Gratitude for the Transformative Generosity of Former G.A. Moderator Freda Gardner
The Covenant Network of Presbyterians has received one of the largest donations in its history as a bequest from the estate of Ruling Elder Freda A. Gardner, moderator of the 211th General Assembly (1999) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the first woman to serve as a tenured faculty member at Princeton Theological Seminary, where she taught for over 30 years, inspiring countless students with her courage and her passion for justice. Gardner died on May 9, 2020, at the age of 91, and was memorialized at the 224th General Assembly (2020)."We are extraordinarily grateful for Freda's generosity, which will have a profound impact on sustaining and extending our work educating and equipping the church for the work of prophetic proclamation, authentic welcome and lasting justice," said the Rev. Brian Ellison, executive director of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians. "Even more than this, we are grateful for her legacy of faithful witness on behalf of LGBTQIA+ people, always delivered with compassion, good humor, and unwavering resolve."Throughout her life, Gardner advocated for for racial justice, children, church education, women's rights and the LGBTQIA+ community. Gardner was a friend and supporter of CNP since its founding in 1997. Repeatedly, she spoke out against the “fidelity/chastity” standard (G-6.0106b in the Book of Order) that had been approved just two years before her election as moderator, barring people in same-sex relationships from ordination or installation in the PC(USA). As Moderator, she brought greetings to the national 1999 Covenant Conference in Atlanta. And in 2001, Gardner addressed CNP's Commissioner Convocation Dinner at the 213th General Assembly, which voted to delete G-6.0106b (although a majority of presbyteries would not ratify that amendment for another decade). She closed that speech characteristically calling both for justice for LGBTQIA+ people in the church and for patience with those still on the journey toward acceptance:
I hope that we will put strong arms around the wounded among us, our friends who have suffered so much, our friends who have fought the good fight for a very, very long time, our friends who wonder if they have a future in this Church, those who have run out of patience or steam or hope, and hug them with the compassionate love of Jesus, who will be there, wherever we and they are. And I hope that many of us will be given the strength to see God’s other frightened, manipulative, defensive children and to let God’s love reveal them to us as our sisters and brothers. It takes more courage to love than it does to hate, and more grace. I think it’s what Jesus would do . . . and has done . . . and can do . . . with us.
In 2011, Gardner wrote a letter to the PC(USA) alongside fellow former moderators Rick Ufford-Chase and Bruce Reyes-Chow in support of Amendment 10-A, which was approved by the General Assembly and a majority of presbyteries, finally removing the prohibition. The three moderators compared fears about the ordination of LGBTQIA+ people to anxieties about women's ordination, and Gardner wrote:
In the beginning God created heaven and earth and sometime after that: humans...of two varieties. And God claimed them as God's own and God's own son came among us to guide our lives and evoke all that was good about us. And we multiplied, made good and bad choices, loved and hurt each other and we discovered we are not all the same. For some love leads to marriage and that covenant calls to everyone who enters it and to all who live in the same world with them to honor them as God obviously did and does in creating them. And God kept and keeps calling us back to what was intended: that we love and care for the earth and each other. For every "each other", even those who make us uncomfortable. Comfort is not the criterion...faithfulness is. It is out of this call from God for us to care for each other that I ask you to join me in supporting Amendment 10-A.
The contribution from Gardner's estate will be joined with an earlier bequest from another former General Assembly Moderator, Ruling Elder Cynthia Bolbach, in a board-designated fund that will continue to offer financial stability and support for the Network's efforts to strengthen the church's educational ministry for justice and inclusion for years to come. The Covenant Network extends its profound gratitude for this sustaining generosity. If you'd like more information on how you can support and sustain the ministry of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians through an estate gift, please contact Brian Ellison at brian@covnetpres.org.
Photo credit: Union Presbyterian Seminary