June 2023 Vestry Papers: LGBTQ+ Pride
Dear Friends,
June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) Pride Month. In this, our second Pride issue honoring the LGBTQ+ community (find the previous issue here), we embark on a journey of understanding, inclusion and acceptance through Christ’s eyes, honoring the sacred worth of every individual.
As the Episcopal Church, we believe that God loves and embraces us all – no exceptions.
We are guided by a commitment to love and justice, seeking to create an inclusive space where all voices are heard and celebrated. Through powerful and vulnerable personal stories and thought-provoking reflections, we learn from the lives and experiences of these LGBTQ+ leaders, witnessing their resilience, their faith, and the transformative power of love, and we discover how we can be faithful and outspoken allies.
In the video presentation, Begin with Love, Bishop Deon Johnson calls us as followers of Christ to be visible, intentional and unequivocal in our support and love of all beloved children of God, and always to widen the circle of who is invited and included. This video is available with English and Spanish subtitles.
As humans and Christians, our vocal and emphatic support of queer people can not only have a positive impact on their lives but can also actually help them survive. In Gifts of Queerness, Hannah Wilder shares wisdom on queer theology, sexuality, and intentionally creating spaces for individuals to be accepted and celebrated as God’s children.
In recent years, we have seen an unprecedented rise in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, rhetoric and initiatives. In Silent No More, Craig Bossi and Matt Foreman raise questions that encourage us to reflect on how we as Christians and human beings will respond, not performatively but through positive action to support our LGBTQ+ siblings in their struggle for equity and respect.
In Do We Actually Want to Be Inclusive? Keith Voets leans on personal experience to describe why it is easier to place marginalized groups into neat boxes for the sake of comfort, rather than celebrating and inviting unique differences in individuals, all of whom are created in God’s image.
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Faithfully,
Charis Bhagianathan
Editor, ECF Vital Practices