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Presbyterians gather with gay-rights group for Assembly civil


From PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org>
Date 24 Jun 2000 18:18:49

Note #5960 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

disobedience training
24-June-2000
GA00016

	Presbyterians gather with gay-rights group for Assembly civil disobedience
training

	Anti-gay crusaders expected to counter Soulforce demonstration

	by Evan Silverstein

LONG BEACH, June 24 – Presbyterians planning to join members of an
ecumenical gay-rights organization in peacefully demonstrating against
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) policies on homosexuality gathered here
Saturday to discuss details of the protest.

	About 45 people watched pictures of Mohandas Gandhi and the Rev. Martin
Luther King Jr., being flashed across a conference room movie screen during
one of three non-violent training sessions at the Westin Hotel, situated
across from the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center. The facility
is home to an arena where Soulforce is to stage a non-violent and
carefully-choreographed demonstration outside Sunday's 9:30 a.m. opening
worship of the PC(USA)'s General Assembly.

	"What I estimate is that it will be very respectful, that we will be
worshiping God," said Soulforce media coordinator Laura Montgomery Rutt. "We
will be praising God. We will be standing in unity with one another and our
brothers and sisters all across the United States who have been persecuted
by different churches because of their sexual orientation."
	
           Soulforce is a coalition of gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgendered people and heterosexuals from a variety of faith backgrounds,
including Presbyterians. Soulforce officials compare their movement for
inclusion of gays and lesbians to the civil-rights movement of the 1960s,
and say they conduct themselves in the benevolent manner of Gandhi and King.
They are calling for an end to what it contends is PC(USA) discrimination
against gays, lesbians and other sexual minorities because of policies
prohibiting openly gay members from ordained church leadership.

	Soulforce plans starting its Sunday "direct action" program at the worship
venue with "mini non-violence training" at 7 a.m. for those unable to attend
one of the training sessions on Saturday. A silent vigil is to begin at 8:30
a.m., with speeches from various Presbyterians starting one-hour later.

	"Based on our other events we silently hold hands and very prayfully take a
stance," said Rutt of similar Soulforce demonstrations, which includes civil
disobedience at last month's United Methodist General Convention in
Cleveland, Ohio and at the Southern Baptist Convention earlier this month in
Orlando, Fla.

	 Civil disobedience is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., when Soulforce members
will gather in groups of ten to block an entrance to a parking garage
adjacent to the arena.  Arrests are expected to follow.

	"So we're saying to the Presbyterians ‘No exit without justice. Stay in
there until you can figure it out this time. Stay in there until you do it
right this time,'" said the Rev. Mel White, a co-chair of Soulforce. "It's
simply an act of symbolic civil disobedience. But they're inside, they're
safe. They won't even see us."

	White said he anticipates protesters to be placed in plastic handcuffs and
transported by police to a central processing area where they will be cited
for a misdemeanor and fined about $200. No jail time or court appearances
are expected, he said.

	Speeches from various Presbyterians are to include the Rev. Jane Spahr, a
minister with "That All May Freely Serve," and Bear Ride, a board member
with More Light Presbyterians. The Presbyterian-related ministries serve
gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people.

	"I feel very centered spiritually," said Spahr, who is an acknowledged
lesbian and has advocated for the ordination of gays and lesbians.. "This is
just another way of witnessing to our church that our people want to serve,
that we are their children and we want to serve beside our brothers and
sisters. We are our brothers and sisters."

	Those attending Saturday's non-violent training session sang songs such as
"Battle Hymn of the Republic," learned about the non-violent teachings of
Gandhi and King and how those principles apply to the Soulforce movement.
Tips for addressing the media were prescribed and Soulforce members
discussed their experiences at previous demonstrations. Also described were
conversations with PC(USA) leaders about protest procedures and Long Beach
police pertaining to particulars of the anticipated arrests.

	"We're trying to make sure that everybody maintains a kind of calm
acceptance," said Lawrence Reh, a Presbyterian who leads First Light
Ministries, an Alameda, Calif., ministry that reaches out to gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgendered people. "We want to make sure everyone maintains
a non-violent witness and the more knowledge you can have ahead of time the
better you can do that."
  
	Rutt said about 110 people were registered for the three training sessions
at the Westin, but said she could not predict how many protesters would
actually demonstrate. She said she believes the majority of those planning
to participate at the ecumenical action are Presbyterians.

	"A lot of times we are perceived as an outside force," said Rutt, "but what
we do is help mobilize the people within the denomination who are unhappy
and dissatisfied with what the church is doing."

	Soulforce officials originally planned holding worship services at nearby
First Congregational Church, a United Church of Christ facility. But those
plans were scrapped by First church after it learned of plans for a counter
protest by a group led by anti-homosexual crusader, the Rev. Fred Phelps.

	The 70-year-old pastor of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., gained
notoriety in 1998 for picketing the funeral of Matthew Shepard, a gay
college student from Wyoming who was beaten to death.

	Phelps has become known for pickets in which he holds bright-colored signs
with slogans such as ''God Hates Fags.''

	Rutt said she was not immediately aware of Phelp's plans to attend the
demonstration, but said she wasn't surprised. She said Phelps and his
followers have turned out to counter other Soulforce demonstrations,
including the United Methodist General Convention.

	"Our plans regarding Fred Phelps are to pray for him," said Rutt. "And not
engage him in any way."

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