 Committee hears plea for gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender office By Parker T. Williamson The Layman Online Tuesday, May 27, 2003
But indications are that few will follow his advice. "I hate conflict," said one of the commissioners. "It makes my stomach hurt," said another. "If this overture gets approved, I shudder to think what people in the pews will do," still another said. At issue is a proposal calling for a national-level office that would address the "pastoral concerns" of gay/lesbian/bisexual/and transgendered (GLBT) persons. The overture (03-23) came from the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta. If approved, the new office would add an estimated $109,000 to the General Assembly Mission Budget, according to General Assembly Council Comptroller Nagy Twafik. Testimony before the committee during its open hearings was overwhelmingly opposed to the overture. Although several proponents had signed up to speak on its behalf – including Erin Swenson, a minister/sex therapist from Atlanta Presbytery who was known as Eric before he/she underwent a sex-change operation – only one showed up. Bill Moss, an elder from San Francisco, identified himself to the committee as "a gay man" and insisted that the purpose of this office would not be to undermine the denomination's ordination standards. Moss is co-moderator of More Light Presbyterians, a homosexual activist group that opposed the adoption of the ordination standards and has supported the efforts of those who openly defy them. Office would bring 'love and understanding' Moss said that GLBT Presbyterians "need love and understanding." He said they and their families experience "difficult times" and need to know that they are accepted by other members of the church. Citing the greater pastoral needs experienced by GLBT persons, Moss said there are more suicides among this category of persons than in the general population. "We need a support group in the church," he said. But Don Corne, a deacon from Christ Church in Richmond, Va., and a member of One By One, a ministry that assists people to leave the homosexual lifestyle, opposed the overture. "We need to send a strong message of compassion to those who are confused about their sexual identity," he said, but it must be given without compromising Biblical standards." Corne, who told the group that a Christian ministry helped him overcome same-sex attraction, said such ministries are intensely personal and cannot be conducted by a national office. "Passing this overture would send a mixed message," he insisted. Corne said the office could easily become an agency that works to undermine the denomination's standards on sexual behavior. Ben Willis, a minister from Lehigh Presbytery, told the committee that his church neighborhood is heavily populated by GLBT persons. "Will this office have me celebrate their lifestyle or offer a ministry of transformation to the sexual brokenness that they experience?" he asked. "This overture gives no indication as to what the office would do." Pastoral care or promoting the lifestyle? Sandy Wilson, director of Free Indeed Ministries, an organization that helps persons leave the homosexual life, shared her story. "I was a same-sex struggler for 27 years," she said. "From age 13 to age 40, I was caught up in that life. I knew in my heart that something wasn't right, and for years I searched and hungered and cried out for help," Wilson said. "After many years, it came through pastoral care and unconditional love. I can tell you that this is happening as people choose to live in the love of Jesus Christ. But there is a difference between pastoral care and promoting the lifestyle." Wilson said she did not trust the choice that this Louisville office might make and was, therefore, unable to support the overture. Mike Garron, pastor of Denver's Corona Presbyterian Church, spoke against the overture. He told the group that his church is located in the geographical center of Denver's GLBT community, and that his congregation considers sexual transformation ministries a major part of its mission. Contesting the idea that such ministries can be accomplished by a national office, Garron said that congregational care is the core of a transformational ministry. He said he has found many helpful resources, and that anything produced by denominational headquarters would be redundant at best. "There would be considerable pressure to advocate for positions that are not in conformity with our denominational standards," he said. A stewardship issue Nancy Cross, an elder from Mission Presbytery, told committee members that she wished to speak as a member of a local session. She said her church had experienced a diminished income during the current economic downturn, and that her session had to make some hard choices. "We support our presbytery and the General Assembly generously, and we did not want to see our benevolent giving cut," she said. "We examined each of our programs to see if it was a priority. We found some things that could be covered in another way - sometimes with volunteers," Cross said, "If we in the local church are making these hard decisions, we expect other groups to make good stewardship decisions also." Establishing a new national office during this time of budget cuts would not be an act of responsible stewardship, she said. Committee chaos Hearings were declared closed and committee members pounced onto the subject. Moderator Forsythe declared the group a "quasi committee of the whole," a procedure designed to throw all their ideas onto the table without allowing votes on any of them. Substitute motions and amendments flourished as an ungainly collage of opinions ricocheted across the room. "This is a very different issue than ordination," said the overture advocate from Atlanta. "We just want to see resources for congregations, helping them develop ways to be more welcoming." "But what will the staff person for this office actually do?" a commissioner asked. "We wanted to leave that open enough so that a number of possibilities might be worked out," came the response. One commissioner tried a substitute using the "do your own thing approach." He moved that the assembly "strongly encourage local churches to provide ministries of care and support for GLBT persons and their families according to each church's own philosophy of ministry …" Another suggested that the overture be amended to declare that the proposed Louisville office would "affirm the dignity and worth of gay lesbian bisexual and transgendered members and their families." Another suggested amending the overture to place a three-year cap on the office and limit its function to providing resources that do not conflict with General Assembly policy. That led to a free for all over what policies the denomination has instituted with regard to homosexuals. Some said that the only policy has to do with banning ordination to those who practice the behavior. Others said that the policy bans any ministry that would seek to change homosexual behavior. Another quoted a 1978 General Assembly statement that homosexual behavior is a sin. But that triggered a retort that such statements are no longer binding. Finally, the moderator announced that the time for adjournment had arrived. He urged commissioners with divergent views to get together over the evening hours and consolidate their ideas. "We'll vote in the morning," he said. |
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