Candidate remains

Through it all, remaining a candidate for ministry

A ray of light on a fairly dark day

In spite of the obstacles, a young man remains on the presbytery's roll of candidates

[1-14-03]

At the same meeting of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area that decided to take no action on a proposed overture to remove G-6.0106b from the Book of Order, the Committee on Preparation for Ministry recommended that one candidate be removed from the roll of candidates for the ministry "at his own written request."

In response, minister commissioner Frank Vardeman read this statement:

Madam Moderator, my name is Frank Vardeman and I am a minister member of this presbytery. I want to thank the Presbytery for allowing me to remove this item from the consent agenda. I felt that I did not want to allow this motion to proceed without deeper reflection by the Presbytery. I also rise with Thomas Hickok's approval.

Thomas Hickok's request to be removed from the roll as a Candidate for Ministry of Word and Sacrament represents an ongoing tragedy within our Church and brings into sharp focus the inequality and discrimination that exists within our beloved denomination.

Tom Hickok is a fine young man. He grew up as a cradle Presbyterian, the son of a minister and an elder. He was baptized Presbyterian, raised in the faith, became a member of the Presbyterian Church, attended Sunday School, and became a member of youth groups and youth choirs. He became a youth leader, and was called by God to ministry in God's Church. He became a Candidate for Ministry, attended and graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary and is currently completing his studies for a Master of Social Work. He is a member of Westminster Church in Minneapolis.

The reason that Tom has not been called and ordained to the office of Minister of Word and Sacrament is the existence of G-6.0106b within our church's constitution and the fact that Tom is a gay man. Tom's request to be removed from the roll as a Candidate is one more in a very long and tragic line of this Presbyterian Church denying God's call to faithful and talented men and women because…and only because…of their God given gift of sexual orientation.

I urge this Presbytery to not approve Tom's request to be removed from the Roll of Candidates for Ministry.

Thank you.

The motion to remove Tom from the roll of candidates was defeated by voice vote, so Tom is still a candidate.

Thomas Hickok has responded to Presbytery's action with this note:

I would like to share with you and your readers some background on events leading up to the Presbytery meeting. After a great deal of prayer and meditation and listening to God, I decided last year that I would remove myself from the ordination process. This was a very painful decision for me, but one that I believed to be appropriate given the current situation in our church in regards to LGBT people called to serve Christ.

As I continued in my discernment process, and after a disappointing experience working for That All May Freely Serve in Chicago, I began to consider the possibility of serving Christ by becoming a social worker, which led me to eventually leave Chicago and begin the MSW program at the University of Kansas, where I am currently beginning my final semester of studies.

While home for Christmas, I worshipped with my parents at Macalester-Plymouth United Church in St. Paul. At coffee hour one Sunday, I was speaking with the pastor, Rev. Heidi Vardeman, and informed her that I had recently sent a letter to the Committee on Preparation for Ministry, requesting my removal from the ordination process. She was saddened by the news and informed me that she would stand up at Presbytery and vote against accepting my resignation as a show of support for me. She asked me if it was OK to do this and I told her to follow her conscience.

She apparently could not make the meeting, so her husband Frank Vardeman, a member of Presbytery, prepared a statement and read it at the meeting. I had returned to Kansas by the time of the meeting and was unaware of either Frank's statement or his decision to proceed. I was notified of the Presbytery's decision to refuse to accept my resignation by Frank Vardeman over the phone. At this point, I have discussed this with my liaison to the committee, Rev. Terry Roos, who will be talking to the chairperson to see how we are to proceed.

I must say that I was a bit overwhelmed when I heard the news. I was filled with a sense of gratitude for the people at the meeting, and to God as well for all of the many blessings that I have been given in my life. I have begun afresh the process of discernment with a sense that maybe this is God's way of letting me know that the way things are now may not necessarily be the final answer, that God hasn't given up on me.

I would like to take a moment to thank my parents, Rev. Gary and Marijo Hickok, for their unwavering support, love, and encouragement as I have progressed in my journey of faith. I would also like to express my gratitude to my extended network of family and friends. Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank my partner, Charles Larson, for being my friend and soul-mate.

In Christ's name, Thomas Hickok, M.Div., M.Th.