Update

More Light Update

, January 2011|1VOL. 31, NO. 1JANUARY 2011

By Michael Adee

race and peace to you and thoseyou love. Presbyterians areknown for our long tradition of social justice and civic involvement. AsPresbyterians we understand thatour call to ministry goes beyond thewalls of our church buildings. We arepeople of faith who seek tomake a difference.The national conversa-tion about the directionof our country and thenumber of challenges weface as a nation and aspart of a global communi-ty certainly has our atten-tion. We are also keenlyaware of the voting thathas begun on the 219thGeneral Assembly’s Ordi-nation Amendment 10-A. Amendment 10-A offers our Churcha clear path to ending the discrimi-nation against LGBT persons andthe resulting sanction of anti-LGBTprejudice and violence in our societyand across the world.More Light Presbyterians is pas-sionately committed to spiritual,ordination and marriage equality forall Presbyterians. The 219th General Assembly’s Ordination Amendment10-A offers our Church one ordina-tion standard for all. 10-A returnsour Church to what matters mostin our life and service together asPresbyterians: faith, character and acall from God to serve.10-A will end categorical discrimina-tion based upon marital status, gen-der, sexual orientation or any otherhuman condition. We have lost waytoo many qualied and gifted LGBT

Presbyterians Making a Difference…Imagination to Reality

WWW.MLP.ORG

and heterosexual persons from serv-ing as Elders, Deacons or Ministersof the Word and Sacrament in ourlocal congregations and within ourdenomination because of the preju-dice and barriers of the “delity inmarriage, chastityin singleness” re-quirement placedinto our Book of Order in 1997.This barrier toordinationhas donenothing but: hurtour church, di-minish our abil-ity to ministerin our commu-nities and hinder ourwitness to the Gospel in the world.The 219th General Assembly’sOrdination Amendment 10-A willbe studied, prayerfully consideredand voted on in all 173 presbyter-ies. Ratication of Amendment10-A requires a simple majorityvote. Please nd out now when yourpresbytery is studying and voting on10-A. Every presbytery matters. Wehave resources, training events anda national outreach campaign to sup-port you and your work within yourlocal church and presbytery to pass10-A. Throughout this More LightUpdate you will nd resources andconnections to support the work inyour presbytery.Imagine a Church that keeps itspromises to all of the children itbaptizes, not just some. Imagine aChurch that celebrates the presenceand gifts of LGBT persons and trustsGod’s call for them to serve. Imaginea Church having thousands moredeacons, elders and ministers to carefor a hurting world.This is the third time an ordinationamendment has been sent to thepresbyteries for ratication. Wewere so close the lasttime. We can movefrom imagination toreality this time by do-ing everything possibleto get Amendment 10-A considered, thoughtfullydiscussed, and ratied.2011 can be the realiza-tion of the Church weimagine and the worldneeds now.

Dr. Michael Adee is Execu-tive Director and Field Organizer forMore Light Presbyterians.

Photos of children at Mt. Auburn PresbyterianChurch in Cincinnati, OH by LW Bernardino.

ing families and afrming churchesin our country and all around theworld. We want all youth, LGBT orheterosexual, to know that they arechildren of God, created in the imageof God and unconditionally loved byGod. Then they will know that theydo have a future and that things willget better.Many of us have survived thesilence, the hostility, the isolationof feeling different and the painfulsting of prejudice and discriminationsimply for being as God made us.So, let’s shareour stories so that LGBT youthand the whole world will know thatbeing gay or LGBT is a gift fromGod. And, there is a future waitingfor every young person, no matterthe human and God-given difference.ItGetsBetterProject.com, a projectsponsored by the Trevor Projectand GLSEN, is a place where youngpeople who are lesbian, gay, bisexu-al, transgender, queer or question-ing can see with their own eyes howlove and happiness can be a realityin their future. It’s a place whereLGBT adults can share the storiesof their lives and straight allies canadd their names in solidarity. Wecan help spread this message of hope. I am grateful for hundreds of “It Gets Better” video messages thatoffer hope to LGBT and questioning

More Light Update

, January 2011

By Michael Adee

grew up in southern Louisiana. Icannot imagine coming out as gayin high school or even at LSU. Backthen, LGBT children and youth try-ing to nd their way were met witheither silence or hostility. ThankGod some are met with love. Timeshave changed some, but not enoughand not everywhere. Every child oryoung person should be met by lovein their families and churches.Too many LGBT, queer or question-ing youth nd it difcult to imag-ine happiness, nding love, beingpart of a family as adults. It is notbecause of their sexual orientationor gender identity. These difcultiesare a direct result of thesilence or hostility withintheir schools, families andchurches.Our hearts break as weread one more teen afteranother bullied into suicide.Part of this problem is thelegacy of 30 years of the Pres-byterian Church’s teachingand policy that homosexualitywas sinful, not part of God’sdesign and disqualied LGBTpersons from full membershipand service as deacons, eldersand ministers. We give thanks toGod that the 218th General As-sembly removed that 1978 anti-gaypolicy.Sadly, this anti-gay teaching hashad effect within and beyond ourChurch. It has caused LGBT youthto doubt they are children of Godthat God loves them, too; and it hastaught generations of bullies thatLGBT youth are not human beingsworthy of respect. Everyone loseswhen the Church persists in anti-gay teaching or continues to debatethe place of LGBT persons withinitself or in society. These things com-bine to become a wake up call and arallying cry for action for thoughtfulChristians.More Light Presbyterians is commit-ted to creating safe schools, accept-youth. We are posting many of thesevideos on our Youtube page.I feel a sacred responsibility and callto make it better for youth and theirfamilies now, and for the genera-tions to follow. Thank God it does getbetter for some; and I want to part of making it better for all youth now.I believe this is a kairos moment.The 219th General Assembly hasgiven us a wonderful way to make itbetter with Ordination Amendment10-A. Amendment 10-A offers ourChurch one ordination stan-dard for all Presbyterians.Categorical discriminationagainst LGBT persons willbe removed by 10-A. Wewill be able to offer a good,healing and life-savingword to LGBT children,youth and their familieswith the ratication of 10-A.We need to teach thetruth of God’s goodcreation of all childrenand youth, not justthe straight ones. If it were possible, I wouldlove to go back in time and tell the12 year old, 15 year old and 18 yearold Michael that God made him too.I am grateful to have learned this atMount Auburn Presbyterian Church,Cincinnati, as an adult. Mount Auburn, a welcoming and afrmingMore Light Presbyterian church,is the church that loved me back tofaith. They made it better for me.So, the mantra that guides my heartand work these days is this: “safeschools, accepting families, afrm-ing churches.” Passing 10-A will go along way to making these possible.Let’s Make It Better for all youthand their families now.

Dr. Michael Adee is Executive Direc-tor and Field Organizer for MoreLight Presbyterians.

Making It Better

Photo of Michael Adee with Molly & Libby,Rainbow Pride Dogs by LW Bernardino.

More Light Update

, January 2011|3

ollowing the risen Christ, andseeking to make the Church atrue community of hospitality, themission of More Light Presbyte-rians is to work for the full par-ticipation of lesbian, gay, bisexualand transgender people of faith inthe life, ministry and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Co-Moderators

Janet Edwards (2013)Trice Gibbons (2012)

Secretary/Treasurer

Ray Bagnuolo (2012)

Additional Board Member

Ralph Carter (2011)Jed Dews-Alexander (2013)Patrick Evans (2013)Jeananne Stine (2013)Madeline Jervis (2013)Marc Jung (2013)Rev. Heidi Peterson (2011)John Thompson (2012)Beth Van Sickle (2011)

Nominating Committee At-Large

Derrick Kikuchi

STAFF

Dr. Michael J. Adee,

Executive Director and Field Or- ganizer

Faye Burdick

More Light Update Editor

Antony Hebblethwaite,

Communications/TechnologyManager

Susan Robertson,

Financial Assistant

CONTACT MLP

Full contact information for MLPBoard Members and Staff is avail-able online at http://www.mlp.org/index.php?topic=aboutmlp.

By Marc Jung

s MLP’s new Communications Team leader, I would like to take amoment to discuss the many ways that we can all participate in ourdenomination’s government. This is especially important during the votingprocess for Amendment 10-A. Of course, one of the rst steps everyone islikely to mention is the need for all minister and elder commissioners to voteat Presbytery meetings. Every vote does indeed count and there have beeninstances where the vote count has been a tie, which counts as an amend-ment not passing. Since elder commissioners are normally appointed bySession, be sure that your Session is sending enough Elders to exercise all of your church’s Elder Commissioner votes.In addition, we want to encourage the minister and elder commissionersto speak on the oor of their presbytery meeting, before any vote is taken.There may be time limitations, or a limit on the number of commissionersthat will be allowed to speak from the oor, so pay attention at the meeting!Try to facilitate discussion from the oor before a vote, as it will be muchmore helpful to have the opportunity to listen to others rather than rushingdirectly to voting. It is preferable not to repeat what others have already said just minutes ago. Try to offer something new, and suggest that commission-ers carefully read again the amendment being voted on.Even before meeting day, there are many steps that one may consider takingin advance of a vote. Many Presbyteries will be voting on Amendment 10-A in spring 2011, yet during the winter months, many Presbytery NominatingCommittees are trying to ll vacancies on a number of Presbytery Commit-tees. Be open to being nominated to a committee. For example, there maybe a committee that arranges the Presbytery meeting venue. By serving onsuch a committee, one can help plan for the vote to be held at a convenientand neutral meeting location. Another committee to consider is the commit-tee that processes and presents the various overtures and amendments tothe Book of Order, including Amendment 10-A. The Nominating Commit-tee may have vacancies and what better way to have a role in nominatingministers and elders to committees that may have an effect on the handlingof various overtures and amendments! Our polity allows both ministers andelders to participate, so don’t miss out!

Marc Jung is an MLP Board Member and chairs the Communication Team.

Don’t Sit Back, Take an Active Role!

Rev. Debra Peevey, MLP’s 10-A Campaign Director calling Christiansto action at Believe Out Loud. Photo by Richard W. Garnett.