, contact him via email: BCave2@juno.com Transgender Concerns Liaison. Erin Swenson joins Carla Pridgen as liaison for transgender concerns: Erin K. Swenson, 1071 Delaware Ave. S.E., Atlanta, GA 30316-2469, 404-627-4825, ErinSwen@aol.com And Carla Pridgen has a new area code: 828! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * OUR COVER: More Light Evangelism on the Streets of Chicago: Monna Ray, Marilyn Nash, Fiona Bailey, and Gail Russell proudly display the banner for Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church as they prepare to step forth in the Chicago Pride Parade, June 27, 1999. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * SEXUAL ETHICS The Board of More Light Presbyterians held a very productive meeting in Millbrae, CA (right next to the San Francisco Airport) the weekend of September 24-26, 1999. One of the results was a short, pithy statement on sexual ethics, on behalf of More Light Presbyterians. Here it is. Let us know what *you* think! "More Light Presbyterians (MLP) envisions that a single set of Christian sexual ethics marked by covenantal fidelity shall be the standard for all Presbyterians, irrespective of sexual orientation." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * MLP AWARDS The MLP Board solicits nominations for our annual awards to be presented at the 2000 General Assembly next June. The Inclusive Church Award goes to a congregation or other governing body that has advanced the cause of the inclusive church (the 1999 recipient was Christ Church Presbyterian of Burlington, VT, featured in this *Update*); the David Sindt Award for outstanding individual leadership goes to one or more individuals who have displayed outstanding leadership in our movement. Please send your nominations with rationale to Bill Moss, 535 Steiner St., San Francisco, CA 94117, 415-864-0477, WHMoss@aol.com. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * PEOPLE On the Road with Michael Adee MLP's National Field Organizer "On the road" certainly describes my life with MLP. Highlights of my recent field work include participation in the 20th Anniversary of Bethany Presbyterian Church of Dallas, Texas as a "More Light Presbyterian" church on August 22 and the commissioning of the MLP Chapter at San Francisco Theological Seminary on September 28. On behalf of the national network of MLP, I presented a plaque to Reverend Todd Freeman, pastor at Bethany, with Jean Martin and Don Grainger, Co-Moderators of the MLP Chapter in Grace Presbytery. That anniversary weekend, we also celebrated the "one year anniversary" of their MLP Chapter with a chapter development workshop and a party at the home of Ann and Howard Jacobs, long-time allies and benefactors of MLP. Another historic moment and achievement in our movement was the commissioning service and first MLP Chapter Dinner on the San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS) campus. SFTS joins Louisville, McCormick, and Princeton seminaries in having an organization dedicated to GLBT concerns via education, advocacy, and support. The remainder of my fall travel schedule includes a sexuality and faith conference in Durham, North Carolina offered by the Triangle MLP Chapter, a MLP Benefit Gala and organizing of a new MLP Chapter in Cincinnati, participation in the Covenant Network's national conference in Atlanta, and a MLP Weekend in the District of Columbia. I will be preaching in each of those places as well as offering support for chapters and the presbytery Unity in Diversity conferences. Additional significant advances in our movement include the organization of a MLP Chapter in Orange County, California under the capable leadership of our liaison, Linda Malcor; the revitalization of the Detroit Chapter led by Susan Thomas and Kimberly Bennett; and the outreach in Iowa led by Robin and Rick Chambers. All across the country more and more people are understanding that we must open our hearts, minds, and churches to all people, irrespective of sexual orientation. And, that this is the Gospel that we are compelled to follow, loving God by loving neighbor. I am very grateful to be serving God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and MLP as your national field organizer. Your support through care, prayer, membership, financial donations, and partnership allow me to serve our Church and our gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender family across the country. Thank you for your partnership -- we are in this together! -- *Grace and peace, Michael J. Adee* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Janie Spahr Celebrates Susan Leo July 17, 1999 in Portland, Oregon, a dear friend, Susan Leo [and former PLGC board member!], became the Rev. Susan Leo, Pastor of the Bridgeport Community Church of the Central Pacific Conference in the United Church of Christ (UCC). Susan was raised Presbyterian, went to a Presbyterian College, and graduated with High Achievement from a Presbyterian Seminary. She was and continues to be a prophetic witness for justice in many areas of our world's struggles. Her partner, Diane Syrcle, an opera singer, directed an amazing choir during Susan's ordination service, adding to the celebratory electricity we were all feeling. Presbyterians present that day stood and confessed sadness for a policy that keeps someone so gifted out of the Presbyterian ministry. Their Confession read: Passing from the PC(USA) "We, members of the Presbyterian Church (USA), stand today to acknowledge God's call to Susan Leo. We honor her gifts, her talents, and her skills, and we mourn that the PC(USA) would not allow her to serve our Church. We honor her call out of the Presbyterian Church and into the United Church of Christ, and we rejoice with them even as we work and pray for the day when all may freely serve. May God bless her ministry and her church." We could hear and see the tears. No words needed to be spoken. It was the look through our tears that we will never forget. The service continued with beautiful music and amazing presentations. Bridgeport Community Church gave Susan a lovely stole and a beautiful bluish-green robe with a gigantic butterfly painted on the back. The congregation also presented a lovely multicolored stole with Susan's name on it that will be sent to The Shower of Stoles Project. The Rev. Hector Lopez, UCC Central Pacific Conference Minister, thanked the Presbyterian Church for training and for raising Leo up with such gifts. Hector was not being facetious, but profoundly sincere. Leo and I were going to be on the same team; a way of knowing, a way of working to move our beleaguered denomination into the inclusive church it can be. Then I received her phone call almost two years ago and she said, "Janie, I just have to start a church. I can't wait. I feel the call. I'm being affirmed by this Portland community." "Yes," I said, "you must answer your call." Bridgeport Community Church was born, and what an inspirational place of worship it is -- filled with the Spirit! I am so happy for Susan and this wonderful congregation, and I am so glad that UCC invited Bridgeport Community Church to join their Conference, and for Susan Leo to be ordained as UCC pastor. They not only recognize her gifts, but also celebrate and honor them. Since Presbyterians are in full communion with the United Church of Christ, the irony now is that the Rev. Susan Leo can visit and be welcome to speak at any presbytery across this country as a corresponding member! There are moments when the sigh inside of me grows louder. Over the years I have witnessed wonderfully gifted gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Presbyterian friends ordained by the United Church of Christ, the Metropolitan Community Church, the Unitarian Church, or other faith traditions -- because they felt called to serve. There are many now who have said goodbye. For some, not so much because they wanted to, but because they had to for their own health and well-being. For some, it was the call that resounded so clearly inside. For others, to leave was literally to live. For still others it was to move into other spiritual traditions and practices. For others, the Presbyterian Church had become irrelevant in its way of speaking to their lives and to their souls. For those of us who are on our way into or who are still here, we too feel called out, called into, and called forth into a denomination whose very constitution denies our gifts, invalidates our service, and discredits our whole being. Our faith knows better. Our faith and our love for justice call us and our church out of the closets of racism, sexism, heterosexism, classism, and able bodism. This Church, which was founded and is still permeated by a Eurocentric theology, is now being challenged and enriched by a multicultural, pluralistic world, which is open to other theological expressions of faith, from liberation and feminist theologies to interfaith dialogues and spiritual practices that beckon us into a broader world view. This new global community contains spiritual and faith perspectives which value and promote ways to honor and heal our relationship with the earth, people, and "critters." Many say another reformation is on the horizon, but rather aren't we experiencing many spiritual reformations in a groaning world? Abraham and Sarah, Jonathan and David, Ruth and Naomi, Jesus and Mary, Sophia, and Holy God are all alive, I believe, and well, within us. These biblical stories inform us through filters of our own time and context -- a very different world from 2000 years ago. Some stories are relevant to our own lives, but others do not fit into our world today because of the many advances in our knowledge. But those biblical faith stories tell us of many who braved their way courageously through inhospitable times and places. Jesus ministry was filled with "overturning tables" to challenge the religious and cultural authorities of his time. We as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people have learned well what it means to turn over tables and challenge religious and cultural "authorities" who have scapegoated us far too long. The sadness welling up in me when I think of the many friends who have gone is a sadness for our denomination, which has lost so many faithful, exceptionally gifted people. That is why That All May Freely Serve is here. We are committed to develop and strengthen our regions, working with More Light Presbyterians to "person this issue," to educate, to open people's hearts and minds and to employ those who otherwise could not answer their call in the Presbyterian Church. And one day, I believe, with all my heart that the Presbyterian Church will honor those of us called like Susan Leo. Then our tears will be wiped away and replaced by joy.-- With love, Janie (reprinted, with thanks, from the TAMFS *Newsletter* and Website). * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Rev. Jim Beates' Presence Still Active by Sue Beates, Elder Presbyterian Church, North East, PA and member of the MLP Lake Erie Chapter Just as names have power, so does the remembrance of names. Recalling Jim's name and the memories evoked by his name has brought so much comfort in this time of loss. Jim's many friends do indeed remember his name and the generous sharing of those memories brings life to the name of one who has crossed over Jordan. Jim's "home going" was a beautiful time for our parents and me as I'm sure it was to his many friends in attendance. Janie Spahr and Howard Warren did a splendid job of wielding words as powerful swords & shields but mostly as warm blankets tucking in those of us still hurting from Jim's passing just as a parent gently tucks in a child at bedtime. For indeed, it was bedtime - - time for us to close our eyes and dream of Jim. They recalled for us Jim's passion at our denomination's indifference at the Pandemic called HIV/AIDS; his compassion toward anyone hurting. His enduring love for his partners, first John (d. 1992) then Mike was described. His courage in "coming out" to the Detroit Presbytery when he introduced his partner Mike during the time of Joys & Concerns was recalled. In his eloquent style, Chris Glaser artfully wove Jim into the Words of Institution calling him Christ's lover who had given his body as a sacrifice for those around him. For some of us, it was Jim's friend Greg Piazza who most succinctly vocalized the prevailing thoughts that day. Greg shared how Jim had been Greg's mentor and hero. Growing up as a Roman Catholic, Greg heard about the "Saints" who inevitably ended up gored, filleted, burned at the stake or some other horrible death. Greg had long since decided that not being a saint was definitely more fun. When he got to know Jim, and watched him care for John during those long painful months preceding John's departure, Greg realized Jim was a special man. In the years that followed, though AIDS slowly wasted Jim's body, he always seemed to have time and energy to listen and to encourage those around him. He told Greg that the disease was killing his body but not the part of him that was really important -- his soul. For nothing could separate him from the love of God -- his soul was safe. Greg witnessed Jim in action, helping others in spite of his own pain, counseling, encouraging, striving for reconciliation in the world. Greg realized he was in the presence of a saint. Finally the motivations of the Saints described to him in childhood made sense. Greg has a beautiful rose garden. In front of his house he has bushes planted to honor his mother and other family members. He has ordered a new bush called "A Touch of Class." Next spring this new bush will be planted for his friend Jim "who has a hell of a lot of class." The congregation applauded and shouted "Amen." The "straight" cousins from Pennsylvania, who had never attended a More Light meeting or service before, were favorably impressed with the two-hour service. The time passed so quickly! The words of the speakers struck home as did the powerful music offered by the Detroit Men Together Chorus. Dad said, "Every time I have anything to do with Jim, I meet new people." Even though Jim has crossed over to the other Shore, he's still actively working on this side, as I'm sure he is on the other side too. Even in death, Jim still spreads More Light. See what can happen when the lamp is brought out onto the table and shared? * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * AROUND MLP Celebrate Our New MLP Chapters Monmouth (New Jersey). Linda Rogers, Toms River, NJ, 732-473- 9155, mail via More Light Presbyterians, P.O. Box 38, New Brunswick, NJ 08903-0038. Triangle (North Carolina). James R. Foster, 500 Meadow Run Dr., Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8022, 919-933-0498, j-efoster@mindspring.com. SFTS More Light Presbyterians (San Francisco Theological Seminary). Dave Brague and Shelly Holle, 2 Kensington Rd., San Anselmo, CA 94960, 415-256-8349, DSBrague@jps.net, SHolle@sfts.gtulink.edu Los Ranchos. Linda A. Malcor, P.O. Box 749, Laguna Beach, CA 92656, 949-425-9979. Monthly meetings: Nov. 13, 1999, Dec. 4, 1999, Jan. 22, 2000. Most meetings are held in the Social Hall at St. Mark Presbyterian Church, Newport Beach, CA. The Los Ranchos Chapter will be holding its first meeting Nov. 13, 1999 at 5:30 p.m. in the Social Hall at St. Mark Presbyterian Church, Newport Beach, CA. The first meeting will be a potluck dinner with worship time and time devoted to organizational details. The December meeting is an open house with appetizers and deserts; informational fliers will be provided; members are encouraged to bring friends and prospective members; the emphasis for this meeting will be fundraising, recruiting and socializing. The January meeting will be back at St. Mark with another pot luck dinner and speaker, who is to be announced. The Chapter also hopes to purchase a table at the Lazarus Project Annual banquet. We also plan to join the St. Mark team for AIDS Walk Orange County in June. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 20 Years of More Light at Bethany Presbyterian Bethany Presbyterian Church in Dallas celebrated it's 20th Anniversary as a More Light Presbyterian church on Aug. 22, 1999 -- it was a wonderful day! MANY THANKS to Michael Adee, our National Field Organizer, for attending the festivities and presenting Bethany with a beautiful plaque commemorating the event. Michael also lead a meaningful workshop for our leadership team of More Light Presbyterians of Grace Presbytery. I encourage everyone to invite Michael to help you celebrate and educate -- he is GREAT! -- Todd Freeman, Pastor. Below is a copy of a formal Resolution adopted by the session at Bethany for the 20th Anniversary celebration. The Bethany Resolution WHEREAS, Bethany Presbyterian Church has been actively involved in life-affirming ministry in the Oak Lawn area of Dallas, Texas, since 1892, and WHEREAS, this community of faith has been dedicated to a ministry of social justice, equal rights, and inclusiveness for many decades, and WHEREAS, in 1979, Mr. Rodger Wilson, a local representative from the Presbyterian Gay Concerns (PGC) organization and later a member and elder at Bethany, presented a report concerning the newly formed More Light Churches Network to the Bethany Session, moderated by pastor, the Reverend Dr. Wes Lackey, and WHEREAS, the Session Minutes from June 11, 1979, report, "Motion was made and passed that Bethany will welcome all persons as full participants in the Body of Christ without having to hide, deny, or apologize for their sexual orientation and that we are willing to have our church listed in the directory of PGC as a More Light Church," and WHEREAS, Bethany's More Light Statement reads, "Bethany Presbyterian Church welcomes all persons into the membership and ministry of this congregation without regard to race, ethnic origin, gender, marital status, handicap, age, sexual orientation, worldly condition, or any other reason not related to profession of faith," and WHEREAS, on the joyous occasion of Bethany Presbyterian Church's 20th Anniversary as a More Light congregation, and a proud member of the national More Light Presbyterians organization, be it RESOLVED, Bethany Presbyterian Church reaffirms its commitment and dedication to the mission and ministry of inclusiveness for all, a ministry modeled by Jesus Christ, commanded in the Scriptures, and affirmed in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) *Book of Order*. By such guidance, acknowledging that "God alone is Lord of the conscience, and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments" of human beings, we bear witness that membership shall include all the responsibilities and privileges of our faith community, including ordination to the office of deacon or elder of "persons of strong faith, dedicated discipleship, and love of Jesus Christ." -- *Adopted by the Session on August 8, 1999.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Our Atlanta Chapter Hey y'all, Here's some of the news from the Greater Atlanta Chapter of MLP: 1. MLP of Greater Atlanta just received a grant from the Fund for Southern Communities. We plan to use this money to sponsor yet-to-be-determined education efforts in our area. Our committee is meeting this weekend to brainstorm. (The MLP members to thank are Barbara Gifford, Cynthia K. Warner, and Thelma Castleberry. They worked on the grant and "pitched" it to the Fund for Southern Communities.) Please celebrate with us, and pray that we are led by the Spirit as we meet to discern God's will for this money. 2. All five Georgia presbyteries are meeting in Atlanta in September. We have secured our usual information table (Go Thelma, Go Thelma!) and will be displaying stoles from the Shower of Stoles that represent members of the presbyteries present at the meeting. 3. Also, on that table will premiere our new brochure. It provides a description of MLP, our local meetings for 1999-2000, the powerful programs planned by our program committee, and a list of churches. The list of churches will highlight our two More Light churches, Clifton and Ormewood Park. (The Covenant Network churches were also asked to participate in the list. Those wishing to be included in the 'friendly church list' will also be in the brochure: Druid Hills, Nacoochee, North Decatur, Oakhurst, Rock Spring, Trinity-Atlanta. Thanks be to God for these hospitable churches.) So, although you don't hear from us a lot down here, know that our growing membership continues to persist with imagination and spirit. Please remember us when you pray. And pray without ceasing, OK? -- *Peace and strength to you, Victor Floyd, mlpATL@aol.com, MLP Liaison in Greater Atlanta Presbytery, (and Director of Music at North Decatur Presbyterian Church).* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * House Party! Want to have one? On Sunday August 1, 1999 we MLP members in the San Francisco Bay Area held our second annual house party fundraiser. This year funds from MLP house parties are going to support the work of our new fabulous field organizer, Michael Adee. This year we had 48 in attendance at the home of Tom and Mitzi Henderson, with many others who could not attend sending in a check nonetheless. We made about $2,200 in contributions and new memberships. We were graced by the presence of that very same fabulous field organizer. While he was in the Bay Area, Michael also preached at Stone Church in San Jose, a very nearly More Light Church, met with local TAMFS folks and with students and staff at San Francisco Theological Seminary. Those of you who agreed to put on an MLP house party in your area, please post to the list (mlp-list@scils.rutgers.edu) your progress and successes. If you haven't been contacted about putting on a house party but would be interested in volunteering your excellent skills, please contact me or the MLP liaison for your area as listed on the back pages of the *More Light Update* or on the MLP website (www.mlp.org). House parties are a wonderful way to get Michael out and about and welcome him to your area. It's an opportunity to line up preaching/speaking gigs for him and other schmoozing opportunities. Contact Michael for his traveling schedule (see contact info. on back page of the *Update*). This year we hope to raise $12,000 through house parties and we have done our part to bring the goal so far to $10,000. The challenge is on! Thanks to everyone who has agreed to sponsor a house party! -- *Lisa Larges * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Southern New England First Presbyterian Church of Hartford, CT & More Light Presbyterians of Southern New England invite you to *A Service of Dedication*, Sunday, 7 November at 7 P.M. at the Church, 136 Capitol Avenue, Hartford CT, 860-246-2224. The Family of the late Reverend Thomas E. Otte will present one of his liturgical stoles to the Shower of Stoles Project. Participants will introduce a new ministry continuing Reverend Otte's work with the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community. Participants in the service will include The Reverend Jane Adams Spahr, Evangelist, That All May Freely Serve. More than 100 stoles from the Shower of Stoles Project will be on view in the church. & & & Monday, 8 November, 1999 in The Common Room, Yale Divinity School 6 p.m.: Potluck Supper; 7 p.m.: Lecture by Virginia Davidson and the Reverend Janie Spahr, jointly sponsored by: Presbyterian Promise, First Presbyterian Church of New Haven, and Yale Divinity School Gay Lesbian Straight Bisexual Coalition. *First Presbyterian Church* of Hartford is an inviting church, drawing diverse people from throughout the capital region for worship and service in the city. *More Light Presbyterians* of Southern New England is a local chapter of More Light Presbyterians, an organization seeking the full participation of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people of faith in the life, ministry, and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA). *The Shower of Stoles* is a witness to all gay, lesbian, bi & transgendered ministers, elders, deacons and seminarians and all those who are active leaders, teachers, and workers in the church who cannot be ordained because of their sexual orientation. The collection now has over 500 liturgical stoles dedicated to LGBT Christians from all over North America. Over one third of the stoles have been submitted anonymously. *That All May Freely Serve* is a mission project of the Downtown United Presbyterian Church, Rochester NY in partnership with Westminster Presbyterian Church, Tiburon CA. TAMFS envisions a just and inclusive Presbyterian Church, a church in which all may freely serve. *Presbyterian Promise* is a ministry called to proclaim God's promise of justice and love in Jesus Christ by organizing inclusive and inquiring churches in the Presbytery of Southern New England into a community of mutual support for the empowerment of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered persons, and for outreach, education, and Christian evangelism. *First Presbyterian Church* of New Haven is a welcoming and diverse congregation of townsfolk, city dwellers and the university community. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Hate Crimes Briefing at Montreat Months ago Peg Atkins, Carol Smith and Eleanor Mockridge committed to a project we believed to have value and timeliness: a public policy briefing/legislative update on Hate Crimes Based on Sexual Orientation to be presented at the Presbyterian Peacemaking Conference, July 1999, in Montreat, NC. We have been awed to discover the experience becoming a wonderful gift to each of us. The briefing was well attended (estimates were around 100), print resources at our information table generated questions and conversations, and, regarding the conference as a whole, concerns about justice for LGBT persons and making the church more inclusive were raised repeatedly by speakers both in plenary sessions and in worship services. The most rewarding surprise came as many folks stopped by the table to browse and then lingered to tell us their stories. We never expected that staffing the table would provide a pastoral presence! -- *In gratitude for financial support from MLP, Eleanor Dendy Mockridge.* **PS for *More Light Update* readers**: for a packet of one of each of the print items distributed at the Peacemaking Conference and a cassette tape of the three briefing presentations, write to Eleanor Mockridge, 221 South Benton St., Palatine, IL 60067, or phone 847-963-8965. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Open Doors: National Capital Chapter Michael Adee, MLP's national field organizer, will lead the November Meeting (Sunday Nov. 14, 4 p.m., at Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church). Other events are planned for Michael as well. (For more information, contact the chapter. See contact info. in the chapter listing elsewhere in this *Update*.) Chapter Oversees Presbyterian Ad in Gay Paper A number of National Capital Presbytery congregations pay for a regular ad in the *Washington Blade* (one of the leading LGBT newspapers in the country). The Open Doors chapter now has oversight of the ad and has made some changes to it. The heading still says, "Presbyterian Churches Welcome You," but we've added an explanatory paragraph: "The following churches are committed to full GLBT inclusion in the life and ministry of the Church. Those marked by an asterisk (*) are members of *More Light Presbyterians* organizing to change denominational policy." The order of churches listed was determined by when they became a More Light congregation or when they joined the ad. Welcome to Western Presbyterian Church, the ad's most recent addition! If your congregation is welcoming but not yet included in the ad, share the possibility with them. The quarterly cost is determined by the size and number of participants. It had been averaging $135 per quarter. (Hey, a great idea for other chapters! -- JDA). -- *Taken from **Open Doors**, the newsletter of the National Capital Chapter, September 1999.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * EVENTS November 4-6, 1999. Covenant Network of Presbyterians: How shall the Church keep faith in challenging times? The 1999 Covenant Conference: Jesus Christ and the Church, Central Presbyterian Church, Atlanta. Douglas John Hall (Author and Theologian) and Barbara Wheeler (President, Auburn Seminary), Keynote Speakers. $100 prior to Sept. 10. Contact Covenant Network Administrative Office, 2515 Fillmore St., San Francisco, CA 94115, 415-351- 2196, fax 415-351-2198, www.covenantnetwork.org. November 13, 1999. Sex, Jesus, and the Presbyterian Church: A More Light Conference, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Norm Pott, Keynoter; Janie Spahr, Respondent; Lisa Larges, Workshop Leader. Montclair Presbyterian Church, Oakland, CA. Contact Pat Hoggatt, 510-635- 9909, PAHoggatt@worldnet.att.net November 19-21,1999. Henri J. Nouwen: From the Heart, led by Chris Glaser and Wendy Lywood. The life and writings of Henri Nouwen touched the lives of thousands before his untimely death. The prayers and sighs, dreams and hungers of his heart spoke to our own longings even as he struggled to remain faithful to Jesus. This retreat will provide for the dialogue to continue between his writings and our own musings. $240. Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center, 2495 Fox Gap Rd., Bangor, PA 18013- 9359, 610-588-1793, fax 610-588-8510, www.kirkridge.org January 6-9, 2000. The Gay Challenge in the New Millennium. Led by John McNeill and Daniel Helminiak. Through the gay community the Holy Spirit is working epochal changes. What are gay Christians called to at this time? With what special gifts? We will ponder and pray over the shape of Christianity in the new millennium. $300. Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center, 2495 Fox Gap Rd., Bangor, PA 18013-9359, 610-588-1793, fax 610-588-8510, www.kirkridge.org January 6-16, 2000. 28th Annual Workshop on Sexuality. Led by William Stayton, Brian McNaught, Pamela Wilson, Carol Dopp, Dick Cross, Alison Deming. Designed to increase awareness and understanding of one's own sexuality and that of others, explore models of sexual health, and increase the confidence and competence of professionals in areas of sexuality and diversity education. Includes 5-day Sexual Attitude Reassessment (SAR) followed by a day of skill-building workshops. Co-Sponsored by the Center for Sexuality & Religion. Held at Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center, 2495 Fox Gap Rd., Bangor, PA 18013- 9359, 610-588-1793, fax 610-588-8510, www.kirkridge.org. For more information or to register, contact coordinator Carol Dopp, P.O. Box 3158, Oakton, VA 22124, 703-532-3702, www.sexualityworkshop.com January 21-23, 2000. Learning to Tell Our Stories: Biography as Theology, led by Chris Glaser and Lisa Larges. Telling our stories is key to converting individuals and reforming the church. Develop skills for writing and speaking your spiritual truths and insights in a participant-friendly weekend. Friday 6 p.m. through Sunday 1 p.m. $90 registration, $110 room and board. Stony Point Center, a national conference center of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 17 Crickettown Road, Stony Point, NY 10980, 914-786-5674, 800-253-4285, fax: 914-786-5919. March 3-5, 2000. Jesus, Power and Sexuality, led by Carter Heyward and Delores Williams. Drawing multi-culturally on women's literature and Biblical texts, participants' experiences and leaders' theological work, this workshop will empower women to claim their bodies as resources of faith, power and pleasure. We will combine presentation, discussion, ritual with times of meditation, reflection, silence and play. $240. Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center, 2495 Fox Gap Rd., Bangor, PA 18013-9359, 610- 588-1793, fax 610-588-8510, www.kirkridge.org March 23-25, 2000. Spirituality, Campus and Community. 6th Annual Symposium on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues at the University of Rhode Island. Proposals for presentations solicited until December 1, 1999. Send 1-page abstract, including title, length of presentation, AV requirements, and significance to: Andrea Herrmann, URI, Dept. of Housing and Residential Life, Roger Williams Bldg., Kingston, RI 02881, 401-874-5162 (Andrew Winters or Andrea Hermann). June 24-July 1, 2000. General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) -- and many More Light Presbyterian events! Long Beach, CA. July 23-30, 2000. 28th Annual Workshop on Sexuality. See January 6-16 for description. August 3-6, 2000. Witness Our Welcome 2000 (WOW 2000!): God's Promise Is For You, an International celebration and witness to God's inclusive Love, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL (just 60 miles west of Chicago -- many transportation options). We will gather as members and friends of the Welcoming Church Movement to worship, study and play. We will gather in our human diversity to celebrate God's love for people of all sexual orientations. We will gather to experience the presence of Jesus Christ and participate in the Spirit's work to transform church and society. Sponsored by Welcoming Church Organizations of: American Baptist Church USA., Church of the Brethren/Mennonite, Disciples of Christ, Evangelical Lutheran Church, United Church of Canada, United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church, and Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) -- that's us! -- More Light Presbyterians! For more info or to volunteer, contact Ruth Garwood, 718-832-3265, garmack@worldnet.att.net * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * REQUESTS The Partners' Project Dear Friends, More Light Presbyterians and That All May Freely Serve are pleased to announce co-sponsorship of "The Partners' Project." In the tradition of the publications *Called Out* and *Called Out With*, the Partners' Project proposes to produce a booklet that celebrates the faithful, committed relationships of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Presbyterians. Our tentative working title: *Called Out Together.* With the publication of this work we hope to educate the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and others to the fact of our enduring relationships and to invite them better to understand who we are as LGBT people of faith. We hope you might join us in this endeavor! If you are in a committed relationship we invite you to submit your story. Our expectation is that these stories should be approximately 4 pages (double-spaced). As you write your story you might focus on the following questions: * As you describe your commitment and love for each other, what impact, if any, has the church played in your lives together? * How long have you been committed to each other? * Do you attend a faith community? Does this community honor your relationship? If so, how. If not, why? * Is your experience of faith an active component of your relationship? If so, please describe. These are simply suggestions. Please feel free to write your own story as you are so inspired! We look forward to hearing from you. We believe that this is an urgent time for the Presbyterian Church to hear these stories and learn from us. Please send your stories to: Dr. Bear Ride, C/O United University Church, 817 W. 34th St., Los Angeles, CA. 90007, Or fax: 213-748-5531, Or email: bears@usc.edu -- *In faith, Janie Spahr (That All May Freely Serve) and Bear Ride (More Light Presbyterians).* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * RESOURCES Videos: Christians Discuss Gay Theology Six 1-hour episodes: 1. Lesbianism, 2. The Bible and Homosexuality, 3. Same Sex Marriage, 4. God's Unconditional Love, 5. Is Homosexuality a Choice?, and 6. Inside the Metropolitan Community Church. Created by Everette Hatcher III for a public access TV channel in Little Rock, AR. Hatcher describes himself as a "member of the religious right," but he has gone out of his way to present "a very balanced film concerning the gay evangelical movement." I have seen the first two videos, and they are great. I even "enjoyed" the presentations by those who would enslave us! -- Jim Anderson. Each video contains two segments and costs $10, post paid within the U.S.A. Contact Everette Hatcher at Box 23416, Little Rock, AR 72221, 501-407- 0650, Everetteiii@aristotle.net * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * FEATURE STORIES Gay Pride & Family Values In this issue, we celebrate LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) pride with a sermon preached on Gay Pride Sunday by the Rev. Janet Parker at Rutgers Presbyterian Church, a More Light congregation in New York City. In addition to serving as parish associate at Rutgers Church, Janet is a full-time doctoral student in Christian ethics at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. "The Ties that Bind" by the Rev. Janet Parker Rutgers Presbyterian Church June 27, 1999 Text: Genesis 22:1-19, Matthew 10: 40-42 "After these things, God tested Abraham." Such a simple sentence, a little foreboding perhaps, but a rather bland introduction to what is surely one of the most horrifying episodes in biblical history, a story so viscerally revolting that the tellers and interpreters of the story have had to produce the most bizarre and elaborate rationalizations to justify its inclusion in our Bible. This is a story that can adequately be described only by the phrase coined by Professor Phyllis Trible to cover a handful of extremely offensive and disturbing texts in the Bible. It is, truly, a "text of terror." Hear again the command of God as it came to Abraham in Genesis 22. And God said, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." God said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you." What are we to do with this text of terror on Gay Pride Sunday? What do child sacrifice and gay pride have to do with one another? I wish that I could say that there was no connection; I wish that this could be a day only for light-hearted joy and celebration. But when I found out that this was the lectionary text for today, I immediately saw a connection, and so I have felt compelled to preach on this dark and disturbing story, and to ask some hard questions about the authority of the Bible and the nature of faith. As we embark onto this perilous journey this morning, we need to remember a key tenet of the Reformed faith, as we at Rutgers understand it. That is, that the Bible, while it witnesses to the Word of God, is not itself the infallible, inerrant words of God, as our fundamentalist friends believe. Presbyterians by and large acknowledge that the Bible was shaped by the cultures, worldviews, and time periods of its writers, and so we are free to assert, for example, that slavery is not compatible with the gospel, no matter how many times it was condoned in the Bible. We can approach this passage with assurance, then, that it is not blasphemous to question its authority and relevance for Christians today. And yet, the silence surrounding this text is deafening. Or rather, the attempts to rationalize the text and take it at face value, are astounding. Every biblical commentary I have read on this accepts the premise that God needed to test Abraham, and praises Abraham's obedience to God as the very pinnacle of faithfulness. No one seems to ask what kind of a God would put Abraham to such a test, and what kind of father would so unquestioningly obey such a God. What we need is a fresh look at this story, a new interpretation that doesn't flinch from the hard questions. How might we go about finding such a new understanding? I would suggest that what we need is a subversive re-reading of the story. The text tells Abraham's story, but what if instead of hearing Abraham's story, we were to listen instead to Isaac's story? What if we were to release Isaac from being merely the object of God's command and Abraham's obedience, and allowed him to become a subject with his own voice? Let's put ourselves in Isaac's place for a moment, and pulling together everything we know of Isaac's life both before and after this episode, let's imagine how he might have described it. Isaac speaks: "I shall never forget that day, for as long as I live, and I have vowed that my sons and daughters will never forget that day, and that they will tell their sons and daughters how it came to pass that Abraham, my father and their forefather, prepared to offer me, his only son, child of the promise, as a burnt offering to our God, Yahweh. I shall never forget that day because it marked the end of my age of innocence and the end of my father's relationship with my mother and me. "It was before dawn, the sky a rosy promise of a beautiful day ahead, when my father roused me and told me to saddle up and prepare for a long journey. I was excited as I always enjoyed trips with my father, and I eagerly prepared to leave. How could I have known that I would never return to my father's tents after that day? Two of our servant men went with us, good friends of mine since childhood. I didn't know where we were going but it hardly mattered; my father and I were embarking upon an adventure together and I was eager to please him. "But this journey was different from the start. My father, usually light-hearted and kind, was morose and irritable. A cloud of tension seemed to emanate from him which dampened all our spirits. All I knew was that we were going to fulfill a religious obligation, but why was it upsetting my father so? The third day dawned dark and cloudy; it was threatening rain, but no rain clouds could compete with my father's countenance. He walked as though he were carrying ten bushels of straw on his back, as though the weight would crush him. I longed to help him carry this strange burden, but he had gone to a place far beyond my reach. Gruffly, he told the servants that we must finish the journey alone, he and I, and I wondered what this meant. Then he told me we must offer a burnt sacrifice on the crest of the mountain. "I carried the wood for the offering, and he carried the coals from our fire and the knife. Everything should have seemed normal and yet I sensed that something was terribly wrong. Finally, I blurted out, Father, where is the lamb for the sacrifice? For I had an as yet unnamed dread growing in my heart. He tried to reassure me with his words, God would provide, but his face and his eyes had turned to stone. Fear gripped my stomach and intestines and crushed the air out of my lungs until I could hardly walk or breathe. Finally, he stopped. Methodically, he started building a fire, but still no lamb, no animal for the sacrifice. By then I knew something unspeakable, some ungodly crime was about to be committed, but I didn't know who had been appointed victim and who priest. Was I to be the offering, or would he ask me to slay him, my father, as an offering to God? At the same moment that the question formed in my mind I knew the answer. I would not, could not, sacrifice my father to his God, but if he asked me to climb onto that pyre, I would do it. How could I defy him, how could I refuse him anything. He had given me life, and as his son, in life and death I belonged to him. He owned me, as surely as his God owned him. "You know the rest of the story. I cannot bear to speak it aloud again. His God did provide, but not before an impenetrable wall had come down between us. God's gift of the lamb spared my body, but my soul -- my soul had already been sacrificed. I have looked everywhere for it, but I have not found it again; it is still pinned to that pile of wood and bones, free neither to live or die, but bound eternally to my father's vow of obedience to his God. As much as I loved him, I could not follow him down that mountain. It turned out that my mother also could not bear the sight of him after hearing what had happened. When I married my wife Rebekah, it was to my mother's tent that we returned. My father we knew again only in death -- when he buried my mother, and when I buried him. In life, he was dead to me already." And so, Isaac speaks, shattering millennia of silence, cover-ups and rationalizations, and tells this story in his own words. It is a very different story, isn't it? You see, it is dangerous to let victims speak, because when they open their mouths, they turn the world upside down. What seemed right before, now appears horribly wrong, heroes fall, traditions crumble, and virtues crack open and reveal a rotten core. It takes courage to listen to the Isaacs of this world, when we have been taught only to hear the Abrahams. Some of us have a lot to lose, and others a lot to gain, but the one sure thing is, we'll never be the same. So what can we learn from Isaac's story, and what on earth does it have to do with Gay Pride? First of all, we learn that Abraham's actions came at a terrible price, to himself and to his family. You have to read between the lines of the biblical text a little, but if you look carefully, you find that the real conclusion to this story is not with God's blessing and promise of descendants in verses 15-18. No, the real conclusion comes in verse 19, almost as an afterthought. The text says, "So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba." Something, or rather someone, is missing from this supposedly happy ending. Where is Isaac? His life had been spared, but when Abraham comes down off the mountain and returns home, he is accompanied only by his servants. Isaac is nowhere to be found. In fact, reading carefully the next few chapters of Genesis, it becomes clear that Abraham and Isaac never see each other again, until Isaac buries Abraham in Genesis 25. Even more startling perhaps, when Abraham returns from the mountain of sacrifice, Sarah has moved to Hebron. Abraham continues to live in Beersheba, and only goes to Hebron to bury Sarah after her death. God's first family, the family of the promise, is shattered by the events that took place on the mountain of Moriah. Abraham has his blessing, but all of the joy has been drained out of it, and it must ring hollow in his ears. Who is this family? Who are the Abrahams and Isaacs and Sarahs of our world? Once you know what to look for, they are everywhere. Mostly, you find them in families that have been ripped apart by allegiance to false gods. Perhaps you saw the article in last Sunday's *New York Times* about honor killings in Arab countries. So-called honor killings claim the lives of hundreds of women and girls each year in Arab countries, where some fathers, brothers and husbands feel honor-bound to hunt down and kill female family members suspected of premarital sex or adultery. These modern Abrahams feel commanded by their culture and their god to uphold an ancient tribal code, that stained honor can only be cleansed through blood. Since according to this code, honor resides in female sexual organs and behavior, it is women's blood that must be spilled when honor is tarnished. As Egyptian novelist Salwa Bakr explains, "Women are largely looked upon as bodies owned and protected by the husband, father, brother or even other relatives .... And these crimes are committed under the pretext that these men are defending not only their honor, but society's morality." The irony of course, is that Islam itself does not require or even sanction these honor killings. They are justified by twisted interpretations of Islam rooted in ancient tribal beliefs that the Prophet Mohammed condemned. And yet generation after generation of Abrahams continue to sacrifice their wives and daughters out of obedience to this moral code. Of course it's easier to point the finger at other cultures than to look at our own. Surely we don't have anything resembling honor killings or child sacrifice in this nation. We are a Judeo-Christian nation of enlightened people, who love and protect our families, right? Tell that to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered children who account for over half of the youth living in homeless shelters and foster homes in this city. Tell that to the 65% of those same youth who have attempted suicide at least once. A newly released Harvard study reveals that gay, lesbian and bisexual youth are three and a half times more likely than heterosexual youth to attempt suicide. They describe this as "a stunning societal failure to protect thousands of young people who need more -- not less -- support in every aspect of their lives." Queer youth are much more likely to run away, end up as teen prostitutes, attempt suicide and suffer beatings and abuse inside and outside of their homes than heterosexual youth. Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered children and youth are the Isaacs of our day. They are the sacrificial lambs on the altar of our society's morality. Whether they are explicitly targeted by the religious right, shamed by mainstream religion or merely neglected by liberal Christianity, they get the message. Inside, they feel that they are better off dead than alive. Their parents, countless Abrahams and Sarahs, reinforce this feeling whether it is through physical, verbal or emotional abuse, or through the shame that they feel about their children. Bowing to an internalized moral code steeped in centuries of homophobia, they sacrifice their children to a false god. I don't mean to imply that all parents of gay and lesbian youth are guilty of this, any more than that every Arab man is willing to kill his wife or daughter to save his honor. But as long as one parent can treat his or her child this way and be sanctioned by their church for doing so, it is simply unacceptable. And what about Isaac? What happens to the children caught in this tornado of homophobia and violence? The biblical Isaac gives us the clue. Most people imagine Isaac to be a small child when this episode occurs. But Jewish tradition, and a careful reading of the text, indicates that Isaac was not a boy but fully grown when this took place. Isaac is referred to in the Hebrew text as a young man, the same word used to describe the two servants who accompany Abraham. And Abraham -- remember that by this time he was over 100 -- was an old man. And as though the writer of this story wanted to be clear on this point, Abraham and Isaac go up the mountain alone, without the servants. Everything in the text suggests that Isaac must have gone along with his father's wish to sacrifice him on that mountain. Old and unaided, Abraham could not have subdued and bound Isaac. What happened up on the mountaintop? Did they struggle at all? Was there arguing, tears, or bitterness? Was there a tender moment of saying goodbye? We will never know. But as far as we can tell, Isaac *participated* in the preparations for sacrifice. He was complicit in his own victimization. Shocking? Of course. But surprising? Not really. Not when you think about how children who have experienced abuse of any kind react. Mostly, they still love their parents. Mostly, they just want to please them. Mostly, they take all the blame upon themselves, because that is far better than living with the possibility that their parents are wrong, or sick, or unable to really love them. Children need their parents more than anything else in the world, and will sacrifice their hearts and souls to win their parents' love. Children who grow up and learn how to be healthy adults have to re-evaluate what happened to them, to question their internalized shame and self-hate. People who have experienced any kind of victimization or oppression, whether it is due to child abuse, or racial discrimination, or sexism or homophobia, have to learn how to resist their victimization. We have to learn how to fight back and stand up and celebrate who we are. That is what this day is about. That's why every year, we dress up and have an outrageous parade and march down Fifth Avenue and act like lunatics. That's why thirty years ago a bunch of drag queens at the Stonewall Inn got fed up and started rioting when the police tried to arrest them for the umpteenth time. We, and I mean all of us now, for different reasons, all of us have to learn two things in this world. One is how to love, and the other is how to resist, which is the same thing as learning to love ourselves. Abraham's failure was a failure to love; Isaac's was a failure to resist. Both are equally destructive and abhorrent in the eyes of God. Silence equals death. That was the rallying cry of the movement to fight AIDS in the 1980's. Silence is the failure to resist; it is the failure to love ourselves by claiming who we are. Silence is lethal, claiming the lives of gay teens whose shame devours their souls, or whose bodies are brutalized while the rest of us say nothing. The silence must be broken. We must hear Isaac's voice. We must speak in our own voices, and be heard. And the silence is being broken. It is being broken in the Presbyterian Church, where gay, lesbian, bi and transgendered folks are coming forward and claiming their place in the body of Christ. We need a second Reformation in this church, and I am asking you today, let it begin here. I for one, will no longer be complicit in the sin of silence in this denomination. I will no longer obey the taboos imposed by a false god. And so I need to tell you today what I have not been able to say from the pulpit for ten years, since I was ordained in 1989, that I am a self-affirming, lesbian, Presbyterian minister. On this day of gay pride, I want to celebrate that with you, my congregation, and I truly feel that you are the church family that I never had. I want to thank you for your ministry of justice, and inclusion, and More Light that shines like a beacon in this Presbytery and throughout this denomination. You hold out the possibility that this church family might still be healed, and learn to live together in a peace founded upon justice rather than silence. In closing, we must ask, where was God in the story of Abraham and Isaac? If the god who commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac isn't the god we worship and serve, then what does God command us to do? It's really quite simple. A later prophet, perhaps remembering the story of Abraham and Isaac, tells us all we need to know about what it means to be faithful to God. As Micah says, "With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? God has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.?" Excerpted from Micah 6:6-8. Let us pray. God of justice, God of love, God of all who resist evil, help us to find our voices and to break the silence that smothers our souls. Give us the courage to claim our place as your children in the body of Christ, and open wide the doors of the church so that all of the excluded and abandoned can march through our doors and come home to You. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * What the Bible Says, or Doesn't Say, About Same Sex Relationships by Gene Huff The more I consider the predicament our church is in with regard to how it treats its gay and lesbian members, the more it becomes obvious to me that our exclusionary policies are born purely of the current cultural biases bogusly supported by selective biblical literalism. If we were convinced that a divorced person ought not be ordained we could find better scriptural support for that position than for opposition to the ordination of gays and lesbians. In the Presbyterian Church today, a very vocal group believes that gays and lesbians who make active use of the sexuality God has given them, are by that fact alone, sinful and that if unrepentant they should be barred from ordained leadership in the church. The vast majority of those persons base that opinion on what they believe the Bible says about homosexuality. In the battle over lesbians and gays in the church, that is the basic sticking point and until enough voting presbyters become convinced that the Bible does not support the exclusionary policy of the church, we are going to continue to be stuck in the present unpleasant and regrettable controversy. The church appears to be the victim of two unfortunate cultural tendencies. First, the typical human fear of "the other" and a resulting bias against it leads many heterosexual persons into prejudice about even the very idea of persons of the same gender making love to each other. Second is the irrational treatment of the Bible as an unimpeachable source of wisdom and truth on any subject one wants to use it for. When these two predispositions are combined, the result is that people of otherwise good sense and fair mindedness arrive at what is for them a compelling opposition to homosexuality which they have no compunction about supporting with quotations from the Bible. Last year I was struck mightily by the testimony of two of our well known social scientists who in separate interviews presented their homophobic views with great confidence and comfort on the basis of similar conclusions -- "After all it's in the Bible." I refer to Newt Gingrich and Trent Lott. But of course they were only following the commonly held notions of so many who revel in the convenient dodge such self serving comments allow. After all, the typical American citizen still considers that "if it is in the Bible, it must be so." But what that usually means is that our citizen merely seeks biblical approval for a particular personal opinion or private notion. Among that typical citizenry a serious understanding of the distinctive nature of biblical literature simply does not exist. That leaves the average person with a pretty steep hill to climb when it comes to dealing with what the Bible says or does not say about same sex relationships. It seems to me that we have two basic options when we examine the biblical material traditionally associated with homosexuality. The first approach is to study the half dozen or so passages purporting to deal with the subject very thoroughly and with all the exegetical tools available to us, but then honestly compare the results of that study with our contemporary understandings of homosexuality. In the other option, for the sake of simplifying the argument, we stipulate that the passages do deal with same sex relations but then consider honestly the extent to which the Bible is today as reliable a standard for private personal conduct as conservative folk continue to try to make it, albeit usually on a very selective basis. My own use of either of these options leads me to the conclusion that a biblical prohibition of what we observe today as same sex relations is entirely fallacious. The best test I have found for exploring particular bible passages comes from the work of the biblical scholar Robin Scroggs in his book, *The New Testament and Homosexuality*. He maintains that, "Biblical passages may have meaning for us today, provided: 1. The biblical statement itself is consonant with the larger major theological and ethical judgments which lie at the heart of the scripture and the church's experience through the ages; and 2. In order to serve as a guide to life today, the context today must bear reasonable similarity to the context of the biblical statement at the time of its having been written." When each of the famous passages from Genesis 19; Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13; Judges 19:22, ff.; Deuteronomy 23:17-18; I Corinthians 6:9-10; I Timothy 1:9-10 and Romans I:26-27 are tested by the Scroggs formula they inevitably fail. In my own experience in leading study groups in the church on what the Bible says -- or doesn't -- about same sex relationships, I developed two study tools which proved helpful as we worked through each passage. I present them here as illustrations of the kind of questions which need to be taken seriously when we consider what the Bible says, or doesn't about same sex relationships. A Framework of Relationships In exploring what the Bible appears to say about homosexuality, one continually encounters questions about human relationships as they relate to sexual behavior. This framework is intended for use in examining the relationships involved in each scriptural passage where reference to homosexuality seems to be present. Whenever a specific relationship is described, first locate it within this framework. Having done that, it is then possible to make comparison between our conception of relationships and what the Bible is dealing with in a particular text. This exercise is intended to assist us in drawing honest conclusions about what the Bible says about relationships, whether they are homosexual or heterosexual. I. Respectful Relationships: A. Union: Loving, caring, mutually consenting adult relationships where there is monogamous sexual expression. B. Dating: Exploratory relationships which develop within a continuum from initial tentativeness to possible eventual commitment but are essentially mutually consenting adult relationships and if a sexual expression is involved it is usually monogamous and is a step toward considering union. II. Abusive Relationships: A. Promiscuity: Less caring, serial relationships, often resulting in abuse of at least one partner. B. Prostitution: Less mutuality to none at all, primarily the abuse of one person by the other. C. Rape: No mutual consent; abuse clearly involved as an expression of violence rather than sex. Thirteen Probing Questions on What the Bible Says About Same Sex Relationships 1. What were the commonly accepted practices regarding homosexuality in the ancient world of biblical times? 2. Does the word homosexuality itself appear in the original texts of the Bible? If not, what Greek and Hebrew words have been translated to refer to homosexuality and what did they mean at the time they were written. (Word study: *arsenokoitai* and *malakoi*.) 3. Where do references to female homosexuality occur in the Bible? 4. What is the model of homosexuality some biblical authors opposed? 5. What was the cultural context of their opposition? 6. Does the Bible deal with homosexual acts which are practiced by mutually consenting people with a same sex orientation? Or does it deal with homosexual acts practiced in a degrading way by heterosexual people? 7. If the Bible's references traditionally associated with homosexuality always deal with dehumanizing and abusive sexual practices, are not the nature of those practices the proper target of condemnation rather than same sex relationships themselves? 8. Is the Bible dealing at all with the subject of homosexuality in general? 9. Does the Bible deal with loving, caring adult relationships of mutuality between persons of the same gender? 10. Is there only one natural expression of human sexuality: heterosexual intercourse and that being for procreation? 11. If sex between two persons is also natural when mutual pleasure and a genuine expression of human love is involved and not just procreation, why should the consideration of naturalness deal with the gender of the partners? 12. With Christ's teaching about life so central for Christian belief patterns, what are his words on the subject of homosexuality? Was he not always quite vocal regarding what he opposed? 13. How do loving, faithful sexual relationships between persons of the same sex violate Jesus' teachings or what we know as the basic principles of the Bible? (These two study tools were developed by Gene Huff for a class on "What the Bible Says About Homosexuality," March 1985.) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Why Are You Still Around? An Interview with Elder M. L. Presby "Why are you people still around?" A leader of More Light Presbyterians was asked that question. A leader in the Presbyterian Coalition was asking. The clear assumption: that in view of recent presbytery voting results, those who have been working for full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons in the Presbyterian church would by now have given up and taken a hike. Why are they still around? An inquiring reporter recently interviewed Elder M. L. Presby, probing the factors related to the question: Inquiring Reporter: Elder Presby, you must be pretty disappointed with the way recent votes in the church have gone. M. L. Presby: Well, that's true to a certain extent. But I was well aware of the strong opposition in many presbyteries. It is going to take more time for a majority in the church to accept its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members fully. IR: Many people do wonder why Presbyterian gays and lesbians remain in the church. Do you really believe the church will eventually approve the ordination of homosexuals? MLP: Yes, I do. I think it is just a matter of time. I'm certainly not leaving. I have been a Presbyterian all my life. It is my church! IR: What makes you think things will change? Amendment A failed to pass even more convincingly than B passed, did it not? MLP: Yes, but now there are signs of confusion and discontent at many places in the church in the aftermath of Amendment B. Several judicial cases are winding their way forward that call into serious question our blanket exclusion of gays and lesbians from leadership in the church. They challenge the wisdom and even the legality of what the change in the constitution has done to us. IR: Challenge the legality? What do you mean? How can a part of the constitution be illegal? MLP: Well, that is the question that some of the judicial cases are raising. At one place the *Book of Order* says all church members are eligible to hold office. So unless that section is removed, how can we come along and add a new section that says, "No, some of our members who are qualified in every other way, can be excluded from office due to their sexual orientation"? IR: But hasn't Amendment B put a damper on the More Light movement? Aren't congregations now pulling back from ordaining gays and lesbians as elders and deacons? MLP: I really don't think so. While several churches are facing judicial challenges to their ordaining of gay and lesbian members, many churches have long been ordaining their members without even considering their sexual orientation and without being challenged in their presbyteries. Most of them are still doing that although some may be a bit more quiet about it now just to stay out of trouble. A bunch of sessions signed statements of dissent when B was passed. Many presbyteries just look the other way. But a lot of Presbyterians are uncomfortable with that and want to see official changes. The so-called Milwaukee Overture is an evidence of that. IR: How can they justify their actions in view of the Bible's clear prohibition of homosexuality? MLP: Well, it would be one thing if there were complete agreement about that throughout the church. The authority of the Bible is very important to Presbyterians. We value an intelligent approach to its study including methods which have taken us far beyond the literalism many once assumed. I get so angry every time I see a news story about a politician explaining his or her opposition to gay and lesbian rights and being quoted as saying, "Look what the Bible says." The issue of what the Bible says or doesn't say about homosexuality is strictly a matter of interpretation. Thoughtful Presbyterian Biblical scholars have basically agreed to disagree as to the interpretation of the specific passages which purport to deal with homosexuality. But for many of us it appears to be a matter of selective literalism when we are asked to form our views about gays and lesbians based on statements written in an ancient time and culture without unpacking their local and time-bound contexts. While what the Bible says about slavery and divorce and about the role of women in the church once formed the basis for both civil law and church polity, that's no longer true. I wonder if there is not a bit of disingenuousness in our conservative friends' continued reference to Biblical passages when they argue their anti-gay case. Most of them are ordinarily better Bible students than that. IR: But what really makes you think a change will eventually come? MLP: Right now we are seeing a significant shift in the expansion of organized support for creating a fully inclusive church. The joining of Presbyterians for Lesbian & Gay Concerns and the More Light Church Network to form More Light Presbyterians is going to sharpen the focus and expand the visibility of the "inclusivites" in the church. That All May Freely Serve now has several outreach workers employed around the church. Allied groups such as the Witherspoon Society, Semper Reformanda and Voices of Sophia, while involved in a wide range of issues, continue to give vocal and effective support to this cause. And one of the most encouraging developments has been the formation of the Covenant Network which is working to organize the vast, loyal, moderate middle of the church, which has traditionally favored toleration and inclusiveness ever since the church battles earlier in this century. I can't help but believe that all this new energy is going to have a positive effect on attitudes in the pews and in the presbyteries, helping build new support for the changes that are needed. IR: What specific legislative angles do you see coming forth to bring about the changes you hope for? MLP: For starters there is the Milwaukee Presbytery overture which I am told may well keep coming until something like it passes. It simply calls for the removal of the paragraph which Amendment B's passage placed into the constitution, what is it? G-6.0106b, I think it is. All that is needed on qualifications for ordination is already there in the paragraph just before the bogus qualifications that Amendment B inserted -- factors including a sense of God's call to ministry; evidence of the God given gifts needed for ministry and the endorsement and acceptance of a local governing body -- sessions for elders and deacons and a presbyteries for ministers. Lets face it, the new paragraph is seriously flawed and next to impossible to understand, to say nothing of being responsibly enforced. Its sole purpose was to forestall what was feared to be an emerging ground swell favoring ordination for gay men and lesbians. We also need a way to disengage the so-called authoritative interpretation, a.k.a. definitive guidance, but the General Assembly stated clerk who first pronounced it binding on the church has long urged that. IR: What kind of timetable do you see for proposing changes like that? MLP: As they say, I have no crystal ball. But I do have a gut feeling that sometime early in the next decade an overture removing what B did will pass at the General Assembly, albeit probably narrowly. Assemblies are often more progressive than the church at large. It may well fail again at the presbytery level. But it is likely that the vote will be so close that supporters will send it up again at least in a couple of years and by that time it will probably also receive approval by enough presbyteries. Now that may not have very much effect on congregations. It certainly won't be a mandate for all congregations to ordain gays similar to what has been the case when women's ordination was approved. More and more congregations will have already been ordaining without regard to sexual orientation with few if any judicial interventions. They would then be completely free just to use their best judgment on ordinations. But the real breakthrough will be at the presbytery level when perhaps scores of candidates and closeted ministers are suddenly free to be themselves before God and the church as they receive ordination and are able to seek new calls. The only tragedy will be that so many gifted gay and lesbian Presbyterians called to ministry simply could not continue to wait and have accepted a welcome and ordination in other denominations, mostly in the United Church of Christ. What a loss! IR: Won't such a development bring schism or at least a wholesale loss of conservative Presbyterians from our church family? MLP: I don't really think so. Many of them are just as staunch in their Presbyterianism as are our gay and lesbian members and their allies. While many will likely be disappointed I think most of them will remain in our church family and I hope very much that they will. Look how the pro-life Presbyterians continue within the church in spite of its basically pro-choice position. There may be efforts to reverse such a constitutional change. But think about it. Once the way is open, even for the minimum of a single year there will be a considerable number of ordinations which will have taken place in good order. That would place the whole situation in a brand new place and it would hardly be reasonable or even feasible to go back to the old exclusions. I suppose it is possible that some conservatives will be so disappointed that they will leave. But there will still be plenty of congregations unaffected by this change, perhaps for years to come, where they can continue to be active Presbyterians. What will be great is that congregations wanting to be fully inclusive will finally be free to be who they truly are without being held back by exclusionary denominational policy. IR: I see the issue of same sex marriages is being raised again. Does this surprise you? MLP: Yes, it really does. Our denomination had dealt with that subject in the early 90s and agreed to place no restrictions on ministers officiating at services of commitment for same sex couples, often called holy unions, providing they didn't consider them to be marriages. And of course that throws a curious twist into the discussion. No state currently allows same sex marriages. Yet while not legally marriages, holy unions certainly achieve the very same objective -- a public recognition of the promise of two persons to live out their love in faithful commitment. It is a strangely illogical notion so many seem to have. They frown on gays because they think they are all promiscuous. But when gays publicly declare their commitment to monogamy, that's no good either. It is unfortunate to get the presbyteries riled up over that issue again. The presbytery that recently gave its approval to same sex commitment services didn't need to do that. It is already O.K. by GA action. As a matter of fact, many of us still feel it was unfortunate that a presbytery asked the General Assembly for guidance about the ordination of a gay man back in 1976 instead of just going ahead with his ordination based on what the constitution then said and without reference to his sexual orientation. IR: What do you see as the basic problem about the acceptance of gays and lesbians in the church, leaving aside the arguments over the Biblical passages? MLP: One of the chief factors is that so many Presbyterians still have not come to know personally any of their sisters or brothers in the church who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. They are out there in the pews and the Sunday School classes, but are still usually closeted and often for good reasons in terms of how they might otherwise be treated. It is a vicious cycle. Without open attitudes the church is cut off from getting to know its gay members which would help to create more open attitudes. We have such a great, but unfortunate, need to categorize people and lump them all together. The "exclusivites" in the church consider all lesbians and gays irresponsible and promiscuous. Many of the same people make far less fuss about similar heterosexual behavior. They simply do not recognize the validity of commitment and monogamy in same sex relationships. But when they learn that Mabel Brown's lovely granddaughter, Sue, whom they have known all her life is a lesbian or that their own physician, whom they have come to trust so thoroughly, is a gay man, well, eyes are opened, minds get changed and whole new attitudes develop. When enough of that kind of thing happens, acceptance of gays and lesbians comes along often rather swiftly. IR: Why is the issue of ordination so important to gays and lesbians and their straight allies? MLP: Well, we often ask ourselves that question. And many of us agree that there are other issues related to the lives of our gay and lesbian members that also need more attention -- such as stronger support for same sex unions, the tragically negative effect of the so-called change ministries, and needed breakthroughs in civil rights and domestic partner benefits. But the ability to participate in the governing and ministerial leadership of the church is very basic for Presbyterians. It is an important symbol for the exercising of God-given gifts in the community of faith; yet it is also far more than symbolic, for it relates back all the way to our baptism and to the way we receive the call of God to be involved in the ministry of Christ. Not that all members have a guaranteed right to be ordained, for not all receive the specifically needed gifts. But for those whom the community recognizes as called and gifted, it is just tragic for them not have hands laid upon them, just because of their sexual orientation. IR: By the way, what is this "more light" business? Do you people really think you have more intelligence than the rest of the church about what the church should be like? MLP: No, not at all. It's not a matter of intelligence anyway. These are very much matters of the Spirit. The phrase "more light" comes from the words of Pastor John Robinison back in 1620 when he was sending the pilgrims off to the new world in search of religious freedom and justice. If I recall it correctly it is something like "Let a new and better hope be stirred, for God hath yet more light and truth to break forth from the Word." We took the phrase for our name because we recognize that the Spirit is never quite finished with us or with the church and new light is always falling into our lives, bringing fresh insights and new understandings as to what it means to be the Church of Jesus Christ. IR: Why do you think we are so deeply divided about the issue of homosexuality in the church these days? MLP: I think it is really sexuality that has us tied up in knots. The issues related to gays and lesbians are just a part of our struggle to understand and deal with the complexities of human sexuality. It is a struggle faced by our whole culture, but it seems to take on a highly emotional turn within the church community. Our sexuality is one of God's many good gifts, and while many of us fall short of using that gift well, we each have the ability to exercise responsibility in our sexual relationships regardless of sexual orientation. As the so-called Rochester Declaration of 1997 says so well, the gender of the partners in a sexual relationship is not a sign by which its inherent worth and acceptability before God can be judged. IR: Thanks very much, Elder Presby, for sharing your interesting opinions with us. MLP: You bet. We have a long way to go toward full inclusiveness in our church, but I truly believe it is only a matter of time. Fortunately it is God's time. (Contributed by Gene Huff, retired member of San Francisco Presbytery and member of the national executive board of More Light Presbyterians, March 1999. First published in *Network News* of the Witherspoon Society, June, 1999. Reprinted here with thanks (and with permission!) -- JDA.) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * We're Here, We're Faithful, Deal With It Challenging the Exclusionist Amendment B Two important cases will have been heard by the Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC) of the Synod of the Northeast by the time this *Update* goes to press. The first case deals with the re- installation of an openly gay elder by the session of First Presbyterian Church of Stamford, CT. The second deals with the conscientious stand against Amendment B taken by Christ Church Presbyterian in Burlington, VT. In an historic decision, the first dealing with Amendment B, the PJC of the Presbytery of Southern New England sided with First Church Stamford, saying that Amendment B cannot be used to bar the installation of an openly gay man in a loving relationship with another man. The *Update* published this decision in the July-August 1999 issue, pages 17-20. This presbytery PJC decision was appealed to the Synod, and on October 7, 1999, the Synod PJC heard the appeal. Their decision will be issued later. On October 8, the Synod PJC will hear a complaint against the Presbytery of Northern New England, faulting them for siding with Christ Church Presbyterian, when Christ Church proclaimed that it was simply impossible to follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the major inclusiveness provisions of the *Book of Order* while, at the same time, adhering to the conflicting exclusivist dictates of Amendment B. To help you follow the Christ Church case, we publish here the full text of the Christ Church statement. In November 1999, the Synod of the Northeast PJC will hear two more "Amendment B" cases. The first is a complaint against the Presbytery of Hudson River for voting to reaffirm the current policy of the General Assembly regarding same-sex "holy unions" performed by Presbyterian ministers in Presbyterian churches. See the September-October 1999 *Update*, pages 15-16, for back ground on that case. The other November case is a complaint against the Presbytery of West Jersey for approving an openly gay man as a candidate for the ministry. Stay tuned! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Christ Church, Presbyterian, Burlington, Vermont Report of the Session to the Presbytery of Northern New England (Adopted unanimously on June 18, 1998) We have struggled mightily with the heavy burden that the Presbytery of Northern New England laid on us on March 7, 1998. We have prayerfully studied the *Book of Order*, the *Book of Confessions*, and our conscience, both individually and collectively. We have felt the pain of our sisters and brothers in Christ who are now contemplating another betrayal. We have wrestled with the problem of providing leadership for our congregation under the qualifications in Amendment B (*Book of Order*, G-6.0106b). Most importantly, we have prayed for guidance from the head of the Church, Jesus the Christ, who stands with us at Communion and in every part of our journey. Sadly, we have not found a way to be in compliance with G-6.0106b without harming deeply the church community that we are called to lead. No amount of corrective or disciplinary action is going to make this problem go away, and in our connectional church, this problem belongs as much to Presbytery as it does to Christ Church. Our dilemma is this: as long as G-6.0106b remains, we believe that no congregation can be fully in compliance with a *Book of Order* that contradicts that paragraph with numerous provisions mandating an inclusive church. Furthermore, the list of archaic sins in the Confessions, made law by G-6.0106b, is so out of date that it disqualifies most members from holding office. Congregations in full compliance probably could not ordain a full slate of elders and deacons. We at Christ Church, Presbyterian are deeply convinced that the Holy Spirit leads and blesses our congregation in its ministry to gays and lesbians. We are equally convinced that this ministry is in full compliance with both the spirit and the greater part of the *Book of Order*, which reflects a polity informed by the life and teaching of Jesus. We fear that Presbytery knows little about our ministry. We tried to communicate its Spirit-filled vitality through the visiting committee, which asked what we wanted it to tell Presbytery. In response, gay and straight folks bared their souls, telling how their faith in God carried them through dangerous and depressing situations. Several said plainly that Christ Church's ministry had saved their lives. All members present told the committee that we will not turn our backs on our gay brothers and lesbian sisters. A clergyman from this Presbytery testified, "What an enriching spiritual experience we had at Christ Church on Thursday night. The faith enfleshed and vital. And what a healing place you have, a sanctuary, yes. I am so glad I was able to be there." Everyone felt the Holy Spirit move that night, but Presbytery heard nothing of this. In support of our belief that our ministry is compliant with the greater part of the *Book of Order*, we bring to Presbytery's attention a number of mandates and our sense of how they inform our position. (G-1.0100a) "God has put all things under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and has made Christ Head of the Church, which is his body. (G-1.0100b) "Christ is present with the Church in both Spirit and Word. It belongs for Christ alone to rule, to teach, to call, and to use the Church as he wills, exercising his authority by the ministry of men and women for the establishment and extension of his Kingdom." (G-1.0100c) "Insofar as Christ's will for the Church is set forth in Scripture, it is to be obeyed. In the worship and service of God and the government of the church, matters are to be ordered according to the Word by reason and sound judgment, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit." (G-1.0100d) "In affirming with the earliest Christians that Jesus is Lord, the Church confesses that he is its hope and that the Church, as Christ's body, is bound to his authority and thus free to live in the lively, joyous reality of the grace of God." These sections of the *Book of Order* remind us that God put Christ at the head of our church and that Christ calls us to ministry within it. G-1.0100c correctly notes that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) does not hold the Bible to be inerrant, rather instructing that it be interpreted with "reason and sound judgment" under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as the church did when it opened itself fully to the leadership of women. Finally, G-1.0100d affirms that the "lively, joyous reality" of God's grace frees us to act boldly. (G-1.0305) The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) holds "that there are truths and forms with respect to which men of good characters and principles may differ. And in all these we think that it is the duty both of private Christians and societies to exercise mutual forbearance toward each other." Reputable theologians from the mainstream of the Presbyterian Church have developed a substantial body of thought contending that the Biblical passages allegedly condemning homosexuality have been misinterpreted and that Biblical justification of discrimination is weak. While we do not expect all to agree, the body of such interpretation is strong enough to deserve respect under G-1.0305. (G-4.0402) "Our unity in Christ enables and requires the church to be open to all persons and to the varieties of talents and gifts of God's people, including those who are in the communities of the arts and sciences." (G-4.0403) "The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) shall give full expression to the rich diversity within its membership and shall provide means which will assure a greater inclusiveness leading to wholeness in its emerging life." (G-5.0103) In congregations of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the church "shall welcome all persons who respond in trust and obedience to God's grace in Jesus Christ and desire to become part of the membership and ministry of the Church. No persons shall be denied membership because of race, ethnic origin, worldly condition, or any other reason not related to profession of faith. Each member must seek the grace of openness in extending the fellowship of Christ to all persons. (G-9.0104) Failure to do so constitutes a rejection of Christ himself and causes a scandal to the gospel." (G-5.0202) In congregations of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), active members are "entitled to all the rights and privileges of the church, including the right ... to take part in meetings of the congregation, and to vote and hold office." (G-6.0102) "One responsibility of membership in the church is the election of officers who are ordained to fulfill particular functions," and "ordained officers differ from other members in function only." (G-6.0106a) Members of the church called to an office of ministry, in addition to possessing necessary gifts and abilities, "should be persons of strong faith, dedicated discipleship, and love of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord," whose lives should be "a demonstration of the Christian gospel in the Church and in the world," and who "must have the approval of God's people and the concurring judgment of a governing body of the Church." (G-6.0107) "The government of this Church is representative, and the right of God's people to elect their officers is inalienable." These mandates clearly affirm that all people are welcome in the Presbyterian Church and that all members are entitled to election to ordained office if their congregation finds them worthy and if they meet standards that have nothing to do with sexuality or marital status. At Christ Church, we are dedicated to compliance with the letter and spirit of all these mandates from the *Book of Order*. Anything less, according to G- 5.0103 "constitutes a rejection of Christ himself and causes a scandal to the gospel." Presbytery, however, has instructed us to be in conformity with G-6.0106b, the "Fidelity and Chastity" amendment: "Those who are called to office in the church are to lead a life of obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic confessional standards of the church. Among these standards is the requirement to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman (W-4.9001), or chastity in singleness. Persons refusing to repent of any self-acknowledged practice which the confessions call sin shall not be ordained and/or installed as deacons, elders, or ministers of the Word and Sacrament." The problems with this section are legion. First of all, it raises bars to ordination that are expressly prohibited in G- 5.0103 and G-5.0202. What are we to make of sections of the *Book of Order* that contradict each other? Are two sections to be weighed more heavily than one? Second, the condemnation of "homosexual perversion" in the Heidelberg Catechism is a mistranslation and cannot legitimately be used against gay and lesbian Christians. The Larger Catechism, which condemns sodomy -- itself a term that stems from a mistranslation -- apparently would require sessions to examine all candidates for ordination -- gay or straight, married or single - - about their sexual practices. We believe that such intimate details of our lives should remain private. Third, although the Presbyterian Church cannot legitimately sustain its anti-gay bias with the unambiguous support of either scripture or the confessions, G-6.0106b deliberately makes no provision for relationships between lesbian and gay couples that are considered sufficiently "moral" to allow a full leadership role in the church. This is purposefully discriminatory. Fourth, by disqualifying all who refuse "to repent of any self- acknowledged practice which the confessions call sin," G-6.0106b sets alleged standards for ordination to church office that are unreasonable and unsound. For example, Sunday recreation, specifically prohibited by the Shorter Catechism, would disqualify folks who otherwise fall well within Presbyterian practice. A long list of similar "sins" might make it difficult for a fully compliant church to fill its offices. Since such extreme standards appear to be selectively applied only to those suspected of being gay, G-6.0106b stands as a clear reflection of the Presbyterian Church's hypocrisy regarding gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered Christians in the full life of the Church. So broadly written that it cannot legitimately sustain its apparent purpose -- driving gay and lesbian Christians out of the Church -- G-6.0106b may render churches ungovernable or force them to share its hypocrisy. Jesus, the head of our church in whose spirit we stand, didn't say a word about homosexuality, but he had many harsh things to say about religious hypocrisy. Therefore, in instructing us to be in compliance, we perceive that Presbytery has given us three choices, all of which put the congregation that we are ordained to lead in jeopardy and threaten its life as a Presbyterian congregation: First: we could follow the dictates of G-6.0106b and create "a scandal to the gospel" by denigrating sincere Christians whom Christ has called to membership and ministry within our community. Second: we could lie or ask our ordinands to lie, claiming that we are in complete compliance. If Presbytery accepts this, it will be drawn into the widening circles of hypocrisy created by G-6.0106b. Third: we could risk being honest with Presbytery, sharing our convictions with its members, and reporting truthfully. We cannot be fully in compliance with a *Book of Order* that contradicts itself, but we are dedicated to being in compliance with the spirit and greater part of its provisions. We firmly believe that Christ calls us to the position that we hold, because it is grounded firmly in Jesus' great commandment that we love God with all our hearts and minds and souls and strength and our neighbors as ourselves. -- *Yours in Jesus Christ, the only true and very present head of the church, R. Hunt, Clerk, For the Session.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Covenant Network John Buchanan on the State of the Church The Covenant Network of Presbyterians put on a great luncheon at General Assembly, featuring two moving presentation, first by John Buchanan, out-going co-moderator of the Covenant Network, and the other one by Peter J. Gomes, openly gay Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Ministry in The Memorial Church, Harvard University. Here we present excerpts from John Buchanan's remarks. The complete text of both talks is available at the Covenant Network website: www.covenantnetwork.org. Audiotapes ($10 each) are also available from the Covenant Network administrative office, c/o Calvary Presbyterian Church, 2515 Fillmore St., San Francisco, CA 94115, 415-351-2196, fax 415-351- 2198. Excerpts from John Buchanan's Remarks In the past 12 months, this Covenant Network of Presbyterians has come of age. We are still very new -- we came into being just two years ago. We have held two national conferences and this is our second G.A. luncheon. We're still new; but it is very clear that the Presbyterian Church (USA) needs the voice and witness and faith and love of this organization. And another thing is clear to me -- namely that thousands and thousands of Presbyterians look to the Covenant Network to articulate and present a theology of the church that is different and more expansive and more grace-filled and more inclusive than the ecclesiology represented by G-6.0106b. Can two ecclesiologies live together in the same church? Of course they can -- they always have. Until 1997, it never occurred to many if not most Presbyterians that whether or not you believed gay and lesbian persons could be ordained was a litmus test upon which to test your Presbyterianism, if not your acceptance of the authority of Scripture and the Lordship of Jesus Christ. But in two years that is where we have come -- if you read what I read and hear the lectures and speeches I hear: if you do not agree with G-6.0106b, if your trust in God's word and your reliance on the grace of Jesus Christ for your salvation will not allow you to affirm -- or "obey" it (and by the way, when did "obedience" to a constitution -- when did obedience to anything or anyone but Jesus Christ become orthodox Presbyterianism? I don't think John Calvin or John Knox would have had anything to do with it. But I digress), if your personal faith convictions about Scripture, Jesus Christ, and the church will not allow you to affirm or live for long with the prohibitions regarding ordination contained in G-6.0106b -- the space for you in the church is getting smaller by the day. Well, the Covenant Network exists because there are many of us who cannot, as they say, go there. And, I believe, there are many -- I think, the vast majority of Presbyterians -- who, while they may not personally approve of the ordination of gay and lesbian persons, nevertheless do not want their church to be focused on, sometimes obsessed with, organized around that prohibition. And they certainly do not want it to be split or to be deeply divided. ... You simply cannot read scripture and avoid the radical inclusivity of God's love. You cannot claim the tradition without claiming the part of it that judges the tradition's own exclusivity. You cannot claim the name of Jesus and ignore his embrace of those his own religion marginalized. We tried to do that for centuries on the basis of race. We held out as long as we could on gender and even marital status. And we're at it again -- this time on the basis of sexual orientation. It is in light of scripture -- not in spite of scripture -- that we are here. It is not a matter of political correctness. It has nothing to do with accommodating the amorality and relativism of post-modern culture. It has everything in the world to do with the God who surprises everybody by transcending the customs and boundaries and orthodoxies and orthopraxies of the religion that claims God's name and reaches out to include the outsider, the God who -- right in the midst of the big story -- hears the cries of the abandoned child. Friends, that's good news. And when that love and amazing grace get to work in an institution, when God's inclusive love is working in a community of faith, lives start changing: life starts to overcome death, rebirth starts to happen, people start to live again and laugh and love, thirst is quenched, life renewed. And that is why we are here today. And that is why we're not going anywhere but into the future, with hope and confidence. And that is why the mission of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians is a source of life and hope for the Presbyterian Church (USA). Thank you. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * In the Larger Church LGBT-Affirming Religious Leaders Carry Message of Faith to Colorado Springs Outstanding attendance, media coverage accompanies public forum Colorado Springs, August 24, 1999. The National Religious Leadership Roundtable wrapped up a two-day meeting here after more than 200 people attended a public forum Monday night that acknowledged the unique contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. The Roundtable is an interfaith network of leaders from pro-LGBT faith, spiritual and religious organizations working in partnership with other justice-seeking groups to amplify the voice of pro-LGBT faith organizations in public discourse; promote understanding of and respect for pro-LGBT people within society and in communities of faith; promote understanding and respect within LGBT communities for a variety of faith paths and for religious liberty; and achieve commonly held goals which promote equality, spirituality and justice. Roundtable attendees represent hundreds of churches and synagogues and millions of worshipers. The Roundtable is co- sponsored by the Policy Institute of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and Equal Partners in Faith. "In recent years, people of faith have served on the front line against homophobia and paid severe consequences for their support of LGBT equality," said Urvashi Vaid, director of the Policy Institute of NGLTF. "From Reverend Jimmy Creech to Sister Jeannine Gramick to the 68 ministers of the United Methodist Church facing trial for holding marriage ceremonies, the civil rights movement and the faith movement are intimately linked. The truth is that a vigorous, pro-LGBT, faith-based movement exists and is growing stronger." The public forum, entitled, "Spirituality and Sexuality: In the Image of God," attracted reporters from *The New York Times* and the Associated Press as well as LGBT media and local broadcast and print media. Also in attendance were representatives of anti- gay religious right political groups. The forum featured the Rev. Jimmy Creech, an ordained elder (minister) in the United Methodist Church who was put on trial for holding a covenant ceremony between two women; Rabbi Stephen Foster, from Denver who was active in the fight against Amendment 2 in Colorado; Rev. Carlton W. Veazey, president and CEO of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice and founder of the Religious Coalition's Black Church Initiative; Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum of the LGBT-synagogue Congregation Beth Simchat Torah based in New York City; Rev. Patti Ackerman of Integrity, an Episcopalian group; Rev. Elder Nori Rost of the Pikes Peak Metropolitan Community Church in Colorado Springs; and Rev. Bill Johnson of the Office of LGB Concerns of the United Church of Christ. "Religious fundamentalists cannot claim to speak for all people of faith," said Rev. Ackerman. "Controversy surrounds LGBT issues precisely because consensus in faith communities does not." "We as people of faith affirm that standing for LGBT equality does not conflict with our religious beliefs," said Laura Montgomery-Rutt, national organizer for Equal Partners in Faith. "Our voices are growing stronger by the day and will not be silenced." Monday night's public forum was held in conjunction with the semi-annual meeting of the National Religious Leadership Roundtable. The Roundtable includes more than 40 national leaders from a wide array of faith traditions, including Unitarian Universalist Association of America, Al-Fatiha Foundation (LGBTQ Muslims & Friends), American Friends Service Committee, U.S. Urban Rural Mission, World Council of Churches, Dignity/USA (Catholics), World Congress of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Jewish Organizations, United Methodist Covenant Relationships Network, The Interfaith Working Group, Reconciling Congregations Program, Disciples Justice Action Network, Methodist Federation for Social Action, The Interfaith Alliance, Soulforce, Unity Fellowship Church, New Ways Ministry, Integrity (Episcopalian), Affirmation (United Methodist), The Brethren/Mennonite Council, Gay Lesbian and Affirming Disciples Alliance, Lutherans Concerned/North America, More Light Presbyterians, Metropolitan Community Church, AIDS National Interfaith Network, Christians Lesbians OUT, Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons, Interweave, Q Spirit, Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, Evangelicals' Concerned, Lutheran Lesbian and Gay Ministries, and United Church of Christ Coalition for LGBT Concerns. Equal Partners in Faith is a multi-racial, multi-faith national network of religious leaders and people of faith committed to equality and diversity. Our diverse faith traditions and shared religious values lead us to affirm and defend the equality of all people, regardless of religion, race, gender or sexual orientation. Equal Partners in Faith actively opposes the manipulation of religion to promote exclusion and inequality. The Policy Institute of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is a think-tank dedicated to research, policy analysis, strategy development and coalition building to advance the equality and understanding of LGBT people. -- *Press release from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.* Religious Roundtable Calls for Meeting with Focus on the Family's James Dobson Colorado Springs, August 25, 1999. The National Religious Leadership Roundtable issued a public statement calling for a meeting with Dr. James Dobson, president of Focus on the Family, to begin a more honest dialogue among religious leaders on issues surrounding faith, lesbian gay bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, and civil rights. The public statement issued Wednesday followed a two-day meeting in which Roundtable participants discussed how to strengthen the unique role and contributions that LGBT people play in their faith communities. The National Religious Leadership Roundtable petition to James Dobson reads in part, "Like Dr. Dobson and his colleagues, we are people of faith committed to empowering whole and healthy families. In that spirit we ask Dr. Dobson to meet with us, to hear our case, and together, to begin a process of seeking truth about homosexuality and homosexuals." "Members of mainstream denominations such as my own are influenced by the misinformation perpetuated by James Dobson," **said Elder Marco Grimaldo of More Light Presbyterians.** "As a consequence, these half-truths hinder the conversations that we can have in our own faith communities." "As a pastor and a mother working and raising a child in Colorado Springs, I am daily confronted with the way Dr. Dobson works against his stated goals to empower families," said Rev. Elder Nori Rost of Pikes Peak Metropolitan Community Church. "We hope that by meeting with Dr. Dobson we can begin to clear up the harm that is caused by his inflammatory and untrue rhetoric." Rev. Mel White of Soulforce adds, "I want to be clear that we support Dr. Dobson's right to preach his conscience about homosexuality. The statement released is a plea that he stop the dangerous anti-homosexual messages that divide families and cause suffering," "The Religious Roundtable seeks this meeting in the spirit of constructive engagement," noted NGLTF Policy Institute director Urvashi Vaid, " For too long the religious right's spiritual and moral mischaracterizations of homosexuality have gone unchallenged. The Religious Roundtable is network of people of faith eager to move from diatribe and invective into dialogue." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * MORE LIGHT PRESBYTERIANS 4737 County Road 101, PMB# 246 Minnetonka, MN 55345-2634 732-249-1016, http://www.mlp.org NATIONAL FIELD ORGANIZER, Michael J. Adee, M.Div., Ph.D., 369 Montezuma Ave., PMB #447, Santa Fe, NM 87501-2626, 505-820-7082, fax 505-820-2540, MichaelAdee@aol.com MLP OFFICERS Officers are also MLP Board Members. The dates following each name indicate the end of current board terms; an "I" indicates board members representing individual members; a "G" indicates board members representing governing body members. CO-MODERATORS: Scott D. Anderson (2000-I), 5805 20th Ave., Sacramento, CA 95820-3107, 916-456-7225 h., 442-5447 w., Scott_Anderson.parti@ecunet.org; Mitzi Henderson (2001-G), 16 Sunset Lane, Menlo Park, CA 94025-6732, 650-854-2598, fax 650- 854-4177, MHenderson@pcusa.org, mitzigh@aol.com COMMUNICATIONS SECRETARY: Donna Michelle Riley (2002-G), 271 Varsity Ave. #6, Princeton, NJ 08540, 609-720-0954, dmriley@alumni.princeton.edu RECORDING SECRETARY: Rob Cummings (2002-I), P.O. Box 394, Jackson Center, PA 16133-0394, 724-475-3285, robcum@toolcity.net TREASURER: Joanne Sizoo (2000-I), 5901 Cleves Warsaw Pkwy., Cincinnati, OH 45233, 513-922-8764 h., joanne_sizoo@pcusa.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * MLP Board of Directors James D. Anderson (2001-I), P.O. Box 38, New Brunswick, NJ 08903- 0038, 732-249-1016, 732-932-7501 (Rutgers Univ.), FAX 732-932- 6916 (Rutgers Univ.), JDA@scils.rutgers.edu Ralph Carter (2000-G), 111 Milburn St., Rochester, NY 14607- 2918, 716-271-7649, rcarter@rpa.net Tricia Dykers Koenig (2001-G), 3967 Navahoe Rd., Cleveland Heights, OH 44121, 216-381-0156, tricia_dykers_koenig.parti@ecunet.org Gene Huff (2002-I), 658 25th Ave., San Francisco, CA 94121, 415- 668-1145, huffrevs@hooked.net Lisa Larges (2000-G), 1452 Vancouver Dr., Burlingame, CA 94010, 650-347-4087, LLL@igc.org Tammy Lindahl (2000-I), 57 Upton Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55405, 612-377-2191 h., tammy_lindahl.parti@ecunet.org John McNeese (2001-I), P. O. Box 54606, Oklahoma City, OK 73154- 1606, 405-848-2819, john33@ix.netcom.com William H. Moss (Bill, 2001-I), 535 Steiner St., San Francisco, CA 94117, 415-864-0477, WHMoss@aol.com Bear Ride (2002-G), 817 W. 34th St., Los Angeles, CA 90007, 626- 398-9936, 213-748-0209 ext 13, fax 213-748-5521, bears@usc.edu Robin White (2000-I), 24 E. Mt. Vernon Pl., Baltimore, MD 21202, 410-230-0340 home, 410-435-4330 church, RKayeWhite@aol.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * MLP National Liaisons MORE LIGHT UPDATE, James D. Anderson, Editor, P.O. Box 38, New Brunswick, NJ 08903-0038, 732-249-1016, 732-932-7501 (Rutgers Univ.), FAX 732-932-6916 (Rutgers Univ.), JDA@scils.rutgers.edu WEBSITE: Donna Michelle Riley, 271 Varsity Ave. #6, Princeton, NJ 08540, 609-720-0954, dmriley@alumni.princeton.edu MLP DATABASE (Beginning Fall 1999): Dick Lundy, 5525 Timber Ln., Excelsior, MN 55331, 612-470-0093 h., dick_lundy@pcusa.org PRESBYNET: Dorothy Fillmore, 7113 Dexter, Richmond, VA 23226, 804-285-9040 h., 804-828-8420 w., 804-274-0874 voice mail, dfillmore.parti@ecunet.org, dfillmor@atlas.vcu.edu CHAPTERS & LIAISONS: Michael J. Adee, M.Div., Ph.D., 369 Montezuma Ave., PMB #447, Santa Fe, NM 87501-2626, 505-820-7082, fax 505-820-2540, MichaelAdee@aol.com CHAPTER CONSULTANT: Gene Huff, 658 25th Ave., San Francisco, CA 94121, 415-668-1145, huffrevs@hooked.net SEMINARY & CAMPUS GROUPS: Johanna Bos, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 1044 Alta Visa Rd., Louisville, KY 40205- 1798, jbos@lpts.edu JUDICIAL ISSUES: Bear Ride, 817 W. 34th St., Los Angeles, CA 90007, 626-398-9936, 213-748-0209 ext 13, fax 213-748-5521, bears@usc.edu; Tony De La Rosa, 5850 Benner St. #302, Los Angeles, CA 90042, 323-256-2787, tony_de_la_rosa.parti@ecunet.org or tonydlr@ix.netcom.com; Peter Oddleifson, c/o Harris, Beach and Wilcox, 130 E. Main St., Rochester, NY 14604, 716-232-4440 w., 716-232-1573 fax. PRISON MINISTRIES: Jud van Gorder, 915 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95060-3440, 831-423-3829. ECUMENICAL CONFERENCE: Dick Hasbany, 2245 NW Hazel, Corvallis, OR 97330, 541-753-6277, hasbanyd@ccmail.orst.edu SHOWER OF STOLES PROJECT: Martha G. Juillerat, Director, 57 Upton Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55405, 612-377-8792, stoleproj@aol.com; Martha_Juillerat.parti@ecunet.org THAT ALL MAY FREELY SERVE: Chuck Lundeen, Session of Downtown Presbyterian Church, 121 N Fitzhugh St., Rochester NY 14614, 716- 325-4000, PRESBYTERIAN AIDS NETWORK (PAN): John M. Trompen, 48 Lakeview Dr., Morris Plains, NJ 07950-1950, 201-538-1655. PRESBYTERIAN ACT-UP: Lisa Bove, 1037 N. Ogden, #10, West Hollywood, CA 90046, 323-650-2425, revlbove@juno.com; Howard Warren, Jr., 2807 Somerset Bay, Indianapolis, IN 46240, 317-632- 0123 w., 317-253-2377 h. BISEXUAL CONCERNS: The Rev. Kathleen Buckley, 2532 Rosendale Rd., Schenectady, NY 12309-1312, 518-382-5342; Skidmore College chaplain 518-584-5000 ext 2271, email kbuckley@skidmore.edu; Union College protestant chaplain, 518-388-6618, buckleyk@gar.union.edu TRANSGENDER CONCERNS: Carla T. Pridgen, M.Div, M.Ed., 5 Delano Rd., Asheville, NC 28805, 828-285-9752; Erin K. Swenson, 1071 Delaware Ave. S.E., Atlanta, GA 30316-2469, 404-627-4825, ErinSwen@aol.com YOUTH CONCERNS: Brian Cave, BCave2@juno.com EUROPE: Jack Huizenga, Voice of America, 76 Shoe Lane, London EC4A 3JB, U.K., jwhuizen@dircon.co.uk, tel: (171) 410- 0960, preceded by 011-44 if calling from the U.S. LATIN AMERICA: The Rev. Tom Hanks, Lavalle 376-2D, 1047 Buenos Aires, Argentina, thanks@thanks.wamani.apc.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * MLP Chapters MLP chapters provide an opportunity for local gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Presbyterians and their straight allies to come together regularly to carry out a variety of functions and tasks which are seen to be important and appropriate for a particular area. Some are large; others are small. Most meet monthly, some less often but are always on call for taking on strategic tasks. All are able to provide strong personal support for their members for the individual journeys they travel at this point in their lives and in the life of the Presbyterian Church. Chapters themselves decide what specific tasks and roles they wish to take on, based on the stated mission of MLP. For information about organizing a chapter, please refer to our brief statement called "Tips for Organizing a MLP Chapter." It is found on our web page (http://www.mlp.org) or can be secured along with other advice from our national field organizer Michael Adee (369 Montezuma Ave., PMB #447, Santa Fe, NM 87501-2626, 505- 820-7082, fax 505-820-2540, MichaelAdee@aol.com). Corrections and other changes in the chapter information listings should be sent to Michael. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Seminary and Campus Chapters LIAISON: Johanna Bos, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 1044 Alta Visa Rd., Louisville, KY 40205-1798, jbos@lpts.edu CHICAGO THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: Heyward / Boswell Society. Marilyn Nash, 5757 South University Ave., Chicago, IL 60637, mnash100@aol.com LOUISVILLE PRESBYTERIAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: Student Chapter. Johanna Bos, 1044 Alta Vista Dr., Louisville, KY 40205, 502-8985- 3411, jbos@lpts.edu McCORMICK THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: Student Chapter. Tanya Denley and Jon Bassinger, 5555 South Woodlawn, Chcicago, IL 60637, TDenley@juno.com, JBassinger@aol.com SAN FRANCISCO THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: SFTS More Light Presbyterians (San Francisco Theological Seminary). Dave Brague and Shelly Holle, 2 Kensington Rd., San Anselmo, CA 94960, 415-256-8349, DSBrague@jps.net, SHolle@sfts.gtulink.edu * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Presbytery & Regional Chapters Persons listed are moderators or contact persons for each chapter. See also our state-by-state list of MLP liaisons! BOSTON AND NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND: Ken Wolvington, 118 Shore Rd., Burlington, VT 05401-2658, 802-862-6605, ken.wolvington@pcusa.org SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND: Jack Hartwein-Sanchez, 149 Bramble Way, Tiverton, RI 02878, 401-624-6698. NEW JERSEY: James D. Anderson, P.O. Box 38, New Brunswick, NJ 08903-0038, 732-249-1016, JDA@scils.rutgers.edu MONMOUTH (NEW JERSEY): Linda Rogers, Toms River, NJ, 732-473- 9155, mail via More Light Presbyterians, P.O. Box 38, New Brunswick, NJ 08903-0038. GENESEE VALLEY: Kay Wroblewski, 74 Freemont Rd., Rochester, NY 14612, 716-663-6632; Ralph Carter, 111 Millburn St., Rochester, NY 14607-2918, 716-271-7649, ralph.carter@pcusa.org PITTSBURGH: Robert J. Boston, Moderator, P. O. Box 15784, Pittsburgh, PA 15244, 412-795-0828. LAKE ERIE: Evan Marie McJunkin, 5440 Washington Ave., Erie, PA 16509, 814-864-1920., evan@erie.net BALTIMORE: Joan Campbell, 3401 White Ave, Baltimore MD 21214- 2348, 410-254-5908, ThomCAM96@aol.com DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Dana vanBever, 3500 Russell Road, Alexandria, VA 22305, 703-683-2644, jdvangreen@aol.com; Jeanne MacKenzie, 725 3rd St., SW, Washington, DC 202-554-8281, jmackenzie@execware.com EASTERN VIRGINIA: Carol Bayma, 4937 Olive Grove Ln. Virginia Beach, VA 23455-5218, 757-497-6584, AliceAndCarol@prodigy.com TRIANGLE (NORTH CAROLINA): James R. Foster, 500 Meadow Run Dr., Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8022, 919-933-0498, j-efoster@mindspring.com ATLANTA: Victor Floyd, 2480 Briarcliff Rd., NE, Atlanta, GA 30329, 404-633-6530, mlpatl@aol.com NORTHERN OHIO: George Smith, 13349 Spruce Run Dr., Apt. 103, North Royalton, OH 44133, 440-230-1301, GeoEMSmith@aol.com; Carole R. Minor, 339 St. Leger Ave. Akron, OH 44305. CENTRAL INDIANA: Howard Warren, Jr. 2807 Somerset Bay, Indianapolis, IN 46240, 317-253-2377. DETROIT / SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN: John Lovegren & Dan Isenschmid, 269 McKinley Ave, Grosse Pointe Farms,MI, 48236, 313-885-9047, pointetox@copmpuserve.com MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: Dick Myers, 549 West Manor Circle, Bayside, WI 53217- 1735; 414-228-7466, dmyers@execpc.com; John Gregg, 1018 South 28th St., Milwaykee, WI 53215-1612, jgregg@aero.net CENTRAL ARKANSAS: Greg Adams, 314 Steven, Little Rock, AR, 72205, 501-224-4724, sgadams@Aristotle.net LOUISIANA: Ellen Morgan, 2285 Cedardale, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, 504-344-3930. OKLAHOMA: John McNeese, P. O. Box 54606, Oklahoma City, OK 73154- 1606, 405-848-2819, john33@ix.netcom.com GREATER HOUSTON: Lynn Johnson, 1625 Harold, Houston, TX 77006, 713-523-5222, tilj1@aol.com; Sara Jean Jackson, 4383 Fiest Lane, Houston, TX 77004, 713-748-4025, sjackson@netropolis.net; Pat and Gail Rickey, 13114 Houston Hills, Houston, TX 77069, 281-440- 0353, patrickey@aol.com GRACE PRESBYTERY (Dallas / Fort Worth, TX): Don Grainger, 4606 Cedar Springs, #1227, Dallas, TX 75219, 214-528-6278, harcourtbrace.com; Jean Martin, 1220 Brookside Dr., Hurst,TX 76053, 817-282-7449, martin@metronet.com LOS RANCHOS (ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA): Linda A. Malcor, P.O. Box 749, Laguna Beach, CA 92656, 949-425-9979. Monthly meetings: Nov. 13, 1999, Dec. 4, 1999, Jan. 22, 2000. Most meetings are held in the Social Hall at St. Mark Presbyterian Church, Newport Beach, CA. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * MLP State Liaisons This listing is intended for the use of persons wishing to be in touch with local MLP churches, chapters and friends. The persons named for each state stand ready to answer questions about what is going on in their areas and to assist those who wish to join MLP's campaign for a truly inclusive Presbyterian Church by working in their local communities. See also our geographical listing of chapters. ALABAMA: Marianne Forbes, 617 Briarwood Dr., Auburn, AL 36830, 334-502-0650, RevM4bz@aol.com; James M. Wilson, 100 Kelly Creek Dr., Odenville, AL 35120, 205-640-1763, jmrjmw@mindspring.com ARIZONA: Rosemarie Wallace, 710 W. Los Lagos Vista Ave., Mesa, AZ 85210, 602-892-5255. ARKANSAS: Greg Adams, 314 Steven, Little Rock, AR, 72205, 501- 224-4724, sgadams@Aristotle.net CALIFORNIA: Lisa Bove, 1037 N. Ogden, #10, West Hollywood, CA 90046, 323-650-2425, revlbove@juno.com; Tony DeLa Rosa, 5850 Benner St. #302, Los Angeles, CA 90042, 213-256-27878, tonydlr@ixcom.com; Linda Malcor, P.O. Box 749, Laguna Beach, CA 92656, 949-425-9979, Legend@malcor.com; Lisa Larges, 1452 Vancouver Dr., Burlingame, CA 94010, 650-347-4087, LLL@igc.org; Bill Moss, 535 Steiner St., San Francisco, CA 94117, 415-864- 0477, WHMoss@aol.com; Scott Anderson, 5805 20th Ave., Sacramento, CA 95820, 916-456-7225, Scott_Anderson.parti@ecunet.org COLORADO: Laurene Lafontaine, 3128 Vallejo St., Denver, CO 80211, 303-561-4722, lafden@aol.com CONNECTICUT: John Hartwein-Sanchez, 149 Bramble Way, Tiverton, RI 02878, 401-624-6698. DELAWARE: Patrick Evans, 101 West 18th St., Wilmington, DE 19802, pevans@UDel.edu; Jeff Krehbiel, 500 W. 8th St., Wilmington, DE, 19801, 302- 656-8362, email:Jeff_Krehbiel.parti@pcusa.org DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Dana vanBever, 3500 Russell Road,Alexandria, VA 22305, 703-683-2644, jdvangreen@aol.com FLORIDA: Laurie Kraus, 5275 Sunset Dr., Miami, FL 33143, 305-666- 8586, madam@gate.net GEORGIA: Victor Floyd, 853 Willivee Dr., Decatur, GA 30033, 404- 633-6530 h., mlpatl@aol.com IDAHO: Jean Mixner, 524 Almond St., Nampa, ID 83686, 208-467- 1326, Jmixner@aol.com ILLINOIS: Mark Palermo, 6171 N. Sheridan Rd. #2701, Chicago IL 60660-5839, 773-338-0452; Chicago Area: John Hobbs, 2970 N. Lake Shore Dr. #18B, Chicago, IL 60657, john@icnetco.com; Judith Foster, 32B Marento Ave., Forest Park, IL 60130, jfoster@kodak.com INDIANA: Howard Warren, Jr. 2807 Somerset Bay, Indianapolis, IN 46249, 317-253-2377. IOWA: Robin and Rick Chambers, 907 Fifth Ave, Iowa City, IA 52240, 319-354-2765, RChamb2912@aol.com; Mike Smith, 1211 West St., Grinnell, IA 50112, 515-236-7955, Michael_D_Smith@ecunet.org KANSAS: Tammy Rider, 3001 SW Randolph, Apt. A, Topeka, KS 66611, 785-266-6695, TRider7140@aol.com KENTUCKY: Michael Purintun, 522 Belgravia Ct., Apt. 2, Louisville, KY 40208, 502-637-4734, michael_purintun@pcusa.org LOUISIANNA: Ellen Morgan, 2285; Cedardale, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, 225-344-3930. MAINE: Ken Wolvington, 118 Shore Rd., Burlington, VT 05401- 2658, 802-862-6605, ken.wolvington@pcusa.org MARYLAND: Joan Campbell, 3401 White Ave, Baltimore MD 21214-2348, 410-254-5908, ThomCAM96@aol.com MASSACHUSETTS: Ken Wolvington, 118 Shore Rd., Burlington, VT 05401-2658, 802-862-6605, ken.wolvington@pcusa.org; John Hartwein-Sanchez, 149 Bramble Way, Tiverton, RI 02878, 401-624- 6698. MICHIGAN: John Lovegren & Dan Isenschmid, 269 McKinley Ave, Grosse Pointe Farms,MI, 48236, 313-885-9047, pointetox@copmpuserve. com MINNESOTA: Tammy Lindahl, 57 Upton Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55405, 612-377-2191, tammy_lindahl@ecunet.org; Dick Lundy & Lucille Goodwyne, 5525 Timber Ln., Excelsior, MN 55331, 612- 470-0093, dick_lundy@pcusa.org MISSOURI: Jeff Light, 4433 Campbell, Kansas City, MO 64110, 816- 561-0555, JeffLight@aol.com; Peg & Doug Atkins, 747 N. Taylor, Kirkwood, MO 63122, 314-822-3296, peganddoug_atkins@pcusa.org NEBRASKA: Cleve Evans, 3810 S. 13th St., #22, Omaha, NE 68107- 2260, 402-733-1360, cevans@scholars.bellevue.edu NEW HAMPSHIRE: Ken Wolvington, 118 Shore Rd., Burlington, VT 05401- 2658, 802-862-6605, ken.wolvington@pcusa.org NEW JERSEY: Donna Riley, 271 Varsity Ave. #6, Princeton, NJ 08540,609-720-0954, dmriley@alumni.princeton. edu; Jim Anderson, P. O. Box 38, New Brunswick, NJ, 08903-0038, 732-249-1016, JDA@scils.rutgers.edu NEW MEXICO: Linda Manwarren, 7720 Browning Dr. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109-5303, 505-858-0249. NEW YORK: Charlie Mitchell, 56 Perry St., #3-R, New York, NY 10014, 212-691-7118; Cathy Blaser, 350 W. 85th St., New York, NY 10024, 212-595-8976, Catblaser@aol.com; Kay Wroblewski, 74 Freemont Rd., Rochester, NY 14612, 716-663-6632. NORTH CAROLINA: James R. Foster, 500 Meadow Run Dr., Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8022, 919-933-0498, j-efoster@mindspring.com OHIO: Tricia Dykers Koenig, 3967 Navahoe Rd., Cleveland Hts. OH 44121, 216-381-0156, tricia_dykers_koenig@ecunet.org; Hal Porter, 4160 Paddock Rd.,Cincinnati, OH 45229, 513-861-5996, hgporter@hotmail.com OKLAHOMA: John P. McNeese, P.O. Box 54606, Oklahoma City, 73120- 1404, 405-848-2819, mcneese@theshop.net OREGON: We need a volunteer! PENNSYLVANIA: Rob Cummings (Pittsburgh Area), P. O. Box 394, Jackson Center, PA 15133-0394, 724-475-3285, robcum@toolcity.net; Eleanor Green, P.O. Box 6296, Lancaster, PA 17603, 717-397-9068; David Huting (Philadelphia Area), 215-735-4139, David_Huting@vanguard.com RHODE ISLAND: John Hartwein-Sanchez, 149 Bramble Way, Tiverton, RI 02878, 401-624-6698. TEXAS: Jay Kleine, 1108 Toyath St., Austin, TX 78703-3921, 512- 477-7418; Gail Rickey, 13114 Holston Hills, Houston, TX 77069, 713-440-0353, patrickey@aol.com; Don Grainger, 4606 Cedar Springs, #1227, Dallas, TX 75219, 214-528-6278, harcourtbrace.com VERMONT: Ken Wolvington, 118 Shore Rd., Burlington, VT 05401- 2658, 802-862-6605, ken.wolvington@pcusa.org VIRGINIA: Marco Antonio Grimaldo, 2848 Fairhaven Ave., Alexandria, VA 22303, 703-960-0432, mgrimaldo@juno.com WASHINGTON: Lindsay Thompson, P.O. Box 2631, Seattle, WA 98111- 2631, 206-285-4130, LThomp6394@aol.com; Richard Gibson, 18808 68th Ave. W., Lynnwood, WA 98036, 425-774-7007, RKGibson@juno.com WASHINGTON, DC: See District of Columiba. WISCONSIN: Richard Winslow, 111 E. Water St., #100, Appleton, WI 54911-5791, 414-731-0892. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * PRESBYTERIAN ALLY ORGANIZATIONS This is a list of other organizations working for a truly inclusive Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Please send me additions and corrections. -- Thanks! Jim Anderson. Covenant Network of Presbyterians CNP is a network of Presbyterians who care about our church and its witness, considering what it means to be faithful Presbyterians in a time of challenging controversy. How can we and our congregations live with the new ordination standard, G- 6.0106b, in our *Book of Order* and still be faithful to our own understanding of the Gospel. Pam Byers, Exec. Director. Administrative Office: c/o Calvary Presbyterian Church, 2515 Fillmore St., San Francisco, CA 94115, 415-351-2196, fax 415-351- 2198, www.covenantnetwork.org Hesed (Hebrew: The Covenant of Steadfast Love) Hesed is an informal coalition of PCUSA. ordained and lay church leaders dedicated to the affirmation -- in obedience to Scripture and within the Reformed Tradition and Presbyterian polity -- of the inclusiveness of God's Grace and of the love of Jesus Church for all his followers. Virginia L. Lewis, Moderator/Webmistress, 600-B Hedgewood Dr., Georgetown, TX 78628, 512-863-1802, 512-863-1846 fax, lewisv@southwestern.edu, website: http://www.southwestern.edu/lewisv/Hesed/Hesed.html The Lazarus Project "A Ministry of Reconciliation," The Rev. Donn Crail, Director, West Hollywood Presbyterian Church, 7350 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90046. Presbyterian AIDS Network (PAN) PAN is one of 10 networks of the Presbyterian Health Education & Welfare Association (PHEWA). PHEWA is a related ministry of the National Ministries Division, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). PHEWA provides resources to individuals, congregations, and middle governing bodies in the fields of social welfare and justice ministries. PHEWA also works to make the church more responsive to the needs of the excluded and suffering. Alice Davis and Phil Jamison, co-moderators; Bob Gillespie, treasurer; Marge Marsh, secretary; Daniel Kendrick, at large member to the Executive Committee and PHEWA board; James Hicks, Annie Long, Dora Carrera, Marco Grimaldo, Lorna Jean Miller, Howard Warren, leadership team members. Address: c/o PHEWA, Room 3041, 100 Witherspoon St., Louisville, KY 40202-1396. Presbyterian Parents of Gays and Lesbians Caring for Each Other: A support group for parents. PPGL groups are being established on a nationwide basis. A web site and support telephone line offer help to parents and direction to those interested in organizing a PPGL support group in their specific locale. Identities of parent participants are closely guarded and meeting locations are not publicized. This nonprofit ministry welcomes and now includes parents, grandparents and siblings of all faiths, beliefs and backgrounds. There are no dues or membership fees. PPGL is not involved in: political or social activism; professional guidance, counseling or therapy services; HIV/AIDS caregiving ministries; or efforts or ministries to elicit changes in sexual orientation. For more information, interested parents may call PPGL's support line at 972-219-6063, or contact Margaret E. Gurecky, Director, PPGL, Inc., P.O. Box 600882, Dallas, TX 75360-0882, 972-436-5237; Board President: The Rev. Dr. Roger T. Quillin, 214-827-5521. -- PPGL press release, Jan. 1, 1999. Presbyterian Partnership of Conscience (P.P.C.) P.P.C., a partnership project of MLP, That All May Freely Serve, the Witherspoon Society, Semper Reformanda, Voices of Sophia, the Stole Project, and friends, helps coordinate faithful action and statements of conscience and supports *pro bono* legal counsel in defense of individuals, congregations, and governing bodies targeted for judicial action in the courts of the church. Contact Bear Ride, Coordinator, c/o United University Church, 817 W. 34th St., Los Angeles, CA 90007, 213- 748-0209 ext. 13, fax 213-748-5521, bears@usc.edu Presbyterian Welcome "Inclusive Churches Working Together," Cliff Frasier, Coordinator, Jan Hus Church, 351 E. 74th St., New York, NY 10021, 212-288-6743. Semper Reformanda Semper Reformanda (Always Being Reformed) is a network of groups and individuals within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) formed to share information and develop support on current issues of liberation, justice, and the integrity of creation. We are called by God's spirit to renewed commitment to, understanding of, and witnessing for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, open to new expressions of our faith. We welcome those who are committed to compassion, mutual respect, and continuing reformation, moving toward shalom. Kenneth R. Smith, Moderator, 16240 N. Park Dr., #102, Southfield, MI 48075, 248-569-1223; June Ramage Rogers, Vice Moderator, P.O. Box 23, Hanover, IN 47243-0023, 812-866- 3334; John N. Gregg, Secretary/Communicator, 1018 S. 28th St., Milwaukee, WI 53215-1612, 414-385-0311, John_Gregg.parti@ecunet.org; Mae Gautier, Treasurer, 4242 Elmwood Rd., Cleveland, OH 44121, 216-691-9558. That All May Freely Serve (TAMFS) TAMFS focuses on a national effort to give voice to those disenfranchised by the Church's policies toward ordination of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered persons and to educate others regarding biblical and theological connections supporting full inclusion. Contact the Rev. Dr. Jane Adams Spahr, Lesbian Evangelist, P.O. Box 3707, San Rafael, CA 94912-3707, 415-457- 8004, 454-2564 fax, website: http://www.tamfs.org Send Contributions to: Downtown United Presbyterian Church, 121 N. Fitzhugh St., Rochester, NY 14614, 716-325-4000, -6023 fax. TAMFS has local chapters around the country. Two of them have called their own ministers of outreach and justice, the Rev. Don Stroud in Baltimore (TAMFS: Baltimore, 5828 York Rd., Baltimore, MD, 21212), and the Rev. Tom Hickok in Chicago. Voices of Sophia Voices of Sophia is a community of women and men in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that affirms feminist / womanist / mujerista theologies and seeks to be faithful to God's Spirit in our lives. We call the church to reclaim the fullness of God's image, embrace the diversity of the world, work for justice and inclusiveness in church and society, and celebrate the voices and gifts of women. Voices of Sophia sponsors national and regional gatherings, as well as an annual breakfast at General Assembly. Ecumenical partners are invited to join. Membership is $20/year and includes the newsletter *Illuminations*. Contact Voices of Sophia, 223 Choctaw Rd., Louisville, KY 40207. The Witherspoon Society The Witherspoon Society is a society of justice-seeking Presbyterians ... advocating for peace, justice, the integrity of creation, and the full inclusion of all God's people in church and society. The Rev. Dr. Eugene TeSelle, president, The Divinity School, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240, 615-297-2629 h., 322- 2773 w., Eugene_TeSelle.parti@ecunet.org The Rev. Robb Gwaltney, vice president, 5303 Indian Woods Dr., Louisville, KY 40207-2079, 502-895-2079, Robb_Gwaltney.parti@ecunet.org The Rev. Jean Rodenbough, secretary/communicator, 313 S. Market St., Madison, NC 27025, 910-548-6158 h., Jean_Rodenbough.parti@ecunet.org The Rev. Hank Bremer, treasurer, 4355 Kenyon Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90066, 310-397-6916 h., 435-1804 w., 495-2223 fax, 72066.543@compuserve.com The Rev. Chris Iosso, issues analyst, 191 Revolutionary Rd., Scarborough, NY 10510, 914-944-8070 h., 941-1142 w., Christian_Iosso.parti@ecunet.org The Rev. Tom Heger, membership coordinator, P.O. Box 1359, Manchaca, TX 78652, 512-282-7586 h., -6200 w., Tom_Heger.parti@ecunet.org Ray and Betty Kersting, membership secretaries, 305 Loma Arisco, Santa Fe, NM 87501, 505-982-4548, Ray_and_Betty_Kersting.parti@ecunet.org The Rev. Doug King, newsletter editor, 7833 Somerset Cir., Woodbury, MN 55125-2334, 612-731-4885 h., Don_King.parti@ecunet.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * MASTHEAD (Publication Information) MORE LIGHT UPDATE, Volume 20, Number 2, November-December 1999. ISSN 0889-3985. Published bimonthly by More Light Presbyterians (Presbyterians for Lesbian & Gay Concerns), an organization of Ministers, Elders, Deacons, Members, Congregations and other Governing Bodies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Elder James D. Anderson, Editor, P.O. Box 38, New Brunswick, NJ 08903- 0038, 732-249-1016, 732-932-7501 (Rutgers University), fax 732- 932-6916 (Rutgers University), Internet: JDA@mariner.rutgers.edu (or JDA@scils.rutgers.edu), DeWitt House 206, 185 College Ave., New Brunswick, NJ 08901. Editorial Associate: Lindsay Thompson; Printer: Ken Barta, Brunswick Typographic Inc.; Production Associate: Caridad Elva de las Mercedes Navarro Gallardo de Catala. Electronic version available via email. Email Discussion List: mlp-list@scils.rutgers.edu (To join, send email to: Majordomo@scils.rutgers.edu; in body of message put: subscribe mlp-list; to leave list, put: unsubscribe mlp-list. MLP home page: http://www.mlp.org Send materials marked "For publication" to the editor. PUBLICATION DEADLINES: 6 weeks prior to issue months. Most material appearing in MORE LIGHT UPDATE is placed in the public domain. With the exception of individual articles that carry their own copyright notice, articles may be freely copied or reprinted. We ask only that MORE LIGHT UPDATE be credited and its address be given for those who might wish to contact us. Suggested annual membership contribution to MLP: $50.00. Annual subscription (included in membership) to MORE LIGHT UPDATE: $18.00. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * corrected version 10-23-99