(CBN) – The Presbytery of the James, a governing body of the Presbyterian Church (USA) will ordain its first pastoral candidate who identifies as gender non-binary (not exclusively masculine or feminine) this weekend. The presbytery will ordain Jess Cook during a ceremony June 29 at the Ginter Park Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia. The presbytery is the governing body of the PCUSA in Virginia with more than 100 member churches, according to the presbytery’s website. Cook becomes the
first non-binary person to complete the PCUSA’s ordination process, according to a news release. More Light Presbyterians, an LGBT advocacy group founded 27 years ago to influence the inclusion of LGBTQ people into the PCUSA, also issued a statement celebrating Cook’s achievement. “We rejoice that Jess’ visibility as a non-binary faith leader has already made room for LGBTQIA+ people to see themselves as image-bearers of the divine,” the release said. READ MORE
