Signature Stole (Middle School Group of Wallingford United Methodist Church, Seattle WA)

Middle School Youth Group of Wallingford United Methodist Church
Seattle, Washington

We are the Middle School Youth Group of Wallingford United Methodist Church.

We made this stole because we feel that the church has treated lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered persons unfairly. We know how this feels, because sometimes we as youth are treated unfairly. We know how this feels, because sometimes we as youth are treated unfairly. We don't think it's right for people to be excluded from the church.

It feels good to speak up; to let other people know how we feel, and to know that this message will be heard throughout the country. We want to let you know that God loves everybody, no matter if you're straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered, and that you can come to our church and be happy being who you are.

(Note: A "signature stole" is one that is covered with the signatures of both gay and straight members of a congregation, denominational governing body, or other organization. These stoles serve the dual purpose of showing support for LGBT persons, while also protecting their anonymity by including their names as "one among many".)

We received this stole just before the 2000 General Conference of the United Methodist Church. An adult youth group leader from the Wallingford Church told me this story:

The Wallingford UMC middle school group saw the stoles when they were on display in Seattle. Disturbed by what they saw, they decided to make a signature stole as a show of support for their LGBT friends. Each of the students contributed small blocks of cloth with their names written on them, and these were sewn together. Then the youth told the adults to leave the room, because they wanted to hammer out their own story, in their own words. The result was a simple, eloquent statement of affirmation and hope.

But the story didn't end there, with the creation of a stole. These middle school youth decided that their own church could use more diversity. To that end, they organized a "Bring a Friend to Church Sunday," and asked everyone in the congregation to reach out to someone who might not have felt welcome in church, and invite that new person to come to Wallingford. Then they arranged a potluck lunch after the service, "so that everyone could get to know each other over the table." A profound metaphor for our church...

These youth represent our future, and and our hope. The presence of their stole at the 2000 General Conference provided a breath of fresh air and optimism during an otherwise depressing time.

I told the group's leader to let the kids know that their wish would be fulfilled; that I would indeed see to it that "this message will be heard throughout the country." This is one of the six stoles I took with me everywhere I went. In 2005 I was honored to meet three signers of the stole, who are now in college. All three remain active in the United Methodist Church, and engaged in the pursuit of justice for their LGBT friends.

Martha Juillerat
Founder, Shower of Stoles Project
2006