LGBT advocates
interrupt assembly
By Paula R. Kincaid, The Layman, July 14, 2010
MINNEAPOLIS – Deliberations at the 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) were interrupted Friday afternoon by members of Soulforce, an LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) rights advocacy group.
Approximately 20 protestors, some wearing badges identifying themselves as GA commissioners or observers, walked through the area restricted for commissioners only, surrounded the platform and sang “Lord Hear Our Prayer.”
PCUSA General Assembly Moderator Cindy Bolbach speaks to a Soulforce protestor after the group interrupted a plenary session on Friday.
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protest, click here
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After refusing requests to end the protest from PCUSA staff, GA Moderator Cindy Bolbach, building security and finally police officers, 11 protestors were arrested and escorted from the Minneapolis Convention Center. They were issued trespassing citations and released. Some protestors left the convention center voluntarily and were not cited for trespassing.
The protestors carried signs titled “Prayer,” that included a list of checked items: Ordination, marriage, pension and the Soulforce logo.
When the protestors appeared, Bolbach stopped debate on the assembly’s business, and immediately led those present in singing a hymn. The hymn sing appeared more scripted than impromptu. The hymn’s words flashed on giant screens and a pianist quickly slipped behind the keyboard.
Following the song, she prayed:
“Good and gracious God, We come to you with different views, but we are all one in you. Our actions earlier today talked about breaking down the walls of separation. Those walls exist anywhere we are. What we try to do as a church is to continue the journey of breaking down those walls; to continue the conversation; to continue to dialogue together and to continue to do our business together as a denomination. And so now, oh Lord, we ask that you be with all people. Know that we hear all voices but also know that we seek to carry out the work of the PCUSA. We ask all of this in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.”
The moderator then declared a recess.
Those arrested and charged with trespassing – a misdemeanor – include:
- Saundra Farmer-Wiley of Kihet, Hawaii
- Eunice Marie Fisher of St Petersburg, Fla.
- Michael Perez of Seattle, Wash.
- Cynthia Herndon Love of Abilene, Texas Related Articles
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- Kara Ann Speltz of Oakland, Calif.
- Cristy Ford Elkins of Greensboro, N.C.
- Jeaneane L. Hill of Seattle, Wash.
- Philippe Berthoud, Richmond, Calif.
- Peter Montgomery Drake of Oakland, Calif.
- Jacob Philip Reitam of Eden Prairie, Minn.
- Deidre Carole Druk of St Paul, Minn.
Dr. Rev. Cindi Love, executive director of Soulforce told KARE 11 News, that she was satisfied that their message was heard.
“It’s absolutely not OK for the church of Jesus Christ to continue to exclude people from the sacraments that are afforded to anyone else,” she said.
Neither marriage nor ordination is considered a sacrament in the PCUSA. The denomination recognizes only two sacraments, baptism and communion. The fact that Love is not Presbyterian may have contributed to her error. Before joining Soulforce, she served as the executive director of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC).
Following that evening’s dinner break, Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons told commissioners that the protestors did not represent any group in the PCUSA and they did not have credentials needed to get to the stage.
Soulforce did receive some unexpected criticism for its protest. That same day Mark Smith wrote on the Soulforce blog, “Your choice to disrupt the PCUSA General Assembly, right after a positive action for the LGBT community, has caused negative feelings towards the LGBT community within the church. As a result, you have negated years of work done by LGBT folks and straight supporters for equality within the church. You have hurt your own cause.”
Earlier in the week, the assembly had approved the first step in ordaining LGBT persons to the offices of deacon, elder and pastor. The denomination’s 173 presbyteries will have to ratify the assembly’s decision before it becomes official PCUSA policy.
The assembly also voted to extend medical and pension benefits to same-gender partners and children of non-ordained PCUSA employees.
The assembly voted not to redefine marriage as a union of two persons in place of the current language “between a man and a woman.” They voted instead to send out two documents on marriage for the denomination to study.