Dear ones,
The General Assembly, by a margin of 61%-39%, passed the overture with which Santa Fe concurred, now known as 10-03, which is an Authoritative Interpretation allowing pastors to use their discretion in conducting marriages, whether same sex or the more "traditional" version.
It was decided beforehand that no matter how the vote ended up, the body would stand to sing the first verse of "God of Grace and God of Glory." We did. There was no celebration or protest on anyone's part after the vote. There is a quiet excitement among the ranks of those sitting in the EP/SC section of the room. There is also a lot of another "word of the day" from today: tension. One of my colleagues has left the room in tears; her Stated Clerk is very upset.
We move forward, AND we move forward together. I want to remind those of you who are members of the Presbytery of Santa Fe that we passed a statement at our February meeting, agreeing to stand by any pastor, Session or congregation in our presbytery who did not wish to conduct same-sex marriages. There is still room for us all, and room for us all to move forward together. Jesus is still Lord. God is still in control. I hope and pray that we can continue to breathe and to live in mutual forbearance and love with each other.
I want you to hear it from me now, as it passes. I predict that our Leadership Team will also be issuing a statement soon to the presbytery. May we continue to stand together as one, the Presbytery of Santa Fe, the part of the Body of Christ in northern New Mexico.
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