More Light Surprise

Back to the More Light dinner...

At one point, two men got up to receive an annual reward. They were a couple, both small in stature. After they had accepted the award, one of the men told the group how, eighteen years ago, they had been married into a covenant bond by a woman in the room. Though they had exchanged vows, their bond was not legally recognized. The man then asked the other to be legally bound, right there, before the rest of the group.

And so, before myself and the More Light community, the two men both signed the document of marriage, with their original pastor as the officiator, and two of the women that had been at the marriage eighteen years ago (one of whom was Jay's grandmother) as their witnesses.

Didn't expect that one did ya?

Neither did anyone in the room. The couple went to Jay's church and about half of the people in the room knew them, but no one had had any idea that they had been planning this.

The joy in the room was contageous. I just went to a wedding last weekend, and, though I knew the couple well, I was fine just sitting and smiling at them during the service. But this? This was a triumph. It was a celebration. People clapped and cheered. It was a covenant that was finally able to be carried out for those who had waited so long for it.

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I don't know what I think about gay marriage. I gave a speech in government about civil unions and I fully and most adamantly support civil unions. It is concerning the rights of a people group. They aren't getting their legal rights and they should. It's a matter of the state. Secular.

But with gay marriage, you add the God ordained factor in. Does God approve of a monogamous relationship in Him, no matter what it's form. The answer to that, I have not yet figured out.

What I do know is that those two men loved each other. I have yet to see a downside to loving. If they are to love one another, what better way to make the relationship acceptable to God than to covenant through His word.

I don't know what I think about gay marriage.
But I have to say I was clapping along with everyone else yesterday.

Sunday So Far

Worship this morning was really nice. It was long but the music was great. It was in the San Jose University gym and part of it was broadcast from the Civic Center.
The music was great. The conductor would conduct the choir and then when the congregation was suppose to sing he would turn around and conduct us. It was hilarious, but I felt so much for him. You could tell he was being filled with the Spirit as he conducted--it was beautiful. : )

After worship Maggie and I left the group to go to a Media Lunch I had signed up for and Maggie was hoping to get into. The speaker was Mike Farrell from M.A.S.H. He was very good; what he said was true but he was very liberal. He was obviously intelligent and I knew what he was saying was merited, but at a time when I am striving to see both sides of the issues, he made it hard to suppress my head nods of agreement.
There was time for questioning at the end and a women asked Mike what he felt about the apathy of the next generation, how when she grew up everyone rallied and now no one did that.
I almost got up and left but I wanted to hear what he had to say. He started off with saying that the situation was a tad different as that generation had been facing a draft (one point to Mike), but I still couldn't believe she said that.

Yes, my generation is apathetic. But did not some of us just nominate an African American to the Democratic nomination? Don't tell me that was the "older" generation that got him there. Did we not just elect Bruce Reyes-Chow to moderator? Were we not the most adamant vote, when the commissioners had to vote again to get a majority? No we don't parade around anymore. But put it in the context that it is now. I think that's what Mike was saying.

I spent most of the lecture about to fall off my chair (but still listening, I assure you!) with drowsiness, but when she asked that question I woke up.

I now have about an hour and a half to rest before the next business meeting and here I am, serving you with my blog. Your welcome. I'm sleepy.

X Marks the Breakfast Spot

This morning I woke up excited about the time we had before breakfast and went to check my phone to see if anyone had replied to my "group text" (we think we're funny, we all passed phones around, got numbers, and now send "group texts" to each other whenever we want anything) about a proposed breakfast time only to find out that they had decided on a time five minutes from then.

And I had just told my roommate she could take a shower first.

So I skipped the shower, braided my hair, and set out to find City Donuts and Bagels by myself, map in hand, looking more touristy than ever. It was lovely. I like cities. This isn't as busy or cluttered as Pittsburgh, but it has that great city feel.

On my way there, a homeless man asked me for money for food.
Sometimes people walk by people like that. I think it's a combination of fear, ignorance to the situation, and even feelings of irritation like, "it's you're own fault you're there, get up and do something about it." I think the last one, though, is really just blind ignorance.

I didn't want to do that.
This week, I represent the church and whether or not he knew what my nametag meant, I do.

So I looked right at him, and in my usual response said, "What?"

"Do you have any money for food?"

"No, I don't, I'm sorry, but have a good day!" Smile.

Have a good day? How could he? Hopefully the smile would help. I'm never one for giving people money. I think in most situations, it won't help them. I will buy them food though. I thought about asking him to breakfast with me, but I wasn't sure how far away my destination was and I didn't know where I was, so unfortunately this time, I had to sacrifice a good deed to be smart. It's a shame that's a sacrifice we have to make but I feel confident that we should make it in some situations. Be giving, but be safe.

End result was, when I got to the restaurant I got him a banana and two choices of juice, and wrapped up half of my bagel for him. I never felt so full than when I gave away part of my food.

The second time I saw him he was a sweet man with sweet eyes who was thankful that someone cared. I'm going to try to buy Jesus breakfast again this week.

More Light

I will now fill you in on everything that happened yesterday and so far today in the next few blogs:

First let me explain the ticketed events to you. Before GA, you could buy tickets to various special interest group dinners that feature a speaker and a meal. The dinners are something like $45. I was under the impression that GA would reimburse the commissioners, so I promptly signed up for about 16 of them. After this, a very unhelpful GA lady called me and said that I would never have enough time to go to all of them. Oops. So I reworked and limited them to about eight. :) Unhelpful GA lady said everything was good and that I would be reimbursed.

When I got here, I was given about six tickets. Some were missing (I think) because (as I discovered on the plane) I had signed up for some events that were at the same time. (Hey GA lady, why didn't you tell me that? And why did you take off "Hot Cakes and Hot Issues,"--that one was going to be great.) Also, as I had signed up for the events when I registered months ago and before we got our YAD schedule, I missed the first two because I had YAD events. (GA lady, I told you I was a YAD.) Also, it became clear to me that I would not be reimbursed. Sorry mom, it was GA Lady's fault.

So. I have made all these friends who didn't sign up for these dinners because someone else did their registration, etc., or only signed up for one; and our favorite pastime is meal conversations...but I leave for most of them. Super. But I'm here to learn and make friends, so, new opportunities, here I come.

So....

Saturday evening, I went to my first meal with a friend named Jay who happened to also be going to the same dinner. It was a More Light dinner.

More Light (http://www.mlp.org) is an organization in support of the full inclusion of LGBT (Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender) members of the Presbyterian Church (USA). (Remember my Heath Ledger/homosexual rights campaign? It was happening right around the time Unhelpful GA Lady was unhelping me register for these dinners, which might have had an effect on the choices for dinners.) :) They have a booth in the exhibit hall where they are giving out handmade, crocheted, rainbow-colored scarves for commissioners to wear as a visual testimony. I got one the first day.

Let's review this. An eighteen-year-old girl from a town with one gay kid in her school, inviting herself to a dinner reception for the homosexual community and its friends. I have to say I had never been to anything remotely close to that dinner in my life. The closest to "gay" life I have been is the usual use of the adjective "gay" flippantly used by some of my best friends.
"I failed that test--it was so gay."
Really, friends? Must we be so insensitive?
Point is, I was ignorant and I was going to learn.

So back to the real deal; Jay and I entered from a side door, at which point I realized that none of the tickets in my hands were for a More Light dinner. Either I had nixed that one in my revised ticket purchase, or Unhelpful GA Lady was being herself again, but I went to a dinner last night without a ticket. (Does that justify missing two, mom?)

Jay didn't have a ticket either because (as I discovered as the night unfurled) his grandmother had helped organize it and about half of the people there were from his church. Jay is the YAD from the local San Jose Presbytery, and just graduated from Oberlin. (He's on my committee--Theological Issues and Institutions, too.)

So I sat down at a table in the front, not worried about not having the $45 ticket; I mean, could you find a more welcoming community?

There were four women there, one little girl, Jay's grandmother (a sweet smiling lady), and Jay.
I think that the four woman were two couples and that the little girl was their daughter. They were so nice.
Today I went to a Media Lunch (more about that later) and I will compare the two:
I actually had some connections to the people at the Media lunch. Some knew my mom, some were from my state (which is rare here), some knew my best friends. Nevertheless, I was the one who had to keep the conversation (of which there was hardly any) flowing. I came out of that lunch bored, exhausted, and irritated.
I knew absolutely nothing about any of the women at the More Light dinner. They were all West Coasters and hardly knew Pittsburgh, much less New Wilmington. Only at this dinner, they would call me by my name, ask me questions about myself, and I said goodbye to them when I had to leave early for my business meeting.

More Light was the church to me.

The speakers were great. A noteworthy and very sweet HRC (Human Rights Campaign) Leader (who I can't recall his name now) spoke and made my eyes watery. He spoke about a church he had served in with a very open homosexual organist. A man from the church had come up to the sweet HRC man and commented on how the organist was a bad example for the families in the church. Sweet HRC Man said how he knew why the man was worried, because he had met the man's son, Albert.

Months later, when he had moved to another church to serve, Sweet HRC Man got a call from the man's wife saying, "I know you just left, but we don't really know the new pastor well enough and I was wondering if you could come back to do Albert's funeral. The boy had hanged himself.

That boy was a child of God. What are we doing, Presbyterians? Why are we judging? Why? Why?

I feel so passionately that these actions are unjust. I just don't understand them. I mean, enlighten me. Sure, let’s hold people accountable. Let's help people to fight sin. But what if they just can't do that? Are we going to abandon them?

Jesus, I know from today on, for the rest of my life, I am going to sin. Are you going to abandon me? No way.

Why are we being exclusive? It's so far from what Jesus wanted us to do.

Bruce Reyes-Chow has a great way of saying about certain issues that he fully believes one thing, but understands that people who disagree truly believe that that is what God is revealing to them to be true.

So if you disagree with me, I believe that you truly believe that that is what Jesus says. I just see it more simplistically: love.

That's what we should do to everyone. No exceptions.

I have to go to a business meeting now, but more on this dinner and last night later. Enjoy all my other posts until then. :)

Puffy-eyed Girl Postpones Blog Till the Morning

My eyes are puffy with sleep and my roommate always wakes up early (which in turn means I wake up early), so I'll write about the huge day I just had tomorrow.

Expect a lot of posts. It was quite and eventful day.

Oh, and forget about the moderator thing. : )