As followers of Christ, convinced by Scripture and the Reformed tradition, we envision a world as inclusive as God’s grace and a church where God’s call to service is affirmed in all persons.
Sara Herwig holds a Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological
Seminary. She transitioned from living in the male gender role to living in
the female gender role in 1997. From 1999 to 2001 she was the Director of
Operations at The International Foundation For Gender Education (IFGE) where
she became invovled in Educating others about transgender issues. She has
given presentations and lead workshops for graduate classes at Harvard
University, Boston University, Andover-Newton Theological School, the Human
Resources Department of the University of New Hampshire, Planned Parenthood
of Northern New England and various congregations and conferences. She is
currently under care of the Presbytery of Boston and was certified ready to
seek a call for ordination to the ministry of Word and Sacrament in August
of 2006.
She will be leading discussions and teaching an adult ed class for Pres Welcome’s “Opening the Welcome Circle” weekend, February 8-10, 2008.
Books
Browse Presbyterian Welcome’s recommended books! A percentage of the sale of every book bought through this link is donated to Presbyterian Welcome. Buy a book and support a great cause while you’re doing it.
The Empire State Pride Agenda’s Pride in the Pulpit is working to build a network of congregations throughout New York State who are willing to support and advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender New Yorkers.
The Institute for Welcoming Resources is an ecumenical group providing resrouces to facilitate a paradigm shift in multiple denominations whereby churches become welcoming and affirming of all congregants regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.
The Ali Forney Center helps LGBT homeless youth in New York City with short- and long-term housing, medical care, mental health care, and a host of other services, including job-training.
Other Sheep - Multicultural Ministries with Sexual Minorities is a worldwide, ecumenical Christian organization dedicated to empowering sexual minorities throughout the world with the Good News of God’s unconditional love for all.
This 2006 New York Times article offers a look at some leaders in the gay evangelical movement.
What We Provide
Education
Presbyterian Welcome staff and volunteers lead educational presentations to support conversations in congregations about sexuality in general and homosexuality and minority gender identity in particular.
Advocacy
We find our strength in numbers. Through our supporting congregations we offer a collective voice speaking to the denomination on many levels. We provide a witness, making plain the reality that God has created us all with “fear and wondernment.” Indeed none of God’s creation will be cast aside and all are invited into the Christian journey.
Fellowship
We gather together to make our voices heard and to support each other as we work to make the church a place where all are welcome. We take time to know each other more genuinely, discover the range of gifts we share and learn to use them appropriately in various elements of our work.
Support
Presbyterian Welcome has supported a number of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender candidates for the ministry and continues to provide support, strategy and safe haven for seekers aross the nation. We provide spiritual and emotional support for anyone with questions or struggles with issues surrounding sexuality.
Friends
Join the Presbyterian Welcome Friends Community!
Levels of Giving:
Friend ($35-99)
You will receive a newsletter, will be updated on all events, be added to our news alert list serve, and an invitation to our annual Christmas party.
Best Friend ($100-249)
You receive all the benefits fo Friends with the addition of a tin of Presbyterian Welcome mints.
Special Friend ($250-999)
You receive all the benefits of Best Friends with the addition of a Presbyterian Welcome t-shirt.
Friends Forever ($1,000+)
You receive all the benefits above with the addition of a ceramic fish dish…and much more!
Other Friend
I am a student and am on a budgeted income but still want to be a Friend. I will contribute to the cause. Please sign me up as a supporter!
Please fill out this form right now and join us as one of our Friends!
Staff
Born and raised in the Midwest, Rev. Mieke Vandersall recieved her B.A. in Anthropology from The College of Wooster. She arrived in New York City in 1998 and began working with the international human rights organization The National Labor Committee. Called back to serve the Presbyterian Church, she was the Coordinator for Presbyterian feminist organization Voices of Sophia. She also began her studies at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. From the beginning of her time in New York City, Mieke was actively engaged in Presbyterian Welcome, serving as Secretary, Co-Moderator and then being hired as Interim Coordinator. When hired as the Coordinator, Mieke and Presbyterian Welcome approached the New York City Presbytery to validate our ministry, and Mieke was then ordained into this position in August 2004.
Meg Harper arrived in New York City in 1966 after graduation from the University of Illinois to pursue a career in dancing. She danced with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company from 1967-77, and The Lucinda Childs Dance Company from 1979-1990. She was Faculty Chair at the Cunningham Studio from 1997-98. She began working with theater director Robert Wilson in 1994, and continues to perform his work. Meg began working at Presbyterian Welcome in the fall of 2004 as Administrative Assistant. She also teaches Action Magic at the Village Adult Day Health Center, and Tai Chi/Qi Gong to seniors throughout the city. She is a deacon at First Presbyterian Church in the City of New YOrk and lives with her partner Joan Reutershan, and two cats (Raymond and Pi) in Brooklyn.
Vision and Mission
Vision of Presbyterian Welcome
As followers of Christ, convinced by Scripture and the Reformed tradition, we envision a world as inclusive as God’s grace and a church where God’s call to service is affirmed in all persons.
Mission of Presbyterian Welcome
Presbyterian Welcome, a validated ministry, is a community of congregations and individuals in the New York area. Our mission is to build up and repair the Body of Christ by working for the full inclusion of all disciples, without regard to sexual orientation and gender identity. In being a resource for the church we aim to:
Provide leadership and education for the exploration of human sexuality in a theological framework;
Reform the Church constitution to remove barriers to inclusion;
Raise awareness, encourage discipleship and promote welcome in local congregations;
Witness to God’s faithfulness for those who face difficulty in responding to God’s call;
Join in partnerships with like-minded organizations to accomplish these goals.
Ordination
Retreat for GLBTQ Candidates & Inquirers
Every year Presbyterian Welcome hosts a retreat for GLBTQ Inquirers and Candidates from across the nation who are striving to serve our church. The retreats offer a safe place to worship, join in fellowship, and share strategies for going through the process. All LGBTQ Inquirers and Candidates who are in the “in-care” process are invited. The next retreat will be in Rural Indiana from July 16-19, 2009. There will be some scholarship money available. A registration flyer will be available shortly. Call or email the Presbyterian Welcome office for more information.
The 2008 retreat gathered 22 participants together over July 17-20. We focused on Psalms and wrote many while at the retreat. Check them out on our devotional blog.
Ordination Questions
If you are a candidate, inquirer, seminary student, or an ordained PC(USA) minister and you have questions or concerns about your own ordination situation, please feel free to contact Rev. Mieke Vandersall by email or voicemail (917) 441-8638. Both email and voicemail are completely confidential.
Note: If you have questions regarding the February 2008 PJC rulings, please do not hesitate to call or email us!
Book of Confessions & Book of Order
Here’s a quick link to the PC(USA)’s Constitution - the Book of Confessions and the Book of Order - or, for more, go to www.pcusa.org.
Congregations
Sessions of Supporting Congregations formally affirm our Mission and Vision Statement; they provide volunteers and funding. We join together in ministry and engage regularly with these congregations for mutual support of mission and congregational life.
Transfaith Online is dedicated to educating churchfolk about TransFaith and TransFolk. Lots of helpful faith-related articles and information.
A valuable resource for any faith community that seeks to be more welcoming and affirming of transgendered people,TransEtiquette, produced by the MCC, gives guidelines and suggestions every church should know about. Used with the gracious permission of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches.
Sylvia Rivera Law Project works to guarantee that all people are free to self-determine gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination or violence.
Made in God’s Image, written by Ann Thompson Cook, is a resource booklet for dialogue about the church and gender differences.
Gender People is a spiritual group for transgender, transsexual, and two-spirited people. It is organized through Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) of New York.
Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is held on November 20th every year to remember those who have died from anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. LGBT-friendly congregations are encouraged to observe the Transgender Day of Remembrance in your community as a way to raise awareness and continue to educate your congregations about Transgender concerns.
***NOTE: If you have ideas or suggestions for resources you’d like listed on this page, please email us at info@presbyterianwelcome.org.
Presbyterian Links
That All May Freely Serve. That All May Freely Serve is a group of dedicated Presbyterians who strive to open barriers in order to permit gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) people to serve openly as clergy, elders, and deacons.
More Light Presbyterians. More Light Presbyterians works for the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of faith in the life, ministry and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Covenant Network. The Covenant Network of Presbyterians seeks to support the mission and unity of the Presbyterian Church (USA), intending to articulate and act on the church’s historic, progressive vision and to work for a fully inclusive church.
Presbyterian Church (USA).The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has approximately 2.4 million members, 11,100 congregations and 14,000 ordained and active ministers. Presbyterians trace their history to the 16th century and the Protestant Reformation. Our heritage, and much of what we believe, began with the French lawyer John Calvin (1509-1564), whose writings crystallized much of the Reformed thinking that came before him.
New York City Presbytery. The Presbytery of New York City is made up of 99 congregations, 14 fellowships, 250 ministers, and more than 18,000 Presbyterians who worship in ten different languages. We are a community of many nationalities and languages; there is no ethnic majority among us.
The Witherspoon Society is a society of justice-seeking Presbyterians who work on peacemaking, earth-care, and other social and global concerns. They are working for full-inclusion of all God’s people in church and society.
Presbyterian Rainbow is an affiliation of churches and individuals in Albany Presbytery who are encouraging the PC(USA) to remove unjust policies of exclusion. They are a small but vital group, doing their part to help the church become more faithful to the witness of Jesus Christ.
Dr. Jack Rogers, author of Jesus, the Bible, & Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church, has a delightful blog about his book tour/ministry. It has a free download of the book’s study guide, helpful information about the Heidelberg Catechism, and lots more!
The PC(USA)’s Peace, Unity, & Purity Task Force published Same Gender Relationships in the Church: Seven Theological Viewpoints. It’s an important study that helps provide a framework so that the church can carry on faithful conversation about same-gender relationships. It includes both affirming and non-affirming viewpoints and is a great resource for any church that is taking on this important conversation.
Organizational Structure
Presbyterian Welcome is composed of nearly 20 supporting congregations, each of which strengthens us in our mission and work;
The Board of Directors, meeting four times a year, is chaired by our President, and is responsible for furthering our mission and raising funds;
An Executive Committee meets more frequently and its members are the President, the Treasurer and the Secretary;
Each Supporting Congregation has a Liaison who is the connection between Presbyterian Welcome and their home congregation;
Our Minister Director directs the activities of the organization on many levels. She coordinates the sub-committee work, fundraising, strategy and action initiatives, as well as counseling candidates for ordination, and preaching regularly in the churches of the Presbytery of New York City and beyond. We also have a part-time Administrative Assistant.
Walter Wink wrote “Homosexuality and the Bible” over 10 years ago, and it is still one of the most sane, concise resources out there today.
Rev. Tricia Dykers Koenig’s article “What Does the Bible Tell Us” is a quick and easy resource about the scriptures, Jesus, and the Rule of Love.
In June of 2007, Commonweal Magazine published “Homosexuality & the Church: Two Views”, a thought-provoking article about love, scripture, personal experience, tradition, and of course, Jesus Christ.
Jack Rogers’ 2003 address to the Covenant Network “How I Changed My Mind about Homosexuality” is an excellent integration of personal reflection and Biblical understanding.
Presbyterian Welcome developed from the concerns of a group of Presbyterians who came together in New York City in 1996 to find ways of promoting justice and inclusivity in and beyond the denomination.
In the spring of 1997, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted to amend the church’s constitution to bar anyone who is sexually active outside marriage from being ordained to clergy, elder, or deacon. This amendment, G-6.0106b, codifies a 1978 statement of “definitive guidance” from the General Assembly barring ordination of gay men and lesbians who are not celibate. Along with many national organizations, Presbyterian Welcome — on a local, Presbytery-wide level — seeks to overturn this amendment, and hopefully restore the understanding that all may be witnesses and actively serve the body of Christ.
In our 10-year history, we have helped countless men and women confront these issues with strategies, actions, education, spiritual renewal and prayer. Our goal is to have the amendment struck from the Book of Order and help restore equality and justice to the church we love and serve.
Resources
About Us
Who We Are
We are a diverse community of almost 20 supporting congregations and countless individuals working for change through education, advocacy and relationship builidng.
We come from all walks of life. We are gay and straight, lesbian and bisexual, transgender and queer. We are old and young and middle-aged, and from many different cultural backgrounds. We are from the 5 boroughs of New York City and beyond.
What Unites Us
What unites us is our Presbyterian identity, commitment to the church, and our conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, that we are called to the work of the church without regard to God-given sexual identity and expression.
Home
This is the homepage. There is no homepage content in here.
