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The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists |
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Issue 12 ~ August 2005 |
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Welcome to Associational |
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INSIDE
Thanks for welcoming me as the new executive director of the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists! For me personally, this position represents many pieces of my life falling neatly into place. When I’m engaged in AWAB-related ministry, everything in me shouts, “Yes, I was made for this!” The direction, purpose and passion of my life have been creating and expanding ministries of inclusion. As a youth pastor, I created and expanded ministries to include young people in the life of the church. As a minister of evangelism and discipleship, I created and expanded ministries to include inquirers and newcomers into the life of the church. As a church planter, I did the same. And now, as AWAB’s executive director, I will help create and expand ministries to include LGBT-Allies into the life of the church. And what a fantastic team of people God has assembled to accomplish this ministry of inclusion! In Denver, I met AWAB’s council, and thought, “I can’t believe I get to work with such gifted, talented, and capable leaders!” At the Biennial, at AWAB’s display booth in the Alternative Baptists Display Room, I met pastors and members of AWAB churches, and thought, “What remarkably gifted, talented and capable leaders!” At the AWAB Retreat in Boulder, I met people who have been connected with our movement for many years and some who are brand new to our movement, and I thought, “Such amazingly gifted, talented, and capable leaders!” The strength of AWAB is its members! There is tremendous energy, enthusiasm and optimism in AWAB’s membership! At the Biennial and AWAB Retreat, there were many animated conversations about the multiple opportunities before us in local churches and surrounding communities, in seminaries, in Christian camps, in regional AWAB and American Baptists Concerned chapters, in regional and national gatherings, and in ecumenical partnerships. Granted, there is conflict in the ABC/USA over welcoming and affirming churches, and conflict never feels comfortable. But conflict can be a good thing, depending on how one manages it. In my estimation, based on what I observed at the Biennial and Retreat, AWAB’s membership is rising above the conflict, perhaps even capitalizing on the energy generated by the conflict to reclaim our mission, to restylize our approach to ministry, and to reassess where our wisdom, wealth, witness and work can best be channeled for the greatest common good. Gratefully, I do NOT see in AWAB’s membership evidences of posturing, positioning, or snipe-shooting. And the reason for this is Love. AWAB’s membership has been filled to overflowing with Divine Love. When poked, prodded, jostled, shaken or shoved, Divine Love spills out of AWAB’s membership. Despite all odds, and in response to the unconditional radical love of God revealed in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, AWAB will stay the course in creating and expanding ministries of inclusion for LGBT-Allied people in church and society. It is a blessed privilege and holy honor to serve as your executive director. I look forward to partnering with you on a personal and professional level. I now repeat the words of Former Interim Director, Daniel Pryfogle, who wrote in the last issue of The Associational, “May we experience that divine love which is not dependent upon the blessing of a denomination. May we have the courage to speak truth to power and the courage to hold our institutional life with open hands, free of grasping, strategizing, and warring ways. While we journey in the midst of corporate brokenness, anger and grief, may we have compassion for each other. May we be mindful of different paths, different callings in our family. And wherever we walk, let it be with grace and light, so that we may affirm with the poet: ‘These
passings resurrect a joy without defect, News
Elected Council Members
Appointed by Council (not elected):
AWAB member, C. Burton Bagby, of Houston, Texas, writes: We are going to start a chapter of the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists here in Houston, independent of any congregation, so that folks will have a place to come and talk about being gay and Baptist. Many folks need to be nurtured and encouraged as they work to create change in their various congregations, all in their own unique ways. We hope this group will do that, among other things. We continue to try to do that at the church we attend in Houston, where my parents were married as well as my grandparents and great-grandparents. My partner and I love our Pathfinders Sunday School Class and find the church generally welcoming, but struggling on the affirming part. We find that being out at church is really opening people's minds and hearts and making them think about the issues surrounding truly affirming gays as fully participating members in our church. Since we came out at church, it has been a pleasant surprise to see how many folks have sought us out to say that they are glad we are there. But the struggle continues with many others. We hope those that are interested in a Houston AWAB chapter will email us at cbbagby@sbcglobal.net or call us at 713-721-0202. Salem, Oregon AWAB member, Kathy Smith, of Salem, Oregon, would like to link with people who are interested in establishing a local chapter of AWAB in the Salem area. If interested, contact Kathy at P.O. Box 6033, Salem, Oregon, 97304, (503) 585-1054, 1hotcat@wvi.com.
Push Underway for ABC Counter-Resolution; Proposed Standing Rules Amendment
Needs More Signatures One of the outcomes from the Rochester Summit held in February was a proposal to amend the General Board Standing Rules to include a formal appeals process for dismissed cooperating churches which desired to remain a part of the ABCUSA. This initiative is intended to provide an alternative to the proposal initiated by the Indiana/Kentucky region board which would virtually eliminate a dismissed congregation's opportunity to either appeal or remain in the denomination by restricting application into a region which is not geographically contiguous. The initial hope was that both the Rochester Summit group's amendment petition and the IN/KY petition would arrive simultaneously. Given the limited time to gain the sufficient signatures, the Appeals Petition was not submitted in June; however, the hope is that the required signatures could be obtained by the November General Board meeting. If your congregation would (1) want an appeals process should for any reason they be dismissed and (2) desire to remain an American Baptist Church if dismissed, it is important that your church consider signing the appeals petition. The Appeals Petition text can be found on the ABC Rochester/Genesee website: http://www.abcrgr.org. The petition must be voted on by your congregation in a manner consistent with your congregation's constitution and bylaws, signed, and sent to the Office of the General Secretary, P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851. As of Friday, June 17, the Office of the General Secretary had received 91 petitions from 25 regions. Two hundred petitions from 5 regions are required. Please spread the word to congregations you feel might be concerned about the very restrictive IN/KY proposed amendments and encourage them to sign the Appeals petition.
The National GLBT Gathering planning team envisions the Indianapolis University campus filled with hundreds of enthusiastic conferees. More than 400 people are anticipated to gather for four days of dynamic speakers, empowering workshops, vibrant worship and, of course, Hoosier hospitality. Together, the UCC Coalition, AWAB and GLAD (Disciples of Christ) Alliance are preparing for the National GLBT Gathering to be held at Indianapolis University, Indianapolis, IN. AWAB's two representatives on the National GLBT Gathering planning team are Chris Boisvert, who hails from California, and Kevin Rose of Indianapolis. “Representatives from each of the three organizations are excited about drawing together the best of all our resources and offering an event that inspires our lives and generates joy,” Kevin Rose says.
Save the date! Join the Gathering! Plan on making Indianapolis a vacation
destination in June 2006! To learn more about the UCC Coalition, go to:
http://www.uccCoalition.com or to learn more about GLAD, go to:
http://www.gladalliance.org News from our Partners and Beyond
General
Synod of the UCC Votes in Favor of Gay Marriage On this July fourth, the General Synod of the United Church of Christ has acted courageously to declare freedom, affirming marriage equality, affirming the civil right of same gender couples to have their relationships recognized as marriages by the state, and encouraging our local churches to celebrate and bless those marriages. I believe the General Synod has acted both out of a concern for justice, demanding that the present discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons be ended, as well as out of a theological conviction that same gender couples are as capable of fulfilling the vocation of marriage as heterosexual couples, a vocation described in our marriage rite as one in which couples offer each other mutual care and companionship, bear witness to God’s great gift of joy for them and for others exemplified in the story of Jesus at the wedding at Cana in Galilee, and in the intimacy of their relationship, represent the intimacy of Christ’s love for the Church. This action continues the long trajectory of resolutions by the General Synod which have affirmed the full human dignity of all persons and the welcoming affirmation of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons as members and ministers in the church. The issue of marriage equality is the source of great conflict in our society today, as well as in the churches. The United Church of Christ is no exception; there are clearly great differences among our own members over this issue. The General Synod’s action does not presume a consensus of opinion among our members or our local churches, which are free and responsible to come to their own mind on this issue as on any other. The General Synod speaks to and not for our local churches. It speaks a word of teaching, of encouragement, and of challenge. Today’s word is not the last word in the United Church of Christ, but a crucial and groundbreaking first word in a difficult but important church-wide discussion. The resolution itself calls for a church wide discussion of marriage as part of what now becomes the critical process of receiving this General Synod’s action in the life of our congregations. I want to express my deep appreciation to the delegates for the thoughtful, prayerful, and respectful way they have sought to discern God’s will on this matter during our time in Atlanta. I pray that the gracious spirit of our discussions here will set the tone for the conversations that will continue back home in our conferences and local churches. In a world that is deeply divided, the witness of a church that can express differences without division, that can be unified without demanding uniformity, can be a great gift. Above all, I give thanks to God that this General Synod, like many before it, has been led by the Spirit to reaffirm God’s extravagant welcome to all, and to act with evangelical courage on behalf of the vulnerable and the excluded in our midst. The days ahead will not be easy as we bear the cost of this decision. But the hope this action brings to so many in our world who have known harsh and bitter rejection surely is and will be a source of joy to us as well. Lord Jesus, to you we live, to you we suffer, to you we die. Yours will we be in life and in death. Today, as in ancient Bethlehem, the hopes and fears of all the years are met in you. We give thanks for your presence during these days of prayer and discernment, and especially for your presence here this morning. We have felt your warm embrace, stilling us as we tremble with joy, with hope, with fear, with disappointment. Remind us that as we are tempted to run from each other, so too we run from you. We know that every choice confers a cost, so let us attend in the coming hours and days to those for whom this decision confers a particular burden. Let us find words that comfort rather than congratulate; let us seek to be a community of grace and forgiveness rather than organizing constituencies of protest, let us use our hands not to clap, but to wipe away every tear. And in all this may we know in surprising new ways the comfort of belonging to You. This is our prayer. Hear us, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Several Priests Who Signed 2003 Statement in Support of Gays Are No Longer In Active Ministry. The leaders of DignityUSA expressed concern over press reports two weeks ago that several priests who signed a gay-supportive document known as the Phoenix Declaration are no longer in active ministry and questioned the actions of Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix. Five of the nine Catholic priests who signed the declaration are no longer in active ministry roles in the Catholic Church. The Arizona Republic newspaper reports that the three say they were forced out by the bishop. The statement, initially released in January 2003 by an organization called No Longer Silent, had 163 clergy signers. Thomas J. O'Brien, the bishop at the time, took no position on the declaration. Drafted by Christian clergy from primarily Protestant denominations, the Phoenix Declaration reads, in part "We affirm that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) persons are distinctive, holy, and precious gifts to all who struggle to become the family of God. We celebrate the courage of all people who have refused to let the voice of intolerance and violence speak for Christianity. And so we call for an end to all religious and civil discrimination against any person based on sexual orientation." “If these Catholic priests were removed, in part, because of their support for this enlightened message of inclusion and respect for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders, it is unconscionable," stated Deb Weill, Executive Director of DignityUSA. "Jesus taught a message of love and inclusion, and the Catholic Church has been tolerant toward homosexuals for most of its history, if not embracing or affirming us. Scholars have noted that the Catholic Church has also canonized at least sixteen GLBT saints and the US Catholic bishops have publicly condemned violence against gays, and have called for pastoral ministry to gay people and for our participation in the life of the church." "We question the actions of Bishop Olmsted which can only deepen an already existing shortage of priests. While we are aware of allegations unrelated to signing this declaration against some of these priests, to date none of the charges have been fully reviewed and thus each may be false. It has been noted that the common thread among these priests is their conscientious and bold signatures on the Phoenix Declaration. We believe moral teachers should not let personal homophobia take precedence over Jesus' inclusive message of love," Weill added. DignityUSA works for full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in the life of the Church and Society. www.dignityusa.org For more information:Deb Weill 202-861-0017 (office)and 202-725-5894 (cell), or Sam Sinnett 314-432 1744 (office & fax) and 314-477-5798 (cell).
When the Spanish parliament took its historic vote legalizing both gay marriage and adoption of children by gay couples, Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero -- who put the full prestige of his office and party behind passage of the gay human rights legislation -- made probably the most remarkable speech in favor of full equality for those with same-sex hearts ever delivered by a head of government anywhere, in which he quoted two of the most illustrious gay poets in history. Here are excerpts from Zapatero's speech: We are not legislating, honorable members, for people far away and not known by us. We are enlarging the opportunity for happiness to our neighbors, our co-workers, our friends and, our families: at the same time we are making a more decent society, because a decent society is one that does not humiliate its members. "In the poem 'The Family,' our [gay] poet Luis Cernuda was sorry because, 'How does man live in denial in vain by giving rules that prohibit and condemn?' Today, the Spanish society answers to a group of people who, during many years have, been humiliated, whose rights have been ignored, whose dignity has been offended, their identity denied, and their liberty oppressed. Today the Spanish society grants them the respect they deserve, recognizes their rights, restores their dignity, affirms their identity, and restores their liberty. It is true that they are only a minority, but their triumph is everyone's triumph. It is also the triumph of those who oppose this law, even though they do not know this yet: because it is the triumph of Liberty. Their victory makes all of us (even those who oppose the law) better people, it makes our society better. Honorable members, there is no damage to marriage or to the concept of family in allowing two people of the same sex to get married. To the contrary, what happens is this class of Spanish citizens gains the potential to organize their lives with the rights and privileges of marriage and family. There is no danger to the institution of marriage, but precisely the opposite: this law enhances and respects marriage. Today, conscious that some people and institutions are in a profound disagreement with this change in our civil law, I wish to express that, like other reforms to the marriage code that preceded this one, this law will generate no evil, that its only consequence will be the avoiding of senseless suffering of decent human beings. A society that avoids senseless suffering of decent human beings is a better society. With the approval of this Bill, our country takes another step in the path of liberty and tolerance that was begun by the democratic change of government. Our children will look at us incredulously if we tell them that many years ago, our mothers had less rights than our fathers, or if we tell them that people had to stay married against their will even though they were unable to share their lives. Today we can offer them a beautiful lesson: every right gained, each access to liberty has been the result of the struggle and sacrifice of many people that deserve our recognition and praise. Today we demonstrate with this Bill that societies can better themselves and can cross barriers and create tolerance by putting a stop to the unhappiness and humiliation of some of our citizens. Today, for many of our countrymen, comes the day predicted by Kavafis [the great Greek gay poet] one century ago: 'Later 'twas said of the most perfect society/someone else, made like me/certainly will come out and act freely.' " (Thanks to journalist Rex Wockner for providing this translation.) AWAB is a proud supporter of the Institute for Welcoming Resources (IWR), http://www.welcomingresources.org. The LGBT Religious Archives Network News is an occasional email newsletter for persons interested in supporting the preservation of the history of LGBT religious movements. Copies of previous newsletters can be found at www.lgbtran.org/news.htm. To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBCRIBE or change your email address, contact mbowman@lgbtran.org. AWAB member, Gordon Haynes, Prairie Baptist Church, Prairie Village, KS, has attempted to provide listings for Spiritual Directors who may work with GLBT individuals. The list of resources compiled thus far is found at http://www.sdiworld.org under Web Library/General Collection, under the heading, Spiritual Direction with Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual and Transgender Persons.
Spiritual Directors International,
http://www.sdiworld.org, is "a global
learning community of people from many faiths and nations who share a common
concern, passion and commitment to the art and contemplative practice of
spiritual direction" Contact Gordon at
gordonandcindy@msn.com.
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