10/16

This week I have been blessed with the chance to play host to Lisa Larges during her visit here in Pittsburgh. Lisa has been a candidate for ordination for over 20 years, but because she is open about being lesbian, her call to ministry has so far been denied.

What is one of the defining moments in your life as a Christian?

I often talk about meeting in 1991 with the Committee on Preparation for Ministry of the Twin Cities Presbytery. I had come out as lesbian to them in a letter and they asked me to come for a final assessment.

I was expecting the end, even hoping they would vote to remove me as a candidate. Their conversation with me, and their vote to recommend that the presbytery certify me as ready to seek a call, was the moment I felt called to ministry. This was a very Presbyterian confirmation of God’s call by the community. It was an affirmation that God is bigger than I want to make God out to be. You know how there are those times when you are really angry at somebody and then they prove you wrong?

Do you have a story of a person who embodies Christ’s teachings?

The GAPJC [General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission] hearing concerning my progress toward ordination in the San Francisco Presbytery will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana, where Rev. Howard Warren is buried.

Howard was most notorious for protesting at the General Assembly every year, showing up with provocative signs and calling the church to account for its sin against LGBT people. He was angry and not afraid to show it. And yet he was the most joyful person I have ever known. He rose at 4 a.m. every morning and prayed for hours before breakfast for anyone in the church he knew by name. Joyful in his outrage, Howard was the closest embodiment of Elijah I have ever met.

In your mind, what are the Biblical foundations for LGBT inclusion in the church?

The phrase, “whosoever believeth in me,” appears in John 3:16 and also in John 12:44-50. It reminds me that God chooses us, we don’t. The other thing that comes to mind is Acts 10-15 from Peter’s dream on the rooftop to the apostles’ decision that the uncircumcised can be Christian.

What would you say to those Christians who have a different view on inclusion?

The day will come when we will be in heaven and open the Scriptures to one another. Until then, none of us has the corner on Scripture. There has to be a way for all of us who love Scripture but understand it differently to be in fellowship together.

What can we do to foster dialogue and build bridges with people with different views on inclusion?

The central key for us is to create more and more opportunities to share our faith together, our love for the Scriptures and how the Spirit of God speaking to us through Scripture shapes our lives. Just because others may not want to engage in this dialogue does not let us off the hook. We are required to extend the invitation to the dialogue.

How has your personal journey to ordination in the Presbyterian Church strengthened or challenged your faith?

My long journey to ordination has taught me the assurance that God is in charge.

In many areas I have trouble letting go of control, but with regard to ordination I have let go and learned to trust. It is good to extend that to other areas of my life.

Twenty-three years under care for ordination has given me time to love the church in a way that I did not at the start. I have a much greater tolerance for our human foibles and failures.

What has challenged my faith on this journey is the host of LGBT faithful who have left the church and those who are coming up in the church now. I am troubled by what our church has done to our people.

Is there a prayer or meditation that helps you make it through trying times?

I really like the phrase “relieve me from the bondage of self.” This acknowledges the way my own fears and anxieties are what get in my way most often.