by Mel Green

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Immanuel Presbyterian Church in the 2006 Pride March in Anchorage"][/caption]

My brother and his family have attended Immanuel Presbyterian Church since my brother and sister-in-law first came to Anchorage in the late 1970s.  While I’m not myself a member, I’ve joined in many services there since my own arrival in Alaska in 1982, have known all of its pastors since that time, and have many friends there.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Anchorage PFLAG in the 2009 Anchorage Pride March: A lot of Immanuel Presbyterians here."][/caption]

Among other things wonderful about Immanuel: it’s a More Light church with a long history of welcoming LGBT visitors and congregants, with many of its members taking leadership roles in Anchorage PFLAG and participating annually in Anchorage’s annual LGBT PrideFest Parade and Picnic.

I have other Presbyterian friends, too, including an online friend, member of a More Light Presbyterian congregation on the East Coast who is on an Internet discussion list I’m on.  I was delighted to open up my email last night to read my friend’s transmission of an announcement from the national More Light organization:

Tonight Presbyterians join the United Church of Christ, the Episcopalian Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as denominations who have eliminated official barriers to full membership, leadership and service for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons. This is indeed a historic moment in the life of the Presbyterian Church (USA), but also in the worldwide Christian communion.

Amendment 10-A, changing the Presbyterian Church USA’s ordination standards, was  approved in the summer of 2010 at the PC(USA)’s 219th General Assembly (2010), but was required to be ratified by a majority of presbyteries (regional bodies of the church) to actually become part of PC(USA)’s Constitution.  That took place yesterday in a Minneapolis suburb, when the Presbytery of Twin Cities Area, by a vote of 205 to 56, became the 87th presbytery to approve the amendment. The Los Angeles Times reports that the Pacific Presbytery, representing Hawaii and portions of southern California, ratified the amendment just 90 minutes later by a vote of 102 to 60.

The amendment replaces language in the Presbyterian Book of Order requiring all ministers, elders, and deacons to live in “fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness” — language which had been introduced  in the late 1990s to prevent LGBTs from serving — with language requiring them to “submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life.”   According to an announcement on the national Presbyterian Church’s website,

The new provision reaffirms the long-held right and responsibility of ordaining bodies (local church sessions for deacons and elders or presbyteries for ministers) to determine the suitability of each candidate for ordination. The effect of the new language also opens up the possibility that persons in same-gender relationships can be considered for ordination.

The change becomes effective on July 10, 2011.

According to the Los Angeles Times,

Since the last time the matter was brought to a vote, in 2008-09, some 19 presbyteries have switched their votes from “no” to “yes,” including some in relatively conservative parts of the country, such as central Nebraska and northern Alabama.

But more conservative presbyteries might still deny ordination of LGBT ministers, and it’s also possible that more conservative churches might elect to leave the Presbyterian Church (USA) altogether. The regional body for Alaska, of which Immanuel Presbyterian Church is a member, is the Presbytery of Yukon. Yukon is one of the 62 presbyteries which have so far voted “no” on ratification of the change — indicating that it might also deny ordination of LGBT ministers (though local church sessions may ordain LGBT lay leaders). [Correction: there are two presbyteries for Alaska. The other, the Presbytery of Alaska, also voted “no” on ratifying Amendment 10-A.]

Still, the ratification of Amendment 10-A is a sign of progress in efforts to bring full inclusion of LGBT Christians in the Presbyterian Church.  I’ll bet my family and friends at Immanuel Presbyterian are celebrating.  I sure am.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Anchorage, a More Light church with a long history of welcoming LGBT visitors and congregants. February 2011."][/caption]

References

• 219th General Assembly (2010). Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
• 5/10/2011. “Breaking Good News! Amendment 10-A is Ratified” (More Light Presbyterians).
• 5/10/2011. “Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) approves change in ordination standard: ‘Submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ’ replaces ‘fidelity and chastity’” by Sharon Youngs, Communications Officer, Office of the General Assembly, Prxebyterian Church (U.S.A.).
• 5/10/2011. “PC(USA) relaxes constitutional prohibition of gay and lesbian ordination: Change reaffirms historical practice of ordaining bodies determining fitness for office” by Jerry Van Marter, Presbyterian News Service. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
• 5/11/2011. “In Historic Vote, Presbyterians to Allow LGBT Clergy” by Candace Chellew-Hodge (Religion Dispatches).
• 5/11/2011. “Presbyterian Church votes to allow gay ordination” by Mitchell Landsberg (Los Angeles Times).

Are you a GLBT member of a faith community or follow a spiritual path?  Would you like to share your story or views on the relationship between religion/spirituality and your life as a GLBT person?  Please let us know!  And be sure to check out our list of  Alaska’s GLBT-friendly churches and religious organizations.

Photos by Mel Green.

Tags: Christianity, Immanuel Presbyterian Church (Anchorage), Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)