The Redwoods Presbytery voted 70 to 19 to overture the General Assembly to Amend W-4.9000 in the constitution of the PC(USA). The Overture was submitted by the Sessions of Covenant, Napa; First, San Anselmo; Windsor, Windsor; First, Vallejo; Knox, Santa Rosa; Westminster, Tiburon; Christ, San Rafael; and First, San Rafael.
Overture to Amend the Directory of Worship
THAT, the Presbytery of the Redwoods approve the following proposed overture to the 220th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA (2012): That the Directory For Worship of The Book of Order be amended in the following manner: (strike through indicates portions to be deleted; italics indicate additions)
W-4.9001
Marriage is a gift God has given to all humankind for the well-being of the entire human family. Marriage is a civil contract covenant between a woman and a man two people and according to the laws of the state also constitutes a civil contract. For Christians marriage is a covenant through which a man and a woman two people are called to live out together before God their lives of discipleship. In a service of Christian marriage a lifelong commitment is made by a woman and a man to each other between two people, publicly witnessed and acknowledged by the community of faith.
13W-4.9002
W-4.9004
W-4.9006
a. In preparation for the marriage service, the minister shall provide for a discussion with the man and the woman two people concerning
(The remainder of this section remains the same)
The service begins with the scriptural sentences and a brief statement of purpose. The man and the woman two people shall declare their intention to enter into Christian marriage and shall exchange vows of love and faithfulness. The service includes appropriate passages of Scripture, which may be interpreted in various forms of proclamation. Prayers shall be offered for the couple, for the communities which support them in this new dimension of discipleship, and for all who seek to live in faithfulness. In the name of the triune God the minister shall declare publicly that the woman and the man two people are now joined in marriage.
(The remainder of this paragraph remains the same)
A service of worship recognizing a civil marriage or civil union and confirming it in the community of faith may be appropriate when requested by the couple. The service will be similar to the marriage service except that the opening statement, the declaration of intention, the exchange of vows by the husband and wife couple, and the public declaration by the minister reflect the fact that the woman and man two people are already married to one another united according to the laws of the state.
Rationale
Currently in our churches and communities same-gender couples are living together in loving, committed, monogamous relationships. They are raising children, caring for aging parents and making positive contributions to their communities. These couples include new and long time members of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Their relationships are equivalent to a marriage in every way but formal recognition by the church and by most states in which they live, though some states are recognizing their relationships as marriages or civil unions.
By changing the definition of marriage in the Directory for Worship we would recognize committed, life-long relationships that are already being lived out by our members. We would honor and support the love and commitment they practice in their lives every day. We would bear witness to the love of God as it is expressed between these couples and as we offer that love to them on behalf of the church.
In addition, as the legal recognition of same gender relationships goes through transitions throughout the country, PC (USA) clergy and sessions are faced with complex decisions regarding ecclesiastical authority and property use. Teaching Elders/Ministers of Word and Sacrament currently can face ecclesiastical charges if they perform marriage ceremonies or civil unions that may be legal in their state. Same-gender couples who are members of the Presbyterian Church (USA) can come to their Minister and request that Minister to perform their marriage as an agent of the state, only to be denied that important time of pastoral care and ministry because of church law. These marriages create certain privileges and responsibilities for the married couple and their families within the community and the church which cannot be ignored. Among other things, civil marriage bestows a new status on this couple and designates them as a unique social unit; it delineates their family structure and makes the other their next of kin; it establishes parental and societal rights and responsibilities for them; and establishes their rights of inheritance along with creating larger familial relationships. All of these issues affect this new family and their lives in the church.
Broadening the language to offer marriage to any two people removes the religious barriers faced by Ministers, Sessions, church members, and other Christians while continuing to honor the laws of each state. Changing the language in this way emphasizes that the Directory for Worship defines marriage within the bounds of our denomination and does not determine what is legal or illegal in civil law. This overture recognizes that the civil, legal definition of marriage is in transition within and among the states. This overture honors the dignity of all same gender couples and their families throughout the PC(USA).
In 2010, the 219th General Assembly failed to act on the substantive marriage-related overtures that were before it, suggesting that presbyteries continue in discussion for another two years. Now, two years later, it is even more clear that this constitutional amendment is necessary to recognize the full dignity of same-gender couples and their families.
In recent permanent judicial commission proceedings, the Presbytery of the Redwoods has listened to the testimony of a number of same-gender couples who were married when the marriage of same-gender couples was legal in the State of California. They have testified to the importance of marriage in their lives and in their families, and how marriage relates to and nourishes their lives of faith. We have been moved by their testimony. Here is some of what the couples have shared with our presbytery, when asked questions like, "Why did you want to get married?"
- "Marriage was a sacred vow of commitment for us, a covenant between the two of us, between the two of us and with our community and bringing God into our marriage where God still resides as a part and parcel of our marriage and family."
- "As I've been thinking about that question and listening to some of the answers it takes me to asking the question, I wonder if non-gay couples ever ask themselves do we want marriage or do we want a domestic partnership or a civil union, or a blessing. And of course it's marriage. It's what we know as what two people do when you know that you've met your mate. And listening to [expert testimony] about what is marriage, monogamy, yes, a long-term commitment, yes. That's what I want with [my wife], that's what we have now. . . . It's a union of equals, of independence, maybe too independent sometimes, but that's what we have and that's what it is."
- "Well, I come from a family, my parents were married for 55 years, my grandparents were married for 50 years, it means to me that you have found the person you love, the person you're going to spend the rest of your life with, and it's a conclusion in bringing that union together, it recognizes that union to the community, to your family, to your friends."
- "Marriage is what we are teaching our children to strive for as the ultimate covenant between two loving people, so our getting married is simply a reflection of what we hope they will move on to should they find life- long partners some day in their life."
- "It's the ultimate commitment, it's the ultimate promise of a life together forever, there is no going back just because you might have a little problem, it means together in love forever."
- "I wanted to be exactly as married as everybody else, I didn't want to pretend or [have a] second best kind of a marriage. I'm married. I wanted to be exactly as married as everybody was married."
- "It absolutely seemed like the natural progression of our love deepening. And I have always, you know, as a pastor in terms of the weddings I have done, always thought of marriage as an incredible gift. . . . At the time we had young daughters, and it was very important to us that they know that we are a family and that we are their parents, and so marriage was a way also to bring all that together."
Moved by this testimony, the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Presbytery of the Redwoods (1) gave thanks "for the courageous and heartrending testimonies of the married couples who shared with us their great hurt through the policies of our church...[and] for the joy in marriage they shared with us"; (2) asked "for forgiveness for the harm that has been, and continues to be, done to them in the name of Jesus Christ" and (3) has implored the General Assembly "to listen to these testimonies, which are now part of this record, to take them to heart, and to do what needs to be done to move us as a church forward on this journey of reconciliation." See Decision of the PJC of the Presbytery of the Redwoods, dated August 24, 2010. Similarly, in the recent GAPJC decision, Southard v. Presbytery of Boston, February 4, 2010, five member of the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission expressly recognized that the current language of the constitution with regard to marriage is at odds with numerous other provisions mandating "the acceptance of our gay, lesbian, and bisexual brothers and sisters into the full fellowship of the church," and "urged the General Assembly to amend the constitution to allow for the marriage of same sex couples in the PCUSA and otherwise welcome gay, lesbian, and bisexual people into the full fellowship of the church."
For the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for the good of loving, monogamous same-gender couples in our church and for the community and for the greater ministry of our Clergy, Sessions and Churches we propose these changes to the Directory for Worship.
Links:
