Presentation to New Castle Presbytery
Signe Bell, Elder

January 18, 2011

Good afternoon, my name is Signe Bell and I have been asked to speak to you in favor of Amendment 10-A.   I do so joyfully, but also with sadness in my heart–sadness that this amendment is necessary and that we still feel compelled to be the bouncers at the gates of the Kingdom of God. 

I am a lifelong Presbyterian, born, baptized, confirmed and married in the PC(USA).  I have 2 young daughters, one who has been baptized in the same church that I was and one who will be shortly.  I come to you, not only as an elder and lifelong Presbyterian, but as a parent — and I beg that you make good on the promises that were not only made to me, but the ones that are being made to my children.  You see, when parents and children stand up on those marble steps and we all promise to “guide and nurture this child by word and deed, with love and prayer, encouraging her to know and follow Christ and to be his faithful disciple,”  there is no fine print.  It is a promise that comes without conditions.  Or does it?  At what point do we let these children, to whom we have promised unconditional love, know that we really only meant it as long as they are heterosexual? 

The damage that we are doing has become even more apparent in recent days.  A young person attending a youth group at a church in our presbytery was surprised to hear that the church was so outraged and upset over the recent suicides by young gay men and she asked, in all honesty, “but isn’t the church on the same side as the bullies?”

And she is right.  In matters of justice, you are either on the side of the oppressed or on the side of those who persecute them.  It is time to choose which side we are on, loudly and clearly, once and for all.  Before you answer, I only ask that you consider one question…what would the Jesus that you know choose? 

I believe that on issues of justice and compassion, we must be unrelenting.  Jesus was not silent on this and we cannot be either.  The opposition to this amendment suggests that people will leave the church over this issue.  In my opinion, these are the same folks who would have threatened to leave the denomination over ordination women or people of color.  If people and congregations are so intent on perpetuating attitudes and practices of discrimination on a system-wide basis that they can’t bear to share the denomination with others who want to love, embrace and include all of God’s children in our family, then I can live with a drop in membership numbers.  I believe that God is leading us to open our doors and our hearts to all of his children and I am confident in our ability to heed this call.

The fact is there are many who have already left our denomination over our discriminatory practices and exclusion.  At General Assembly in July, I talked with many people who had either left the church or whose children had chosen to leave the church over this very issue.  People seem genuinely concerned that young people are leaving the church, or just never joining in the first place.  The fact is that for most young people, sexual orientation is simply a non-issue…and they will not join a church where their friends are not welcome.

Even if you disagree with me about this being a matter of justice, I encourage you to vote in favor of Amendment 10-A.  I believe that passing 10-A can help our denomination move past an issue that has divided us for far too long.  This amendment allows us examine each candidate for ordination on each candidate’s “calling, gifts, preparation and suitability for the responsibilities of the office,” rather than allowing a candidate to be judged solely on his or her sexuality and relationship status.  We seem to be a denomination obsessed with sex, and I think that it is time for us to move past that obsession and evaluate our candidates for elder, deacon and minister based on the true gifts that they bring.  Amendment 10-A will allow presbyteries to determine suitability of each candidate, while not using who the candidate chooses to be in relationship with as the only criterion. 

Please, whether you believe that this is a true matter of justice as I do, or whether you are just ready to put the divisiveness behind us and trust presbyteries and congregations to evaluate candidates on a holistic basis, I ask you to vote in favor of amendment 10-A.  Thank you.