Bill Stark

Reverend Stark – Pastor Stark – Pastor Bill – Bill – “The Archbishop.” So goes the progressive word picture that tells the story of my family’s relationship with Bill Stark. He was, first and foremost, our pastor. He became a good friend.

We called Bill “The Archbishop” because he was what we referred to as “high church.” He loved the church and all of its rituals. They had special meaning for him, and he made them meaningful for his congregations.

Bill wanted nothing more than to serve his church and his God but he found the restrictions the church placed on him as a gay man impossible to abide by. In time, Bill left our congregation, and finally, the ministry.

Bill moved to Texas and became a parole officer. Within months he was dead – killed in cold blood. I don’t know if the crime was ever solved. I do know that the investigators assumed it was one of Bill’s parolees. I can’t help but wonder if Bill would be alive today if he had been able to stay in the ministry.

I’m grateful that I and my family had the opportunity to know Bill, both as a pastor and as a friend. We had many wonderful discussions on a myriad of topics at my kitchen table. Bill taught me to really see beauty in ritual, to appreciate it more fully. He helped my children to understand that ministers are people, too.

We miss “The Archbishop.”

Originally a part of the collection of stoles housed by ReconcilingWorks (formerly known as Lutherans Concerned), this stole was donated by them to the Shower of Stoles Project in 2015.