[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 119 (Tuesday, July 24, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1611]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING REV. DR. JAMES ADAMS SPAHR

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 24, 2007

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Rev. Dr. Jane Adams 
Spahr, a Presbyterian minister committed to justice for the lesbian, 
gay, bisexual and trans gender community.
  A self-described lesbian and feminist, Janie is retiring after 33 
years.
  Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her twin sister Joanie to Chet 
and Susanna Adams, Janie was ordained a Presbyterian Minister in 
December 1974, to the Hazelwood Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. From 
1975-1979 she served as Assistant Pastor of First Presbyterian in San 
Rafael, California, and in 1979-1980 was the Executive Director of 
Oakland Council of Presbyterian Churches where she was encouraged to 
resign after coming out as a lesbian.
  Janie began her ``out'' liberation work with and for LGBT people as 
the Minister of Pastoral Care in the Castro area of Metropolitan 
Community Church in San Francisco from 1980-1982. In 1982, this 
``lesbyterian'' founded the Ministry of Light, which later became the 
Spectrum Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns. 
She served for 10 years as the Executive Director of Spectrum.
  In 1991, Rev. Spahr was called to serve as a co-pastor at the 
Downtown United Presbyterian Church in Rochester, New York, marking the 
first time a Presbyterian Church had chosen an ``out'' pastor. The 
call, however, was challenged, and the Judicial Commission of the 
Presbyterian Church refused to allow Rev. Spahr to assume the 
coposition. In response to the ruling Janie was hired by The Downtown 
United Presbyterian Church and the Westminster Presbyterian Church in 
Tiburon, California, who formed the ``That All May Freely Serve'' 
project. She was employed to work within the denomination to end 
discrimination and increase inclusiveness for all people.
  In 2006, Rev. Spahr made national headlines when the Commission of 
the Presbytery of the Redwoods ruled she acted within her ``right of 
conscience'' as a Christian when she performed commitment ceremonies 
for two lesbian couples. The Presbyterian Church's highest court ruled 
in 2000 that ministers could ``bless'' same-sex unions but not preside 
over them or call them marriages. Janie challenged the church's 
constitution and won a victory for justice and inclusion, but the 
battle is not yet over as the Prosecuting Committee has filed an 
appeal.
  During her undergraduate years at Penn State, Jane met Jim Spahr whom 
she later married and had two sons, Jim and Chet. Jim now fondly refers 
to Janie as his ``wife emerita'' and the ``sister-in-Iove'' of Jackie 
Spahr (Jim's partner) and Bill Fenton (her sister Joanie's partner).
  Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to honor Rev. Dr. Jane Adams Spahr 
whose courageous passion for justice and inclusion for LGBT people has 
left a legacy that is paving the way to a better future. Rev. Spahr has 
touched so many lives as a minister, and though she is retiring she 
will remain a mentor and role model to all.

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