[MLPnews] MLPNews June 8, 2004

[mlpnews at mylist.net]

      MLP News


      ....working for the full inclusion of LGBT people of faith
      in the life, ministry, and witness of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
     Volume 1
      Issue 6
      June 8, 2004










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In This Issue

  More Light Sunday is a HIT! Tell us what you did - photos welcome!
  Save the Date - Next More Light Sunday June 5, 2005
  Volunteer Opportunities
  GA Strategy Update
  Support our Work at General Assembly

More Light Sunday is a HIT! Tell us what you did - photos welcome!

Churches east, west, and in-between showed their commitment to the More
Light movement on Sunday June 6 by taking action to mark the first annual
More Light Sunday. Each participating church expressed its commitment to the
More Light movement in a unique way, some with special music and liturgy,
some by sharing brochures and handouts, and some with showings of the new
MLP Hearts & Minds video series.

Reports are already starting to come in with news of plenty of creative
activity surrounding this new day in the church year. At First Palo Alto
(California), the worship service featured "The More Light Players" in a
skit complete with musical accompaniment and royal palace intrigue. In New
Mexico's Santa Fe Presbytery, at least four churches participated in marking
More Light Sunday -- a fantasic number, since no churches in New Mexico have
(yet) officially declared themselves "More Light". Great job Santa Fe!

What did YOUR church do for More Light Sunday? Tell us about it at
morelightsunday at mlp.org so that we can share it with the national More Light
movement. If you've got digital photos (lower resolution is
better), feel free to attach those as well.

SAVE THE DATE - next More Light Sunday is June 5, 2005

Missed out on the excitement this year? Never fear, More Light Sunday
happens each year. Mark your calendar now for June 5, 2005, and watch the
MLP web site at www.mlp.org/morelightsunday for more news of this year's,
and next year's More Light Sunday.

Volunteer Opportunities

Wondering how you can help More Light Presbyterians with more than just your
financial contribution? Here are two ways that you can help. Volunteers must
be current MLP members.


1. ADDRESS WRANGLER (2 hours/month)

A few times each month, postal mail to an MLP member bounces back to us
because the member has moved and didn't give us a forwarding address. The
More Light Address Wrangler is responsible for using the remaining contact
information that we do have (phone numbers and email, typically) to track
down a current postal address for the member. This is an easy but important
volunteer position with MLP,
with a time commitment of a few hours each month. Interested? Email MLP
board member Bruce Hahne at hahne at io.com.


2. MORE LIGHT LIBRARY CATALOGER (15 hours, one-time commitment)

More Light Presbyterians is in the process of migrating its video and book
lending library (see www.mlp.org/resources/video.html) to a new,
professionally-managed facility. As part of the migration process, we need
several volunteers to edit and type in descriptive text for a small portion
of the collection, using the informational text already written on the book
jackets and videotape packaging. Each More Light
Library Cataloger will temporarily receive a portion of the collection
(about 50 items) in the mail so that you can catalog it, under the direction
of our More Light Library Transition Team. Volunteers for this position
should be comfortable using a computer spreadsheet program such as Excel,
and should expect to do a fair amount of typing. Help us to make our library
more available to the world! For more information, email MLP board member
Bruce Hahne at hahne at io.com.

MLP General Assembly Strategy Update

In addition to our work on other business related to full equality for LGBT
people in the life, ministry, and witness of the PCUSA, More Light
Presbyterians has issued the following Position Statement on Ordination
Standards for the 2004 GA:

The national movement of More Light Presbyterians urges your strongest
support for 04–49 (Twin Cities, concurrence: Hudson River).

Of the many overtures calling for the removal of all onerous, discriminatory
and exclusive language in reference to full membership status in the PCUSA
(including the privilege to serve in the ordained leadership) of faithful
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Presbyterians, 04-49 is the most
comprehensive and efficient. If approved, the “Twin Cities Overture” would
call for:

  a.. Sending a “Delete B” amendment down to the presbyteries;

  b.. Amending G-6.0106a to include a new sentence in reference to those
seeking ordination/installation: “Their suitability to hold office is
determined by the governing body where the examination for ordination or
installation takes place, guided by scriptural and constitutional standards,
under the authority and Lordship of Jesus Christ.”

  c.. The Assembly to issue a new Authoritative Interpretation (A.I.) that
would give no further force to previous discriminatory statements (such as
Definitive Guidance and the existing A.I.), while affirming that the
existing standards are the “sole and exclusive” standards for ordination as
the ordaining bodies act “in prayerful discernment of the leading of
Almighty God.”

The Advisory Committee on the Constitution affirmed that this “two-stage”
approach is the most appropriate and effective in accomplishing our goal to
change the position of the PCUSA. Advising the 215th Assembly, the ACC said,

  “The position of the church on ordination standards cannot be changed by a
General Assembly authoritative interpretation alone” and “the position of
the church on ordination standards cannot be changed by an amendment to the
Form of Government alone.”

Additional overtures that aim to change our denomination’s discriminatory
policy:
  a.. 04-04 (Baltimore, with concurrences from Des Moines, Albany, Genesee
Valley, National Capital and Southern New England). This is a simple,
succinct “Delete B” overture.
  b.. 04-27 (Detroit): calls upon the General Assembly to declare that no
further force or effect shall be given to GA statements that characterize
“the practice of homosexuality as sin and instructs that unrepentant
homosexual practice does not accord with the constitutional requirements for
ordination.”
  c.. 04-18 (Western Reserve, with concurrences from Milwaukee, New York
City, Long Island, Albany and Santa Fe). This overture requests of GA a new
Authoritative Interpretation that would declare that ordaining bodies are
not bound by statements of the GA and its commissions regarding ordained
service “by homosexual persons” that predate the adoption of G-6.0106b.
More Light Presbyterians are gratified by the many overtures from the
variety of presbyteries seeking to remove discriminatory language from our
church’s governing documents. Over the past 25 years our policies and
ill-advised Constitutional amendment have created a hostile environment
within our church and have brought about an officially sanctioned
second-class category of membership for Presbyterian LGBT members of sound
faith and good character who are called to serve both God and our church. To
end the second-class status for LGBT Presbyterians in regard to ordination,
it is necessary both to rescind the authoritative interpretation AND to
delete amendment B.


Support our Work at General Assembly

MLP's work at General Assembly is a clear witness to the church about our
lives -- in committee testimony, at our booth in the exhibition hall, in
informal meetings with friends and colleagues, and at our many activities
throughout the week - this witness combines education, advocacy, and
evangelism. We provide pastoral care and an inclusive community through
worship, our hopsitality suite, and even individual appointments with
volunteer chaplains. Your $50 donation today can support a pizza lunch for
our work with YADs (youth and young adult delegates to the Assembly), or
cover the cost of producing 50 of our "More Light On..." resources for
distribution to newcomers at our booth. Larger contributions could cover
travel and housing costs for our group of volunteers who staff our booth,
hospitality suite and office, testify in committees, resource commissioners,
produce media reports for mlp.org, and coordinate interactions with the
national press. Whatever actions the General Assembly may take regarding our
issues, our presence is essential each and every year because of the
relationships we build and the education that occurs with so many who are
new to MLP and our movement. Join us in this effort through your MLP
contribution - http://www.mlp.org/contribute.html .


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