My Friend Lisa

A few years ago I went to a gathering of the World Council of Churches in Kenya, along with three other folks from the USA. One of the other people at that gathering--focusing on the place and presence of people with disabilities in theological education--was Lisa Larges. Lisa is a woman who happens to be blind. She also happens to be a lesbian, and a Presbyterian candidate for ministry.

Lisa has been fighting for 20 years to be ordained as a Presbyterian Minister of the Word and Sacrament. Last Jan., it looked like there was movement within her Presbytery for letting her go on with her candidacy for ordination. This was blocked by a few folks in the Church, who objected to her candidacy, and the case went forth to the the judicial review process within the Synod.

Yesterday, the judicial process blocked Lisa from being ordained awhile longer, in part objecting to Lisa's conscientious objection to a part of the Constitution of the denomination meant to block the ordination of "out" LGBTQ people. Regardless of the closeted LGBTQ people in all factions of the Church--conservative and liberal alike--those who are "out" and in the candidacy process punished for being open and honest by having their ordination process halted because they are "out" about their significant relationships.

The case goes back to the Presbytery.

Click here for more reports:
Layman: click
Advocate: click
Presbyterian Outlook: click

Sigh...

Now people are watching to see how the rest of the votes on Amendment B go on within the Presbyteries, to see if there is an effect upon the votes pro or con.

God is doing something new in this world.

To quote Dylan, "Times they are a' changin'"

Pace, B