by Doug King
[1-10-04]

Today the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area voted by 124 to 50, with 2 abstentions, to send to the 216^th General Assembly an overture calling on the Presbyterian Church to remove G-6.0106b from the Book of Order. It would also replace all existing authoritative interpretations that prohibit the ordination of gay and lesbian persons with an affirmation that all other standards for ordination presently in the Book of Order are "the sole and exclusive standards for ordination by ordaining bodies acting in prayerful discernment of the leading of Almighty God."

Just a year ago the same overture, submitted to the Presbytery by St. Luke Presbyterian Church of Wayzata, MN, was essentially rejected by a motion to "take no action." This year some of those who had called for patience and for more time for discussion and study were silent, while others now said it is time to present another overture to the General Assembly.

The proposed overture was submitted with statements of concurrence from the sessions of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian Church of the Apostles, Macalester Plymouth United Church, Dayton Avenue Presbyterian Church, and Cherokee Park United Church.

Faye Knowles, an elder from St. Luke, presented the overture as a matter of justice. "God calls us to do justice today and every day," she said. "Why do we wait?" She reminded the presbytery of two of its own "children" who have exemplified the terrible effects of the policy of exclusion. David Sindt was the first gay to "come out" to a General Assembly, some 30 years ago, when he stood with a sign asking "Is anyone else out there gay?" His action provided the impulse for the founding of what is now More Light Presbyterians. And the Rev. Tammy Lindahl, a Parish Associate at St. Luke, was praised for her "caring and Spirit-filled ministry" even as the Presbytery sorrowfully granted her request to be removed from the parish associate role, as she feels forced by the pressures of rejection by the church, both legally and personally, to begin seeking a call in another denomination.

An elder questioned the purpose of the second half of the overture, which would remove the Authoritative Interpretations (AIs). The Rev. Kim Smith King, pastor of St. Luke, replied that the Advisory Committee on the Constitution had declared two years ago, in response to a similar overture, that only by deleting both G-6.0106b and the AIs could the desired goal be achieved.

The Rev. Jin S. Kim, pastor of the new Church of All Nations, urged delay until the Task Force on the Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church can finish its work. His suggestion was answered when the Rev. Douglas Mitchell of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis reminded the assembly that the Task Force was not mandated to deal with the issue of ordination, adding that members of the Task Force with whom he has talked recently have made clear that the Task Force does not intend to deal with it.

The Rev. Margaret Thomas, formerly on the General Assembly staff and most recently Executive of the Synod of Lakes and Prairies, spoke in favor of the proposed overture. She acknowledged that no legislative change alone will resolve the tensions in the Presbyterian Church. That will happen, she said, only when people of good will talk and listen to one another, and bring forward what they sense is God's call of us. This overture, she said, will encourage the discussion that we need.

Elder Manley Olson, a former moderator of the Presbytery, stood to speak in favor of the overture, and went on: "I'm making a personal statement. Last year I supported 'no action,' because I felt such a proposal was not likely to be approved, and the acrimony in the church would just continue. Some then said that our 'no action' showed that our progressive presbytery had given up on this. I will not be a part of any action that will give the impression that we do not support repeal [of G-6.0106b], that we have given up our commitment to full inclusion."

How did this shift come about, from last year's "no action" to today's strong majority in favor of the overture? One participant noted that last year the people who generally favor working toward a more inclusive church were divided over the question of timing: to press for action even if an overture might fail, or to be practical and wait for a better time when an overture might "win" in the presbyteries. This year a number of people from both sides of the question of timing engaged in a variety of conversations to seek better understanding.

Those favoring "action now" urged repeatedly that "the time is always ripe to do right." They also emphasized the need to listen to those who are most affected by the problem: the LGBT people who are engaged in the struggle for change.

Perhaps reflecting all those conversations, no one moved "no action" this year, and the Presbytery returned to its historic stance of working for justice, even with no guarantee of immediate victory, but with a strong sense that a vital step forward was being taken.