User:JimSpahr/sandbox

The Reverend Doctor Jane Elliott Adams Spahr was a significant force both within and outside of what is now the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. Alongside many others, Janie, her preferred name, helped her denomination acknowledge its hetero-sexist bias and welcome queer members, leaders and preachers. Jane created and led the Ministry of Light (which morphed into "Spectrum Lesbian & Gay Center"), in San Anselmo, CA and That All May Freely Serve (TAMFS), Rochester, NY. The latter was created following the nullification of Janie's call to become a pastor at the Downtown United Presbyterian Church, Rochester, NY by the Permanent Judicial Commission (Supreme Court) of the General Assembly of the national church.

Following that ecclesiastical defeat, Janie created TAMFS and traveled the country speaking, marching and picketing believing that all may freely serve. Jane retired from TAMFS in 2007.

Unrelated to her work at TAMFS, Janie was twice charged with conduct that violated the constitution of the church because of her practice of performing marriages for any couple without regard to their sexual self-identity who asked for her services. A heterosexual couple or a queer couple. It mattered not to Janie so long as they loved and respected each other and were committed to making the "marriage" work. If the couple described their union as a "marriage", Janie called it a marriage and entered it as such in her annual report to her home Presbytery, Presbytery of the Redwoods, the unit of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. responsible for the conduct of its minister members. Jane's was found innocent at her first trial, held at the Presbyterian Church of the Roses in 2006. (The local church hosting the trial was not involved in the trial process at any point. It simply provided a physical location.) That finding was appealed and the regional appeal court reversed the local trial court. Jane appealed that finding and following a hearing at the national tribunal (the PC(USA)'s supreme court), Janie was found innocent because of a technicality in the church code of conduct. Regardless, Jane was admonished not to repeat the conduct, the technicality that allowed her to be found innocent would no longer apply. Jane ignored the dictate, continued to perform marriages for all including queer people and was again brought up on charges. This trial, held at the Covenant Presbyterian Church, Napa, CA in 20??. At this trial, Jane was found guilty as charged. The regional appeals court upheld Janie's conviction as did the church's "supreme court", the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission. Their sustaining the trial court and the appeals court included the penalty of Janie being rebuked by her home presbytery, the Presbytery of the Redwoods. When the GA/PJC order for a rebuke was brought before Janie's home presbytery, they refused to carry out the order. Janie was not rebuked nor were any charges filed against the Presbytery for failing to carry out the GA/PJC order.

Janie retired as Lesbian Evangelist of TAMFS in 2007

Janie and her twin sister, Joan Adams Fenton of Florida, were born August 12, 1942 in Pittsburgh, PA to Susanna Elliott & C. Stuart Adams. During her childhood Janie attended the Riverview United Presbyterian Church on Perrysville Ave., Pittsburgh where her parents were members. Janie attended and graduated from the Penn Hall Girls School, Chambersburg, PA, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA and the San Francisco Theological Seminary, San Anselmo, CA.

Janie married James Richardson Spahr of Tarentum PA on December 28, 1964 in a ceremony held at the First Presbyterian Church, Sixth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA and honey-mooning by driving cross-country to San Diego, CA where Jim was stationed aboard the U.S.S. Stone County LST-1141. Following two weeks of marriage, Jim's ship departed for what was to have been a few weeks at sea but did not actually end until June of that year. Following a scant few week in the home port, the ship again departed for what was to be a few week training cruise and became an extended deployment to Vietnam. Jane applied to and was accepted by the San Francisco Theological Seminary for the fall 1965 term. Following his return from Vietnam, Jim left the ship for duty at the Military Sea Transportation Service headquartered at Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA. Janie & Jim took up residence in Greenbrae, CA a short ride from the seminary.

While living in Greenbrae, CA their first Son, James R. II., was born and Jane graduated from SFTS. Jim having completed his military service, was hired by James H. Matthews & Co., Pittsburgh, PA. and Jane and Jim packed up and moved their family of three to an apartment above Jane's parents on Riverview Avenue. In less than a year, Jim's company assigned him to a sales territory that allowed he and Jane to return to California to their first single family home on Driftwood Ct,. San Rafael, CA. While living there, Chesterfield Adams, their second son was born and Jane completed her seminary education. Shortly thereafter, Jane answered a call to the Hazelwood Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, PA where she was ordained as a teaching elder (minister) in the United Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. by the Presbytery of Pittsburgh, PA.

Following 4 years of service at the Hazelwood church, Jane accepted a call as Assistant Pastor at the First Presbyterian Church of San Rafael, CA. Jane and her family took up residence on Grand Ave. San Rafael, CA. It was during this time that Jane came to understand that she could no longer deny who she was. Finally accepting herself, she and Jim separated on December 28, 1977 legally divorcing shortly thereafter.

Jane remained at First Presbyterian Church San Rafael, but did not share her newly embraced lesbian identity with any but a few trusted friends and colleagues. Not long thereafter Jane was offered a position as the executive director of the Chinese Presbyterian Ministry in Oakland, CA., a ministry under the oversight of the Oakland Council of Presbyterian Churches, a sub-unit of the Presbytery of San Francisco. Within two years of her arrival, it came to the attention of the Presbyterian governing authorities that Jane was a lesbian. They asked for and received Jane's resignation.