Embracing the Times

3/11/2009

I would like to welcome you all to my Web site and blog, an online space I’ve dedicated to prayerful dialogue about how we can create a place in our community and our hearts for our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) sisters and brothers in Christ.

As a Presbyterian, I belong to the reformed tradition in which change is both possible and necessary in Christian life. I also know that in any time of change, diverse opinions coexist. I hope that our dialogue and study here together will help us to reconcile with one another as we seek the fine future for marriage and ordination which God has in store for us.

Specifically, I hope my blog “Embracing the Times” will keep you up to date on the latest news here in Pittsburgh and nationally, as well as provide a direct line of communication between us. I hope you will comment on the blog and engage not only with me, but with each other in conversation.

Things are already happening: As many of you know, March 14th is a big day for all of us in the Pittsburgh Presbytery. On that day, about 500 clergy and elders here (including myself) will be voting to decide if we will ratify an amendment to the Presbyterian Book of Order that would honor the gifts of ministry of GLBT people.

I invite you to join in our discernment process. Here is a resource called “More Light on Ordination” for your prayerful consideration. As it reminds us, God has often chosen vessels for His message that surprised those who lived in that time in history. The call to ordination is a “gift from God” and “initiated by God alone.”

Please join the conversation and share your thoughts — and stay tuned for more details and updates on the vote!

– Reverend Janet