[1-15-03]

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Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

The pain and deep sadness shared among God's children demand response from the Executive Committee of the Witherspoon Society. We cherish the boldness of St. Luke Presbyterian Church in submitting to the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area its overture seeking to remove G-6.0106(b) from our Book of Order.

We value the love of peace, unity, and purity in our church that motivated some members of the presbytery to vote to take no action on the overture. And we value profoundly those who feel so painfully that they have been let down by friends, with no one standing beside them to seek their full inclusion in that peace, unity, and purity - at least not yet.

We value the polity of our Presbyterian Church (USA), with its democratic, participatory form of governance. One essential ingredient of that governance is loving but open debate, seeking to discern God's will through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We find it unfortunate that the motion to take no action cut off exactly this kind of discussion on the merits of the overture, based on an assessment by some that it could not "succeed" at General Assembly.

We recognize the risks involved in proposing an overture at this time, but we believe that our church must not be held hostage by those who would deny ordination to many gifted members of our churches whose calls to ministry have been confirmed by the voices of their congregations and presbyteries.

We also recognize that there is a variety of strategies to attain the goal of full inclusion of all of the people of God. The Session of St. Luke chose a strategy that reflected its faithful commitment to the Gospel and the urgent need to end this inhospitable and exclusive practice of the PC(USA). We are encouraged by their witness and share their sense of loss. And we grieve and stand with those currently excluded from the exercise of their call by G6.0601(b).

We acknowledge that the path before us is difficult. We are deeply grateful for the many people and groups that are working for the goal of a more faithful, more open, more just Presbyterian Church. Even when we disagree on process, we remain united on the goal, and we respect the many ways Presbyterians are working to lift the heavy yoke of G-6.0106(b). We recommit ourselves - our gifts, our time, and our treasure - to the continuing struggle and to those directly called to that struggle by who they are.

We agree with one of the speakers in the debate when she said that in such hard choices, we must above all "be faithful to the Gospel." We pray that with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can get back to working all together to discern and enact what the Gospel demands: what is right and just within the body of Christ.

The Executive Committee of the Witherspoon Society
January 15, 2003