California presbytery OKs ordination of homosexual The Layman Volume 34, Number 7 Posted November 30, 2001 In defiance of the constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Presbytery of Redwoods in California has approved the ordination of a practicing, self-affirming homosexual. The presbytery voted 90-37 Sept. 21 to approve the ordination of Katie Morrison, a 1997 graduate of San Francisco Theological Seminary. She was subsequently ordained and installed Oct. 21 at First Presbyterian Church in San Anselmo, Calif. Representatives from More Light Presbyterians and other activists for the ordination of homosexuals applauded the presbytery’s action. “With this act today God opened this door to Katie. Katie’s job is to keep that door open and to welcome others into the church who have been excluded,” said Bill Moss, co-coordinator of More Light Presbyterians. Morrison is a field organizer for More Light Presbyterians, a network that includes about 100 Presbyterian congregations. After her ordination Morrison told a newspaper that she had an active sexual partner, but that in her eyes, she was “chaste.” Morrison received training at Presbyterian Church (USA) headquarters through her work with the National Network of Presbyterian College Women. Jane Spahr, a self-styled “lesbian evangelist” who is viewed as a heroic martyr by gay activists in the denomination, was one of the participants in the ordination. In 1992, the General Assembly’s Permanent Judicial Commission, the highest court in the denomination, ruled against Spahr being ordained to accept a call to Downtown United Presbyterian Church in Rochester, N.Y. Procedural irregularities “The ordination took place because those individuals looking to uphold Biblical standards were barred from the proceedings,” said Bob Davis of San Diego, Calif., executive director of the Presbyterian Forum. “No questions were asked by the Committee on Preparation for Ministry; the COM minutes state clearly that approving the ordination would be ‘irregular;’ and questions raised to the candidate on the floor of the presbytery were ruled out of order.”

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