Defiance movement goes coast to coast The Layman Online Tuesday, October 29, 2002 The defiance movement in the Presbyterian Church (USA) has gone coast to coast. Encouraged by Presbyterian groups that call for ordaining homosexuals, bisexuals and transgendered people, at least three Presbyterian churches were hosts to Reformation Sunday rallies that applauded Presbyterian leaders who are defying the denomination's constitution. The services were held Oct. 27 at Calvary Presbyterian Church, N.Y., and South Presbyterian Church in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., and Oct. 24 at St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Portland, Ore., according to Presbyterian Promise. Of the three, South Church, whose minister, Joseph Gilmore, says he has married several homosexual couples, is the largest with 221 members. PCUSA demographics say Calvary has 120 members and St. Mark, 48. Presbyterian Promise is an organization that prepared liturgy for the services to protest the "fidelity/chastity" ordination standard in the Constitution of the PCUSA. The group even published a revised version of Psalm 73 that says, in part: Surely God is good to gays and lesbians, To those who are pure in heart. but as for me, my feet came close to stumbling; My steps had almost slipped. For I was envious of the arrogance of those who strike against us. For they feel no pain and they continue to prosper. They suffer no ills and are never the target of bigotry. Therefore they wear a necklace of pride; And a garment of violence covers them. The imaginations of their hearts run amok. They mock and freely oppress. They speak with self righteousness. They set their mouths against God's invitation to all And their tongues parade through the earth. "Presbyterians from throughout the region came to the South Presbyterian Church yesterday and openly defied their denomination's stand on homosexuals by reaffirming the ordination vows of about a dozen gay clergy and lay leaders, who under Presbyterian law should not be ordained," reported the Journal News. The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle published an advance story on the morning of the service in Calvary Presbyterian Church. It quoted the Rev. Judy Lee Hay, host pastor of the event , as saying, "We are celebrating the church moving to the full inclusion of gays and lesbians. We are calling on the Presbyterian Church to remember its mission of being reformers." Many sessions and presbyteries – the local and regional governing bodies – have already declared that they are in "full inclusion" and ordaining men and women who are sexually active outside of marriage, including some who are sexually active with other people of both sexes. The featured speaker at the Calvary service was the Rev. Deborah Mullen, who is dean of McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. The Rainbow Gospel Choir performed. Presbyterian Promise claims kinship with More Light Presbyterians and That All May Freely Serve in working for "the empowerment of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender persons," according to a mission statement on its Web site.

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