[MLPnews] MLPNews June 18, 2004

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      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 7
      June 18, 2004










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In This Issue

  Break the Chains of Injustice... That All May Have Life in Fullness
  MLP David Sindt Award
  MLP Inclusive Church Award
  More Light at Pride Festivals
  Celebrating 30 years of witness

Break the Chains of Injustice...That All May Have Life In Fullness

As we gather for General Assembly next week, we join in celebrating the same
theme as our Reformed brothers and sisters around the world: "That All May
Have Life in Fullness." Douglas Chial of the PC (USA) reflects on the theme
for the upcoming General Council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches
in Ghana this August.

Chial notes that the theme is not only an adaptation of John 10:10 but also
an outgrowth of the last General Council, held in Debrecen, Hungary in 1997,
with the theme "Break the Chains of Injustice" (Is 8.6):

  The two themes together can be heard as a responsive liturgical call in
which the leader says "Break the chains of injustice" and the people say,
"That all may have life in fullness". That all may have life in fullness is
the very reason the chains of injustice must be broken. It is the reason why
we must covenant together as a Reformed family to challenge and transform
the status quo of the world in which we live.
At this year's General Assembly, as we witness to the church about our
lives, as we fight to remove ordination barriers, as we educate and advocate
for equal marriage rights in church and society, and as we create welcoming
community together, we couldn't have a clearer goal set before us: Break the
chains of injustice, that all may have life in fullness!

Carter and Cummings to Receive Sindt Award

The More Light Presbyterians Board is pleased to announce that the
recipients of its 2004 David Sindt Leadership Award are Ralph Carter of
Rochester, NY and Rob Cummings of Jackson Center, PA. The award will be
presented at the annual More Light Presbyterians Celebration Reception and
Dinner at the 216th General Assembly in Richmond, VA, Saturday, June 26,
4:00-7:30 pm at the Marriott Hotel.

Rob Cummings exemplifies what one person can do with the courage to be one’s
self in Christian community. A lifelong Presbyterian, Rob has been a
catalyst in the formation and development of three MLP chapters, two more
light churches, and informal dialogue groups across western Pennsylvania and
eastern Ohio, building networks of support, education, and advocacy in some
of the least LGBT-friendly presbyteries in our denomination. He provides
hospitality to strangers, and strikes up friendships with even the most
hesitant, in acts of true Christian witness.

Chris Glaser wrote in the 1996 More Light Prayer Book that Rob “takes [Jesus
’ commandment to judge not lest we be judged] very seriously as he listens
to others, even those who oppose us in the church. Dialogue is a two-way
street. Rob tries to understand our opponents' viewpoints -- what concerns,
values, beliefs, fears, prejudices, and ignorance may shape them. He tries
to reserve judgment of another as he presents his own point of view.” It is
Rob’s openness, patience, and loving persistence that create opportunities
for real change in the minds and hearts of Presbyterians.

Rob served the PLGC board and the newly formed MLP board as its recording
secretary, and has volunteered at a decade of General Assemblies, acting as
office manager, hospitality suite host, transportation coordinator, and
countless other behind the scenes tasks, without which MLP could not have a
presence at GA. In between assemblies, Rob has been a one-man mailing house
for MLP, processing fundraising letters. Rob has been a member of East Main
Presbyterian Church in Grove City, PA since he was first confirmed as a
teenager. Rob builds (and rebuilds) diesel locomotive engines for General
Electric.

Ralph Carter, another lifelong Presbyterian, was raised in Florida and first
found out about gay Presbyterians when he attended the PCUS General Assembly
as a Youth Advisory Delegate in Tuscaloosa in the mid-70s. Ralph is an
information maven with pastoral skills and a passion for congregational
nurture. The resource specialist of our movement, Ralph has built, as a
personal labor of love, an unbelievably complete collection of print and
video resources for LGBT people in the church and beyond. This library has
been used over the years in adult education sessions, and as a lifeline for
isolated individuals around the country in need of a positive word. The
collection, housed in Ralph’s home (with the support and patience of Van,
his partner of 24 years), is scheduled to move this year to a presbytery
resource center, from which it will be accessible across the denomination
for interlibrary loan.

Active in the movement since 1979, Ralph served the More Light Churches
Network and the More Light Presbyterians boards for 12 years, and among
innumerable other tasks, was the point of contact for churches engaging in
inquiring processes, offering listening, support, and encouragement. Ralph
has combined his pastoral and information management talents in building and
maintaining a valuable contact database of churches and pastors. He has
earned the moniker “hound of heaven” for his ability to track information
effectively in the service of our movement. In addition to his work for MLP,
Ralph has been an openly gay deacon, elder and trustee of Third Presbyterian
Church, a member of the Genessee Valley Presbytery Nominating Committee, and
a voice for inclusiveness in the Boy Scouts of America. Ralph holds a master
’s degree in manufacturing systems from Clarkson University and a bachelor’s
in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech. Currently Ralph serves on the
board of GALAXe – Pride at Work at Xerox, co-chairs the Interfaith Advocates
for LGBT people in Rochester, and chairs the technology committee for the
Gay Alliance of Genessee Valley.

The David Sindt Leadership Award, given since 1999, recognizes individuals
who best exemplify the pioneering efforts of David Bailey Sindt, the founder
of our movement within the Presbyterian Church in 1974, when he held up a
sign at the General Assembly which said, "Is anybody else out there gay?" A
full list of past recipients of MLP awards is available at
www.mlp.org/resources/award.html.


Church of the Reconciliation and Triangle More Light Chapter to Receive
Inclusive Church Award

The More Light Presbyterians Board is pleased to announce that the recipient
of its 2004 Inclusive Church Award is the local more light movement presence
in eastern North Carolina, the Triangle MLP Chapter and the Church of
Reconciliation. MLP is grateful for their leadership and witness.

The Church of Reconciliation lives out its mission as a church committed to
multiple social justice issues, including the full participation of lesbian,
gay, bisexual, and transgender people of faith in the life of the church. We
honor the congregation for its imagination and courage in creating an
Associate for Ministry position that has enabled Katie Ricks to serve the
community with integrity as an out lesbian. MLP applauds this model as a way
to hire LGBT persons who cannot otherwise be ordained, providing them with
the work to which they are called, and for which they bring a multitude of
gifts. This is a true act of leadership and a model for other churches to
study and to consider taking up in this movement for justice for LGBT
persons in the church.

The Triangle MLP chapter has similarly led our movement through its
activities. A vibrant chapter engaged in local work for justice and in
pastoral support for each other in this movement, the Triangle chapter has
also taken on projects that serve the movement across the denomination and
across the country. In 2002, TMLP hosted the More Light Presbyterians annual
conference, taking on the local arrangements and organizing tasks for the
meeting, which was a great success. In 2003 the chapter did not rest but
instead launched a national campaign in which it asked More Light churches
to host membership drives to increase the number of individual MLP members
in more light congregations. This effort was also a success, as many
churches across the country participated in membership drives. Moreover,
this idea has caught on beyond that initial campaign effort, so that on More
Light Sunday this past June 6, many participating churches made an
individual membership drive part of their activity.

The Inclusive Church Award will be presented at the annual More Light
Presbyterians Celebration Reception and Dinner at the 216th General Assembly
in Richmond, VA, Saturday, June 26, 4:00-7:30 pm at the Marriott Hotel.
Members of the congregation and chapter leaders will be present to receive
the award. You may register for the Celebration online.

The Inclusive Church Award seeks to recognize congregations or More Light
chapters in presbyteries or seminaries/colleges for their ongoing history of
commitment to the mission of MLP, namely, "following the risen Christ, and
seeking to make the Church a true community of hospitality...[by working]
for the full participation of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people
of faith in the life, ministry and witness of the Presbyterian Church
(USA)." A full list of past recipients of MLP awards is available at
www.mlp.org/resources/award.html.


More Light at Pride Festivals

June is gay pride parade and festival month in many cities around the
country, and we've heard news of quite a few MLP churches and supporters who
brought a More Light presence to their city's local pride events. Here's a
sampling of what we've heard so far:

a.. Mt. Auburn Presbyterian (Cincinnati, OH) marched with over 40 people in
the pride parade and hosted a booth at the 2-day weekend pride festival. "We
wore More Light buttons, and passed out info on MLP as well as on Mt.
Auburn. We were very well received," says MLP at Mt.Auburn co-chair Meghan
Kaskoun.


a.. Christ Church Presbyterian (Burlington, VT) will march in the upcoming
gay pride parade on July 10.


a.. Washington DC: Six More Light churches and several future More Light
churches marched as a contingent of 35 people in the DC Pride Parade on
Saturday, June 12, under a More Light Presbyterians banner. "It was the best
turnout ever for the MLP contingent. It was a wonderful parade, and we were
a proud and happy group," notes on-the-scene reporter Wayne Sherwood


a.. On June 13, First Palo Alto (Palo Alto, CA) moved its primary Sunday
morning worship service to the parking lot that served as the pre-parade
gathering site for the annual San Jose gay pride parade. The brief worship
service before the parade attracted some inquisitive (friendly) onlookers,
as well as at least one local reporter. First Palo Alto marched in the
parade and also hosted a booth at the San Jose pride festival, June 12-13.


Celebrating 30 Years of Witness

General Assembly 2004 is the 30th anniversary of Rev. David B. Sindt's bold
witness, when he stood outside the 1974 General Assembly holding a sign: "Is
anyone else out there gay?" Perhaps the questions 30 years later are "Is
anyone else out there trans?" or "Is anyone else out there bi?" as we work
to build our widening circle of community. We rejoice that today, Rev. Erin
Swenson is able to share her story as a transgender minister with the
Assembly's Youth Advisory Delegates, and that this year marks the first-ever
bi breakfast at GA. MLP's work at General Assembly makes a difference in our
denomination. It 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.
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. Contribute to MLP right now to support this work by visiting
http://www.mlp.org/contribute.html .


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