Sunday School of Rutgers Presbyterian Church, New York, NY

We are all God's Children

Rutgers Sunday School, NYC

This whimsical stole is one of about thirty stoles donated to the collection over the years by the members of Rutgers Presbyterian Church in New York in honor of their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members, many of whom hold leadership positions within the congregation and in the Presbytery of New York City.  This stole is covered with the hand prints and names of children who attend Rutgers, some of whom are the children of LGBT members of the church.  These children are our hope, a generation of children that will are being raised in a church that is welcoming of all of God's children, and who will grow up knowing that God loves them unconditionally.

Established in 1798 in lower Manhattan, Rutgers has a long history of involvement in social justice and community development issues.  Rutgers is a More Light congregation, working for the full inclusion of LGBT persons in the life and leadership of the Presbyterian Church.  Along with More Light Presbyterians, Rutgers is a sponsor of Presbyterian Welcome (an affiliate of That All May Freely Serve) and the Covenant Network in their common pursuit for the end of discrimination against LGBT persons in the Presbyterian Church.

Martha Juillerat
Founder, Shower of Stoles Project
2006