"Northminster is an inclusive community, inviting all to leadership and life in our church. Northminster is a member of More Light Presbyterians."
That above statement is a huge part of the reason I joined
Northminster lo those many years ago. Northminster continues to
burn a light against the dark, even in the midst of our own troubles,
but now the following letter from my beloved pastor Beth has me
screaming and crying in
frustration at the sheer hatred that exists in the hearts of so many
so-called Christians. Her last day at Northminster will be
October
31, because we can no longer afford to pay her salary. The church
is still deciding whether or not to close, but I
will not be with them once Beth is gone. I love my church for
taking strong stands on the issues that matter most to me, but we are
dying and I am exhausted and sad and confused and I
need a rest. Maybe I will find another church...I'm not even sure
right now. I'm going to be doing a lot of praying.
The only background you need to know for this letter is that Beth is a
lesbian and technically that's against one line in the Presbyterian
Book of Order.
"Dear Friends,
In his book Credo, William Sloane Coffin said, “The only security in
life lies in embracing its insecurity. And faith in Jesus Christ,
far from diminishing the risks, inspires the courage to take them on –
all of them…” This is a time in our life together and in my life
that is full of insecurity. I wonder if we can embrace the
insecurity knowing that Jesus inspires us with courage.
As you might imagine, I am doing a great deal of reflecting on the past
three years. Many of you have already heard this from me but it
is worth saying again. You will always have my greatest
admiration for the risk you took in calling me here. You called
me because you thought I was the one most qualified and able to help
implement the vision that came out of the mission study. But you
also knew it would be a risk. The presbytery might try to block
it, someone might bring charges, and perhaps of most concern was that
some in the congregation might leave because of who I am. Across
the country are numerous churches who are More Light but who have never
had the courage to call someone like me. You are rare. You
took on the risk and showed immense courage and commitment to
justice. You will always hold a special place in my heart.
Some of you have asked for information about the case that is being
brought against me in the San Francisco Presbytery. The Rev. Mary
Naegeli, Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Concord, came to
my office and informed me that her husband (whom I have never met) was
going to bring an allegation against me that I am in violation of the
Book of Order, specifically G6.0106b. The Stated Clerk of our
Presbytery, Kathy Runyeon, will form an investigative committee to look
into the allegation and determine whether there is evidence enough to
take the charges to trial. At this point, I have no idea how much
time it will take for the investigative committee to do its work.
Unfortunately, I cannot be installed anywhere else or move to another
presbytery until the case is resolved.
It’s difficult to understand why the Naegelis would take such an
action. What Mary told me in my office the day she came to inform
me was that the conservatives (she used that word) are not interested
in the dialogue or discernment called for by the General Assembly that
met in June. She said “The only reason the liberals want to
dialogue is in order to change our minds and that’s not going to
happen.” So, the conservatives have decided that they will force
the presbyteries to take a stand immediately rather than engage in any
dialogue or discernment. Mary believes the best way to get the
presbytery to take a stand is by bringing cases. She said she
would have brought charges against this church and against the
presbytery but the time limit for charges is up (it has to be within 90
days of installation). Mary also told me that if the presbytery
rules that I am not in violation, she is prepared to take her church
and leave the denomination. The only acceptable outcome for her
is that I (and people like me) not be allowed to minister in this
denomination. While one has to admire her determination and guts,
one also has to seriously question her reading and understanding of
Scripture.
My sermon on Sunday is on a passage from Mark that is about rules and
how Jesus completely took the time-honored traditions and rules and
turned them upside down with a new interpretation. What I
continue to remind myself of in this process is that the only way I can
stay centered is by keeping my eyes on Jesus. It’s too easy to
become self-righteous in response or bitter or vengeful. We have
to continue reading the gospels so we can immerse ourselves in Jesus’
life. It’s just way too easy to make Jesus into our image. Many
of you have expressed anger over this and anger is appropriate.
Let’s do all we can to keep each other centered in the midst of this
particular storm.
In Gratitude and Anticipation,
Beth"