The Covenant Network of Presbyterians, while continuing its commitment to work for the full inclusion of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people in the life of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has also decided to broaden its focus to include other issues of reconciliation and justice.
With the PC(USA) having made momentous decisions, after years of tumult, to allow the ordination of non-celibate gays and lesbians and to permit ministers to marry same-sex couples, people are asking “what’s next?” for the Covenant Network, its executive director, Brian Ellison, said in a video the network released recently via social media.
The answer: Keep working to support gays and lesbians who want to serve the church. “There are still many places where ordination is unlikely, where those qualified can’t find opportunities to serve,” Ellison said.
The Covenant Network also will turn its attention in new directions, he said, including providing places for discussion and theological inquiry on issues of racial reconciliation raised by the Belhar Confession from South Africa, which the PC(USA) is considering adding to its Book of Confessions, and to issues of justice and inequity much in the national news. The theme of the network’s 2015 annual conference, to be held Nov. 5-7 in Denver, is “Unity Matters.”
