The 220th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) will meet in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from June 30 to July 7, 2012. MLP’s 220th General Assembly website provides Overture tracking, statements, stories and live coverage from Pittsburgh.

MLP hopes to build on the pro-LGBT advances of the 219th General Assembly and the subsequent Amendment 10-A campaign that removed barriers to the ordination of openly lesbian and gay candidates for ministry from the constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

MLP is committed to the achievement of spiritual, ordination and marriage equality for LGBT persons within our Church and equal rights in civil society. Our 220th General Assembly strategy is expressed by the following statement unanimously adopted by the MLP Board of Directors in Rochester, NY on September 2, 2011:

More Light Presbyterians continues to work with others toward marriage equality, including changes in the Directory for Worship, and requests for Authoritative Interpretation.

MLP supports the freedom and discretion of sessions to extend hospitality to same gender loving couples seeking to join their lives in the commitment of marriage. MLP claims that same freedom and discretion for teaching elders to preside at marriage services for same gender loving couples, especially as more states move to legalize these marriages.

We oppose all attempts by any entity to rescind the gains for justice punctuated by the passage of G-2.0104.

As we approach the 220th General Assembly, we do so strengthened by the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. In a letter to the Presbyterian Church (USA) about the passage of G-2.0104, he wrote: “It is incumbent upon all of God’s children to speak out against injustice…it is not always popular to do justice, but it is always right.”

Follow our work at the 220th General Assembly at http://www.ga220.org.