Jack Hartwein-Sanchez is one of many GA regulars - attending each Assembly to support the concerns of GLBT Presbyterians, to take great photos (which he generously shares with your WebWeaver!), and to share in the whole experience of the gathering.

This year he shared very personal reflections on the Assembly with a circle of friends, through daily e-mails. Here he spreads his circle wider, and has let us share with you his experience of the Welcoming Presbyterians National Worship Service that was held on Sunday afternoon, June 27.

The Welcoming Presbyterians National Worship Service organized and presented by MLP, TAMFS and the Shower of Stoles (aka: the Three Sisters) was held in a hotel meeting room that was made Spiritual by a beautiful display of stoles from the Shower of Stoles, wonderful music, and an opening procession that set the table for those gathered to share.

What is special about this service for me is that almost everyone participating/presenting in the service is GLBT. Most are people I've known now for a number of years, some are ones I've just met. Some have given up their ordinations in the PCUSA and are now doing other work. Some have moved to other churches, while others have stayed despite the limitations. Some are youth and seminary students who hope to follow their calls.

Perhaps it was because of all that I have been through this year. Perhaps it was the messages, the music, the prayers. Perhaps it was the level of joy, of celebration, of hope that so many felt in that room. Perhaps it was all of the above, but when I took Communion, and then took the opportunity to dip my fingers in the bowl of water that was offered for us, feeling the need to mark my forehead with the sign of the cross -- I broke down in tears. I felt so much inside: grief, joy, sorrow, sadness, loss, fear, wonder, excitement, being a part and yet apart, being a friend and yet a stranger, alone while surrounded by friends, wanting to be inside and yet knowing that I must be outside, wanting to say so much and yet being silenced.

This is the power of worship for me at GA. Worship that will surprise you, for while each service is for many, be it the thousands in the opening service or the hundred in the Welcoming service, the hundreds in the daily service or the dozen in the evening prayer groups, somewhere, sometime it will be a service just for you. All of the hustle and bustle, all of the schedules and deadlines, all of the agendas, all of the aches, just drop away, are forgotten, and you find yourself letting your walls down and the Holy Sprit in.

Report by MLP board member Erin Swenson:

Sunday Afternoon 150 people squeezed into a small hotel meeting room that had been transformed into sacred space for the Welcoming Presbyterians Celebration. The center of the room was the table, draped in colored cloth and adorned with votive candles. The service, planned with the help of a committee headed by Susan Craig, Pastor of the United University Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles, was a brief and satisfying helping of what it could be like to worship in a truly inclusive church. The service was led by gay and straight, lesbian and bisexual (at least three, and maybe more), and even one transgender. All were welcomed to the table, all claimed as God's precious creation.

Michael Adee, National Field Organizer for More Light Presbyterians, preached as a child of the Southern church and tradition. He reminded us of Arthur Ashe, a Richmond native and tennis champion who courageously worked for the civil and human rights that he had been denied as a African-American in the South. Preaching from Galatians, Michael drew us into the experience of being set free, finally discovering an inclusive church at Mt. Auburn in Cincinnati. Michael inspired all of us to never turn back.

Eily Marlowe, Associate Protestant Chaplain at Macalester College, celebrated the many ways in which we claim our freedom: The Church of the Reconciliation in North Carolina, calling Katie Ricks as an unordained Associate in Ministry, a model mirrored in Eily's own call at Macalester. Eily reminded us that the miracles of the Hebrew people remain ours to claim.

Welcoming Presbyterians' Celebration Dinner marks 30 years of LGBT witness in the Presbyterian Church     [7-13-04]

On Saturday, June 26, over 200 people gathered to honor a host of individuals and groups for their faithful witness in and to the Presbyterian Church.  The main speaker of the evening, the Rev. Marvin M. Ellison, Ph.D. explored the many ways the gay experience can shed light on the realities of our church -- and perhaps lead us to the kind of "make-over" the gay guys offer to drab straights on the TV show "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy."

Photo:  Lisa Larges opens the dinner gathering.
Photo by Jack Hartwein-Sanchez

Take a look at Dr. Ellison's stimulating address.

MLP posted a report on the event, as did Presbyterian News Service.

[posted 7-6-04]

One feature of the Welcoming Presbyterians' National More Light Celebration Dinner at the General Assembly was brief presentations by a few "Voices of the Movement" - people who have been deeply involved in the LGBT movement over the past few years - sharing their dreams for the future. One of the speakers was the Rev. David D. Cockcroft, Pastor Emeritus of the Riverdale Presbyterian Church, Bronx, New York. We're grateful that he has agreed to let us share his comments here, as they offer a perspective seldom heard.

I have a vision for our movement within the overall context of inclusion which we all obviously work for. For our movement to be fully inclusive, however, we dare not forget older LGBT persons. I will be 73 in two months, have been retired 10 years, and will celebrate the 50^thanniversary of my ordination in 2006. I came out in my early 60's -- difficult while working full time in the church -- and have never had a live-in partner.

I am aware of ageism as a major concern in a youth oriented culture. Ordination and same-sex marriage are not necessarily our primary issues. Along with other older people, many LGBT's face financial insecurity (will I have enough money?), physical changes with medical issues (Can I continue to live life fully without a crippling disease, and to continue to enjoy sexual expression? - that desire rarely goes away!!), and lifestyle modifications in terms of living fully in the society, and, of course, the end of life concerns.

But more than that, older LGBT's face the added dimension of sexual orientation with all its dynamics and the experience of separation from the main cultural experience. How important it is to be accepted in a sympathetic community with a common belief! The church becomes crucial. I wonder how many older Presbyterians remain closeted, afraid to come out in a divided church and be freed to be who they are. Maybe some of you are here tonight. It took me 60 years. So, don't forget us. Besides, we have much to offer out of our experience. We love life and have tons of energy. And remember, each one of you at some time -- if not already -- will be in the Medicare Club! And we will welcome you on that great day with open arms!