Michael Adee, M.Div., Ph.D., Executive Director and Field Organizer
e. michael@mlp.org
m. (505) 577-0086
Michael J. Adee, M.Div., Ph.D. serves as the Executive Director & Field Organizer with More Light Presbyterians. Founded in 1974, More Light Presbyterians is a national organization working to achieve spiritual, ordination and marriage equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons and their families in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Michael began as a volunteer with More Light Presbyterians in 1991 and has been serving on staff since 1999.
Michael has lived in 10 states and Africa. He grew up in Louisiana and earned his Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Communication from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. Michael has been working in the LGBT community and the HIV-AIDS community since 1988. Having served as a college professor in Louisiana, Kentucky and Ohio, he has also been a hospital and hospice chaplain, bereavement counselor, campus minister, diversity consultant, tennis coach and a missionary teacher in Zimbabwe, Africa.
Michael became a human rights activist after being fired from his university teaching position for starting a GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) at Northern Kentucky University. During this same time, he was the first openly gay Elder at Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio. A judicial charge was brought against the church for his ordination that went to the highest court in the Presbyterian Church (USA).
In addition to being an activist and an educator, as an out gay athlete he has competed in tennis at five international Gay Games and three World OutGames. He was a silver medalist in Chicago and bronze medalist in Montreal. Michael believes in a world where every person is valued, every person has enough and where all persons have equal, human and civil rights.
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| Michael Adee speaks at the More Light Presbyterians celebration dinner at the 217th General Assembly. |
e. hapeterson@aol.com
m. (913) 961-3531
The Reverend Heidi A. Peterson serves as Co-Moderator on the National MLP Board.She was ordained by the Presbytery of Chicago in 1983 and became pastor of Central Presbyterian Church in Kansas City, MO in 2000. Throughout her ministry, Heidi has been active in the wider church. She has served as moderator of both Blackhawk and Heartland Presbyteries; as moderator of the 208th General Assembly Church Order Committee; as a member of the Board of Pensions and many presbytery committees.
Heidi believes that God's love of wondrous variety is reflected in the diversity of such communities as the Central Church congregation and its surrounding urban neighborhood. As a solo pastor, she bears primary responsibility for nurturing the spiritual life of the congregation through meaningful worship, outreach and administrative leadership.
Rev. Peterson and Central Presbyterian Church submitted two marriage equality overtures to the 220th General Assembly.
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| Rev. Heidi Peterson (right) with Beth Van Sickle during the National MLP Celebration Worship Service at the 219th General Assembly. |
e. trice.gibbons@gmail.com
m. (615) 218-9474
Trice Gibbons serves as Co-Moderator on the National MLP Board. Trice is a member of Second Presbyterian Church, a welcoming and affirming More Light Church in Nashville, Tennessee. He is currently a student at Vanderbilt Divinity School.
You can read an interview on MLP's website with Trice Gibbons after the passage of Amendment 10-A which opened up ordination to openly lesbian and gay candidates for ministry.
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| Trice Gibbons speaks at MLP National Conference 2011 |
