Beloved,
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Risen Lord Jesus Christ! I lift you up in prayer before our loving and gracious God and give thanks for you, your faith, and the good work that we do together in Christ’s name.
June is Pride Month--a month dedicated to learning the history of the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement, to celebrate the wondrous diversity of humanity, and to show support for those in our midst who may have experienced hurtful and even deadly attitudes and behaviors from family and strangers alike.
It is important for the church to acknowledge its own role in perpetuating harm. For many Christians, attempts to seek guidance in scripture have been conflated with secular bigotry, resulting in a less-loving church misaligned with the encompassing love of our Savior. It is difficult to estimate the number of LGBTQ+ individuals who have been shunned by church and family, subjected to hate crime, and lost their lives by their own hand or others’ because of things taught in church. Pride Month is the time for us to name the church’s sins against LGBTQ+ persons, repent of our bigoted and harmful past, and to reaffirm our trust that God has indeed made each of us beautifully and wonderfully.
I am proud of this church family for its open arms for and affirmations of all people. I am proud that we have sought to make this church a safe place where people can explore their faith without judgment. Thank you for loving others as yourself.
In Christ,
Rev. Susan
More Light Presbyterians engages over 230 congregations and thousands of individuals in the Presbyterian Church (USA), enabling Presbyterians to lead LGBTQIA+ service and advocacy in communities nationwide. More Light’s mission has always been to empower and equip individuals and congregations to live into their welcome for LGBTQIA+ people.
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