“Hospitality for All”

Rev. Caroline M. Kelly
Associate Pastor

Central Presbyterian Church
Atlanta, Georgia

In June the 215th General Assembly approved recommendations which: (1) encourage presbyteries to equip pastors and sessions to provide pastoral care and nurture to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (“GLBT”) members and their families; and (2) encourage presbyteries, sessions and pastors to seek out pastoral care resources presently available in their own communities for GLBT members and their families. Less then six months after the approval of these recommendations, the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, through its Committee for Inclusion, is taking the lead in equipping its pastors and elders to provide pastoral care to GLBT members and their families.

Presbytery of Greater Atlanta
Committee for Inclusion Brochure Suggested Resource

• Peter Gomes, The Good Book
• Presbytery of Greater Atlanta Committee for Inclusion Brochure, "Can We Talk?"
• American Psychological Association Brochure, "Answers to Your Questions About Sexual Orientation and Homosexuality"
• PFLAG, "Be Yourself: Questions & Answers for Gay, Lesbian, Bixsexual & Transgender Youth"
• PFLAG, "Faith in Our Families: Parents, Families and Friends Talk About Religion and Homosexuality"
• PFLAG, "Our Daughters & Sons: Questions and Answers for Parents of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual People"
• Walter Wink, "Homosexuality and The Bible"
• Rev. Erin K. Swenson, "Pastoral Care in Transgender Experience: A Resource for Pastors and Pastoral Counselors"
• First Tuesday Group, The Presbyterian Church, Mt. Kisco, NY, "The Blue Book: What We Wish We Had Known"

The Committee for Inclusion was formed in March 2000 as a committee of the Presbytery’s Outreach Ministry Team for the purposes of: (1) facilitating discussion among pastors, sessions and congregations and members who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender; (2) helping to confront homophobia through consciousness-raising and education; and (3) identifying and providing books, videos and speakers to serve as resources for local churches. The Committee has continually sought ways to raise awareness and encourage dialogue and individual members have offered their time and resources to sessions and pastors struggling with issues related to the inclusion of GLBT members in their congregations.

In response to the 215th General Assembly recommendations, the Committee recently made available a selection of helpful resources to each of its 110 member congregations with the hope of enabling pastors and elders to better care for their GLBT sisters and brothers in Christ. The resources come from a broad variety of sources, including biblical scholars, pastoral counselors, the American Psychological Association, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), the Presbytery’s Resource Connection Center; and a PCUSA congregation in New York. They even included a copy of Peter Gomes’ well-known book about reading the bible with mind and heart entitled “The Good Book” as a suggested discussion starter for Sunday school classes or covenant groups.

It has been nearly 30 years since the PCUSA mandated local congregations to talk about issues of homosexuality, and we are still struggling to do so. In his book, Meaning of Dialogue, Reuel Howe talks about a type of dialogue that is not an attempt to impose one’s truth or view on another but nearly to understand another’s point of view. Agreement is not the goal; understanding is. Martin Buber called it “experiencing the other.” The Committee for Inclusion of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta is seeking to do just that. In their quest, they seek to help us offer hospitality to the “stranger” and fulfill the greatest commandment of all, according to Jesus: to love our neighbor as ourselves. Reaching out to our GLBT members and their families with care and nurture is one concrete way we can follow this commandment. I hope other presbyteries will be inspired to adopt this same model of pastoral care and nurture for their GLBT members and their families. For further information, please contact the Reverend Emmett Herndon at hernatl@aol.com.

Rev. Kelly is minister member of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta and has served as Associate Pastor of Central Presbyterian Church for four years. Her ministry focuses primarily in the area of mission at the local, national and international levels