This one will come up as a Saturday post because it is past midnight on the east coast, but I am writing on Friday night at 11 PM.

The group of us presenting spent the day between working with one another, rehearsing and perfecting our presentation, and observing what was going on in the committee. Almost all of us listened during the public hearing time as friendly and unfriendly speeches were made alternatively about the ordination of Gays and Lesbians. The committee spent much of the earlier part of the day considering three overtures with the intention of defining even more clearly that marriage is only between a man and a woman. After open hearings, hearing from the advocates for the overtures, debating each in the committe, and in one case working on a substitute motion that would have affirmed Gays and Lesbians the committee voted to recommend that the Assembly answer both of these overtures in the negative.

Then after an all Assembly worship which was very well done with the former moderator preaching and the commissioning of mission personnel as part of worship they began to hear the advocates for our overture. One person wrote out their testimony, then took ill and another person from her presbytery presented her testimony. Then two stood together so one could make a six minute speech. (each person was allocated 3 minutes). The two of them were subject to some rather hostile questioning by the committee, at one point the moderator reminded the committee admonished committee members to have more respect for the advocates.

Then 8 or us presented on behalf of 19 Presbyteries, we presented a mixture of rationality, scripture, theology, and moving stories. I told a little about Keith and asked if we should have approved his ordination. (my text below-I may have taken a wee liberty with detail, but think the story gets his call and gifts across.)

We believe it was an awesome and stirring presentation. We took only 50 or our 57 minutes and no one asked us any questions. I think because we answered them all, but it was pushing toward 10 PM and that may have made questions less likely also. The committee got up and stretched, had silent prayer and the chair requested that we all hold hands and we sang Be thou My Vision, then dismissed with prayer.

Tomorrow the advocates for other ordination standards overtures will be heard, then the committee will deliberate on each of them. One is friendly to our cause and the others are to reaffirm the standards and call for a moritorium (one 8 and one 10 years) on other overtures.

I do keep running into people I know. I was sitting next to and chatting during breaks with a woman who was obviously of a similar mind on what was going on. During a longer break suddenly we realized we knew each other, it was Charlotte Lorehnz. We have both changed over the 8 years since we saw each other last, she has lost as much weight as I have gained.
I also ran into Ginny, the Hager's daughter tonight, there for a few days advocating in less formal ways the same action I was there to advocate. I also taked to a seminary classmate tonight.

Here is my small part in our joint presentation:
Reflecting the love of God in Jesus Christ is the fundamental ethic out of which Jesus calls us to live. For a gay man named Keith, that ethic was real. He grew up in our denomination and loved it, but the Church did not fully welcome him, so he eventually dropped out of organized religion for years. When at last he reached out for spiritual help, he found a welcome at First Presbyterian Church. Each Sunday he sat in the same part of the sanctuary and met the people around him, including several elderly ladies. When one of those women fell and was in the hospital, Keith went to visit her and discovered her greater problem – she was dying of cancer. For the next year he visited Olga almost every day, in the hospital, back at home, in a nursing home. He was with her when she died. They were as unalike as they could be, an elderly white widow and an African-American gay man, but he ministered to her on behalf of the Church, on behalf of Christ. When the nominating committee was looking for people whom God had called and gifted for the ministry of deacon it was little wonder that they asked Keith. The congregation elected him unanimously. The question before you is should the session have approved his ordination.

Continue to pray for me and our cause, but for the whole Assembly that God's will for the Presbyterian Church will be done this week.

I would love to hear your comments by email or comments below.