44 20 2500 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/da019ab7eb5ceae280fc6f4d9b67f752.jpg a16ef3ecf9262a495e81ff577eb2c1b6 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/1ce39666ff8ad078cad60d88836085d4.jpg fa3f2ecd39fda20e3ed73adba54b0861 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Gretchen Metzelaars Susan Jones, and others from Broad Stree Presbyterian Church Stole Text HONORING MEMBERS OF BROAD STREET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH COLUMBUS, OHIO In honor of Gretchen Metzelaars, Susan Jones, and all the gay and lesbian members of Broad Street Presbyterian church who love and embrace the Presbyterian Church in spite of its unwillingness to embrace them fully as children of God. From them we have learned the true meaning of hospitality and have received the gift of knowing them as friends and sisters In Christ. We celebrate their courage and honesty in sharing who they are so that we may better understand their journey. - Elder Jean Evans, Elder Diane Hymans, Rev. Rebecca J. Tollefson Denomination Non-Denominational Pentecostal Contribution Date 2002 Contribution Story This stole was created for the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA), which met in Columbus, OH in 2002. More Light Presbyterians held its annual service of worship and celebration at Broad Street Church during the Assembly. Martha Juillerat Founder, Shower of Stoles Project 2006 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 888 Title A name given to the resource Gretchen Metzelaars Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Columbus, Ohio (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Elder Jean Evans, Elder Diane Hymans, Rev. Rebecca J. Tollefson Ally Evans, Jean Hymans, Diane Jones, Susan Metzelaars, Gretchen More Light Presbyterians for LGBT Concerns Ohio Pentecostal Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA) Theology Tollefson, Rebecca J. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/d07d66a90f41754893a73e90d24673e8.jpeg 9e8ae34e82d12d9dc48e9546744d6ff4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Historical Development of BIPOC Trans-spiritual Leadership Website A resource comprising of a web page or web pages and all related assets ( such as images, sound and video files, etc. ). URL https://baptistnews.com/article/groundbreaking-conference-gathers-transgender-christian-advocates/ Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Groundbreaking conference gathers transgender Christian advocates Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived BaptistNews.com https://baptistnews.com/article/groundbreaking-conference-gathers-transgender-christian-advocates/ https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/385cbd0a21932f19e63ca7867abde8c4.pdf f50c0385bbbb1cf3a76aeb171ddd8ac7 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Group letter to Committee on Ministry November 4, 1977 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/beb38628c7619da97f6e05e3830e230f.pdf de0ac2f250dbbc63450f65d52a1854ab Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Group Ordination Paper https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/d16fa666f89d247f3a524afb55128c1b.pdf 80f4ab131300304defb7e4ce80042b2f Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Group Ordination Paper https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/4525e8fcfeaca18fc7696dcfd163ec86.jpg 5a8c5a70182ddce4e60c53a3b9086ee9 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Group Roster Oct 1960 Description An account of the resource Wedmore's copy of the October 1960 roster of the group with his markings of later changes in contact information. "QCB" was Wedmore's facetious name for the group: "Quaker Committee on Buggery." Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Keith Wedmore Papers https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/79840b1908a72ec595c96647bdbd9744.pdf ffd7ce2fc6d25d7c06539d732aab75eb Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Group Statement https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/0dbc9df460e3d9195334d0ab735aebda.jpg 00c729d74ae8efb705e9d40ab12b4c9d Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document The Guardian February 18, 1963 Quaker Group Rejects Church View of Sex Changing pattern of morals by our own reporter A report on sexual practice and morals, published today by a group of Quakers, "rejects almost completely the traditional approach of the organised Christian Church to morality, with its supposition that it knows precisely what it right and what is wrong, that this distinction can be made in terms of an external pattern of behaviour, and that the greatest good will come only through universal adherence to that pattern." "Towards a Quaker view of sex," does not represent the official view of the Society of Friends--although it appears under the imprint of the Friends' Home Service Committee. But its tone is frank, professional, and authoritative. The report was compiled by a group of 11 which include teachers in schools and universities, three psychiatrists, a marriage guidance counsellor and a barrister. It is edited by Dr Alastair Heron, the director of the Medical Research Council's unit on occupational aspects of ageing. Six members of the group are elders of the Society of Friends. Changing assumptions The group saw itself confronted by a great increase in adolescent sexual intimacy, transient pre-marital intimacies generally, intercourse between people ("often with a deep sense of responsibility") intending to get married and possibly also in extramarital intercourse. "It seemed to us that morals, like the Sabbath, were made for man, not man for morals, and that as society changes and modes of conduct with it, we must always be searching below the surface of human behaviour, to discover what is in fact happening to people, what they are seeking to express, what motives and intentions they are satisfying, what fruits, good or bad, they are harvesting." Some members of the group found themselves to surrender assumptions that they had long accepted as good and right, because the emphasis on morality had so often gone with a cold and inhibitive attitude. There had, however, to be a morality of some sort to govern sexual relationships. "An experience so profound in its effect upon people and upon the community cannot be left wholly to private judgment." But a distinction needed to be drawn between a social code, changing with the structure of society and community life, and a religious or ethical code, changeless and eternal. Homosexuals Homosexual affection, says the group, is not morally worse than heterosexual affection, and should be judged bu the same standards. It is the quality of the relationships, rather than the acts that it may involve, that matters. The group traces the history of legislation affecting homosexuals, and observes that although the Victorian legislation did not trouble to define "gross indecency," lawyers had apparently never allowed their clients to admit the acts as charged but instead denied their indecency. "Lord Curzon thought eating soup before lunch was grossly indecent; it would have startled him if two men doing it together violated the Sexual Offences Act." The report surveys the sources of professional help for those with sexual difficulties, and contains appendices on the origins of sexual behaviour, and on sexual deviations. "Towards a Quaker view of sex," Friends House, Euston Road, London NW1: 3s 6d. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Guardian, 18 Feb 1963 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived clipping in Keith Wedmore Papers Description An account of the resource The Guardian published this prudent review of the report, its background and rationale on 18 February, 1963. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Upstairs Lounge Fire Person An individual. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Guy Anderson Description An account of the resource Guy Anderson, friend of William Larson, visiting New Orleans from Illinois. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/6641f523542fe7e607d1829de1ec465a.jpg 758ed61f7b236bbaf02b562884759924 Person An individual. Text Any textual data included in the document The Reverend Gwen Fry is an ordained Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Arkansas and has 25 years of experience in a wide range of parish settings. Her experience coming out as a trans woman of faith makes her keenly aware of the necessity for the equality of all God’s children. Experiencing the effects of discrimination first hand, she has been actively involved in the work of justice in the transgender community both in Arkansas and across the Episcopal Church. Gwen is the Vice President of National Affairs for Integrity USA, an LGBT organization within the Episcopal Church, and a founding member of the Central Arkansas Integrity chapter. She is a board member of Pridecorps, an LGBTQ youth center in Little Rock, Arkansas. An active member of TransEpiscopal, Gwen, also serves on its steering committee. She is an advocate and activist for the transgender community and has provided a wide variety of trainings for faculty and staff in schools, churches, and community organizations. Her speaking schedule includes events both in Arkansas and nationally. (This biographical statement provided by Gwen Fry.) Biographical Text The Reverend Gwen Fry is an ordained Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Arkansas and has 25 years of experience in a wide range of parish settings. Her experience coming out as a trans woman of faith makes her keenly aware of the necessity for the equality of all God’s children. Experiencing the effects of discrimination first hand, she has been actively involved in the work of justice in the transgender community both in Arkansas and across the Episcopal Church. Gwen is the Vice President of National Affairs for Integrity USA, an LGBT organization within the Episcopal Church, and a founding member of the Central Arkansas Integrity chapter. She is a board member of Pridecorps, an LGBTQ youth center in Little Rock, Arkansas. An active member of TransEpiscopal, Gwen, also serves on its steering committee. She is an advocate and activist for the transgender community and has provided a wide variety of trainings for faculty and staff in schools, churches, and community organizations. Her speaking schedule includes events both in Arkansas and nationally. (This biographical statement provided by Gwen Fry.) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Gwen Fry Episcopal Episcopalian Gwen Fry Integrity USA TransEpiscopal https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/6f78f04e9cb5b0dae7e6a49e985abe93.jpg e3c50355f33c664fe0f301d698f0503f https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/da3161dcc9c1bda3c8435e7c7c7e8d28.jpg e926a23cc4b6c870f5bda637af5b1ca3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. H.P. Stole Text H.P. Ordained minister Served faithfully for 13 years Denomination Presbyterian Church (USA) Contribution Date 1995 Contribution Story This stole was one of the original 80 stoles that were on display on Sept. 16, 1995 when I set aside my ordination before Heartland Presbytery (see stole #1 for details). Martha Juillerat Founder, Shower of Stoles Project 2006 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 84 Title A name given to the resource H.P. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Unknown, (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Withheld Ordination Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA) United States https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/cd4645098715c25ec5a8df5431e24b54.jpg 5ae278e4604c23a81f8f85b1e40d4e05 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Hampstead Meeting House Interior Description An account of the resource Meeting room at the Hampstead Meeting House as it likely looked in the 1960s. Location of the 11 June 1960 Conference on Some Problems of Homosexuality. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Records of Hampstead Meeting House (provided by Rod Harper) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Historical Development of BIPOC Trans-spiritual Leadership Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Hanged man https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/b64c62f42df32a8b38b9f44b3c205e22.jpg 2793420d622be61170bf293056fcbcfe https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/c89a46b3288663a63a6ab9356f430c1f.png 3491133ebf312070dc6e91f3dad6021f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Historical Development of BIPOC Trans-spiritual Leadership Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Text Any textual data included in the document https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salem_United_Methodist_Church_211_West_129th_Street.jpg Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Harlem Takes the Drag Ball To New Heights Subject The topic of the resource A New York Times clipping reports that African American LGBTQ activity "bloomed" during the 1920s and 1930s in Harlem, Greenwich Village, Mid-town Manhatten, and near the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Description An account of the resource Of particular interest in the clipping are two notations: 1) Countee Cullen, like other African American LGBTQ luminaries of the Harlem Rennaissance, felt compelled to hide their sexual and gender identities as members of the Salem United Methodist Church; and 2) they would gather at the Hamilton Lodge where they would attend political events, banquets, church sermons, lectures, pageants, as well as an Annual African American drag ball, initiated in 1869, that drew 8,000 black and white onlookers. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Harlem World, The Legendary Hamilton Lodge Ball Home At The Rockland Palace Dance Hall In Harlem 1920’s. https://www.harlemworldmagazine.com/the-legendary-hamilton-lodge-ball-home-at-the-rockland-palace-dance-hall-in-harlem/ Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Biederman, Marcia. "A Journey to an Overlooked Past." Clipping. 2000. Digital Transgender Archive, https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/6d56zw90r (accessed November 25, 2022). https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/c0355c24160e99fcab8f10474b714853.jpg 94f9b256391e6fdfa514fa220dccfa90 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/aa1d99a5a0ee09a5e025648b68df65e0.jpg b7386ed5047807df605693d95e2f653d Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Harold Stole Text HAROLD SJP DEACON More Light Denomination Presbyterian Church (USA) Contribution Date 2000 Contribution Story This is one of about thirty stoles donated to the collection by First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto. First Palo Alto, a More Light congregation, has for decades been on the forefront of the movement for full inclusion of LGBT persons into the life and leadership of the church and greater society. Among the many leaders of the movement who have come from this congregation is Mitzi Henderson, former national President of PFLAG and national Co-Moderator of More Light Presbyterians. Martha Juillerat Founder, Shower of Stoles Project 2006 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 152 Title A name given to the resource Harold Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Palo Alto, California (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource First Presbyterian Church California Clergy Activist Covenant Network of Presbyterians Henderson, Mitzi More Light Presbyterians for LGBT Concerns Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA) Theology https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/05911c27dcd0bdbdf19d466c392e7e8e.png 4313f7998c6b03e46194ad43a759af8f Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Harold L. Call Biography Description An account of the resource <a href="https://www.lgbtqreligiousarchives.org/profiles/hal-call">LGBT Religious Archives Network Pioneer Profile</a> https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/3e489f012c98174c9b19d772a804ff1f.jpg f024be51666ab984e82f62f504a35cbf https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/3a2a20242529d3b6aea28bebfe68dad2.jpg 7d0e9cad62c50c994da9f3c39348ccec https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/e4e278a47a848a157f17725d6f9014ff.jpg e61c439c440b6c185a08fced6c142ab2 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/1e3b09062e81ba7c952ce67fef36c3a3.jpg 3c29c358f252f06eab0c886443c48e26 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/f1f334c87bb4cee6251e647e31489df4.jpg 2639bbfaaea1f3ad2411ef41dd28a051 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/7a23909bf651cead1ec5a0bc7188cf54.jpg 29ed2a42299fbc7019dade297de8c464 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Harry Knox Stole Text HARRY KNOX, M.Div. United Church of Christ Washington, DC Director, Religion and Faith Program of the Human Rights Campaign Harry Knox experienced a clear call to ministry on Lincoln's birthday, Feb. 12th, 1977 (now Freedom to Marry Day). In church that day, the spirit told him, “I want you to be my man in South Georgia.” When Harry asked, “Does that mean you want me to be a minister?” God answered, “for now.” Harry's ministry has been continually shaped by God's words, "for now." This calling took him from Candler School of Theology at Emory University, where he attempted to shut off his sexuality, to Lancaster Theological Seminary where he prepared as an openly gay man for ministry in the United Church of Christ. When Harry was denied ordination in the UCC Georgia-South Carolina Association of the Southeast Conference, God called him to do social justice work instead. At the American Cancer Society, he ministered to people dealing with life and death and modeled how an organization can better care for people in crisis. At Georgia Equality, at Equality Florida, at Freedom to Marry, and now at the Human Rights Campaign, he has pastored to a community under attack and served as a spiritual guide to those actively engaged in the struggle for equality. This stole honors his remarkable ministry outside the official church. In the face of prejudice and homophobia, Harry became pastor to people on the margins. He cares, as Jesus would, for those who have been castigated, shunned, and abandoned. His is a ministry of presence, teaching us the importance of being available when needed and representing God the best we can. Harry currently plans to pursue ordination in the United Church of Christ, Washington, D.C. To all of us, he was ordained in 1977 when he heard his first call. – His colleagues and friends at the Human Rights Campaign Denomination United Church of Christ United Methodist Church Contribution Date 2007 Contribution Story Comments from Sharon Groves at the Dedication of  Harry Knox’s stole for the Shower of Stoles Project Thank you all for coming out tonight. Assembled here Harry, are your partners in faith, in political advocacy, your wonderful colleagues from HRC, and many, many good friends who love you. We want to give a special welcome to Harry’s longtime friend Jeff Whitney. On his own dime and with virtually no advance notice from us, Jeff decided to catch a plane from Atlanta to be here with Harry. Special thanks also to Rev. John Mack and Rev. Barbara Gerlach, pastors of Harry’s Washington, DC church, First Congregational United Church of Christ and other First Congregational members for coming out tonight. I also want to thank those we’ve asked to speak. Winnie Stachleberg and Barbara Menard are the women responsible for creating HRC’s Religion and Faith program a year and a half ago and for hiring Harry. Also, my pastor and Harry’s good friend Rev. Louise Green will lead us in a short dedication service. Others wanted to be here but couldn’t make it. In particular, <a href="https://www.lgbtran.org/Profile.aspx?ID=242">Rev. Rebecca Voelkal</a> the program director for the Institute for Welcoming Resources, home to the Shower of Stoles project. Rebecca is due to deliver her new baby, Shannon Mackenzie, any day now. Though she can’t travel she still wrote a letter in honor of Harry’s, which Kyla will read later in the program. We also want to thank the artist who created the stole for Harry, Darcy Dye. Harry and I met Darcy in Iowa and liked her immediately. After talking to her at length about her work, her faith, her commitment to LGBT equality, Kyla and I knew she was the right person to create the stole. Darcy was captivated by Harry’s story as you can see from her artist statement on the back of the program. The stole she’s created is a labor of love bringing together the pivotal moments in Harry’s life as a person of faith. I’d like to say a few words about Harry’s ministry, but first let me give some context to the Shower of Stole project. In 1995, no longer able to work in the Presbyterian Church as an out lesbian, Martha G. Juillerat, the project founder, decided to forego ordination knowing that it would be revoked from her. Although she had been asked to spend the previous three years telling her story as a lesbian and Presbyterian pastor, the presbytery then told her she couldn’t be out. Rather than be defrocked she relinquished her ordination. To mark the decision and to let the presbytery know that she was not the only LGBT person of faith in the Presbyterian Church, she sent out a request for stoles that would be hung in the church where the presbytery was meeting. The stoles were intended to be evidence that homophobia and heterosexism affected many, many more people. Instead of the dozen stoles she expected, she received 80, almost all arriving overnight and most of them anonymous. With that, the Shower of Stoles project was born. The project now contains over a thousand stoles from LGBT people and allies from twenty-six different denominations. The stories these stoles tell are always poignant, and sometimes gut-wrenchingly so. They tell of children who have been denied baptism, clergy partners forced to live in separate towns for fear they’ll loose their positions, and church elders who have remained closeted for decades. They also tell positive stories of churches that have become welcoming, and of Out clergy honored by their congregations. Together they create a stunning picture of resilience, creativity, and grace in the face of tremendous obstacles. It is fitting that Harry should be included in this company. As you’ll hear more about later, Harry was denied ordination because of his sexuality, but through his deep faith and personal perseverance he refocused his energies and became a pastor to organizations that serve people on the margins, first cancer survivors and then the LGBT community. In thinking of what I wanted to say about Harry, I come back to a riveting performance I recently saw of Lorraine Hansberry’s, 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun. In the penultimate scene, the son in the family has hit rock bottom and is contemplating selling out the family to a white racist neighborhood association, to the complete disdain of his younger sister. In response: Lena Younger, the Matriarch in the family, posed the question that makes me think of Harry: She asks: “When is the time to love somebody the most? When they done good and made things easy?” She continues, “when you start measuring someone measure him right. Make sure you take into account the hills and valleys he’s come through before he got to wherever he is” To my mind, Harry is a pastor for the LGBT community the way Mama Lena Younger is for her family. Harry never looses site of the hills and valleys with which we all wrestle. He knows his own too well. He knows that to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender in this country--whether living openly or in the closet, whether an advocate or not—means that at some point or another there is going to be struggle often combined with degrees of shame, denial, and exclusion. He also knows that our religious communities, the place where we are at our most vulnerable and where we go for solace and refuge are often the places that hurt us the worst and are the first to shut us out. Yet, just as Harry became stronger through his struggle, his ministry to others is as much about hope and buoyancy as it is about compassion. Harry loves when it isn’t easy to love and he believes in our gifts even when we forget we have them. By so doing, he models a compassionate strength that empowers us to work harder for justice and to love those in our lives more deeply and freely. In my mind there could be no higher religious calling than this. Rebecca Voelkel’s Words About Harry For Harry Knox as his stole is donated to the Shower of Stoles Project With love and gratitude from Rev. Rebecca Voelkel, friend, colleague and Program Director of the Institute for Welcoming Resources, home of the Shower of Stoles Project I must begin by saying that my understanding of our vocation as human beings is to help participate in bringing in God’s realm here on earth. In order to do this, God has given us all gifts and graces, skills and passions so that we might be co-collaborators and co-conspirators with God in this joyful, justice work. But one of the truths about our world is that the powers of death use a variety of means to keep justice at bay and righteousness a far-too-distant reality. Among these means are the isms and phobias that would have some defending their humanity instead of using their gifts to hearken the realm of God. The Shower of Stoles Project seeks to both illustrate the sheer sinfulness of denying the power of God as manifest in many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender lives AND to highlight the creativity, power and beauty that are released when LGBT folk refuse to allow homophobia and heterosexism to keep them from sharing their God-given vocations. In other words, the Shower of Stoles Project calls the question on the powers of death and challenges us all to use what God has given us to make this world more like the one God intended. The fact that we are honoring Harry Knox today with a stole in this collection seems perfectly fitting to me, because Harry represents the best of Christian leadership and ministry if I have even seen it. If anyone in my life has embodied the gifts and skills, the graces and passions to help make this world more like God’s, it is Harry. Whether it is as a Southern raconteur whose self-deprecation and humble humor focus the listener’s attention on the moral of the story or as the soft-spoken man whose fearless presence in the halls of power have literally transformed minds, Harry is a minister of the Word. Whether it is as a ubiquitous presence at practically every conference on faith and LGBT issues around the country or as the man who responds almost immediately to your email, Harry takes seriously the call to embody God to those with whom he ministers. Whether it is as strategist and thinker or as behind the scenes organizer, Harry knows that faith without works is dead. The Church was wrong to deny Harry ordination the first time around. But Harry has refused to have his gifts go unused. As we receive Harry’s stole into the Shower of Stoles Project, we gift thanks to God for Harry’s co-conspirator status, for his co-collaborator heart that has meant that God’s ministry has been so powerful in his life. And, personally, as one who tries to stand in a similar place as Harry—between secular politics and Church dynamics—my heart is full that God has granted me the gift of Harry Knox in my life as colleague and as friend. Thanks be to God. <h1 style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"></h1> <h1 style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;">Reflection for Harry Knox – Shower of Stoles</h1> Sermon by Rev. Louise Green January 11, 2007 The hour is striking so close above me, So clear and sharp, That all my senses ring with it. I feel it now: there’s a power in me To grasp and give shape to my world. I know that nothing has ever been real Without my beholding it. All becoming has needed me. My looking ripens things And they come toward me, to meet and be met. <h1 style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;">Rainer Maria Rilke’s Book of Hours</h1> It’s a great pleasure to stand before you for the purpose of honoring the calling and ministry of Harry Knox. We are fairly recent friends, but since the beginning I have resonated strongly with Harry’s great open spirit and obvious passion for his work. As I thought about what to say today, I came across this poem again…one of the great things about being a UCC minister in a Unitarian setting is that you can use poetry as sacred inspiration for the preaching moment! The urgent text moves me deeply, and also reminded me of Harry, so let me explore that for a moment with you. Rainer Maria Rilke wrote the Book of Hours, also called Love Poems to God, from strong inner stirrings over three powerful time periods. What he named as “inner dictations” were put to paper quickly and shaped to indicate his fervent belief in the experience of a reciprocal universe. By this I mean that he felt in two-way communication with God, with his calling, with destiny, as it unfolded, and knew that what he chose would create new shape to his life. This was a divine reciprocity in which Rilke’s participation was crucial and his actions significant. When we honor Harry today, I believe that we are celebrating that lively and disruptive reciprocal Spirit, the one the moves us and guides us, but also demands our own response to create our calling. In Harry’s journey, we are reminded that the principalities and powers of this earth may speak on the subject of call, but that they are often irrelevant or flat-out wrong. The Shower of Stoles is a project about callings that blossom and flower in spite of the limitations of human beings. It is a testimony to how God moves people regardless of the structures and injunction that appear to stand in the way. As we hear in Isaiah of the Hebrew Scriptures, “I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” On this evening, we only give voice to what has been so apparent for so many years, that Harry has shaped ministry from his calling. He was simply ahead of his time in the jurisdiction where he most unfortunately landed originally. But not ahead of God’s time, sometimes named the kairos moment! For if anyone reminds me a bell ringing clear and sharp, so that all your senses ring with it, it is Harry Knox. When Rilke says “there’s a power in me to grasp and give shape to my world” we see a map for what Harry has created. And isn’t this like so many transgender, bisexual, lesbian and gay folks who find themselves shut out of one party but able to create their own? Rilke goes on to say, “All becoming has needed me. My looking ripens things and they come toward me, to meet and be met.” It is a joy to see what Harry saw becoming here at HRC, and how his calling was true towards a creative vision that is literally touching thousands of people around the country. I believe this becoming, this Faith and Religion program at HRC, needed his looking to ripen the thing, his clear bell of recognition that this was his next place to be. Now the expanded vision needs the ongoing vision of Sharon and Kyla and Rebecca and other staff here, plus clergy and lay people around the country who are stirred by the accomplishments of this fine work. We who are outside the organization see also that the hour is striking so close above us, clear and sharp, that our senses ring with it. We feel the power of call, as it moves through Harry and this staff and directly to each of us. It is kind of an odd thing to commission a stole that you will only wear once, but in a way this is also emblematic of how calling works. We seek to give shape to what moves within us, and we let it go, we send it out into the world and pray that our blessing blesses others along the journey. Harry, your calling began back in your adolescent yearnings to participate in the life of congregation and polity, and in your deep and urgent questions about how you would serve. It has flowed out from you in various forms over time, and the Spirit is with you, clearly naming you a beloved child of God, with whom God is well pleased. Thank you for not hiding your light under the bushel, and for giving freely, and intensely, of the abundant talent that the Spirit has given to you. I would like to close with a blessing for Harry, and for each of us as we shape our calling and bring it forward. It comes from my other favorite Rilke poem, also from the Book of Hours: …If this is arrogant, God, forgive me, But this is what I need to say. May what I do flow from me like a river, No forcing and no holding back, The way it is with children. Then in these swelling and ebbing currents, These deepening tides moving out, returning, I will sing you as no one ever has, Streaming through widening channels Into the open sea. May it be so for you, Harry, my friend and colleague in ministry, and may it be true for each of us who are so fortunate to be here with you today. Blessed be and Amen. Click <a href="https://www.lgbtran.org/Profile.aspx?ID=417">here</a> to read Rev. Harry Knox's biographic profile in the LGBTQ Religious Archives Network's Profiles Gallery. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 1104 Title A name given to the resource Harry Knox Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Washington, District of Columbia (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Sharon Groves Clergy Activist Groves, Sharon Knox, Harry Marriage Equality Methodist Ordination Theology United Church of Christ United Methodist Church Voelkel, Rebecca Washington, D.C. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Queer Religion Boston Description An account of the resource Items for the Boston Queer Religious History exhibit Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Location of Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/3c6b370882ad535f05754e4ee14d35c6.jpg 75515a548ee858de4c06de7a209ac763 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Queer Religion Boston Description An account of the resource Items for the Boston Queer Religious History exhibit Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church Description An account of the resource The front and side facades of Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church on a partly cloudy day. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived "Harvard-Epworth" by timsackton is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=openverse. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/8451d1738f47e7f5825e717eb2017ea9.jpg 7fe38071dd755d38d76123a49704b8dd Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Historical Development of BIPOC Trans-spiritual Leadership Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Hastiin Tłʼa (Hosteen Klah) Subject The topic of the resource This Navajo artist was a Nádleeh (pl. Nádleehi, meaning "one-who-has-been-changed"). According to Wikipedia, the Nádleehi are a third gender recognized by the Navajo people who embody traditionally male and female roles. Description An account of the resource The male role of Hastiin Tłʼa was that of the medicine man. Their female role was that of a weaver. This artist, Hastiin Tłʼa, broke tradition when capturing the patterns used in their elusive impermanent sandpaintings in the relative stability or permanence provided by the medium of woven textiles. Yet, it was an act of cultural conservation when Hastiin Tłʼa sought to preserve the Navajo religion by helping a Boston heiress (his friend Mary Cabot Wheelwright) establish the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian in Santa Fe, New Mexico. That institution later was renamed the Navajo Museum of Ceremonial Art when it repatriated sacred materials and remains back to the care of the Navajo people. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosteen_Klah