April 15 was an especially joyous day at Old First church in San Francisco.  At the end of a moving communion service, the congregation and pastor Maggi Henderson joined in commissioning the Rev. Erwin Barron as a Parish Associate.

Rev. Barron had been involved in the congregation for nearly 15 years, attending, teaching Sunday School, occasionally officiating at communion, offering children’s sermons.  (He also wrote two important study guides for the Covenant Network.)   But his membership remained in the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area (PTCA), where he was for several years Associate Pastor at Westminster church, Minneapolis.  When he realized he was permanently settled in the Bay Area, he petitioned to transfer his membership to San Francisco.

At that point, however, three Presbyterians in PTCA filed an accusation against him for having legally married his husband in California.  During the protracted church court process, he was ably defended by Covenant Network director Tim Cahn.  (This case is only the most recent of Mr. Cahn’s numerous pro bono cases on behalf of an inclusive church. Read more about his service on pages 30-31.)  Rev. Barron’s acquittal on that charge allowed the San Francisco COM to begin its own lengthy process;  in March 2012 the presbytery voted to receive him as a Minister Member.

Rev. Barron is glad to have a formal relationship with the congregation of which he is so central a part.  “Many folks asked me, during this whole process, why I didn’t just leave,” he said.  “But being able to offer the bread of life to God’s people – I can’t walk away from that.”