wfn.org | Judy Collins cancels Episcopal General Convention concert

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Note #6108 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

7-July-2000
00245

	Judy Collins cancels Episcopal General Convention concert 

	Singer, an Episcopalian, protests ‘discriminatory' policies

	by James H. Thrall
	Episcopal News Service

DENVER -- News that singer Judy Collins had decided to cancel a scheduled
concert at the General Convention to protest what she called the church's
discriminatory policies against
homosexuals, prompted a strong response at the convention Eucharist of
Integrity, a national Episcopal group of gays and lesbians.

	In his homily to the congregation that filled St. Johns Cathedral in Denver
on the evening of July 6, Bishop Steven Charleston said that Collins must
have "been talking to the wrong people."

	The Episcopal Church "has a long way to go," Charleston said. But, he
added, "Judy, look at all the faces in this room, look at the healing that
is rising up in this cathedral."

	In a news release issued earlier that day, Collins stated that she was
canceling her scheduled appearance at a July 10 concert to benefit the
Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief.

	Collins said that she was "shocked" to learn that "the Episcopal Church, of
which I'm a member and in which I was married, does not have an official
national church policy allowing ministers to officiate at same-sex unions or
ordain openly gay people."

	While the church is considering moves that would allow each diocese to
determine "whether or not to ordain gays and lesbians, or bless same-gender
couples on a local level," Collins said that the lack of a national policy
amounted to "supporting discrimination." She said she decided to cancel her
appearance to protest this "indecision of the Episcopal Church to fully
accept all persons into the Christian faith."

	Sandra S. Swan, executive director of the Presiding Bishop's Fund, said in
a statement that she respects Collins' "right to make her own decision." She
assured those planning to attend the concert that they would still enjoy the
production. The concert, which is also featuring the choral group
Chanticleer and musicians from the Aspen Music Festival and Opera Theatre,
will
celebrate the fund's 60th anniversary.

	Integrity points to church advances

	Integrity President Michael Hopkins also said his organization respects
Collins' "right to make this decision." Integrity appreciates "the message
of the full inclusion of lesbian and gay persons that she intends to send to
the church," he said.

	At the same time, he added, "the Episcopal Church, we believe, is on a
journey to the full inclusion of gay and lesbian people, a journey we, as
Episcopalians, are proud of -- despite
the fact that it remains incomplete." Hopkins said, "We especially regret
that this action affects the Presiding Bishop's Fund, one of the church's
finest organizations, which helps countless thousands of people throughout
the world, including gay and lesbian persons."

	In his sermon at Integrity's Eucharist, Charleston prompted resounding
applause and standing ovations at several points, especially after
declaring, "Not a single victim in this
cathedral today! Not a single victim in this cathedral today!"

	Charleston, who is dean of the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, asked rhetorically, "When is it time for the church to stand
up and say, ‘Enough is enough?' The time is now!"

	The real issue in the church's deliberations over sexuality issues "can be
named in two words: It is power and it is fear," he said. "That fear must be
expunged from our church once and for all, and that power must be shared."

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