News from the Gay, Lesbian, and Affirming Disciples Alliance

Contents: December 2006 - January 2007

GLAD in Mid-America Region:
Barriers to Ordination Removed, Open & Affirming Congregations Provide Presence

This report about the activities of our O&A churches and GLAD members in Missouri recently came to us from Judi Linville, member and an elder at Compton Heights Christian Church, St. Louis, MO.

Mid-America Discernment Process Removes Barrier to Ordination for LGBT Candidates

Rev. Dr. Jacquelyn Foster, member of the Mid-America Commission on Ministry, reports that in October of 2005, the Mid-America Commission on Ministry engaged in the discernment process using the "Listening to the Spirit" curriculum.

In January 2006 the Commission voted to delete the policy language prohibiting the ordination of gay and lesbian people, and to apply the same criteria for fitness for ministry to all candidates. In August, this change was received by the Council of Areas, and this Regional Assembly, on October 14, received the change with applause.

O&A Presence at the Mid-America Regional Assembly

Also at the Mid-America Regional Assembly, the region's two Open & Affirming congregations jointly sponsored an information table at the Oct. 13-14 regional assembly held in St. Charles, MO.

Volunteers from Compton Heights Christian Church in St. Louis and Rock Bridge Christian Church in Columbia, MO, set up the display, answered questions and encouraged assembly delegates to take brochures about GLAD, O&A ministries, the discernment process, and facts about homosexuality, bisexuality and transgender issues. Several seminary students from Eden Theological Seminary (UCC) in St. Louis were quite interested in the display and even volunteered to help us staff it.

Conversations with people who stopped by revealed that lay people in our churches are often involved in GLBT issues in their communities; one member of a Disciples church in a fairly conservative community has been instrumental in founding a gay-straight alliance at a local community college. The “You Don’t Have to be Gay to be GLAD” buttons were a solid hit. Our never-empty bowl of rainbow lifesaver candy (regular and sugar-free) helped draw people into conversation as well. Several visitors took copies of the Covenant of Inclusion with them.

Our churches will continue to sponsor an informative display at future regional assemblies, and Compton Heights members plan to have displays at future Southeast Gateway Area events. Also, June 2007 will be Compton’s fifth year to participate in the St. Louis PrideFest with a booth featuring free bottled water and information about our Open and Affirming ministry.

L-R: Eden seminary student Lorrie Kovel and Compton Heights Christian Church members Judi Linville, Marsha McGuire, Shannon McGuire and Millie Slack at the GLAD exhibit Oct. 13-14 at the Mid-America Regional Assembly. (photo by Madeline Haraway)	Kathy Brown, moderator of Rock Bridge Christian Church, and the Rev. Maureen Dickmann, pastor of Rock Bridge, helped sponsor a display about O&A ministries and GLAD at the Mid-America Regional Assembly Oct. 13-14. (They also are St. Louis Cardinals fans, and the team was in the National League playoffs that weekend!) (Photo by Madeline Haraway)
Compton Heights member Madeline Haraway (L) and Compton’s pastor, Rev. Dr. Jacquelyn Foster, catch up on news of the day at the Regional Assembly of the Christian Church in Mid-America on Oct. 13-14. Rev. Foster is a member of the region’s Commission on Ministry, and she helped lead the discernment process that ultimately resulted in a change in policy concerning the ordination of gay and lesbian people in the region. (Photo by Judi Linville)	The table display sponsored by Rock Bridge Christian Church and Compton Heights Christian Church at the Regional Assembly of the Christian Church in Mid-America on Oct. 13-14. (Photo by Judi Linville)