[MLPnews] MLPnews May 4, 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 4
May 4, 2005



 

 

 

In this issue:

    MLP National Leadership Training Conference, May 20-22, Kansas City MO
    More Light Sunday Participation Doubles in 2005 - host an event on
    June 5
    Heartland Presbytery sends first delete-B overture to 2006 General
    Assembly
    Michael Adee turns 50: More Light Birthday Party in Santa Fe, May 30
    More Judicial Attacks. One Pastor Responds - the Serial Litigation
    Must End
     From the Archives: A Fast for Fullness
    New resource: More Light on Holy Unions and Marriage
    Celebrating Susan Craig & Bear Ride and their United University
    Church ministries
    Spring More Light Update now available
    Regional MLP Conferences in 2005 - attend one, or host one


MLP National Leadership Training Conference, May 20-22, Kansas City MO

*Do you...*
.  Want to nurture dialogue instead of dogma?
.  Want to make a bigger difference in your church and presbytery?
.  Want to gain insights and learn skills in grassroots organizing?
.  Want your church or campus ministry to be more welcoming and 
affirming of persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities?
.  Want to make sure that your presbytery does the right thing in 2006/7 
by removing discrimination and bigotry from the Book of Order and the 
ordination process?
.  Want to be taught and coached by three national leaders in our 
reformed faith and social justice, the Bible, and faith-based community 
organizing for and with persons of all sexual orientations and gender 
identities?
.  Want to be inspired and stretched by being in the company of people 
of faith who believe in all that God is calling our church and world to 
become?

If you said "YES!" to one or more of those questions, we invite to you 
thoughtfully and seriously consider participating and being with us for 
our first-ever MLP National Leadership Training Conference, May 20 - 22, 
2005, Kansas City, MO.
*Read more...* <http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20050410232625243>


<http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20050410232625243>

More Light Sunday Participation Doubles in 2005 - host an event on June 5.**


More Light Sunday <http://www.mlp.org/morelightsunday>, the annual day 
when More Light supporters across the country come together for local 
actions to support the movement for LGBT equality within the PCUSA, is 
at 24 participating churches this year -- double the number of 
participants from 2004 -- and signups 
<http://www.mlp.org/morelightsunday/action.html> are still coming in.  
It's not too late to sign up to have your church participate in this 
year's More Light Sunday on June 5 - just go to our signup page 
<http://www.mlp.org/morelightsunday/action.html>, decide how many 
worship bulletin inserts 
<http://www.mlp.org/morelightsunday/bulletin_insert.pdf> you can use and 
whether you'll show our special video interview at an adult education 
class, and fill out the web form. If you've got questions, feel free to 
email us at morelightsunday at mlp.org <mailto:morelightsunday at mlp.org>.


Heartland Presbytery sends first delete-B overture to 2006 General Assembly

April 19, 2005: In a harbinger of pro-equality, pro-LGBT overtures 
expected throughout 2005, Heartland Presbytery today voted 109 yea, 92 
nay to send a "delete G6.0106b / delete authoritative interpretation" 
overture, which would remove institutional barriers to LGBT ordination, 
to the 2006 General Assembly. To MLP's knowledge Heartland is the first 
presbytery to send a delete-B to the 2006 GA, though it certainly won't 
be the last. The overture text passed by Heartland matches the language 
recommended by the recently released MLP 2006 overture FAQ 
<http://www.mlp.org/resources/overturefaq.html>.

"We're thrilled that Heartland Presbytery has taken a stand today for 
equality" noted elder Judith Willis of Central Presbyterian Church, who 
was on the scene as the motions were made and passed. "It's time for our 
denomination to remove its anti-gay barriers to ordination and let all 
Presbyterians serve the Church."
*Read more... <http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20050419234203172>**
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*More Light Birthday Party in Santa Fe, May 30 - Michael Adee turns 50

More Light supporters Dick Kuhn and Phil Martin, JeanAnne Swope and Jim 
Mechem invite and welcome all More Light supporters to join us for this 
wonderful occasion of celebrating one of our own, in the midst of 
celebrating being one human family, which is Michael's vision and life's 
work.

Michael's milestone 50th Birthday is April 21 and since he will be on 
the road that day for his work with More Light Presbyterians, we are 
hosting his "50th" when he can be with us in Santa Fe!
*Read more... <http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20050412224813936>*

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More Judicial Attacks.  One Pastor Responds - the Serial Litigation Must end

*Statement by Rev. Charles Booker-Hirsch, his counsel Bear Ride, and the 
session of Northside Presbyterian Church*

Paul Rolf Jensen has filed five sweeping accusations with the Presbytery 
of Detroit against the Rev. Charles Booker-Hirsch, national board member 
of More Light Presbyterians and pastor of the More Light congregation 
Northside Presbyterian Church <http://www.northsidepres.org/> in Ann 
Arbor, MI. A presbytery Investigating Committee (IC) was appointed and 
has been active since December 2005 in investigating these accusations. 
On March 30, Chuck and his counsel, Bear Ride, met with the Committee 
for the first time.

"I am impressed with the leadership of this IC," Chuck said after his 
two-and-a-half hour hearing. "I am not impressed with how our 
denomination at-large continues to allow Mr. Jensen, a serial litigator 
whom I have never met and with whom I have never even spoken, to simply 
mail in his broadsides and expect an investigation. Dozens of 
presbyteries have wasted and continue to waste extraordinary ministerial 
resources investigating his accusations because they feel 
constitutionally constrained to do so."
*Read more... <http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20050415130046894>*


 From the archives: A Fast for Fullness

/For some of us, the discipline of daily prayer in anticipation of 
General Assembly is an important component of our spiritual preparation. 
The late Rev. Howard Warren kept a "Vigil for Justice" during the lenten 
season leading up to the 1996 General Assembly. To inspire our own 
prayer leading up to the 2006 General Assembly, we reprint his 
reflections prior to GA a decade ago, as published in the January 1996 
More Light Update/

*A Fast for Fullness*
by The Rev. Howard Warren

On Ash Wednesday (Feb. 21) I will begin a 40 day Lenten Fast which will 
end on Palm Sunday (March 31). Each morning I will pray this prayer for 
EACH delegate to the 1996 General Assembly:

May The Spirit of The Wildly Inclusive, Extravagant God Fall upon the 
heart, mind and soul of ____________ so that the Holy Spirit will 
replace the mean spirit in the PC(USA) in relation to a full place for 
all of God's Creation. In the Name of the Creator, Christ and Spirit. 
Alleluia, Amen.
*Read more... <http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20050417200617136>*


New resource: More Light on Holy Unions and Marriage

We've added a new resource to our "More Light On..." 
<http://www.mlp.org/staticpages/index.php?page=morelighton> series: More 
Light on Holy Unions and Marriage 
<http://www.mlp.org/resources/MLonHUAM.pdf>. Additional information 
about holy unions and marriage within the PCUSA is available in the MLP 
legal FAQ <http://www.mlp.org/resources/mlp-faq.htm> and on our marriage 
and holy unions resources page 
<http://www.mlp.org/staticpages/index.php?page=marriage-holy-union>.
*
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Celebrating Susan Craig & Bear Ride and their United University Church 
ministries

On May 8, 2005, Susan Craig will be honored for her nine years of 
pastoral leadership and service at United University Church on the USC 
campus, Los Angeles, CA. Susan has served with distinction as pastor of 
this fine church with its extraordinary and creative ministry with 
university students. UUC is both a More Light Presbyterian and 
Reconciling Methodist affiliated congregation...

Bear Ride will also be honored for her nine years of service as the 
Director of the Peace Center at United University Church in addition to 
her preaching, teaching and her work with university students at UUC 
along with her spouse, Susan.
*Read more... <http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20050429111743514>*


Spring More Light Update now available

The Spring Edition of our quarterly newsletter, the More Light Update, 
is now online - you can read it here 
<http://www.mlp.org/news/update/mlu25.2.pdf>.
MLP members receive a printed copy of the Update in the mail. To join 
MLP, see our online signup page <http://www.mlp.org/join.html>.

**
Regional MLP Conferences in 2005 - attend one, or host one

In August of 2004, More Light Presbyterians ( MLP ) kicked off the 
/Vigil for Justice <http://mlp.org/vigilforjustice>/, a project of 
prayer, silent witness, spiritual renewal and solidarity in the name of 
justice for GLBT people in our church and leading up to General Assembly 
2006.  In the spirit of the /Vigil for Justice / and since the next 
General Assembly won't convene until June 2006, this is a perfect time 
to hold regional More Light Conferences across the nation. Regional 
conferences will provide a great setting for community building and can 
also be the start for grassroots organizing as we head toward General 
Assembly.

...To make the planning and organizing of regional conferences easier, 
the Conferences, Retreats and Events Committee has put together a 
Conference Planning Guide. The Guide is filled with ideas, forms and 
examples for everything from registration and budgeting to worship and 
programming!
*Read more... <http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20050427180503400>

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