DURHAM — Katie Ricks closed her eyes, covered her face with her hands and began to cry. But when she removed her hands, all anyone in the sanctuary could see was a smile.
During a hearing Saturday at the First Presbyterian Church in Durham, Ricks became the nation’s first openly lesbian minister to be approved for ordination since the church decided in 2011 to allow openly gay individuals to serve in the ministry.
Presbyterian churches in Wisconsin have already approved the ordination of gay men, but Ricks said she is the first openly lesbian minister to be ordained. She will officially become a minister in April.
For 10 years, Ricks has served at the Church of Reconciliation in Chapel Hill as an associate in ministry, a title the church created for her to serve under while avoiding the issue of ordination.
“Essentially, it’s the same position as an associate pastor, but it doesn’t use the term,” she said. “Nor am I allowed to do the things that only ordained ministers are allowed to do, like baptism, communion. I can’t marry somebody, and I can’t moderate session,” she said.
“Those are the only four things that I can’t do,” she said.
Saturday’s vote was taken by secret ballot — an unusual decision for the Committee on Ministry, who oversaw the proceeding.
One committee member explained that a secret ballot voting system was used due to the sensitive nature of the issue, and because some people might feel their positions in the church would be compromised if forced to vote publicly.
“It’s important for me to vote my conscience but not be seen publicly as taking a stand because that might interfere with my ability to function, said Jim Henninger, a member of the committee.
Ricks consented to the secret ballot.
Lee Kinney, a pastor from Washington, N.C., said that while he appreciated Ricks’ bravery, he still has concerns regarding her relationship with another woman, with whom she has one child.
“As we look through scripture, into the history of its interpretation, almost universally, across the board, the understanding of same-sex relationships has not been viewed by something as acceptable by God,” he said.
“And the encouragement has always been to turn away from that.”
Ricks’ response to Kinney’s concern left some in tears.
“I know that I did not choose to be gay,” she said.
“The reason why coming out made so much sense was because I could finally claim and grasp onto the beloved child of God that God created when he knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
Ricks’ supporters watched the proceedings from the rafters, where Anne Lutes, a member of the Church of Reconciliation and a close friend of Ricks, described the atmosphere up in the balcony as tense and nervous.
But the atmosphere changed when the motion to ordain Ricks was approved.
“I’m almost speechless,” Lutes said following the committee’s decision. “It’s a new day for the church.”
Desiré Volkwijn, a retired Durham educator who cried when she heard the result, said the day should be seen as a triumph for unity, not uniformity.
“I believe in a God that creates wonderfully different people,” she said. “And different does not mean deficient.”
Julio Ramirez, a Durham resident, declined to share his voting decision and whether he believed the Presbytery had moved in the right direction by approving Ricks.
“Let me put it this way,” he said. “We should continue to let the Holy Spirit help us.”
http://www.dailytarheel.com/index.php/article/2012/02/first_lesbian_minister_ordained_in_durham
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