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The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists |
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Issue 15 ~ October 20, 2005 |
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Welcome to Associational |
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INSIDE
One evening during the 2005 ABC/USA Biennial in Denver, CO, four members of AWAB visited one of Denver’s business establishments. They struck up a conversation with a local woman, who inquired about their visit to Denver. “We’re attending the Biennial meeting of our denomination, the American Baptist Churches USA,” they replied. “Oh,” she retorted, “When I was a teenager, I was saved in a Baptist Church. I was so excited about being a Christian that I decorated a huge cookie for Halloween to bring to the meeting of the youth group to share with everyone. The members of the youth group took one look at the cookie, and said, ‘We don’t celebrate Halloween. Halloween is the devil’s holiday.’ No one touched the cookie. I left with the cookie, and never returned to church again.” We who have ears to hear, let us hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
Grace and
Peace,
On Tuesday,
September 20, 2005, the following statement was issued to the media by Rev.
Jerrod H. Hugenot, on behalf of the board of directors for the Roger
Williams Fellowship, a longtime American Baptist interest group:
BACKGROUND November 2004 – West Virginia Baptists for Biblical Truth (WVBBT) circulates a resolution calling for the removal by June 1, 2005 of all ABCUSA churches “affirming homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle for clergy or laity.” The resolution goes on to state that if the churches are not removed from fellowship, WVBBT “shall endeavor to encourage the West Virginia Baptist Convention to sever membership with the ABCUSA.” Sixty-four churches, or about one-fifth of the total churches in the region, endorse the resolution by the time of the Denver biennial. November 2004-March 2005 – Indiana-Kentucky Region circulates a petition that would restrict the rights of disfellowshipped congregations to seek membership in other regions. May 2005 – The Board of Directors of the ABC of the Pacific Southwest (ABCPSW) threatens to withdraw from their budget covenant with ABCUSA “if the issues regarding homosexuality are not biblically dealt with by the end of the Biennial Meetings of ABCUSA July 1-4, 2005.” The Regional Executive Minister of ABCPSW is a member of the Board of Directors of American Baptist Evangelicals (ABE).
June 2005 –
In a special pre-biennial issue of the ABE Connections newsletter, ABE
Executive Director Bill Nicoson explores various options for the future of
ABC congregations and proposes that “ABE become your coalition, your
affiliation, your identity for doing ministry and mission.” The Great
Commission Network (in which the PSW Regional Exec is a major player) is
described by Nicoson as “an important new addition to our coalition.” WHAT’S HAPPENED SINCE THE BIENNIAL“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you on my account…” (Matthew 5:11) July 2005 – Two weeks after the biennial, ABE issues a “Summons to Lead” and announces plans for a conference to be held at Northern Seminary in late September: “The ABCUSA Biennial has left us with difficult choices. For more than a decade, ABE has endeavored to bring renewal to our beloved denomination. Now, all these years later, we are still left with a denomination that lacks a biblical world view. We are grieving and saddened to see churches leaving the ABC at an unprecedented rate. And although the issue of homosexuality has been elevated in recent months, the more striking concern is the significant lack of doing evangelism locally or through world missions... Our purpose in writing is to invite you to come to Lombard Ill., on September 23-24, 2005, to unite for a time of prayer, discernment and decision...” Scholarship funds are made available by an anonymous donor. September 2005 – ABCPSW Board of Directors votes (with one Board member dissenting) to begin the process of withdrawing from the Covenant of Relationships with ABCUSA by December 31, 2005. The official announcement is embargoed until all pastors in the region can receive notice by mail; however, one pastor leaks information to the press and the story is carried by the L.A. Times. Subsequently, it is covered by Religion News Service, Baptist Press (Southern Baptist), Family Focus (Focus on the Family), and Ethics.com (Cooperative Baptist Fellowship), among others. September 2005 – Eight ABC-USA Executive Ministers from across the nation gathered at the West Virginia Baptist Conference Center at Parchment Valley. They forged an agreement that affirms historic covenantal relationships between regions. This points to a future of renewed cooperation in mission, based on mutually held core values. This meeting was an expansion of the Mid-West Executive Ministers’ semi-annual gathering. The American Baptist Churches of: Michigan, Ohio, Indiana/Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania/ Delaware, New Jersey, Maine and the Pacific Southwest were represented at this meeting. Together these regions represent more than 2300 churches or 40% of ABC-USA congregations. September 2005 – 350+ attended the ABE “Summons to Lead” Conference at Northern Baptist Seminary. September 2005 – Two regular contributors to the ABE chat boards launch blogs with daily updates and commentary: Dr. Glenn Layne (the pastor who leaked the embargoed announcement to the L.A. Times) and Dr. Dennis McFadden (creator of a widely-circulated PowerPoint – now in its second generation – presentation used to “out” national leaders in evangelical circles). September 2005 – West Virginia Baptists for Biblical Truth (WVBBT) announced their intentions to submit, for a vote of the West Virginia Baptist Convention delegates, an amendment to the WVBC constitution that would remove the WVBC from association with the ABCUSA WHERE TO GET MORE INFORMATION:
www.abc-usa.org/abcusa_homosexuality.pdf (denominational policy
timeline 1987-present)www.abcusamissions.org/uploaded_pdfs/20050930042431.pdf
(RoyMedley’s 10/3 pastoral letter)www.abcusamissions.org/uploaded_pdfs/20050930042223.pdf
(9/30 letter from Roy Medley, Aidsand Wright-Riggins, Charles Jones and
Sumner Grant) Compiled 10/05 - CrossWoodsCommunications
By the Rev. Alan Newton, Executive Minister, American Baptist Churches of the Rochester/Genesee Region 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: 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. The Office of the General Secretary has received 128 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.
Kathy
Stayton, of
Wayne,
PA,
has been honored with a community award for advocating for the rights and
acceptance of LGBT people in the life of the Church and in civil
society. Kathy has organized board work with Main Line Youth Alliance, an
organization that provides a safe place for LGBT youth ages 14-22, which
meets at Central Baptist Church, Wayne, PA (20 - 40 youth every Friday
night). Kathy helped to create Soulforce Philadelphia (www.soulforce.org), which
provides nonviolent resistance training to encourage nonviolence as a way of
life and as a way to deal with adversaries. Kathy is known for her work
with AWAB, Central Baptist Concerned, and Yes!Coalition (an interfaith LGBT
organization in greater Philadelphia). Congratulations, Kathy! From AWAB pastor, Mary Hammond, on Women in Ministry (WIM): "Issues of exclusion are so interrelated, it seems to me. While not all women in ministry are supportive of lgbt inclusion, in my own experience with women in ministry, I think that many WIM are so familiar with the politics and spirituality of exclusion, that this has heightened their own sensitivity to issues of inclusion on a broader level. This was true in my own experience. While some conservatives might say that the support WIM often give to lgbt inclusion is a sign that women need to not be in leadership (more easily deceived due to Eve, etc. etc.), to me it is a sign that the experiences WIM have had with exclusion have given them insight into the exclusion of others and led them to walk in solidarity with the excluded of the earth, wherever they may be. I think about the realities for WIM in the ABC/USA in terms of patriarchy---it seems that, taking a 'strong stance on biblical authority' also means maintaining the underpinnings of patriarchal biblical culture intact rather than seeing the counter-streams that course through scripture like a mighty stream and bring life and liberation to slaves, to women, to lgbt people, to the mentally ill, to all who would be oppressed within the culture of patriarchy. It seems like taking a 'strong stance on scripture' includes shoring up a patriarchal image of God rather than that freeing up our understandings so that we really do see God as neither male nor female, yet making both in God's image. It was seeing the counter-streams in scripture that led me to read the bible with eyes attuned to experiences other than my own, whether third-world eyes, or lgbt eyes, or whatever. I hope that whatever comes out of the changes in American Baptist life, there is a renewed commitment to women in ministry." From a post on the Baptist Peace Fellowship North America listserv on Affirmation of LGBT's: "...to me, in the context of being Baptist, "affirming" is not a matter of saying 'I affirm that you have a good sex life,' but rather of saying that 'I affirm your eligibility in Christ to be called to whatever ministries you are called to, and that neither your castration nor your skin disease nor your Moabite ancestry nor your same-sex partner nor your predisposition to eating shrimp wrapped in bacon (whether genetic or not in etiology) nor the fact that your kids badmouth you nor your blended-fabric wardrobe nor your failure to stay away from your spouse at that time of month nor any of your other abominable practices or states of being is grounds for being out of fellowship with you, or for denying the validity of your call to whatever ministries you may be called to.' For me, the applicability of Peter's vision in Acts 10 to this whole issue is crystal clear, as is the lesson Peter drew from it and from its sequel: 'God has told me not to call anyone unclean.' " From a post on the Welcoming and Affirming Listerv on Is Heterosexual Lifelong Monogamy the Biblical Norm? "Perhaps this is too cynical of me -- I am ready to grant that some conservatives really are motivated out of sincere conviction about and devotion to their hermeneutic. But the things I hear and read from conservatives are so rigidly legalistic that they seem to leave little "wiggle room" for divorce and heterosexual remarriage, or for a host of other things that the Bible condemns and Evangelicals embrace, or vice versa. This particular case is, to me, a smaller version of a larger hypocrisy I hear tossed about with alarming regularity, the whole idea that "God's creation plan" as "testified in scripture" is for monogamous, heterosexual, lifelong union. I can see how one might discern an anti-same-sex-union from the Bible, at least absent any kind of Jesus hermeneutic of love. But it is utterly beyond me how anyone can deduce heterosexual, monogamous, lifelong marriage from scripture. Given the many different models portrayed (many with approbation) -- Jacob's marrying both sisters, David's slap-on-the-wrist over Bathsheba, Solomon's excess, Lot (my God -- what do they do with Lot?!), Paul's condemnation of marriage, Jesus's near complete ignoring of it -- how can anyone read this book and come up with heterosexual lifelong monogamy as any kind of a norm?! Where the Bible doesn't explicitly condemn it, it seems ambivalent at best, and usually simply apathetic. Adam and Eve? It seems to me that you have to do so much eisegesis to get from Adam and Eve to American-style monogamy, especially in the face of the the following 1000 or so pages, that our hermeneutic point is made by their attempt."
News Governor
Schwarzenegger made the wrong choice for California - and the nation - by
vetoing the Civil Marriage and Religious Freedom Protection Act. Ken Pennings’ Speaking Engagements: November 6, 2005…Lake Avenue Baptist Church (ABC / BPFNA), Rochester, NY, will celebrate 10 years of AWAB membership November 5-6, 2005. Ken Pennings will be preaching at 10 am on the 6th. (Lake Avenue Baptist Church, 57 Ambrose St., Rochester, NY 14609, 585-458-5765, lakeabc@rochester.rr.com ). February 19, 2006, 10 am…Ken Pennings will be preaching at Woodside Church (ABC/UCC), 1509 E. Court St., Flint, MI 48503-6202 (810-767-4911, info@woodsidechurch.net). Dialogue Discussion with Ken 11:15 am. AWAB’s Big Event for 2006: June 26-29, 2006…Tapestry: Live, Laugh, Love & Lead - Joint National GLBT-Allies Gathering, sponsored by AWAB, UCC Coalition, and GLAD (Disciples of Christ), at University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN. Check the AWAB website, www.wabaptists.org, for updated information on the gathering. There will be time for discussion and worship led by each of the convening groups. Brian Dixon and Kevin Rose are AWAB's representatives on the planning committee. Regional AWAB Gatherings: October 28-29, 2005…9th Annual Gay and Lesbian Baptist Retreat. Join us for a guided discussion into the abundant life of Christians who just happen to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, and/or transgender. The Open Circle Gay and Lesbian Baptist Retreat is an ecumenical event, open to all faiths. Attendees are invited to share their experiences or just listen to others. Together we’ll explore the power of testimony and truth. Expect to find strength in our stories! Lunch and Childcare are included! Registration Form at: www.wabaptists.org/opencircle2005.htm. Or contact Bill Cox bcoxal@yahoo.com . February 24-26, 2006…Northeast (NY, CT, MA, ME, NH, VT, RI, PA) regional gathering for AWAB churches and individuals at Madison Avenue Baptist Church in NYC. If you are interested in attending and/or if you have thoughts, or can help in the planning, please email Susan Sparks, Associate Pastor at Madison Ave Baptist Church suegrace1@aol.com. August 2006…Contact Rev. Dr. JoAnne Juett (pastor of First Baptist Church [ABC], Eau Claire, WI), if you would like to help in the planning of a Wisconsin/Minnesota AWAB Regional Gathering to be held in Eau Claire, WI (JoAnne Juett, 715-832-0642, jcjuett@sbcglobal.net). Event sponsored by AWAB’s partner:
November 9-13, 2005, Creating Change Conference, sponsored by The
National Gay & Lesbian Task Force. For more information on the
Oakland
Conference, visit www.creatingchange.org Thursday, Nov. 10, Empowering
People of Faith to Create Change Pre-Conference Institute: LGBT and allied
clergy and laity challenge the notion that the right wing speaks for all
people of faith. Faith leaders reject right-wing attempts to twist
scriptural calls for unconditional love. Reclaim your faith tradition and
join a moral mission to achieve social justice. Come learn how to speak out,
mobilize, and awaken hearts and minds within communities of faith! All faith
traditions enthusiastically welcomed. Friday Nov. 11,
9 pm,
Pride Techno Ritual: Don't miss this powerful, transformative drug and
alcohol-free ritual dance celebration involving music, guided meditative and
interactive process, chanting, drumming, artistic performances, dance and
much more. Brought to you by Q-SPIRIT, the Techno Rituals are developed from
the Matthew Fox exploration of techno services. From Gary Harris: "On July 31st I was honored at a garden party in my own back yard here in New York City by family, friends, and the wonderful people of Judson Memorial Church, on the occasion of my retirement. I retired in order to finally settle down, buy a home, and work-but-not-move-ever-again. There is much I could tell you, but following an 18-month interim at Judson, and living in New York City (both are a dream come true), I am headed north to one of the places I have called home before. On September 15th I will close on a beautiful two-bedroom condo in Johnston, RI, about 10 minutes from Johanna (youngest daughter) and family, and about 10 minutes from downtown Providence. Everything, including email will change, except my cell phone number 917-558-7611. The address there is Gary W. Harris, 260 George Waterman Rd., #301, Johnston, RI 02919. You'll have to write or call some time in October for the other information -- or call your friendly 411 operator. My special friend, Gary Hollenbeck, who has been with me since early January will be moving with me. We are both excited about the new space. I have been watching the Home and Garden Channel, and LG has been rolling his eyes at the thought of a red living room (Now it's your turn)! We expect to be there in just over a week, and after an exciting wedding for friends Jim Maynard and Jim Singletary in Beverly, MA, will think about claiming my grand piano and several other items that have been in storage at Aube's in Maine. I will be aiming for everything in its place by Christmas so we can have an Epiphany Open House around January 6th. You are invited. Sorry, no more spare beds in NYC, but there is lots to see and do in and around Rhode Island. Please plan a visit, but give us a little time to really get settled. Please continue whatever it is you are doing to help stop the war in Iraq, and to help rebuild the Katrina-ravaged southern states.
Love, PS Two new babies are expected this winter -- first, on December 25th, Johanna's and Darren's second, and then, in mid-January, Jennifer will have Number 4!
PSS If you like to paint, give me a call!" "Hello all. This is for any who may wish to have our new contact information. The Fambro family will be moving from Ithaca, NY, to Maryland on Oct. 26th to begin their new adventure. Our home address will be: 9021 Tonyas Terrace, Owings, MD 20736 . To reach us by email, please use the following addresses (effective immediately): Wendy Fambro - wendyfambro@gmail.com" Volunteers who will give two hours a week, two hours a month, or two hours every other month to create and expand AWAB's ministries of inclusion, to work in one of the following areas:
Data entry 1) www.TruthSetsFree.net was launched in March 2005 to help educate the Christian Church through the free distribution of the Bible study, "The Bible, Christianity, and Homosexuality." This study shows how the Bible has been misinterpreted and in fact distorted to condemn and marginalize gays, often leading them away from the Church and sometimes to such extreme measures as suicide. It concludes, "We need to embrace and support this group of people, not despite scripture and tradition, but in light of scripture and tradition. We need to open the doors of the church setting aside our own human prejudice, so that we can truly live according to the law Christ taught us." If you own a website and would be willing to link to www.TruthSetsFree.net that would be most appreciated. Contact Justin Cannon, justin@truthsetsfree.net.
2)
www.whosoever.org home
page has a number of links to materials and resources that examine the
biblical "clobber" passages from a more informed point of view. High
recommendation for the book by Daniel
Helminiak, What
the Bible Really Says about Homosexuality.
4) 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. 6) Associational reader recommends the new release Calling the Rainbow Nation Home, Elaine Sundby. 7) Other Book Recommendations: David G. Myers and Letha Dawson Scanzoni. What God Has Joined Together? A Christian Case for Gay Marriage (San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 2005)
James Alison.
On Being Liked (New York:
Crossroad Publishing Co., 2003)
Carter Heyward.
Touching Our Strength: The Erotic As Power and the Love of God (Harper San
Francisco, 1989) Because of the high cost of the Denver Biennial, AWAB’s resources are greatly depleted. Now would be a fantastic time to make a donation to AWAB! Donations and membership requests can be made online. Since AWAB is charged a small transaction fee by our credit card processor, whenever possible, please mail donations to ensure the maximum amount goes toward our work and ministry http://www.wabaptists.org/donations.htm. Send donations to AWAB, PO Box 259257, Madison, WI 53725.
Dear God, -Anonymous Associational
is a periodic e-newsletter of the Association of Welcoming & Affirming
Baptists, a network of 54 churches and hundreds of individuals who have
joined together to advocate for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender persons within Baptist communities of faith. Please forward
this e-newsletter to interested friends. To subscribe, send an e-mail to
subscribe@wabaptists.org
with
SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. To be removed from this list, send an e-mail
to
unsubscribe@wabaptists.org
with
REMOVE in the subject line. To read back issues of Associational, go to:
www.wabaptists.org/associational.htm. |
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