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Metro New York Synod votes openly to ordain 'partnered' homosexuals At a special meeting of the Metropolitan New York Synod Assembly Oct. 29, supporters of ordaining gays and lesbians in same-sex relationships carried the day. While adopting statements about maintaining unity in the ELCA in the three resolutions passed by the assembly, the voting members went against a decision of the 2005 ELCA Churchwide Assembly and decided 130 to 114 to endorse ordaining, commissioning or consecrating "partnered" gays and lesbians. They also issued guidelines that basically say not to discipline a minister or pastor solely for being in a same-sex relationship. (There were four resolutions, but the assembly ran out of time before it could take up the fourth. The resolutions can be found at: http://www.mnys.org/headlines/Materials/Proposed%20Resolutions.doc ) The long and the short of it is, the Metro NY Synod is defying current ELCA regulations and rejecting the 2005 assembly's vote against a proposition that would have allowed for such ordinations, but only through a special approval process. The current ELCA rules, regulations and standards call for chastity on the part of married ministers and celibacy by homosexual ministers. The ELCA church council responded to the Metro NY Synod resolution at its recent November meeting by referring the matter for study and a report by its April 2006 meeting. --excerpted from http://www.wordalone.org/docs/wa-ny-metro-gays.shtml |