| Albany Presbytery passed three overtures (below) seeking to be faithful to God’s justice-love by recognizing the equal standing of all members of Presbyterian congregations, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. These overtures are being presented for consideration at the General Assembly in July, 2010. |
|
| From the session of First Presbyterian Church (Albany), an overture regarding an authoritative interpretation regarding marriage. |
|
| From the session of First United Presbyterian Church (Troy), an overture regarding an amendment to the Directory for Worship relating to marriage. |
|
| From the session of Presbyterian-New England Congregational Church (Saratoga), an overture regarding an amendment to the Book of Order regarding Ordination. | |
| Each of these overtures deals with a different aspect of equality and justice in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Click on the above links to see the full text of each overture. An overview is below. Click here to make the overview suitable for printing. |
|
|
The Three Overtures: An Overview |
|
|
The three overtures seek to be faithful to God’s justice-love by recognizing the equal standing of all members of Presbyterian congregations, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. MARRIAGE is defined by civil law as a contract, by the church as a covenant, "a gift God has given to all humankind" (W-4.9001).The Overture to Adopt an Authoritative Interpretation (First Presbyterian Church, Albany) The Overture to Amend the Directory of Worship (First United Presbyterian Church, Troy ) revises the definition of the marriage covenant as between two people, regardless of gender. This overture, if approved by the General Assembly, would require subsequent approval by a majority of Presbyteries in order to take effect. recognizes that some states permit same-sex couples to enter into a marriage contract. In such cases, the overture seeks to clarify that Ministers of Word and Sacrament and Sessions may exercise the same pastoral discretion that they exercise in other cases in conducting or permitting services of Christian marriage. This overture takes effect if approved by a majority of commissioners to General Assembly.ORDINATION to church office is one of the means by which church members meet the expectation of "participating in the governing responsibilities of the church" (G-5.0102e).The Overture to Amend the Book of Order (Presbyterian—New England Congregational Church, Saratoga Springs) recognizes the responsibilities of membership as extending equally to all members. The decision as to which members meet the qualifications for ordained office remains at the discretion of governing bodies (Presbyteries and Sessions), according to the hierarchy of authority (Christ, Scriptures, confessions) reaffirmed in the proposed new wording. This overture, if approved by the General Assembly, would require subsequent approval by a majority of Presbyteries in order to take effect.
|
