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Support For Christ Church |
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To: | Christ Church Session
and Co-Pastors Rebecca Strader and Michael Brown Burlington, Vermont
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| Re: | Ordination and the
Judicial Commission Ruling
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| Date: | July 16, 2000
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| We are aware, amidst the chaos and
discrimination going on in our denomination, that your community of disciples has been
singled out to receive pressure from higher church judicatories in a way that negatively
affect the peace, unity, and purity of your community of disciples. We know that the
specific issue regards your process of selecting and ordaining officers. The First and Franklin Street Presbyterian Church is a More Light, inclusive, affirming congregation. We stand beside you in your determination to be an inclusive, accepting community of brothers and sisters in Christ. We base our stand on the love of Jesus Christ as witnessed in his life and death and passed on by his instructions to those who follow him, to wit: Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the word, he loved them to the end… (then he said) "A new commandment I give you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 12:1,34,35 Based on this plain and simple gospel truth we take an affirming stand with you and with all sisters and brothers under similar pressure. Therefore we reject any rule that attempts to supercede the practice of love among brothers and sisters in a Christian community. A rule that precludes love is no rule at all. Our obedience is to Christ who commanded that we love one another as he loved us. We shall continue to honor only the rule of love in regard to personal relations among women and men in our church community. This is our guide for obedience to Christ and for ordering relations among ourselves. Your Session and congregation remain in our prayers and have our unyielding support.
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| Jim Peters, Clerk W. Theodore Dürr, Moderator
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