An Invitation to
BREAK THE SILENCE
from the Board of Presbyterian Promise
19 May 2002
"A time comes when silence is betrayal." Our
departed brother, Robert McAfee Brown crafted these words in 1967 for Clergy
and Laity Concerned about Vietnam. They are very relevant for our own times
and for our own Presbyterian Church (USA). Paragraph G-6.0106b in our Book
of Order
has made possible litigation against lesbian, gay, transgender,
bi-sexual persons and their supporters who have welcomed them as full members
and candidates for office in our churches. A number of judicial complaints
and actions have been initiated. People are being threatened with varying
forms of excommunication. According to The Presbyterian Layman,
there will be an overture to this year's General Assembly intended to force
Christ Church in Burlington, Vermont to change its ministry or lose its
pastors, session and even buildings.
This "judicial season" is only a continuation
of the litigation against Presbyteries, individuals, and churches such
as the Stamford church that has been going on over this issue since 1978.
It is indicative of a deeper issue of whether the church should be guided
by strict doctrinal fundamentals, or should seek continuing reformation
of doctrine and practice in each new era. This issue continues to silence
many Presbyteries which don't know how to deal with these differences.
For many of us silence is a betrayal. This judicial
season is not a time for silence. In fact the season has also become a
season of courage and commitment. Even though there are many opinions about
how to respond to the crisis, there is a growing distaste for this arbitrary
way of approaching our differences in the church. There is a flowering
of support for people who are engaged in seeking peace with justice, unity
with diversity, and purity with self-critical discernment. The litigation
may have been seen as a way to intimidate, but it has become a catalyst
for new action. Many who were so discouraged after the loss of proposed
amendment 01-A that they wanted to leave the Presbyterian Church have decided
to stay Presbyterian and to struggle in solidarity their sisters and brothers
in Christ.
We must respond. In this time of anxiety
and pain, Presbyterian Promise reaffirms our mission statement.
"Presbyterian
Promise is a ministry called to proclaim God's promise of justice and love
in Jesus Christ...
We reaffirm our commitment to Jesus' Gospel, which
we understand as grounded in love and justice. Our ministry is one of outreach.
It is evangelical. It offers hope. Our work is
"...organizing
inclusive and inquiring churches in the Presbytery of Southern New England
into a community of mutual support...
Our work begins with those most ready to hear and
perceive what God is doing in our midst. Our hope is that God will continue
to widen the circle of understanding and love. We are here to enter into
dialogue with you wherever you may be. We are bound together with you by
a shared faith and hope in Jesus. We believe we can all grow in our faith
by listening to each other. We know we need each other's support.
"...for
the empowerment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons (GLBT),...
GLBT people, their friends and often
their families are presently relegated to second class status in the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.). There are many forms of injustice. This is the particular
beam in our denominational eye. We will not be silent while it remains,
wreaking havoc on all forms of ministry.
"and for outreach, education and
Christian evangelism."
Outreach, education and Christian evangelism
are the principal means by which we seek to carry out our ministry.
We invite you to raise your voice! The
Board will continue to welcome the support of people from all positions.
We will continue to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender persons
as full members of our congregations. To do this we have joined the season
of courage and commitment with an active program of worship services,
as well as reaching out to youth on an ecumenical basis and working within
the Presbytery as advocates. We continue to speak out by working with churches
of this Presbytery as they prayerfully consider ways that they can becoming
welcoming congregations in a church that needs a new season of hospitality.
We invite you to help
break the silence!
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