Update

VOL. 32, NO. 1 WWW.MLP.ORG FEBRUARY 2012

A New Day: The Ordination of Paul Mowry

On January 29th, Sausalito Presbyterian Church (USA) ordained and installed Rev. Paul Mowry as pastor. Rev. Mowry is the first pastor who is openly gay to be ordained in the PCUSA. Describe the faith community at Sausalito Presbyterian Church. I was drawn to Sausalitos CIF (Church Information Form) because it conveyed a great sense of caring and universal love. They used three words to describe themselves: spiritual, inclusive, and supportive. They defined themselves as a congregation that calls itself a family. Ive found that all of this is true. The PNC (Pastor Nominating Committee) was diversepolitically, theologically, and socially. So is the faith community. However the church is caring and loving and reaches across many differences. This has inspired me! In previous interviews, youve referred to a wilderness period while following your call to ministry as a Teaching Elder. How did that period prepare you? wilderness period helped cleanse me of my own hubris and just as in the biblical wildernesses, I was forced to face my own demons and learned more about relying on God. That period taught me that minisYou and Joe, your partner of 25 years, have a young daughter Eliora (God is my light). What is your vision of the Church for Ellies generation? I hope for a Church that is vibrant and relevant and is the moral leader in the world. I see a church that embraces the ministry of Jesus which was in the market place, sea shore, and hillside, among tax collectors, prostitutes, and leapers. The church will engage in ministry in the same places as did Jesus. I am confident that 100 years from now people will look back and say how could the church ha+ve been so uninformed on some issues? Weve lost a lot of good people, but we held on to a lot of good people. The church needs to focus on relationship not membership. Your ordination/installation was January 29, 2012. Will you share some of your feelings during this service of ministry?

It was remarkable! The people from the faith community embraced our friends and family. Some came from I think if I had attended as far away as London. My seminary right after colMom, who taught me to love lege, I would have been God and had worked so hard an insufferable pastor! in the church, was unable Brian Hicks, Rev. Paul Mowry and Julie Carlson (PNC Vice-Chair). Photos by Jill Huguet. Looking back I realize that to travel across country I didnt understand the but was with us via Skype. complexity of such things as: maktry doesnt mean I have to solve the She had shared with me that she ing ends meet, dealing with children, suffering of people, but that ministry had sung a solo of Oh Rest in the and caring for aging parents. I was means I can be present and rely on Lord for my Dads ordination. Ralph intolerant of people who held certain the grace of God to work through us. Interview continues on page 6 values very contrary to my own. The
More Light Update, February 2012 | 1

Gods Doing a New Thing: Fear Not

By Michael Adee

hroughout the 10-A Campaign, a biblical text kept coming to mind. In Isaiah 43:19, God speaking, I am about to do a new thing: now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Thoughtful biblical interpretation encourages finding meaning in context. So, I decided to go back to 43:1: But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel; Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. As qualified and gifted LGBT persons are being ordained and called to serve in ministry as deacons, elders and ministers in more open ways in churches and presbyteries across the country, I give thanks that God is doing a new thing in our Church. These good news stories of ordinations inspire our hearts and remind us of the importance of this love and justice work. From the moment of the passage of 10-A, now G-2.0104 in our Book of Order, some Presbyterians have responded with anxiety about the moral status of our denomination. To those anxieties, I can hear God saying through the prophetic wisdom of Isaiah, Fear not. I also hear God saying to our Church, I am doing a new thing: now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? Ending discrimination against qualified LGBT persons and removing barriers to people knowing that Gods love is for them, too, is God doing a new thing in our Church. Having more qualified and caring LGBT deacons, elders and ministers serving a hurting world in need is God doing a new thing in our Church. Being a Church whose focus is upon faith and character, not ones sexual orientation or marital status, is God doing a new thing in our midst. I imagine God saying to us, I am doing a new thing, do you not perceive it? Or, Do you not see it? Perception is about seeing, discern2 | More Light Update, February 2012

ing, recognizing and understanding; ultimately, it is about trusting and believing. I imagine God saying to us, do you not trust me? Do you not believe that I am at work in and through this change? Let us have courage to say to each other, do we not trust God, do we not believe that God is at work in and through this change?

ing, Fear not! and I am doing a new thing: now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? It is interesting to note that the expression Fear not! occurs 365 times in Scripture. This is enough to be reminded to fear not every single day of a calendar year. Maybe God is trying to tell us something.

I invoke Isaiah 43 in these moments because it invites, challenges and I often think of the moment when calls all of us to trust God. Isaiah womens ordination became real in calls us to trust that God is at work. my life as a kid in a small PresbyIsaiah calls us to remember that terian church in Louisiana. My Dad was Clerk of Session and taught the Adult Christian Education class. My Mom often hosted the Presbyterian Womens Circle and made sure everyone received pastoral care. She could get 30 casseroles to a family in need within a 25 mile radius of our church in a matter of hours. We were at church every Sunday, rain or shine. I remember the buzz when Mrs. Aline Fridge became the first woman Elder in our little church. It was momentary, of course. Everyone Tricia Dykers-Koenig, Michael Adee, Hal Porter at Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church respected her, appreciated her faith, and she served on Session with my Dad quite God is God and we are not God. I have come to absolutely trust Gods capably. This was not the case with creation of me as a gay man, or as some Presbyterians who believed a man who happens to be gay. I women should not be ordained. For have come to absolutely trust Gods them, Scripture was clear and plain creation of all persons and to believe against womens ordination and that Gods creation is good. What rethe Presbyterian Church had erred mains for me to be and do is to take mightily with this immoral decision. seriously the Great Commandment The parallels are striking to that from Jesus. We are to love God, time of change and this one now. Did neighbor and self, period. Gods doGod do a new thing in our Church ing a new thing. Fear not, trust God. with regard to womens ordination? With hope and grace, Surely it is so. Ironically, some who have come to accept womens ordiMichael nation struggle now with trusting Michael Adee serves as Executive God with the ordination of qualified Director & Field Organizer, MLP. LGBT persons. I imagine God say-

My Thoughts on Gods Will for the PCUSA in 2012

By Rev. Dr. Janet Edwards d like to reflect on what I hope is ahead for the church in 2012. What do you see God having in store for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) this coming year? Perhaps you can bounce off my anticipations and share yours. I have been a minister member of Pittsburgh Presbytery for 33 years. My service in the church has happened to coincide with the era of strife over the place of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the life of the church and tension and strain reaching back at least to the time of the Civil War The industrial revolution drastically remade our world as the United States shifted from a rural to an urban population, from a rather homogenous people in power to a mass of varied ethnic origins. I am sure there are many other monumental changes over the past 150 years that come to your minds. Since after World War I, when the first blow-up in the PCUSA effort to remain faithful to the triune God in such a swiftly changing world, known as the fundamentalist/ modernist controversy, split the church, one eruption after another (race and civil rights, women, LGBT people, for example) has tested how the church will handle modernity. Through it all, we have persisted in putting people into the categories of the 1920s: liberal or conservative. Many struggled to avoid being placed in one camp or the other by avoiding direct engagement with the concern of that particular day. Because our polity relies upon majority rule, the camp on top has flipped more than once and from presbytery to presbytery. Resentments have been building among those in the minority and fears have grown in the majority that they will be shunned one day when they become the minority. Since Archbishop Desmond Tutu gave the awesome gift of sharing his thoughts with us (see letter on page 7), I have been reading his description of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa called, No Future Without Forgiveness (1999, Doubleday, NY, NY). Near the end, he asks a poignant question: Might those who have been at one anothers throats try to live amicably together? I believe that Gods answer to this question is decidedly, Yes! I see 2012 as the year that the PCUSA does two things God desires of us. We must shed the antiquated 20th century labels of liberal and conservative. They have never served us well and do us serious harm now. In 2012, God can inspire us to see ourselves as Presbyterian Christians together who disagree on how Scripture informs our faith in Christ as we all navigate through the unpredictable and turbulent seas of this life. These are disagreements that can serve us if we choose. Namely, they can help us all to grow in our faith and to better serve God. And we must forgive one another for the hurts inflicted in the course of our strife. When we do this, there will be no need for any part of us to leave the PCUSA in an act that wounds the body of Christ and grieves the Holy Spirit even to be contemplated. Archbishop Tutu comments, at the end of the story of the Truth and Reconciliation process in South Africa, that in fact, goodness and peace and tolerance were wonderful and ultimately uncomplicated. They require these New Year resolutions: forgiveness and embrace of the truth that we are all one in Christ. Thats what I see coming in 2012. What do you see? You may provide your perspective at A Time to Embrace, http://bit.ly/pcusa2012. Rev. Dr. Janet Edwards is the former Co-Moderator of More Light Presbyterians. She has served the Presbyterian Church (USA) in Pittsburgh Presbytery for over thirty years.

Rev. Dr. Janet Edwards

in the mind of Christ. All this time, I have been in disagreement with the majority of the other teaching elders here in Pittsburgh Presbytery. My promise upon ordination to be a friend to my colleagues in ministry has driven me to engage with those who disagree with me in regular conversation. Some of these conversations have sparked feelings at least simmering, if not close to boiling over for both myself and my colleagues in ministry. It has helped me a great deal to learn that our present, seemingly intractable conflict in the PCUSA is the most recent in a history of

More Light Update, February 2012 | 3

Marriage Equality Strengthens All Our Families

By Antony Hebblethwaite fter a unanimous Iowa Supreme Court decision ending marriage discrimination, same-sex couples started marrying on April 27, 2009. The Presbytery of East Iowa sent the first Overtures to the 220th General Assembly to amend the definition of marriage in the Book of Order from a man and a woman to two people or to give pastors and church

the Iowa Supreme Court marriage equality decision. He also successfully lobbied for a state wide antibullying law to protect LGBT youth. At Westminster Presbyterian, he helped found and co-chairs the The Gay Lesbian Straight Affirmation Group. For Ted Coppock, the progress of the marriage Overtures at the 220th General Assembly impact his family. After Teds daughter came out as a lesbian, he spent four hours alone in his study thinking about it. He then told his wife Mary, Ive spent part of the afternoon trying to think, in all these years, what Valerie has ever done to disappoint us and I couldnt think of anything. This is something we need to consider to be our problem and not Valeries. Valerie is 50-years-old and does not have a church home, Ted continued. She was raised in the PCUSA like her straight siblings and at the age of nine or ten read the King James Version several times. She could quote the lectionary texts almost on request. Even though Valerie does not live in Iowa or attend the Presbyterian

Church (USA), Ted Coppock continues his work for LGBT justice and equality in both places. I am standing up for who she is. A brief look back The 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) met during the hot Minneapolis July of 2010. The Civil Unions and Marriage Committee sent several Overtures to the General Assembly asking to change the definition of marriage from a man and a woman to two people or to give pastors and church sessions the discretion to marry LGBT people in states that provide civil unions for LGBT persons. The General Assembly voted 348 to 324 with 6 abstentions to make the final report to study issues of civil unions and Christian marriage the answer to all Overtures passed by the Civil Unions and Marriage Committee. A motion to reconsider the following day was defeated by 407 to 275. I was their pastor. Like Iowa, Massachusetts is another marriage equality state. The Presbytery of Boston voted by 40 to 35 to overture the 220th General Assembly to give teaching and ruling elders the discretion to marry LGBT people in marriage equality states. The Boston Overture can be read in full at http://www.ga220.org. Rev. Jean Southard, a retired Min-

Ted Coppock lobbies for LGBT equality in Iowa

sessions the discretion to marry LGBT people in marriage equality states. The Iowa Overtures can be read in full at http://www.ga220.org. Ted Coppock, a Ruling Elder at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Des Moines, has lobbied for LGBT equality in both the Church and society. As a longstanding member of the Republican Party, he used his influence to discourage Republican lawmakers from pursuing a constitutional amendment to reverse

220th General Assembly MLP Board Statement

MLP is committed to the achievement of spiritual, ordination and marriage equality for LGBT persons within our Church and equal rights in civil society. Our 220th General Assembly strategy is expressed by the following statement unanimously adopted by the MLP Board of Directors in Rochester, NY on September 2, 2011: More Light Presbyterians continues to work with others toward marriage equality, including changes in the Directory for Worship, and requests for Authoritative Interpretation. MLP supports the freedom and discretion of sessions to extend hospitality to same gender loving couples seeking to join their lives in the commitment of marriage. MLP claims that same freedom and discretion for teaching elders to preside at marriage services for same gender loving couples, especially as more states move to legalize these marriages. We oppose all attempts by any entity to rescind the gains for justice punctuated by the passage of G-2.0104.
4 | More Light Update, February 2012

ister of the Word and Sacrament, understands the important of this Overture. On March 1, 2008, she officiated at the marriage of Jennifer Duhamel and Sara Herwig at First Presbyterian Church, Waltham, Massachusetts, a welcoming and affirming More Light church. Jennifer and Sara were longtime, active church members. The service followed the customary Presbyterian liturgy for marriage. At the conclusion of the service, Jean proclaimed the two women to be joined together

and be married before God in Gods sanctuary. I was their pastor. They wanted their pastor to marry them and I married them. At the time, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts recognized samegender marriages conducted within its borders as legal marriages. On March 12, 2008, the Session at First Presbyterian Church added the marriage to its register of marriages. A certificate of the marriage of Duhamel and Herwig was signed by Jean as a member of the clergy and recorded in the Waltham, Massachusetts town records on March 13, 2008.

In Massachusetts I would be officiating at a legal marriage and doing it as an agent of the state as ministers have done since the time of John Calvin, Jean continued. So to my mind the church has not caught up with Rev. Jean Southard speaks at MLP Luncheon at the 219th General Assembly the reality in the in holy marriage. states that now define marriage as a civil contract to include same gender Charges were brought against Rev. couples in the definition. Either it is Southard by the Presbytery. After a civil contract or it isnt. a series of appeals spanning three years, the charges were dismissed A brief look forward by the General Assembly Permanent The 220th General Assembly of the Judicial Commission (GAPJC) in Presbyterian Church (USA) will February, 2011. meet in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Rev. Jean Southard explained her from June 30 to July 7, 2012. MLP commitment to pastoral care at will be present at the General AsMLPs luncheon at the 219th Genersembly to help build a Church that al Assembly. I believe Jesus would reflects Gods heart, a Church that have me do and give these good contributes to the strength of all our members of our church family the families. marriage they deserve in the heart of To follow this work, please visit the congregation. Not to do so would http://www.ga220.org. have been to tell them that Jesus does not love them as they are that Antony Hebblethwaite serves as Comthey are not holy enough to stand munications/Technology Manager at MLP.

Protecting G-2.0104

LP will oppose all attempts by any entity to rescind the gains for justice punctuated by the passage of G-2.0104. Unfortunately, a number of Overtures received by the General Assembly do aim at rescinding G-2.0104. You may follow oppositional Overtures at http://www.ga220.org. See the Overtures page and click on MLP Overtures Tracking Report.

Photo by Danny Bolin of the Presbyterian News Service.

More Light Update, February 2012 | 5

fter the passage of Amendment 10-A, Brian Symonds told NBC LA about how long he has been pursuing ordained ministry. The last eight years have been an official process. God has been amazing and given me a sense of call that I have attempted to be extremely faithful to.

Being True to Gods Call

In December, Brian was certified to receive a call to ministry from the Pacific Presbytery, a decision based on faith and character, not on marital status or sexual orientation. He became the first openly gay candidate in Southern California to move forward in the ordination process under the new G-2.0104. Brians journey to certification began with a commitment to being his true and authentic self. Brian stood in the raised pulpit at Third Presbyterian Church in Rochester, New York and told MLPs National Conference, I Hooper, our choir director, arranged to have it sung for the service. I carried the collection plate from my great, great, great Grandfathers ordination and my Fathers communion silver. My sister and partner robed me and our daughter placed the stole around my neck. I felt a connection with ancestors who were Presbyterian for centuries. I was very moved being sixth generation of clergymy birthrightI had come into the presence of God within the church and embraced the call Ive felt since a child. There are no words that can really express the communion I felt. Im lucky to be alive at this particular time and I stand on the shoulders of many brave people. Do you have recommendations for members of Pastor Nominating Committees as they work within the denominations change in standards for ordained service?
6 | More Light Update, February 2012

Brian Symonds preaches at the MLP National Conference 2011

told my father that if I ever expected God to use me to bring the truth and authenticity of the Gospel to people, then I had to be my true and authentic self. I had to come out to my pastor. My father stood next to me at every meeting and every verbal beat down. In fact, he still stands next to me at every Committee on Preparation for Ministry meeting. Brians supporting congregation is Immanuel Presbyterian Church, a Everyone who works on a PNC can be better informed when members can get deep enough in spiritual practices; hearing the word of God rather than the human word. Often we open a meeting with prayer and as soon as the Amen we draw a bead on the business at hand, namely: who is the pastor for us? We often forget the praying just a few minutes ago. The church has to help people broaden their understanding of their LGBTQ community. We need a caring relationship with someone in the LGBTQ group. Blurred faces dont make people or groups real. The church sees the humanity in real people. Make friends with someone with opposite views. Allow a safe place to express everyones humanitynot positioning but real. God created us as humans not adversaries.

welcoming and affirming More Light church in Los Angeles. Immanuel lies between some of the poorest and some of the richest people in Los Angeles. It is a church preaching and practicing the Gospel from the margins. It was a perfect match. They welcomed me into the life and community of those beautiful people. I am now and have been for awhile an active elder, clerk of session, and under care as a Candidate for Ministry of Word and Sacrament. When asked by NBC LA about what he hopes to accomplish, he replied, Ive been following in the footsteps of some wonderful people who have tread the way for me. I hope to be that kind of role model, to pastor a congregation where people who are struggling can look at me and say, He was where I am now, and can feel a sense of hope.

A New Day: The Ordination of Paul Mowry , Continued from page 1

Ordination Guide
So That G-2.0104 Shall Be a Blessing for our Church and World

MLPs affirming Ordination Guide needs to be in the hands, hearts, minds and actions of every Presbyterian congregation, every Committee on Preparation for Ministry and every Committee on Ministry. Download at http://bit.ly/ordinationguide.

Open Letter to the Presbyterian Church (USA) from Archbishop Desmond Tutu
This letter was shared on October 12, 2011 by the Office of the Stated Clerk, Presbyterian Church (USA). To Rev. Grayde Parsons, Stated Clerk, Presbyterian Church (USA) Dear Brother in Christ, I am writing you with the request that you share these thoughts with my brothers and sisters in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.): It is incumbent upon all of Gods children to speak out against injustice. It is sometimes equally important to speak in solidarity when justice has been done. For that reason I am writing to affirm my belief that in making room in your constitution for gay and lesbian Christians to be ordained as church leaders, you have accomplished an act of justice. I realize that among your ecumenical partners, some voices are claiming that you have done the wrong thing, and I know that you rightly value your relationship with Christians in other parts of the world. Sadly, it is not always popular to do justice, but it is always right. People will say that the ones you are now willing to ordain are sinners. I have come to believe,

ollowing the risen Christ, and seeking to make the Church a true community of hospitality, the mission of More Light Presbyterians is to work for the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of faith in the life, ministry and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Co-Moderators Trice Gibbons (2012) Rev. Heidi Peterson (2011) Treasurer/Secretary Rev. Ray Bagnuolo (2012) Nathan Sobers (2012) Additional Board Members Rev. Dr. Janet Edwards (2013) Patrick Evans (2013) Kevin Henderson (2014) Rev. Madeline Jervis (2013) Marc Jung (2013) Rev. Will McGarvey (2011) Jeananne Stine (2013) John Thompson (2012) Beth Van Sickle (2011) Nominating Committee Ralph Carter Derrick Kikuchi

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu

through the reality shared with me by my scientist and medical friends, and confirmed to me by many who are gay, that being gay is not a choice. Like skin color or left-handedness, sexual orientation is just another feature of our diversity as a human family. How wonderful that God has made us with so much diversity, yet all in Gods image! Salvation means being called out of our narrow bonds into a broad place of welcome to all. You are undoubtedly aware that in some countries the church has been complicit in the legal persecution of lesbians and gays. Individuals are being arrested and jailed simply because they are different in one respect from the majority. By making it possible for those in same-gender relationships to be ordained as pastors, preachers, elders, and deacons, you are being a witness to your ecumenical partners that you believe in the wideness of Gods merciful love. For freedom Christ has set us free. In Christ we are not bound by old, narrow prejudice, but free to embrace the full humanity of our brothers and sisters in all our glorious differences. May God bless you as you live into this reality, and may you know that there are many Christians in the world who continue to stand by your side. God bless you. Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu (Cape Town, South Africa)

STAFF
Dr. Michael J. Adee, Executive Director and Field Organizer Faye Burdick More Light Update Editor Antony Hebblethwaite, Communications/Technology Manager Susan Robertson, Financial Assistant

CONTACT MLP
Full contact information at http://www.mlp.org/index. php?topic=aboutmlp.

More Light Update, February 2012 | 7

More Light Presbyterians 4737 Country Road 101 PMB 246 Minnetonka, MN 55345-2634

Open your Heart. Transform the Church. Change the World.

ings of scripture and the Word in the life of Christ. As a Christian community, we believe that the Church must seek to live out those understandings in our life together. More Light Presbyterians 4737 County Road 101, PMB 246 Minnetonka, MN 55345-2634 For all members, elders, deacons, ministers, friends, churches & presbyteries within the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the worldwide Presbyterian Church. For up to the minute news visit us at: The achievement of spiritual, ordination and marriage equality for persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities guides our national and global outreach. We approach ministry from the perspective of intersectionality by recognizing that all forms of prejudice and discrimination are unacceptable and harmful to our life together in the Church and as one human family. We envision, pray and work for the day when Gods realm of love, peace and justice is realized. We welcome you to join us as we are changing the face of Christianity.

ore Light Presbyterians was founded in 1974. We believe that all persons are children of God, created in the image of God and unconditionally loved by God. We believe that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons are part of Gods good creation. We believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is good news for all persons, no exceptions. Our mission: Following the risen Christ, and seeking to make the Church a true community of hospitality, the mission of More Light Presbyterians is to work for the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of faith in the life, ministry and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA). We are incorporated as a 501(c)3 non-profit religious educational organization. MLP is a national grassroots organization governed by a Board of Directors and served by a national staff. We raise 100% of our income to support this national and

www.mlp.org
global mission. We are individual members and congregations of the Presbyterian Church (USA) who strive to be faithful to Gods call. We believe that God continues to open new understand-

Creating a Church that reflects Gods heart.

8 | More Light Update, February 2012

Make a Difference at the 220th General Assembly

Once tickets for these events become available at the Office of the General Assembly, we will provide instructions about obtaining tickets at http://www.ga220.org/p/join-us.html. You will also be able to register for the General Assembly at that time and obtain housing. Volunteer at the 220th General Assembly: MLP provides the following volunteer opportunities at the General Assembly: MLP Legislative Strategy Team (Ordination Committee Liaison; Marriage Committee Liaison; Testimony to Ordination Committee; Testimony to Marriage Committee; Commissioner Briefings Liaison) Exhibit Hall (Greet booth visitors; Keep materials/hand-out supplies refreshed; Distribute MLP rainbow scarves; Answer basic questions about the MLP organization/mission) MLP Hospitality Suite (Serve as host/hostess; Greet visitors; Offer snacks and beverages; Make coffee; Answer basic questions re: MLP organization/mission; Tidy-up suite) More Light Reception and Dinner (Room set-up; Placing printed materials, center-pieces, etc. on tables; Shower-of-Stoles display; Take tickets ) Witness Event before Opening Worship (Greet worshipers with song and signs proclaiming the wildly inclusive love of Jesus Christ) More Light Educational Luncheon (Room set-up; Placing printed materials, center-pieces, etc. on tables; Shower-of-Stoles display; Take tickets) Worship Celebration (Room setup; display stoles from Shower of Stoles; Usher; Sing in the choir)

he 220th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is June 30 to July 7, 2012, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This General Assembly receives the report of the Amendment 10-A voting results and its ratification. Come, be a part of this historic moment and join us as we continue to work for change, justice and equality in our Church. More Light Presbyterians will have a legislative, program and witness team in place in Pittsburgh to support our core values and commitments to spiritual, ordination and marriage equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their families. The opportunities to make a difference are endless at GA. MLP Events at the General Assembly: MLP will sponsor the following events at the 220th General Assembly: National MLP Celebration Dinner National MLP Educational Luncheon Welcoming Worship Celebration

Volunteer registration will go live when event tickets become available at the Office of the General Assembly. You will be able to register for volunteer opportunities that interest you and provide your availability to volunteer at the General Assembly at: http://www.ga220.org/p/join-us.html

Knitting & Praying Our Way to GA (2012)

e invite you to knit scarves and pray your way to GA with the challenge that we will have a scarf for every commissioner and advocate sent to the assembly (thats about 1,500). We trust the Spirit to move among all present to want one. One of the lasting impressions of the Minneapolis assembly was the rainbow scarves knitted so lovingly by so many and then worn by so many as a witness to the Gospel truth of radically extravagant love. Instructions about knitting scarves are available at http://www.ga220.org/p/join-us.html.

Top 10 Ways to Make a Difference in Your Church & Presbytery

1. Pray for open hearts and minds to the Spirit of God at work in your church, MLP Chapter, campus ministry, seminary community and presbytery, beginning with your own. 2. Embrace all persons as children of God, created in the image of God, unconditionally loved by God and of sacred worth, including yourself. 3. Seek out and join companions who are passionately committed to ending discrimination, offering sanctuary and achieving equality for LGBT persons and their families. 4. Break the silence and challenge the conspiracy of false witness borne against LGBT persons and their families in both church and society. 5. Nurture a theology, ethic and practice of hospitality within your church family, MLP Chapter, campus ministry, seminary community and presbytery. 6. Create and foster, safe, welcoming and affirming spaces for LGBT persons, parents and families to come out, to live with integrity and to tell the truth of their lives and faith stories. 7. Share our Ordination Guide on G-2.0104 with your churchs Session and your presbyterys Committee on Preparation for Ministry and Committee on Ministry. The guide can be downloaded from http://bit.ly/ordinationguide. 8. Start conversations about love, sexual ethics, marriage and faithful relationships for all persons regardless of sexual orientation or gender within your church, MLP Chapter, campus ministry, seminary community and presbytery. 9. Work with your churchs Session and presbytery to get marriage equality overtures drafted and passed onto the 220th General Assembly, Pittsburgh, PA. Plan now to join us in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from June 30 to July 7, 2012. 10. Celebrate your life and faith journey as a gift from God and be the change you seek to make in the church and world.
Permission to photocopy is granted by More Light Presbyterians