[MLPnews] MLP News January 10, 2005

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MLP News

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....working for the full inclusion of LGBT people of faith
in the life, ministry, and witness of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

	

Volume 2
Issue 1
Jan. 10, 2005



 

 

 

In This Issue

    Save the date and tell your adult education committee - More Light
    Sunday is coming June 5
    New resource: the MLP legal FAQ
    Moving forward: another Jensen complaint dismissed
    MLP at the National Ecumenical Welcoming Church Leaders' Summit in
    Houston
    New gender identity resource: "Beyond the Binary"
    How we'll remove G-6.0106b: MLP Cascades chapter shows us the way


Save the date and tell your adult education committee - More Light 
Sunday is coming June 5

Mark your calendars now for the second annual More Light Sunday 
<http://www.mlp.org/morelightsunday>, a day when MLP supporters across 
the country come together for local actions to support the movement for 
LGBT equality within the PCUSA. You don't have to be at a More Light 
church to participate in More Light Sunday - everyone is welcome.

Plans are in the works to provide some special educational materials for 
local churches to use as part of More Light Sunday, and to provide ways 
that you can reach beyond your local church membership and invite 
members of your presbytery to enter the conversation about LGBT 
equality. Watch our web site <http://www.mlp.org> and MLPnews for more 
information.

To participate this year and have your church offer some More 
Light-related content as part of More Light Sunday, *talk to your adult 
education committee* now and tell them to save a 1-hour spot for LGBT 
educational content on June 5. MLP plans to release a new 30-minute 
video, with a study guide, specifically for use during this year's More 
Light Sunday.

For more information about More Light Sunday, email us at 
morelightsunday at mlp.org <mailto:morelightsunday at mlp.org> or take a look 
at the More Light Sunday web page <http://www.mlp.org/morelightsunday>


New resource: the MLP legal FAQ

MLP is proud to announce a new printed and web resource: the More Light 
Presbyterians Legal Frequently Asked Questions 
<http://www.mlp.org/resources/mlp-faq.htm> (FAQ) list, with answers to 
common and not-so-common questions about Presbyterian law as it relates 
to LGBT people. Here are examples of some of the questions you'll 
find... for the answers, you need to read the FAQ 
<http://www.mlp.org/resources/mlp-faq.htm>.

*Q: Can my church ordain an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, or 
transgender person as an elder or deacon?*
(The answer is "yes", by the way)
*Q: Can I perform a same-gender marriage ceremony for a LGBT couple?*
*Q: What does "chastity" mean in G-6.0106b?*


Moving forward: another Jensen complaint dismissed

The PCUSA's email news service reported on Jan. 7 that the complaint 
against former General Assembly Moderator Susan R. Andrews 
<http://www.pcusa.org/ga216/news/ga04009.htm> has been dismissed because 
serial litigator Paul Rolf Jensen didn't bother to show up when invited 
to testify.  Presbyterian case law allows churches to ordain openly gay 
and lesbian leaders, so maybe he realized that he didn't have a case. 
Jensen complaints still in progress include the complaint against Rev. 
Janie Spahr <http://pcusa.org/pcnews/2004/04521.htm> for co-officiating 
at a same-gender marriage ceremony in Canada, and the complaint against 
Rev. Jim Rigby <http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20040918201434916> 
of St. Andrew's Presbyterian in Austin for conducting a same-gender holy 
union ceremony.

Read more... <http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20050107121140351>


MLP at the National Ecumenical Welcoming Church Leaders' Summit in Houston

More Light national field organizer Michael Adee represented MLP, and 
the welcoming and affirming movement in the Presbyterian Church USA, at 
the National Ecumenical Welcoming Church Leaders' Summit in Houston from 
January 4 - 7.  The Summit included training by Donna Red Wing of the 
Gill Foundation; discussion of national trends among pro-LGBT work in 
religious communities; sharing of resources and models of organizing and 
working in churches; and a presentation by the Institute for Welcoming 
Resources (IWR).  Your ongoing support of MLP 
<http://www.mlp.org/staticpages/index.php?page=joinMLP> allows us to be 
present at major ecumenical LGBT activist gatherings such as this one.

Read more... <http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20050104213311294>

New gender identity resource: "Beyond the Binary"

The Gay-Straight Alliance Network <http://www.gsanetwork.org>, 
Transgender Law Center <http://www.transgenderlawcenter.org>, and the 
National Center for Lesbian Rights <http://www.nclrights.org/> recently 
released a new 50-page resource, "Beyond the Binary: A Tool Kit for 
Gender Identity Activism in Schools" 
<http://www.gsanetwork.org/BeyondtheBinary/btbonline.pdf>. The guide is 
full of useful material for all of us including definitions, a myths & 
facts section, personal stories, and strong resources appendices. You 
can download a free copy from GSAnetwork.org 
<http://www.gsanetwork.org/BeyondtheBinary/btbonline.pdf>  (Adobe 
Acrobat reader <http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html> 
required.)


How we'll remove G-6.0106b: MLP Cascades chapter shows us the way

The MLP Cascades (Oregon) chapter has modelled for us how to delete the 
anti-gay language in the Book of Order: one person and one vote at a 
time, with a visible presence at Presbytery meetings. Here's a picture 
of the fantastic MLP information table that they set up at the most 
recent Cascades Presbytery meeting:

Picture of MLP cascades info table 
<http://www.mlp.org/images/userphotos/cascades-table-nov2004.jpg>
(Click on the photo to see a larger version.)

Cascades chapter chair Chris Jackson writes:

/"We had a full table... I set up a laptop and had Project Hearts & 
Minds DVDs <http://www.mlp.org/heartsandminds> running (you can see 
Michael on the laptop). We gave away the fruitcake you see in the 
foreground. It was hilarious to see people put 2 and 2 together when 
they reached our table. This is what we have been doing since June of 
2003, but this was our best display yet, and we got a lot of people 
stopping by. I'm very pleased with the display and the reactions at this 
Presbytery."/

Read more... <http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20041205174036778>



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