A Message From The Moderator

A New Day For The PCUSA

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) had (finally) approved changes in ordination standards! We are another step closer to genuine equality in the church! Praise God!!!

Maybe now we will begin to truly believe that God's gift of grace that is made known to us in our baptism is truly sufficient...because, baby...we were born this way...

On The Threshold Of Equality

In 2008, I served as a commissioner to the 218th General Assembly of the PC(USA). I worked with the Church Orders and Ministry Committee, which was the committee that considered amendments regarding G-6.0106b. That year, the General Assembly passed the amendment that became known as "Amendment 08-B". While it was being considered in committee, it was known as "Item 05-09". This proposed amendment would have changed the language of G-6.0106b in the PC(USA)'s Book of Order, moving us closer to real equality in the church.

I moved for its approval in committee (and voted for its approval on the floor of the Assembly), so I was really disappointed when it was not ratified by enough presbyteries to pass.

Many of us in the PC(USA) have been fighting to get the language of G-6.0106b either changed or removed from our Book of Order for years now -- ever since it was added to the Book of Order in the mid 1990s. Many of us wondered if/when that day would ever come.

Well...that day is finally here!!! Most are now saying that Tuesday, May 10, 2011, will be the day that the language of G-6.0106b is finally changed so that it will bring us one step closer to full equality in the PC(USA).

I will be reflecting on this action in the next several days and weeks. Many people will be excited and happy about the voting results (like me!) -- but, others will not... In the meantime, I share these words that I wrote back in 2008:

We are called to trust God in the process – really trusting that God is the one who is in charge. God calls us through scripture to live together, work together, pray together, worship together, and witness together.

I pray that we will seek to live out our calling to live as brothers and sisters in Christ, so that our willingness to look past our differences and declare together that Jesus Christ is Lord can bear witness to the amazing power of the love and grace of God!

Jesus said: "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35 (NRSV)