1 20 13 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/3f128eaf3a7b009859acf46336c72668.jpg 8f3bfe6fb50a7c6a7e365762671f670f Person An individual. Text Any textual data included in the document Debra Lynn Peevey provided this first-person profile statement, "Being Me for 40 Years in the Movement for LGBTQ Inclusion." I’ve always been a seeker.  Born in Southern California in 1953, I sensed from a very young age that there was something more to life than what we could see.  I had no formal religious teaching, except for an errant VBS week in hot Arizona summers when visiting my grandparents in Yuma.  My mother remains an Atheist/scientist who rejected Christianity as a child.  She blossomed in the life of the mind and being curious about the unknown.    I was curious about God, about community and about belonging.  And in college, my deep loneliness sent me on a search to find and experience them.  As part of my registration at UC Berkeley, in the fall of 1971 I filled out a religious preference card and wrote Christian, having been baptized at First Presbyterian Church of Yuma, AZ as an infant.  My card was sent to University Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and they wrote me right back!  It had been awhile since they had had a CAL student drop in their laps.  My student co-op was just down the street from the church on the North side of campus, and I went there my first Sunday in town. It was liberal, had women clergy (1971, remember), was against the peace time draft, for gun control, supported women’s reproductive choice and had a meal program and clothes closet for the poor.  It was a perfect fit for me! I reveled in this congregation and denomination for the first 5 years.  I experienced God, community and belonging there—that might well have saved my life.  But, not having grown up in the church, I had no idea that University Christian Church in Berkeley, CA was not representative of either mainline Protestant Christianity in general, nor the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in particular. And then I came out in June 1976.  Months later, I fell in love with my pastor’s daughter and a year later, followed her into seminary.  And thus began a 40 year journey into and out of the church. We were out when we arrived at Pacific School of Religion.  My coming out to myself was the closest experience I ever had to Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus.  Scales fell from my eyes, an instantaneous life review through the lens of being a lesbian made my life make so much more sense; all the girl crushes and my less than enthusiastic relationships with boys and men.  I knew myself in a totally different light from that moment forward.  And I carried that enthusiasm with me into seminary, without defense against the real church, the real denomination or the real road I was setting out to travel.  In those days, there weren’t any affirming organizations, no Gay Inc. infrastructure, not a faith community on the planet that supported “self avowed practicing homosexuals” and the nascent gay rights movement was largely based on the personal courage of individual gay and lesbian people coming out.  And whatever movement existed, there was a fixed wall between homosexuals and people of faith.  To this day, many Christians’ believe you cannot be LGBTQ and Christian.  In that day, everyone believed it.  Homosexuals lived only underground and constantly in fear of detection, which could mean losing everything.  I was as clueless about this stark reality as I was about the church.  But I made up for my cluelessness with enthusiasm! My enthusiasm carried me a very long way.  It carried me through the Commission on the Ministry meetings when I came out and most of the members had never met a, “self-avowed practicing homosexual.”  And meeting quarterly for the 3 years of Seminary, they came to trust our journey and our calls. We were met with more curiosity than judgment.  They supported us, at risk to their own careers. They trusted that God was working in and through us to open hearts and minds in the church. In 1979, I attended my first General Assembly, where I had my first real experience of the denomination as whole!  In St. Louis—homosexuals and allies met offsite—for the very first time.  A small (half of a 3x5 card) message was tacked to a message board inviting folks to meet by calling a number to get more information.  The card kept being removed and it kept being resurrected.  We met secretly—from seminarians to denominational executives--to begin talking about how to be and build more support.  And at that Assembly, we also voted as a denomination on the blue ribbon panel’s finding that it was outside the will of God to ordain self-avowed practicing homosexuals.  The dozen of us who had met the night before the vote had strategized our presence on the Assembly floor for the vote.  Apparently overnight the strategy changed but I wasn’t in the loop, so I wound up standing alone at the NO microphone to speak out against the resolution.  As I stood there by myself, the loneliness that had brought me to the church, began to seep back into my bones. Shortly after returning to Berkeley, we met with the Commission on the Ministry to talk about how to move forward.  While it could have been the end, fortunately, the polity of the Disciples of Christ is so congregationally based that congregations and regions have local autonomy that can differ from a denominational stand.  Our Commission on the Ministry decided to ask our Northern California Region to vote on an alternative point of view about ordination.  The vote at our Regional Assembly was on this resolution:  We affirm that no one human condition can be an absolute barrier to ordination.  This resolution passed and subsequently opened the door to ordination for my partner and me, as well as others going forward. Seminary was hard.  It was like being tossed in a Cuisianart on chop! Not having grown up in the church, every one of my beliefs had been whispered in my ear by my grandmother.  I believed her, so I believed what she whispered in my ear!  Learning in my first class, on my very first day that King David was a rapist and a murderer did not fit into my Sunday school theology about him being beloved of God and a hero of his day.  I was shaken to my theological core for the next 3 years!  I was fighting for my right to exist.  I was fighting for the tenure of the first Black professor, Dr. Archie Smith as well as the first woman professor, Dr. Karen Lebacqz.  Studying took a back seat to politics, but I made it through at the end. In my second year of seminary, my partner and I met with the Dean of Students, Rev. Barbara Roche to ask for married student housing.  We wanted to move into campus housing to save money and married student housing meant we would share one rent, rather than each having full rent as single students in a dorm room.  Dean Roche had just returned from a General Assembly of the PCUSA where the issue of homosexuality came to such a fevered pitch, that the openly gay and lesbian Presbyterians present needed police escorts for their safety.  She was so shocked at that vitriol and hatred that she determined there and then not to participate in it.  She asked us if we would be married, if we could be married?  I replied, “Would you be willing to marry us, Rev. Roche?”  And she gave us a married student apartment that day!  Our move into the married student apartment building wasn’t without controversy, but overall we were well received. At Pacific School of Religion we worked to include gay and lesbian couples issues in our marriage counseling classes.  We lead chapel and talked about gay rights.  We invited Meg Christian to do a concert in the PSR Chapel that was standing room only.  I remember her finishing her concert, looking up at the cross hanging above the Chancel and getting a very impish look in her eye.  She just had to do one more song about her… Gym Teacher!  We were all on our feet singing along:  “She was a big strong woman, the first to come along, that taught me being female meant you still could be strong….”  Feminist theology was just on the horizon then.  Jerry Falwell had declared war on “self avowed practicing homosexuals.”  Harvey Milk and thousands of us marched in San Francisco Pride.  Shortly thereafter he was assassinated and we turned out 30,000 strong to protest and weep and determined to live out of the closet! And then the process for ordination began in earnest.  I had been the Minister in Training at Lafayette Christian Church from 1979-1980.   The first night I met with the youth group, one of their young members had committed suicide.  It created a bond that remains with some of them, to this day.  We celebrated communion with Coke and cookies—being what we had on hand—and we talked about what it meant to be a member of the Body of Christ.  I was out to the Senior Pastor, Rev. Stan Smith—but we opted not to make my being a lesbian an issue before the members of the church got to know me.  The following year, I came out when I wrote a letter to the Board asking them to support me as a candidate for ministry.  As word leaked out to the entire congregation, there was a cry for an all congregation meeting so they could confront me.  Rather than beginning that way, I was asked to meet with small groups that would be moderated by Elders in the church.  These meetings were excruciating.  Members cried and screamed at me.  They were certain I had molested their children.  They threw scripture at me like venom and brickbats.  Through it all, I did my best to be a model homosexual…polite, reflective, reassuring and reasonable.  After this series of meetings, I had one more hoop to jump.  I had to meet in person with the Board of Directors so they too could question me.  There were supporters and detractors at the meeting and I pretty much knew who was who.  The most significant moment for me was when Elder Joe Young, the only Black member of the Board, sitting across the long table looked at me and said, “Debra, I am so disappointed in you”, (I hadn’t allowed myself to cry at any of the horrible heartbreaking meetings I’d been through…but here tears fell down my face, even as I sat stone faced and listened as he continued to speak). “ I am disappointed in you, because you make me remember what it is like to sit at the head of a table and be seen only as an issue, rather than as a human being.”  His understanding cracked me wide open.  I worked hard to compose myself and thanked him.  I felt like everything I had gone through up to this moment, was worth it.  And then a woman, who had made me a cassock (to cover my impoverished student clothing) cried out at me, wanting to know why I was forcing her to leave her church.  I did my best to point out that she had hundreds of churches she could attend, while there were only a handful that would welcome me.  Her leaving caused us all a lot of pain. And finally the youth representative on the Board stood up to talk about how pivotal my ministry with them had been and how I had only ever acted with complete integrity around them.  They saw my coming out as an extension of that integrity.  When they voted, the vote was 12 in favor, 3 against.  I was beyond exhausted and I was going to be ordained. I insisted on being out in my ordination process because I couldn’t make sense of lying to become a minister; the polity of the denomination made it possible and because I never wanted anyone to be able to say that they wouldn’t have ordained me if they had known.  Everyone suggested I lie.  They knew more of what I would face if I didn’t, but that never seemed like good counsel from a seasoned minister to an aspiring one.  I wrote a paper in my Ethics class based on Adrienne Rich’s book, On Lies, Secrets and Silence.  Once my mom started speaking to me again, two years after I came out to her, she said I insisted on it because I’d never learned to keep my mouth shut!  That is a truth I also cannot deny. My ordination on May 31, 1981 was a wonderful celebration at Lafayette Christian Church, in a community in the East Bay of Northern California. The assembled people of God, the music, the focus on inclusion (even the bulletin was a rainbow!) and the spirit of what we had come through together made the laying on of hands an entire congregational affair! And then as Elder Joe Young and I stood together at the communion table and represented the possibility of love overcoming fear in the history of the church and society, we broke the bread and felt the re-membering of the Body of Christ in our presence. My partner and I had broken up before my last year in seminary.  It was a blow to us and to the seminary community.  I had moved to Seattle, to follow a new relationship and a job.  When I arrived in Seattle—the job I’d been hired for was no longer available.  The Senior Minister neglected to tell me that before I moved, but he did out my new partner to her boss.  I cobbled together two jobs at different congregations, one Disciples the other UCC.  Things in Seattle weren’t great, so I was open to other possibilities. Shortly after my graduation and ordination, I interviewed for jobs in Southern California because our General Assembly met there.  I had two congregations interested in me—which was amazing because women clergy were still relatively rare and few congregations were interested in hiring us.  The interview process in each congregation played out the same way.  At the first interview they loved me!  They had me meet with the youth, the women’s group, and the pulpit committee.  As they prepared to invite me to come back for a second interview, the committee members asked me if there was anything else they should know.  I replied happily, “Yes, I am a lesbian.”  And rather than just showing me the door, or actually remembering that they had thought I was good enough to ask back for a second interview, they screamed at me about needing to seek medical care for their children to make sure I hadn’t molested them, threw scripture at me, and couldn’t get me out the door fast enough.  At the second congregation, the first interview went just as well.  They asked me back for a second interview and when I showed up for it, I could tell something was very wrong.  One of the ministers who was a close friend of my ordaining pastor had outed me to the committee.  When I walked in to the interview room after church, instead of simply telling me that I was no longer a candidate, they asked me if the horrible news was true and when I confirmed it, they proceeded to abuse me with scripture, their fear and loathing and threatened to take me to jail if I had abused any of their children.  This took place as the Senior Pastor, a closeted gay man, sat there and let the abuse continue before asking me to leave. After these experiences of truth telling, I instituted my own don’t ask, don’t tell policy.  I would answer truthfully any interviewing body that asked me if I was a lesbian, but I wasn’t going to tell them if they didn’t ask.  So I headed back to Seattle and to my two jobs, having been shaken to the core.  And a couple of months later, the Regional Minister, the Rev. Bob Brock called and asked if I would like my name given to Findlay Street Christian Church (FSCC) in the south end of Seattle and I told him yes.  Bob also said,  “I hate to send anyone there who thinks they can do anything with that church.”  I didn’t know whether to be insulted or grateful.  Women clergy were more often than not, considered for just such congregations.  1982-1996 The good people of FSCC interviewed me on 10 separate occasions.  And finally they narrowed their search to two candidates, a young man serving in Georgia and me.  If they chose me, they didn’t have to pay moving expenses, so they invited me to preach and stay to meet with the congregation afterward for a potluck.  That same day they held the vote.  The most memorable moment of that day was when a woman asked me if I was sure I was the right man for the job.  I tucked my head and looked inside my dress and assured her that I definitely was not the right man for the job, but if she gave me a chance, I believed I could prove to her I was the right person for the job!  The issue of being a lesbian never came up and I was hired with 90% support of the congregation. I began my ministry at FSCC on July 1, 1982.  It was a small congregation, located in a working class neighborhood in the south end of Seattle, in the most integrated zip code in Washington.  In spite of this, it was a predominantly white congregation and most of the members had supported covenants keeping Jews and Blacks from moving into the nearby neighborhoods that fronted Lake Washington.  Most of the men who worked, worked at Boeing.  Most of the women were older widows.  I was 29.  Five people passed away my first year.  As they watched me sit vigil and bury their friends, they came to see that having a woman minister was going to be OK.  I was active in the community beyond the church.  I helped to organize a women clergy group meeting.  It seemed every denomination had one or two in Seattle!  I was invited to be a Founding Mother for the Women’s Funding Alliance.  We took on United Way to challenge their monopoly on the Combined Federal Campaign.  Gay and lesbian folk began hearing about a lesbian pastor at a small church in the south end and came to the church.  After 5 years of serving in the closet, I was ready to quit.  By then, I had met my partner—now spouse Candy S. Cox-- and she challenged me to stay and try telling the truth again instead of quitting.  So I put things in motion to do just that. I asked an Elder to go a visit a woman who had stopped attending the church.  I had heard from another member that Jody had quit coming because there were homosexuals at the church and she was afraid of AIDS.  So Bob took Jody to lunch and called me immediately and said we needed to meet!  We had lunch later that week and he told me why Jody wasn’t coming any more. He told me that it was my job to make sure none of “them” had leadership positions. And then he told me that the Elders had already met and they wanted to know where I stood on the issue of homosexuality.  I was shaken and I told him I’d get back to him about when I would preach on the subject.  I went home and did a lectionary study and picked the lectionary that began on the first Sunday in Lent, March 15, 1987.  Peter’s Dream in Acts 10:9-16 and the Exodus story were the cornerstone of my sermon. I began my sermon, with great thanks to Candy, talking about the various times the church had stood on the wrong side of history.  People’s lives had been ruined and even lost by the Church’s insistence that the earth was flat, that the earth was the center of the universe, that slavery was Biblically sound, that the Gospel shouldn’t be in the common vernacular, that evolution wasn’t real and that women shouldn’t be ordained.  Each of these culture wars had ended with the church having to concede they were wrong (except the argument about women’s ordination still lingers on).  And now, in 1987 the church had the opportunity to stand on the right side of history by seeing homosexuality as akin to being left handed in a right- handed culture.  When I got to that point in my sermon, people got up and walked out.  Some never returned.  Some stayed to make sure I lost my job, even though I still hadn’t come out.  And the history of FSCC changed irrevocably that day.  And we came to know the living reality of the Exodus and working together to discern how something God once called unclean, could now be known as clean. Lent became real for all of us. Those who stayed felt cast into the wilderness.  Turmoil, uncertainty, and anxiety filled the building and followed us home. The Elders met the next night and could have easily fired me, but instead processed my sermon and created a plan. As Elder after Elder shared their response, I was shocked and awed.  They said if I thought it was important then we should study the issue more.  They said they had loved all the new members up to the point of learning that some were gay and lesbian and it wouldn’t be Christian to stop loving them now.  They said they church hadn’t ever stood up for anything, and maybe this was our chance.  And then one Elder said, “I can’t believe what I am hearing!  It is as if prejudice and bigotry have gotten a bad name in this church! And if that is so, I am prepared to resign!”  The Chair of the Elders said she was ready to accept his resignation, because prejudice and bigotry had no place in the church. And thus began a 6 week long process of small group Bible study and congregational education about homophobia. Suspicions ran high among those who stayed.  Older members insisted on being in the room when the collection was counted to make sure the new members weren’t there to cheat the church.  Some of the laity came out and told their stories.  Members questioned what they had always been taught and were open to seeing the clobber texts in new ways, when viewed through the lens of other scriptures.  25% of the members never came back, but new people started coming when they heard what we were doing. And then Holy Week arrived!  Monday night of Holy Week was the regularly scheduled Board Meeting.  It was the first congregational opportunity to fire me.  I had spent the month coming out to the Elders, so when they voted on whether or not to fire me, they were fully informed.  The mood for the meeting was like a public hanging.  The man who had been my Elder, drove back and forth in front of the church telling people to vote me out.  Yet, he didn’t have the courage of his convictions to come into the building and cast his vote.  45 members attended and 30 could vote.  The one man who could have successfully led the charge against me didn’t, even as he had told me he would vote against me that night.  And because he didn’t lead the charge, my opposition petered out and wasn’t able to muster the votes to fire me.  Instead my ministry was supported, with a vote that was exactly double the vote of my ordination approval, 24-6.  And come Easter morning, we experienced the Resurrection in reality.  We made it through.  We were still standing.  We knew the elation and the fear of the empty tomb.  We wept collectively at what we had been through.  We grieved our losses.  We celebrated our new beginning.  We recognized the presence of the Holy Spirit and be began to build a new way of being church together. Candy and I had long been planning to have a Covenant Ceremony that June 27th during Pride Weekend.  So at the June Board Meeting, I officially came out to the Board.  Most people greeted the news with enthusiasm, and a few more people left.  Now while building a resurrection community, we were also ready to help build a national movement within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Working with others across the denomination, we helped to found GLAD, the Gay Lesbian and Affirming Disciples organization.  Candy served as a founding board member.  Findlay Street Christian Church became the first Open and Affirming Congregation within this new organization.  Candy announced the formation of GLAD on the floor of the General Assembly in Louisville, Kentucky in October of 1987. In a room of more than 8.000, you could have heard a pin drop!  We went to the National March on Washington en route to the Assembly, where the AIDS Quilt was laid out for the first time.  It was the first and only time I ever wore a collar.  People were amazed to see a minister there.  It was so important for me to be a presence of love and grace to so many whom had been so deeply hurt by the church. Findlay Street continued to grow and flourish after we became Open and Affirming.  We doubled in size and even won prizes for evangelism.  When the National Evangelistic Association called and asked us for the secret to our success, once we told them, they mailed us the certificate rather than helping to tell our story more publicly! I continued my ministry for 5 more years at FSCC.  We were the church that many of the men dying of AIDS chose to come to.  We were the church that those who had broken relationships with the church chose to come to.  We were the church that housed the People of Color Against AIDS Network offices as well as the Community Food Bank.  We gave space to a Black social worker to be a community liaison and to provide help to church members in lieu of rent.  I preached at the first World AIDS Day service at First Baptist Church and I was on local television and in the paper as an open lesbian pastor. Having been part of the national movement within the Disciples as well as very public in Seattle, I became a target for hate mail.  Especially, every time Disciple Renewal—the most conservative group within the denomination-- told our story to point out the moral depravity and decay of the Church.  I came to call myself the Disciple Renewal poster child, as I was their best fundraiser of all time!  I was on the General Board of the denomination at the time and so also had access to denominational leaders.  So many told me I was good for my cause.  And so many supported me in private, but very rarely did as the need increasingly rose to support me in public. After fifteen years of being out, being the only open gay or lesbian minister (the second person openly ordained, the wonderful Rev. Allen Harris was ordained in 1991, ten full years after me) and being exhausted by the national and local hate that came my way, I knew it was time for me to leave.  On the first Sunday in Advent in 1990 I preached on the church being pregnant and being in a time of preparing for new birth, and I heard these words during my pastoral prayer. “You are not the midwife to bring new life to this church.”  And I knew it was true.  I resigned the next Sunday and served til the end of February 1991. I needed extended time to heal.  I left ministry feeling like I had no skin.  The pain stored in my body equaled my body weight.  Blessedly, Candy agreed that I didn’t have to work for a while.  And then she decided to sell her business and take a year off with me.  We travelled some, but mostly I quilted and gardened and worked to regain my strength. A year later, when we both needed to go back to work, Candy found me a job posting at Hospice of Seattle.  I got the job and for the first time in my life and ministry being a lesbian was a plus.  It was during the AIDS crisis and many of the men on hospice were afraid of the church and a chaplain.  But my nurses and social workers were able to tell them about me and then they were so relieved and so in need of God’s grace.  I sat with many parents who did not know their sons were gay, until they learned of their deaths by AIDS.  This was a great transition ministry for me that lasted for 4 years.  During my time at Hospice of Seattle I went back and did post graduate work in spiritual direction at Seattle University.  This was a period of deep healing as well as a time of recognition about how deep my wounds really were. 1996-2006 Candy got a new job in Washington DC, so we moved to Reston, Virginia.  I worked as a spiritual director there, lead lots of retreats for leaders of various congregations as well as women’s retreats.  I kept my foot in the door, but did not join a church and lost my standing in the Disciples.  I simply did not have the stuffing to jump through their appropriate hoops to continue my ministerial credentials.  I felt like the church had left me.  And fortunately, in my time away from parish ministry, I had learned that that wasn’t the same as God leaving me. We lived in Virginia for 10 years.  My first volunteer project there was with the AIDS Quilt.  I volunteered as a quilter and as a fundraiser.  When the entire Quilt was displayed for the last time in 1996, I helped family members and friends make panels for their loved ones and Candy and I had the honor of witnessing President and Mrs. Clinton walk silently among the panels.  He was the first president to ever acknowledge the Quilt.  During that long October weekend, when 44,000 panels were already on display, covering the entire Mall from the Washington Monument to the Capitol building, we also received over 2,500 new panels.  That was 300 more than had been on display in 1987.  I remained a volunteer and helped them develop a successful fundraising campaign. As part of my work at Seattle University, I learned about the Enneagram.  It is a psycho-social-spiritual typology that meets you at the depths you will meet it.  We read a book about it shortly before moving and were interested in learning more.  So while in VA, I participated in the teacher training for Certification in the Riso-Hudson school of the Enneagram.  It continues to be the most important approach to building a life of faithful service that I have ever found.  I use it in my spiritual direction practice as well as for my own spiritual growth and formation.  I am blessed with wonderful teachers and guides. During this deep dive into spiritual direction and leading retreats on adult spiritual formation, Candy leapt into leadership at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF).  She served as Co-Chair on the Board and then worked with their media team.  Fundraising in DC is a heady mix of rubbing shoulders with movie stars and political sheroes and heroes.  Her work in advertising and with the Task Force was a very exciting and fulfilling time of life! 2006-2017 When Candy retired from the advertising business, we decided to move to Mexico.  We were hungry for an adventure and to become citizens of the world.  It was an amazing experience living in a foreign country. After 18 months we knew that living in Mexico wasn’t a long term retirement strategy for us, (though we still hold the dream of living internationally) so we moved back to the states.  We picked Arizona because we did not want to be old and cold and we love the sun!  Six months after moving back, the California Supreme Court ruled that the Constitutional Ban against same sex marriage was illegal!  I proposed to Candy in the car as we listened to the story break on NPR.  We wanted to go to California and get married!  In 1987 when we had our covenant, our families were invited and only one of my brothers had come.  He stood with me.  In 2008, we called every member and they all wanted to be there!  In five weeks we planned everything so that 21 years and 1 day after our covenant, we were legally married in my sister’s back yard on June 28, 2008, with my same brother Neal standing at my side. On our honeymoon, we decided to volunteer full time against Prop 8.  Candy worked with the media team creating amazing videos and I worked with the field team as a field organizer for Santa Barbara County and as one of two state wide Faith Field Organizers, along with the Rev. Lindi Ramsden a UU pastor I knew from seminary.  I had hoped that having been ordained in CA and knowing lots of folks there, I would be able to leverage them and their congregations to be champions for marriage equality.  I was wrong. Working on the NO on Prop 8 campaign was the hardest thing we have ever done.  The best part was Candy and I learning how much we loved working on projects together and forming bonds with the field team that continue strong today. The worst part was losing after pouring our hearts in 17 hours a day for months as well as being reintroduced to the vitriol of Christian’s.  Each side raised $44,000.000 in that campaign, and traveling the state to talk to Christian’s about supporting us had some high notes, but mostly it was a cacophony of hatefulness.  The election of President Barack Obama that same night helped to ease some of our pain. Losing in California was a wake up call to us all!  Marriage Equality was an issue whose time came after the passage of Prop 8.  The entire country was stunned and we saw after losing 32 ballot initiatives in a row, that we needed to change our strategy. And it also signaled a change in my career.  From our work against Prop 8, we began receiving calls to help with various campaigns. In 2009, I was asked to be part of the planning team for and to preach at Believe Out Loud, a first of its kind coming together of the Task Force’s Field Team and the Welcoming Church Program Leaders member’s base.  Each Welcoming Program was tasked with identifying participants to attend and learn the basics of organizing to create public policy change.  For three days organizers and local church members worked together to instill organizing principles and tactics.  Overcoming the resistance to organizing within congregations and communities was and is a very steep climb.  My sermon sought to bridge the gap between these two communities.  Some participants really caught hold of the theory of change that says, change the church, change the world, change the church.  Clips from my sermon are available here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URAgyLlmi8Q">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URAgyLlmi8Q</a>. More Light Presbyterians asked me to join their calling team to have conversations with Presbyterian clergy to end the ban on ordination of LGBT candidates for ministry. Working with Toby Rogers and the Rev. Janet Edwards as well as the Rev. Tricia Dykers Koenig of Covenant Network of Presbyterians, I had conversations with about 500 Presbyterian clergy that summer. We didn’t prevail in passing Amendment 08B, but we lost forward and made it clear that rescinding the ban was possible.  Only 500 votes out of thousands cast separated winning from losing.  Next the Arcus Foundation hired us to evaluate three Welcoming Church Programs.  Arcus had donated a million dollars over the previous 5 years to these three programs and wanted an independent evaluation of their efficacy.  Together we created an interview plan to evaluate Reconciling Ministries Network and their work among the United Methodist Church, Lutherans Concerned and their work in the ELCA, and finally Integrity and the Chicago Consultation and their work within the Episcopal Church.  With the full cooperation of the organizations, I conducted 80 interviews and heard first hand the impact as well as the growing edges of each organization.  In general the evaluations showed that the organizations met or exceeded their granting objectives, and each group was given suggestions for moving forward to enhance the efficacy of their work. More Light called again in 2010 after another resolution had passed the PCUSA General Assembly to rescind the ban on the ordination of LGBT candidates, meaning another national phone campaign to ratify the new Amendment 10A was necessary.  This time I was better prepared and I was able to call many of the same clergy I had two years before.  It was great to catch up!  Candy and I strategized with Tricia again and Candy created a masterful statistical chart that became the heartbeat of the MLP campaign.  I had about 1000 conversations that summer and Candy handled the statistics and the media.  It was clear that we were going to ratify Amendment 10A in early May of 2011, and I’ll never forget the night we reached ratification!  The Moderator of the PCUSA was in Minneapolis and we trusted that the Presbytery of the Twin Cities would vote to ratify.  The entire media plan was based on their voting before Pacific Presbytery did that same night.  But then a huge storm hit Minneapolis and they broke for dinner.  We created a new media plan as we waited, identifying spokespeople in Minnesota and Los Angeles.  Watching Candy at work was inspiring!  Finally the Twin Cities meeting was restarted and the vote to ratify meant the ordination ban on faithful LGBT Presbyterians had come to an end!  All the while we were hosting my mother and sister in the other room for my birthday.  One amazing moment was when Candy asked me to take over preparing dinner because the New York Times was on the phone! In 2012 I received a call from Dr. Sharon Groves, Director of the Human Rights Campaign’s Faith and Religion Program asking if I would be interested in applying for the position of Faith Director of Washington United for Marriage.  It meant moving back to Seattle for 4.5 months to be a member of the Field team.  I applied and was hired. Fortunately, I still had many faith contacts from my 10 years of ministry in Seattle.  I moved in with our dear friends Don and Ann Berrysmith and went to work building a Faith Cabinet, leaders within each denomination who could both advise me and lead work within their own constituencies/denominations to organize and engage teams within local congregations to support the work of the campaign.  Our primary objective was to engage our faith supporters to hold conversations within their congregations and over the phone with voters.  Christian faith organizations were the largest opponents to the ballot initiative and it was my job to mobilize and maximize the voices of people of faith who supported marriage equality because of their faith.  The faith team of Aubrey Thonvold, Stephen Crippen and me created teams within all the expected denominations as well as with Mormons for Marriage Equality and Catholics for Marriage Equality.  All people of faith wore the same button supporting the ballot initiative.  If you consider all the faith wars historically and now, that was a major accomplishment!  We sold out of our first 1,500 buttons and nearly our second batch as well.  Those buttons were responsible for thousands of conversations across the state.  Washington, Maryland and Maine all passed marriage equality ballot measures in one night and Minnesota revoked their Constitutional Marriage ban.  4 ballot victories in one night after 32 straight losses at the ballot box!  Every campaign had a faith director! I came home exhausted!  Right after that campaign, the Rev. Rebecca Voekel of the Institute of Welcoming Resources of the Task Force asked me if I would consider taking a job with them as their Lead Ecumenical Trainer.  The job would be to travel the country working with any/all of the welcoming church programs whenever they held a Building an Inclusive Church workshop.  I would train and be responsible to make sure every participant got connected to their correct denominational program.  We were still committed to building more welcoming congregations in order to empower the members to engage in conversations within their churches and in their communities.  I said no to this request initially because I needed to rest.  It was filled instead by my good friend Alex McNeil.  When he was hired to be the ED of More Light Presbyterians, I then took the job.  I held the post from mid 2014 to the end of 2016.  It was a blessing to work with the organizers at the Task Force (National LGBTQ Task Force by now) as well as the trainers among the denominational welcoming groups.  One of the best nights in my life as a faith organizer, was the last meal I shared with them receiving their gifts of grace and getting to share my heart with them one by one. In 2013, More Light Presbyterians came calling again.  Against my better judgment, both More Light and Covenant Network decided to forward resolutions to the General Assembly in support of removing language prohibiting marriage equality.  Tricia, Candy and I all thought it was a bad idea.  We didn’t think it had a chance of passing the Assembly and would stir up lingering animus of the previous two votes.  We were wrong!  It passed the General Assembly by one of the widest margins ever at the Assembly.  So we got to work.  This time though, because we opted not to make the calls ourselves, but instead to supervise a team of regional coordinators who would use our well honed tactics to build teams within every presbytery possible to do the outreach themselves.  This built empowered communities in each presbytery to work together to create change going forward.  Amendment 14F also passed the presbyteries by a wide margin.  Our work with More Light Presbyterians was complete. In 2014 I applied to be the Faith Director of Why Marriage Matters Arizona!  The ED, Jeremy Zegas and I had worked together on the ballot measure in Washington. My job was to secure faith leaders’ support for marriage equality.  We asked them to write letters, hold press conferences, prayer breakfasts, preach and write letters to the editor about how their faith underscored their support of marriage equality.  On October 17, 2014 the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the constitutional ban on same sex marriage and Attorney General Tom Horne opted not to appeal.  Candy and I attended the press conference with the Attorney General and hit SEND on my texts to over 100 faith leaders who were ready to deploy to every courthouse in the State of Arizona.  They carried signs that said, “I Stand Ready to Marry You.”   Over 130 marriages took place that day!  Most couples had been waiting decades and were thrilled to be able to marry that day.  Here’s one article about that amazing day:  <a href="http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2014/10/17/arizona-gay-marriage-ruling/17431229/">http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2014/10/17/arizona-gay-marriage-ruling/17431229/</a>  We were ready and we celebrated that night with a huge overflow crowd at the UCC Conference Offices in Phoenix and at Grace St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Tucson. From my work on the Why Marriage Matters Arizona campaign, in 2015 I was asked to work with the team from ONE Community, co-founded by CEO and President Angela Hughey.  Angela created OC with her spouse Sheri Owens in 2007 to reach out to the business community to build support for full LGBT inclusion within their organizations. ONE Community’s Unity Pledge is the largest LGBTQ inclusive pledge in the country.  This is her core belief: It’s time to ensure equality for all Arizona employees, residents, and consumers. It’s the right thing to do. It’s good for business. It’s good for the business of Arizona. Her business plan changed when the Arizona State Legislature passed a bill giving businesses the right to discriminate against, including refusing service to LGBT patrons so long as they cited sincerely held religious beliefs.   The bill lingered for 5 days on Gov. Jan Brewer’s desk. During those days, ONE Community, which had the best relationships with businesses across Arizona, mounted a campaign to get the governor to veto SB 1062.  Thus launched a statewide Open for Business to Everyone campaign that distributed 3500 signs statewide (in less than 72 hours) for businesses to display. The sign was downloaded over 100,000 times as well!  Faith communities had also joined in to request the veto. A senior Evangelical pastor, who was in the room told me that he and 4 other Evangelical pastors met with the governor the day she vetoed the bill and in the privacy of her office suggested she veto it too.  It was bad business all the way around for the State.  Gov. Brewer did veto SB 1062, but we have yet to have statewide protections for the LGBT community. I was brought on to build out the faith support for full statewide inclusion.  Together we built a group of 225 faith leaders, including all the mainline denominations, Jews, Muslims and Mormons.  They have written, testified, preached and hosted a powerful curriculum called The Star Activity that puts participants in the life experience shoes of LGBTQ people in a very real way!  Our small team worked with business leaders, faith leaders, public school leaders, medical workers and social service providers to train them in LGBTQ inclusion in the workplace, in the school, and in the public square.  Everyone is always surprised that in 26 states there are still no statewide protections in housing, employment and public accommodations for the LGBTQ community.  I retired as the Lead Ecumenical Trainer of the National LGBTQ Task Force and ONE Community in December 2016.  Since then I have initiated two campaigns.  The first grew organically from the Women’s March on Jan 21, 2017, when 25,000 of us marched in Phoenix and joined marchers from around the world in the largest single protest march in the world. We were all declaring our support for values of inclusion and solidarity in the wake of the election of Donald Trump.  Our local group meets every other week to discuss the issues and write post cards to our congressional representatives.  2 from our group visit the local offices each week.  I also helped to organize an online support campaign for Bishop Karen Oliveto, the first openly LGBTQ Bishop in the United Methodist Church.  We solicited letters from her colleagues from seminary to nationally known faith leaders to speak out in support of both her inspirational leadership, qualifications as well as to end the repression of the LGBTQ community within the United Methodist Church.  Our campaign lives on Facebook at #ToBishopKOwithLove (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ToBishopKOwithLove/?ref=bookmarks">https://www.facebook.com/ToBishopKOwithLove/?ref=bookmarks</a>). I continue to join Candy and the Rev. Janet Edwards as advisors to the Global Faith and Equality Fund of the Horizons Foundation.  This fund focuses on stemming the exportation of homophobia by faith leaders from the United States primarily to the Global South, and it supports organizations in the US who are doing this essential work.  It is an honor to be a part of this team. This year, Candy and I are celebrating the 30th Anniversary of our covenant in June 1987.  I continue my spiritual direction practice as well as my study and teaching of the Enneagram.  I also love mentoring younger activists! I dream of strategizing with other older activists to discern the importance and place of being grandparents of the movement in this time.  I will do this as time allows.  As we have many interests, frienda and family that call for our attention and our time! While I am still a seeker, I no longer consider myself a Christian.  I’m still curious about sacredness, community and belonging.  And I sit content with what I have experienced and learned and what else beckons us beyond the horizon. Biographical Text Debra Lynn Peevey provided this first-person profile statement, "Being Me for 40 Years in the Movement for LGBTQ Inclusion." I’ve always been a seeker.  Born in Southern California in 1953, I sensed from a very young age that there was something more to life than what we could see.  I had no formal religious teaching, except for an errant VBS week in hot Arizona summers when visiting my grandparents in Yuma.  My mother remains an Atheist/scientist who rejected Christianity as a child.  She blossomed in the life of the mind and being curious about the unknown.    I was curious about God, about community and about belonging.  And in college, my deep loneliness sent me on a search to find and experience them.  As part of my registration at UC Berkeley, in the fall of 1971 I filled out a religious preference card and wrote Christian, having been baptized at First Presbyterian Church of Yuma, AZ as an infant.  My card was sent to University Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and they wrote me right back!  It had been awhile since they had had a CAL student drop in their laps.  My student co-op was just down the street from the church on the North side of campus, and I went there my first Sunday in town. It was liberal, had women clergy (1971, remember), was against the peace time draft, for gun control, supported women’s reproductive choice and had a meal program and clothes closet for the poor.  It was a perfect fit for me! I reveled in this congregation and denomination for the first 5 years.  I experienced God, community and belonging there—that might well have saved my life.  But, not having grown up in the church, I had no idea that University Christian Church in Berkeley, CA was not representative of either mainline Protestant Christianity in general, nor the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in particular. And then I came out in June 1976.  Months later, I fell in love with my pastor’s daughter and a year later, followed her into seminary.  And thus began a 40 year journey into and out of the church. We were out when we arrived at Pacific School of Religion.  My coming out to myself was the closest experience I ever had to Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus.  Scales fell from my eyes, an instantaneous life review through the lens of being a lesbian made my life make so much more sense; all the girl crushes and my less than enthusiastic relationships with boys and men.  I knew myself in a totally different light from that moment forward.  And I carried that enthusiasm with me into seminary, without defense against the real church, the real denomination or the real road I was setting out to travel.  In those days, there weren’t any affirming organizations, no Gay Inc. infrastructure, not a faith community on the planet that supported “self avowed practicing homosexuals” and the nascent gay rights movement was largely based on the personal courage of individual gay and lesbian people coming out.  And whatever movement existed, there was a fixed wall between homosexuals and people of faith.  To this day, many Christians’ believe you cannot be LGBTQ and Christian.  In that day, everyone believed it.  Homosexuals lived only underground and constantly in fear of detection, which could mean losing everything.  I was as clueless about this stark reality as I was about the church.  But I made up for my cluelessness with enthusiasm! My enthusiasm carried me a very long way.  It carried me through the Commission on the Ministry meetings when I came out and most of the members had never met a, “self-avowed practicing homosexual.”  And meeting quarterly for the 3 years of Seminary, they came to trust our journey and our calls. We were met with more curiosity than judgment.  They supported us, at risk to their own careers. They trusted that God was working in and through us to open hearts and minds in the church. In 1979, I attended my first General Assembly, where I had my first real experience of the denomination as whole!  In St. Louis—homosexuals and allies met offsite—for the very first time.  A small (half of a 3x5 card) message was tacked to a message board inviting folks to meet by calling a number to get more information.  The card kept being removed and it kept being resurrected.  We met secretly—from seminarians to denominational executives--to begin talking about how to be and build more support.  And at that Assembly, we also voted as a denomination on the blue ribbon panel’s finding that it was outside the will of God to ordain self-avowed practicing homosexuals.  The dozen of us who had met the night before the vote had strategized our presence on the Assembly floor for the vote.  Apparently overnight the strategy changed but I wasn’t in the loop, so I wound up standing alone at the NO microphone to speak out against the resolution.  As I stood there by myself, the loneliness that had brought me to the church, began to seep back into my bones. Shortly after returning to Berkeley, we met with the Commission on the Ministry to talk about how to move forward.  While it could have been the end, fortunately, the polity of the Disciples of Christ is so congregationally based that congregations and regions have local autonomy that can differ from a denominational stand.  Our Commission on the Ministry decided to ask our Northern California Region to vote on an alternative point of view about ordination.  The vote at our Regional Assembly was on this resolution:  We affirm that no one human condition can be an absolute barrier to ordination.  This resolution passed and subsequently opened the door to ordination for my partner and me, as well as others going forward. Seminary was hard.  It was like being tossed in a Cuisianart on chop! Not having grown up in the church, every one of my beliefs had been whispered in my ear by my grandmother.  I believed her, so I believed what she whispered in my ear!  Learning in my first class, on my very first day that King David was a rapist and a murderer did not fit into my Sunday school theology about him being beloved of God and a hero of his day.  I was shaken to my theological core for the next 3 years!  I was fighting for my right to exist.  I was fighting for the tenure of the first Black professor, Dr. Archie Smith as well as the first woman professor, Dr. Karen Lebacqz.  Studying took a back seat to politics, but I made it through at the end. In my second year of seminary, my partner and I met with the Dean of Students, Rev. Barbara Roche to ask for married student housing.  We wanted to move into campus housing to save money and married student housing meant we would share one rent, rather than each having full rent as single students in a dorm room.  Dean Roche had just returned from a General Assembly of the PCUSA where the issue of homosexuality came to such a fevered pitch, that the openly gay and lesbian Presbyterians present needed police escorts for their safety.  She was so shocked at that vitriol and hatred that she determined there and then not to participate in it.  She asked us if we would be married, if we could be married?  I replied, “Would you be willing to marry us, Rev. Roche?”  And she gave us a married student apartment that day!  Our move into the married student apartment building wasn’t without controversy, but overall we were well received. At Pacific School of Religion we worked to include gay and lesbian couples issues in our marriage counseling classes.  We lead chapel and talked about gay rights.  We invited Meg Christian to do a concert in the PSR Chapel that was standing room only.  I remember her finishing her concert, looking up at the cross hanging above the Chancel and getting a very impish look in her eye.  She just had to do one more song about her… Gym Teacher!  We were all on our feet singing along:  “She was a big strong woman, the first to come along, that taught me being female meant you still could be strong….”  Feminist theology was just on the horizon then.  Jerry Falwell had declared war on “self avowed practicing homosexuals.”  Harvey Milk and thousands of us marched in San Francisco Pride.  Shortly thereafter he was assassinated and we turned out 30,000 strong to protest and weep and determined to live out of the closet! And then the process for ordination began in earnest.  I had been the Minister in Training at Lafayette Christian Church from 1979-1980.   The first night I met with the youth group, one of their young members had committed suicide.  It created a bond that remains with some of them, to this day.  We celebrated communion with Coke and cookies—being what we had on hand—and we talked about what it meant to be a member of the Body of Christ.  I was out to the Senior Pastor, Rev. Stan Smith—but we opted not to make my being a lesbian an issue before the members of the church got to know me.  The following year, I came out when I wrote a letter to the Board asking them to support me as a candidate for ministry.  As word leaked out to the entire congregation, there was a cry for an all congregation meeting so they could confront me.  Rather than beginning that way, I was asked to meet with small groups that would be moderated by Elders in the church.  These meetings were excruciating.  Members cried and screamed at me.  They were certain I had molested their children.  They threw scripture at me like venom and brickbats.  Through it all, I did my best to be a model homosexual…polite, reflective, reassuring and reasonable.  After this series of meetings, I had one more hoop to jump.  I had to meet in person with the Board of Directors so they too could question me.  There were supporters and detractors at the meeting and I pretty much knew who was who.  The most significant moment for me was when Elder Joe Young, the only Black member of the Board, sitting across the long table looked at me and said, “Debra, I am so disappointed in you”, (I hadn’t allowed myself to cry at any of the horrible heartbreaking meetings I’d been through…but here tears fell down my face, even as I sat stone faced and listened as he continued to speak). “ I am disappointed in you, because you make me remember what it is like to sit at the head of a table and be seen only as an issue, rather than as a human being.”  His understanding cracked me wide open.  I worked hard to compose myself and thanked him.  I felt like everything I had gone through up to this moment, was worth it.  And then a woman, who had made me a cassock (to cover my impoverished student clothing) cried out at me, wanting to know why I was forcing her to leave her church.  I did my best to point out that she had hundreds of churches she could attend, while there were only a handful that would welcome me.  Her leaving caused us all a lot of pain. And finally the youth representative on the Board stood up to talk about how pivotal my ministry with them had been and how I had only ever acted with complete integrity around them.  They saw my coming out as an extension of that integrity.  When they voted, the vote was 12 in favor, 3 against.  I was beyond exhausted and I was going to be ordained. I insisted on being out in my ordination process because I couldn’t make sense of lying to become a minister; the polity of the denomination made it possible and because I never wanted anyone to be able to say that they wouldn’t have ordained me if they had known.  Everyone suggested I lie.  They knew more of what I would face if I didn’t, but that never seemed like good counsel from a seasoned minister to an aspiring one.  I wrote a paper in my Ethics class based on Adrienne Rich’s book, On Lies, Secrets and Silence.  Once my mom started speaking to me again, two years after I came out to her, she said I insisted on it because I’d never learned to keep my mouth shut!  That is a truth I also cannot deny. My ordination on May 31, 1981 was a wonderful celebration at Lafayette Christian Church, in a community in the East Bay of Northern California. The assembled people of God, the music, the focus on inclusion (even the bulletin was a rainbow!) and the spirit of what we had come through together made the laying on of hands an entire congregational affair! And then as Elder Joe Young and I stood together at the communion table and represented the possibility of love overcoming fear in the history of the church and society, we broke the bread and felt the re-membering of the Body of Christ in our presence. My partner and I had broken up before my last year in seminary.  It was a blow to us and to the seminary community.  I had moved to Seattle, to follow a new relationship and a job.  When I arrived in Seattle—the job I’d been hired for was no longer available.  The Senior Minister neglected to tell me that before I moved, but he did out my new partner to her boss.  I cobbled together two jobs at different congregations, one Disciples the other UCC.  Things in Seattle weren’t great, so I was open to other possibilities. Shortly after my graduation and ordination, I interviewed for jobs in Southern California because our General Assembly met there.  I had two congregations interested in me—which was amazing because women clergy were still relatively rare and few congregations were interested in hiring us.  The interview process in each congregation played out the same way.  At the first interview they loved me!  They had me meet with the youth, the women’s group, and the pulpit committee.  As they prepared to invite me to come back for a second interview, the committee members asked me if there was anything else they should know.  I replied happily, “Yes, I am a lesbian.”  And rather than just showing me the door, or actually remembering that they had thought I was good enough to ask back for a second interview, they screamed at me about needing to seek medical care for their children to make sure I hadn’t molested them, threw scripture at me, and couldn’t get me out the door fast enough.  At the second congregation, the first interview went just as well.  They asked me back for a second interview and when I showed up for it, I could tell something was very wrong.  One of the ministers who was a close friend of my ordaining pastor had outed me to the committee.  When I walked in to the interview room after church, instead of simply telling me that I was no longer a candidate, they asked me if the horrible news was true and when I confirmed it, they proceeded to abuse me with scripture, their fear and loathing and threatened to take me to jail if I had abused any of their children.  This took place as the Senior Pastor, a closeted gay man, sat there and let the abuse continue before asking me to leave. After these experiences of truth telling, I instituted my own don’t ask, don’t tell policy.  I would answer truthfully any interviewing body that asked me if I was a lesbian, but I wasn’t going to tell them if they didn’t ask.  So I headed back to Seattle and to my two jobs, having been shaken to the core.  And a couple of months later, the Regional Minister, the Rev. Bob Brock called and asked if I would like my name given to Findlay Street Christian Church (FSCC) in the south end of Seattle and I told him yes.  Bob also said,  “I hate to send anyone there who thinks they can do anything with that church.”  I didn’t know whether to be insulted or grateful.  Women clergy were more often than not, considered for just such congregations.  1982-1996 The good people of FSCC interviewed me on 10 separate occasions.  And finally they narrowed their search to two candidates, a young man serving in Georgia and me.  If they chose me, they didn’t have to pay moving expenses, so they invited me to preach and stay to meet with the congregation afterward for a potluck.  That same day they held the vote.  The most memorable moment of that day was when a woman asked me if I was sure I was the right man for the job.  I tucked my head and looked inside my dress and assured her that I definitely was not the right man for the job, but if she gave me a chance, I believed I could prove to her I was the right person for the job!  The issue of being a lesbian never came up and I was hired with 90% support of the congregation. I began my ministry at FSCC on July 1, 1982.  It was a small congregation, located in a working class neighborhood in the south end of Seattle, in the most integrated zip code in Washington.  In spite of this, it was a predominantly white congregation and most of the members had supported covenants keeping Jews and Blacks from moving into the nearby neighborhoods that fronted Lake Washington.  Most of the men who worked, worked at Boeing.  Most of the women were older widows.  I was 29.  Five people passed away my first year.  As they watched me sit vigil and bury their friends, they came to see that having a woman minister was going to be OK.  I was active in the community beyond the church.  I helped to organize a women clergy group meeting.  It seemed every denomination had one or two in Seattle!  I was invited to be a Founding Mother for the Women’s Funding Alliance.  We took on United Way to challenge their monopoly on the Combined Federal Campaign.  Gay and lesbian folk began hearing about a lesbian pastor at a small church in the south end and came to the church.  After 5 years of serving in the closet, I was ready to quit.  By then, I had met my partner—now spouse Candy S. Cox-- and she challenged me to stay and try telling the truth again instead of quitting.  So I put things in motion to do just that. I asked an Elder to go a visit a woman who had stopped attending the church.  I had heard from another member that Jody had quit coming because there were homosexuals at the church and she was afraid of AIDS.  So Bob took Jody to lunch and called me immediately and said we needed to meet!  We had lunch later that week and he told me why Jody wasn’t coming any more. He told me that it was my job to make sure none of “them” had leadership positions. And then he told me that the Elders had already met and they wanted to know where I stood on the issue of homosexuality.  I was shaken and I told him I’d get back to him about when I would preach on the subject.  I went home and did a lectionary study and picked the lectionary that began on the first Sunday in Lent, March 15, 1987.  Peter’s Dream in Acts 10:9-16 and the Exodus story were the cornerstone of my sermon. I began my sermon, with great thanks to Candy, talking about the various times the church had stood on the wrong side of history.  People’s lives had been ruined and even lost by the Church’s insistence that the earth was flat, that the earth was the center of the universe, that slavery was Biblically sound, that the Gospel shouldn’t be in the common vernacular, that evolution wasn’t real and that women shouldn’t be ordained.  Each of these culture wars had ended with the church having to concede they were wrong (except the argument about women’s ordination still lingers on).  And now, in 1987 the church had the opportunity to stand on the right side of history by seeing homosexuality as akin to being left handed in a right- handed culture.  When I got to that point in my sermon, people got up and walked out.  Some never returned.  Some stayed to make sure I lost my job, even though I still hadn’t come out.  And the history of FSCC changed irrevocably that day.  And we came to know the living reality of the Exodus and working together to discern how something God once called unclean, could now be known as clean. Lent became real for all of us. Those who stayed felt cast into the wilderness.  Turmoil, uncertainty, and anxiety filled the building and followed us home. The Elders met the next night and could have easily fired me, but instead processed my sermon and created a plan. As Elder after Elder shared their response, I was shocked and awed.  They said if I thought it was important then we should study the issue more.  They said they had loved all the new members up to the point of learning that some were gay and lesbian and it wouldn’t be Christian to stop loving them now.  They said they church hadn’t ever stood up for anything, and maybe this was our chance.  And then one Elder said, “I can’t believe what I am hearing!  It is as if prejudice and bigotry have gotten a bad name in this church! And if that is so, I am prepared to resign!”  The Chair of the Elders said she was ready to accept his resignation, because prejudice and bigotry had no place in the church. And thus began a 6 week long process of small group Bible study and congregational education about homophobia. Suspicions ran high among those who stayed.  Older members insisted on being in the room when the collection was counted to make sure the new members weren’t there to cheat the church.  Some of the laity came out and told their stories.  Members questioned what they had always been taught and were open to seeing the clobber texts in new ways, when viewed through the lens of other scriptures.  25% of the members never came back, but new people started coming when they heard what we were doing. And then Holy Week arrived!  Monday night of Holy Week was the regularly scheduled Board Meeting.  It was the first congregational opportunity to fire me.  I had spent the month coming out to the Elders, so when they voted on whether or not to fire me, they were fully informed.  The mood for the meeting was like a public hanging.  The man who had been my Elder, drove back and forth in front of the church telling people to vote me out.  Yet, he didn’t have the courage of his convictions to come into the building and cast his vote.  45 members attended and 30 could vote.  The one man who could have successfully led the charge against me didn’t, even as he had told me he would vote against me that night.  And because he didn’t lead the charge, my opposition petered out and wasn’t able to muster the votes to fire me.  Instead my ministry was supported, with a vote that was exactly double the vote of my ordination approval, 24-6.  And come Easter morning, we experienced the Resurrection in reality.  We made it through.  We were still standing.  We knew the elation and the fear of the empty tomb.  We wept collectively at what we had been through.  We grieved our losses.  We celebrated our new beginning.  We recognized the presence of the Holy Spirit and be began to build a new way of being church together. Candy and I had long been planning to have a Covenant Ceremony that June 27th during Pride Weekend.  So at the June Board Meeting, I officially came out to the Board.  Most people greeted the news with enthusiasm, and a few more people left.  Now while building a resurrection community, we were also ready to help build a national movement within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Working with others across the denomination, we helped to found GLAD, the Gay Lesbian and Affirming Disciples organization.  Candy served as a founding board member.  Findlay Street Christian Church became the first Open and Affirming Congregation within this new organization.  Candy announced the formation of GLAD on the floor of the General Assembly in Louisville, Kentucky in October of 1987. In a room of more than 8.000, you could have heard a pin drop!  We went to the National March on Washington en route to the Assembly, where the AIDS Quilt was laid out for the first time.  It was the first and only time I ever wore a collar.  People were amazed to see a minister there.  It was so important for me to be a presence of love and grace to so many whom had been so deeply hurt by the church. Findlay Street continued to grow and flourish after we became Open and Affirming.  We doubled in size and even won prizes for evangelism.  When the National Evangelistic Association called and asked us for the secret to our success, once we told them, they mailed us the certificate rather than helping to tell our story more publicly! I continued my ministry for 5 more years at FSCC.  We were the church that many of the men dying of AIDS chose to come to.  We were the church that those who had broken relationships with the church chose to come to.  We were the church that housed the People of Color Against AIDS Network offices as well as the Community Food Bank.  We gave space to a Black social worker to be a community liaison and to provide help to church members in lieu of rent.  I preached at the first World AIDS Day service at First Baptist Church and I was on local television and in the paper as an open lesbian pastor. Having been part of the national movement within the Disciples as well as very public in Seattle, I became a target for hate mail.  Especially, every time Disciple Renewal—the most conservative group within the denomination-- told our story to point out the moral depravity and decay of the Church.  I came to call myself the Disciple Renewal poster child, as I was their best fundraiser of all time!  I was on the General Board of the denomination at the time and so also had access to denominational leaders.  So many told me I was good for my cause.  And so many supported me in private, but very rarely did as the need increasingly rose to support me in public. After fifteen years of being out, being the only open gay or lesbian minister (the second person openly ordained, the wonderful <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1398">Rev. Allen Harris</a> was ordained in 1991, ten full years after me) and being exhausted by the national and local hate that came my way, I knew it was time for me to leave.  On the first Sunday in Advent in 1990 I preached on the church being pregnant and being in a time of preparing for new birth, and I heard these words during my pastoral prayer. “You are not the midwife to bring new life to this church.”  And I knew it was true.  I resigned the next Sunday and served til the end of February 1991. I needed extended time to heal.  I left ministry feeling like I had no skin.  The pain stored in my body equaled my body weight.  Blessedly, Candy agreed that I didn’t have to work for a while.  And then she decided to sell her business and take a year off with me.  We travelled some, but mostly I quilted and gardened and worked to regain my strength. A year later, when we both needed to go back to work, Candy found me a job posting at Hospice of Seattle.  I got the job and for the first time in my life and ministry being a lesbian was a plus.  It was during the AIDS crisis and many of the men on hospice were afraid of the church and a chaplain.  But my nurses and social workers were able to tell them about me and then they were so relieved and so in need of God’s grace.  I sat with many parents who did not know their sons were gay, until they learned of their deaths by AIDS.  This was a great transition ministry for me that lasted for 4 years.  During my time at Hospice of Seattle I went back and did post graduate work in spiritual direction at Seattle University.  This was a period of deep healing as well as a time of recognition about how deep my wounds really were. 1996-2006 Candy got a new job in Washington DC, so we moved to Reston, Virginia.  I worked as a spiritual director there, lead lots of retreats for leaders of various congregations as well as women’s retreats.  I kept my foot in the door, but did not join a church and lost my standing in the Disciples.  I simply did not have the stuffing to jump through their appropriate hoops to continue my ministerial credentials.  I felt like the church had left me.  And fortunately, in my time away from parish ministry, I had learned that that wasn’t the same as God leaving me. We lived in Virginia for 10 years.  My first volunteer project there was with the AIDS Quilt.  I volunteered as a quilter and as a fundraiser.  When the entire Quilt was displayed for the last time in 1996, I helped family members and friends make panels for their loved ones and Candy and I had the honor of witnessing President and Mrs. Clinton walk silently among the panels.  He was the first president to ever acknowledge the Quilt.  During that long October weekend, when 44,000 panels were already on display, covering the entire Mall from the Washington Monument to the Capitol building, we also received over 2,500 new panels.  That was 300 more than had been on display in 1987.  I remained a volunteer and helped them develop a successful fundraising campaign. As part of my work at Seattle University, I learned about the Enneagram.  It is a psycho-social-spiritual typology that meets you at the depths you will meet it.  We read a book about it shortly before moving and were interested in learning more.  So while in VA, I participated in the teacher training for Certification in the Riso-Hudson school of the Enneagram.  It continues to be the most important approach to building a life of faithful service that I have ever found.  I use it in my spiritual direction practice as well as for my own spiritual growth and formation.  I am blessed with wonderful teachers and guides. During this deep dive into spiritual direction and leading retreats on adult spiritual formation, Candy leapt into leadership at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF).  She served as Co-Chair on the Board and then worked with their media team.  Fundraising in DC is a heady mix of rubbing shoulders with movie stars and political sheroes and heroes.  Her work in advertising and with the Task Force was a very exciting and fulfilling time of life! 2006-2017 When Candy retired from the advertising business, we decided to move to Mexico.  We were hungry for an adventure and to become citizens of the world.  It was an amazing experience living in a foreign country. After 18 months we knew that living in Mexico wasn’t a long term retirement strategy for us, (though we still hold the dream of living internationally) so we moved back to the states.  We picked Arizona because we did not want to be old and cold and we love the sun!  Six months after moving back, the California Supreme Court ruled that the Constitutional Ban against same sex marriage was illegal!  I proposed to Candy in the car as we listened to the story break on NPR.  We wanted to go to California and get married!  In 1987 when we had our covenant, our families were invited and only one of my brothers had come.  He stood with me.  In 2008, we called every member and they all wanted to be there!  In five weeks we planned everything so that 21 years and 1 day after our covenant, we were legally married in my sister’s back yard on June 28, 2008, with my same brother Neal standing at my side. On our honeymoon, we decided to volunteer full time against Prop 8.  Candy worked with the media team creating amazing videos and I worked with the field team as a field organizer for Santa Barbara County and as one of two state wide Faith Field Organizers, along with the Rev. Lindi Ramsden a UU pastor I knew from seminary.  I had hoped that having been ordained in CA and knowing lots of folks there, I would be able to leverage them and their congregations to be champions for marriage equality.  I was wrong. Working on the NO on Prop 8 campaign was the hardest thing we have ever done.  The best part was Candy and I learning how much we loved working on projects together and forming bonds with the field team that continue strong today. The worst part was losing after pouring our hearts in 17 hours a day for months as well as being reintroduced to the vitriol of Christian’s.  Each side raised $44,000.000 in that campaign, and traveling the state to talk to Christian’s about supporting us had some high notes, but mostly it was a cacophony of hatefulness.  The election of President Barack Obama that same night helped to ease some of our pain. Losing in California was a wake up call to us all!  Marriage Equality was an issue whose time came after the passage of Prop 8.  The entire country was stunned and we saw after losing 32 ballot initiatives in a row, that we needed to change our strategy. And it also signaled a change in my career.  From our work against Prop 8, we began receiving calls to help with various campaigns. In 2009, I was asked to be part of the planning team for and to preach at Believe Out Loud, a first of its kind coming together of the Task Force’s Field Team and the Welcoming Church Program Leaders member’s base.  Each Welcoming Program was tasked with identifying participants to attend and learn the basics of organizing to create public policy change.  For three days organizers and local church members worked together to instill organizing principles and tactics.  Overcoming the resistance to organizing within congregations and communities was and is a very steep climb.  My sermon sought to bridge the gap between these two communities.  Some participants really caught hold of the theory of change that says, change the church, change the world, change the church.  Clips from my sermon are available here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URAgyLlmi8Q">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URAgyLlmi8Q</a>. More Light Presbyterians asked me to join their calling team to have conversations with Presbyterian clergy to end the ban on ordination of LGBT candidates for ministry. Working with Toby Rogers and the Rev. Janet Edwards as well as the Rev. Tricia Dykers Koenig of Covenant Network of Presbyterians, I had conversations with about 500 Presbyterian clergy that summer. We didn’t prevail in passing Amendment 08B, but we lost forward and made it clear that rescinding the ban was possible.  Only 500 votes out of thousands cast separated winning from losing.  Next the Arcus Foundation hired us to evaluate three Welcoming Church Programs.  Arcus had donated a million dollars over the previous 5 years to these three programs and wanted an independent evaluation of their efficacy.  Together we created an interview plan to evaluate Reconciling Ministries Network and their work among the United Methodist Church, Lutherans Concerned and their work in the ELCA, and finally Integrity and the Chicago Consultation and their work within the Episcopal Church.  With the full cooperation of the organizations, I conducted 80 interviews and heard first hand the impact as well as the growing edges of each organization.  In general the evaluations showed that the organizations met or exceeded their granting objectives, and each group was given suggestions for moving forward to enhance the efficacy of their work. More Light called again in 2010 after another resolution had passed the PCUSA General Assembly to rescind the ban on the ordination of LGBT candidates, meaning another national phone campaign to ratify the new Amendment 10A was necessary.  This time I was better prepared and I was able to call many of the same clergy I had two years before.  It was great to catch up!  Candy and I strategized with Tricia again and Candy created a masterful statistical chart that became the heartbeat of the MLP campaign.  I had about 1000 conversations that summer and Candy handled the statistics and the media.  It was clear that we were going to ratify Amendment 10A in early May of 2011, and I’ll never forget the night we reached ratification!  The Moderator of the PCUSA was in Minneapolis and we trusted that the Presbytery of the Twin Cities would vote to ratify.  The entire media plan was based on their voting before Pacific Presbytery did that same night.  But then a huge storm hit Minneapolis and they broke for dinner.  We created a new media plan as we waited, identifying spokespeople in Minnesota and Los Angeles.  Watching Candy at work was inspiring!  Finally the Twin Cities meeting was restarted and the vote to ratify meant the ordination ban on faithful LGBT Presbyterians had come to an end!  All the while we were hosting my mother and sister in the other room for my birthday.  One amazing moment was when Candy asked me to take over preparing dinner because the New York Times was on the phone! In 2012 I received a call from Dr. Sharon Groves, Director of the Human Rights Campaign’s Faith and Religion Program asking if I would be interested in applying for the position of Faith Director of Washington United for Marriage.  It meant moving back to Seattle for 4.5 months to be a member of the Field team.  I applied and was hired. Fortunately, I still had many faith contacts from my 10 years of ministry in Seattle.  I moved in with our dear friends Don and Ann Berrysmith and went to work building a Faith Cabinet, leaders within each denomination who could both advise me and lead work within their own constituencies/denominations to organize and engage teams within local congregations to support the work of the campaign.  Our primary objective was to engage our faith supporters to hold conversations within their congregations and over the phone with voters.  Christian faith organizations were the largest opponents to the ballot initiative and it was my job to mobilize and maximize the voices of people of faith who supported marriage equality because of their faith.  The faith team of Aubrey Thonvold, Stephen Crippen and me created teams within all the expected denominations as well as with Mormons for Marriage Equality and Catholics for Marriage Equality.  All people of faith wore the same button supporting the ballot initiative.  If you consider all the faith wars historically and now, that was a major accomplishment!  We sold out of our first 1,500 buttons and nearly our second batch as well.  Those buttons were responsible for thousands of conversations across the state.  Washington, Maryland and Maine all passed marriage equality ballot measures in one night and Minnesota revoked their Constitutional Marriage ban.  4 ballot victories in one night after 32 straight losses at the ballot box!  Every campaign had a faith director! I came home exhausted!  Right after that campaign, the Rev. Rebecca Voekel of the Institute of Welcoming Resources of the Task Force asked me if I would consider taking a job with them as their Lead Ecumenical Trainer.  The job would be to travel the country working with any/all of the welcoming church programs whenever they held a Building an Inclusive Church workshop.  I would train and be responsible to make sure every participant got connected to their correct denominational program.  We were still committed to building more welcoming congregations in order to empower the members to engage in conversations within their churches and in their communities.  I said no to this request initially because I needed to rest.  It was filled instead by my good friend <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1396">Alex McNeil</a>.  When he was hired to be the ED of More Light Presbyterians, I then took the job.  I held the post from mid 2014 to the end of 2016.  It was a blessing to work with the organizers at the Task Force (National LGBTQ Task Force by now) as well as the trainers among the denominational welcoming groups.  One of the best nights in my life as a faith organizer, was the last meal I shared with them receiving their gifts of grace and getting to share my heart with them one by one. In 2013, More Light Presbyterians came calling again.  Against my better judgment, both More Light and Covenant Network decided to forward resolutions to the General Assembly in support of removing language prohibiting marriage equality.  Tricia, Candy and I all thought it was a bad idea.  We didn’t think it had a chance of passing the Assembly and would stir up lingering animus of the previous two votes.  We were wrong!  It passed the General Assembly by one of the widest margins ever at the Assembly.  So we got to work.  This time though, because we opted not to make the calls ourselves, but instead to supervise a team of regional coordinators who would use our well honed tactics to build teams within every presbytery possible to do the outreach themselves.  This built empowered communities in each presbytery to work together to create change going forward.  Amendment 14F also passed the presbyteries by a wide margin.  Our work with More Light Presbyterians was complete. In 2014 I applied to be the Faith Director of Why Marriage Matters Arizona!  The ED, Jeremy Zegas and I had worked together on the ballot measure in Washington. My job was to secure faith leaders’ support for marriage equality.  We asked them to write letters, hold press conferences, prayer breakfasts, preach and write letters to the editor about how their faith underscored their support of marriage equality.  On October 17, 2014 the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the constitutional ban on same sex marriage and Attorney General Tom Horne opted not to appeal.  Candy and I attended the press conference with the Attorney General and hit SEND on my texts to over 100 faith leaders who were ready to deploy to every courthouse in the State of Arizona.  They carried signs that said, “I Stand Ready to Marry You.”   Over 130 marriages took place that day!  Most couples had been waiting decades and were thrilled to be able to marry that day.  Here’s one article about that amazing day:  <a href="http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2014/10/17/arizona-gay-marriage-ruling/17431229/">http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2014/10/17/arizona-gay-marriage-ruling/17431229/</a>  We were ready and we celebrated that night with a huge overflow crowd at the UCC Conference Offices in Phoenix and at Grace St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Tucson. From my work on the Why Marriage Matters Arizona campaign, in 2015 I was asked to work with the team from ONE Community, co-founded by CEO and President Angela Hughey.  Angela created OC with her spouse Sheri Owens in 2007 to reach out to the business community to build support for full LGBT inclusion within their organizations. ONE Community’s Unity Pledge is the largest LGBTQ inclusive pledge in the country.  This is her core belief: It’s time to ensure equality for all Arizona employees, residents, and consumers. It’s the right thing to do. It’s good for business. It’s good for the business of Arizona. Her business plan changed when the Arizona State Legislature passed a bill giving businesses the right to discriminate against, including refusing service to LGBT patrons so long as they cited sincerely held religious beliefs.   The bill lingered for 5 days on Gov. Jan Brewer’s desk. During those days, ONE Community, which had the best relationships with businesses across Arizona, mounted a campaign to get the governor to veto SB 1062.  Thus launched a statewide Open for Business to Everyone campaign that distributed 3500 signs statewide (in less than 72 hours) for businesses to display. The sign was downloaded over 100,000 times as well!  Faith communities had also joined in to request the veto. A senior Evangelical pastor, who was in the room told me that he and 4 other Evangelical pastors met with the governor the day she vetoed the bill and in the privacy of her office suggested she veto it too.  It was bad business all the way around for the State.  Gov. Brewer did veto SB 1062, but we have yet to have statewide protections for the LGBT community. I was brought on to build out the faith support for full statewide inclusion.  Together we built a group of 225 faith leaders, including all the mainline denominations, Jews, Muslims and Mormons.  They have written, testified, preached and hosted a powerful curriculum called The Star Activity that puts participants in the life experience shoes of LGBTQ people in a very real way!  Our small team worked with business leaders, faith leaders, public school leaders, medical workers and social service providers to train them in LGBTQ inclusion in the workplace, in the school, and in the public square.  Everyone is always surprised that in 26 states there are still no statewide protections in housing, employment and public accommodations for the LGBTQ community.  I retired as the Lead Ecumenical Trainer of the National LGBTQ Task Force and ONE Community in December 2016.  Since then I have initiated two campaigns.  The first grew organically from the Women’s March on Jan 21, 2017, when 25,000 of us marched in Phoenix and joined marchers from around the world in the largest single protest march in the world. We were all declaring our support for values of inclusion and solidarity in the wake of the election of Donald Trump.  Our local group meets every other week to discuss the issues and write post cards to our congressional representatives.  2 from our group visit the local offices each week.  I also helped to organize an online support campaign for Bishop Karen Oliveto, the first openly LGBTQ Bishop in the United Methodist Church.  We solicited letters from her colleagues from seminary to nationally known faith leaders to speak out in support of both her inspirational leadership, qualifications as well as to end the repression of the LGBTQ community within the United Methodist Church.  Our campaign lives on Facebook at #ToBishopKOwithLove (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ToBishopKOwithLove/?ref=bookmarks">https://www.facebook.com/ToBishopKOwithLove/?ref=bookmarks</a>). I continue to join Candy and the Rev. Janet Edwards as advisors to the Global Faith and Equality Fund of the Horizons Foundation.  This fund focuses on stemming the exportation of homophobia by faith leaders from the United States primarily to the Global South, and it supports organizations in the US who are doing this essential work.  It is an honor to be a part of this team. This year, Candy and I are celebrating the 30th Anniversary of our covenant in June 1987.  I continue my spiritual direction practice as well as my study and teaching of the Enneagram.  I also love mentoring younger activists! I dream of strategizing with other older activists to discern the importance and place of being grandparents of the movement in this time.  I will do this as time allows.  As we have many interests, frienda and family that call for our attention and our time! While I am still a seeker, I no longer consider myself a Christian.  I’m still curious about sacredness, community and belonging.  And I sit content with what I have experienced and learned and what else beckons us beyond the horizon. 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 Debra Peevey arcus Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Debra Peevey Disciples of Christ GLAD GLAD Alliance Institute of Welcoming Resources More Light Presbyterians for LGBT Concerns Presbyterian https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/c9c2c19e567bf532b3690682bd93e3ae.jpg 1a40b313999df51c803b278df72da53e Person An individual. Text Any textual data included in the document The Rev. D. Darnell Fennell was born the youngest son of three children on December 7, 1987 to the proud parentage of Jeannie and Russell Fennell. He received his early education in his native hometown of Houston, Texas, and was graduated from Elsik High School in 2006. Darnell then attended the University of Houston, receiving a B.S. degree in Psychology with a minor in Religious Studies. While at the University of Houston he had a theological crisis of faith with his Baptist tradition and his queer identity. Post undergrad he would journey to Berkeley, California as a Fund for Theological Education Fellow to explore a progressive theological education. He earned a Masters of Divinity (M.Div.) degree from Pacific School of Religion in 2014 and the Paul Wesley Preaching award. In August 2014, he was ordained as a minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) with standing in the Fellowship of Affirming Ministries and The United Church of Christ. Rev. Fennell is a new church planter in Houston Texas. He returned to Houston in 2014 to start Just Love, a Disciples of Christ and United Church of Christ new church plant. Just Love is a faith community created by those who have been marginalized by church and society, working together for wholeness for all people rooted in a theological ethic of living out Just Love. Just Love is the only Open and Affirming Disciples of Christ congregation in the Houston area. In 2017, in addition to pastoring Just Love, he has become the transitional pastor of University Christian Church, a historically black church in Houston. His calling made him the first openly gay pastor to serve this congregation. Darnell also serves on the Disciples Alliance leadership council. The Alliance is the movement within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) working to set a place at the table for persons of all gender expressions and sexual orientations. (This biographical statement provided by Darnell Fennell.) Biographical Text The Rev. D. Darnell Fennell was born the youngest son of three children on December 7, 1987 to the proud parentage of Jeannie and Russell Fennell. He received his early education in his native hometown of Houston, Texas, and was graduated from Elsik High School in 2006. Darnell then attended the University of Houston, receiving a B.S. degree in Psychology with a minor in Religious Studies. While at the University of Houston he had a theological crisis of faith with his Baptist tradition and his queer identity. Post undergrad he would journey to Berkeley, California as a Fund for Theological Education Fellow to explore a progressive theological education. He earned a Masters of Divinity (M.Div.) degree from Pacific School of Religion in 2014 and the Paul Wesley Preaching award. In August 2014, he was ordained as a minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) with standing in the Fellowship of Affirming Ministries and The United Church of Christ. Rev. Fennell is a new church planter in Houston Texas. He returned to Houston in 2014 to start Just Love, a Disciples of Christ and United Church of Christ new church plant. Just Love is a faith community created by those who have been marginalized by church and society, working together for wholeness for all people rooted in a theological ethic of living out Just Love. Just Love is the only Open and Affirming Disciples of Christ congregation in the Houston area. In 2017, in addition to pastoring Just Love, he has become the transitional pastor of University Christian Church, a historically black church in Houston. His calling made him the first openly gay pastor to serve this congregation. Darnell also serves on the Disciples Alliance leadership council. The Alliance is the movement within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) working to set a place at the table for persons of all gender expressions and sexual orientations. (This biographical statement provided by Darnell Fennell.) 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 Darnell Fennell Baptist Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Darnell Fennell Disciples LGBTQ Alliance Disciples of Christ Just Love United Church of Christ https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/a65ed1db4dc8559a593fcbdc7474fa4e.jpg a79efa89c04e50240b01df9e202fa4fe Person An individual. Text Any textual data included in the document The Rev. Judith Hoch Wray, Ph.D., is a biblical scholar, teacher, homiletician, writer and editor, and carpenter. Coming out as lesbian in 1969, she has remained committed to integrating her own sexuality and spirituality, standing visibly in the church as one committed to justice for all. Judith developed an AIDS education program in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1984 that began by enlisting and training grandmothers in the African American community. She was a founding member and first moderator of the Coordinating Committee that established the Gay, Lesbian and Affirming Disciples Alliance (GLAD) of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)—now, Disciples LGBTQ Alliance. Judith was a founding member of CLOUT (Christian Lesbians OUT Together), and the first moderator of the Buchanan Group at New Brunswick Theological Seminary which initiated the Holy Relationships movement through a major national Conference on Theology and Sexuality in 2005. Dr. Wray's writings include scholarly books and articles as well as numerous columns and articles for The Living Pulpit. Her lay-friendly Bible study entitled Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Christians in the Church: Reflections for Disciples of Christ Who Seek to Discern God’s Will served as a template for the development of the Bible study components of Listening to the Spirit: a Handbook for Discernment (ed. William Paulsell, Chalice, 2001), written by a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) nationally-appointed task force on which she served. She was a member of the Out in Scripture Editorial Advisory Board of the Human Rights Campaign. A powerful preacher and speaker, Dr. Wray is a preaching coach and leads workshops and retreats around the country. Judith continues to provide leadership to several national organizations that support LGBTQI persons and allies who seek justice and integration of sexuality and spirituality. Judith lives in Indianapolis, IN, with her long-time partner/wife, the Rev. Donna M. Prince. She has taught part-time at several theological seminaries and, in retirement, Judith is active in Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Indianapolis, continuing to teach, write, and model prophetic loving and living. (This biographical statement provided by Judith Hoch Wray.) Biographical Text The Rev. Judith Hoch Wray, Ph.D., is a biblical scholar, teacher, homiletician, writer and editor, and carpenter. Coming out as lesbian in 1969, she has remained committed to integrating her own sexuality and spirituality, standing visibly in the church as one committed to justice for all. Judith developed an AIDS education program in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1984 that began by enlisting and training grandmothers in the African American community. She was a founding member and first moderator of the Coordinating Committee that established the Gay, Lesbian and Affirming Disciples Alliance (GLAD) of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)—now, Disciples LGBTQ Alliance. Judith was a founding member of CLOUT (Christian Lesbians OUT Together), and the first moderator of the Buchanan Group at New Brunswick Theological Seminary which initiated the Holy Relationships movement through a major national Conference on Theology and Sexuality in 2005. Dr. Wray's writings include scholarly books and articles as well as numerous columns and articles for The Living Pulpit. Her lay-friendly Bible study entitled Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Christians in the Church: Reflections for Disciples of Christ Who Seek to Discern God’s Will served as a template for the development of the Bible study components of Listening to the Spirit: a Handbook for Discernment (ed. William Paulsell, Chalice, 2001), written by a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) nationally-appointed task force on which she served. She was a member of the Out in Scripture Editorial Advisory Board of the Human Rights Campaign. A powerful preacher and speaker, Dr. Wray is a preaching coach and leads workshops and retreats around the country. Judith continues to provide leadership to several national organizations that support LGBTQI persons and allies who seek justice and integration of sexuality and spirituality. Judith lives in Indianapolis, IN, with her long-time partner/wife, the Rev. Donna M. Prince. She has taught part-time at several theological seminaries and, in retirement, Judith is active in Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Indianapolis, continuing to teach, write, and model prophetic loving and living. (This biographical statement provided by Judith Hoch Wray.) 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 Judith Hoch Wray Buchanan Group Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) CLOUT CLOUT (Christian Lesbians OUT Together) Disciples LGBTQ Alliance Gay GLAD Holy Relationships Judith Hoch Wray Lesbian and Affirming Disciples Alliance (GLAD) RTSA Ecumenical Planning Team https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/d6c2328f4472c75a09a3b3428df1c6b3.jpg 17681d481d5a1181ea16498f5ea355af Person An individual. Text Any textual data included in the document The Rev. Elder Jim Mitulski, known for his passionate connection of spirituality and social justice, has served LGBT congregations in New York City, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Dallas, Texas as well as serving as a denominational executive with Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC). Raised as a Roman Catholic in Royal Oak, Michigan, Mitulski attended Mass regularly with his fervently religious grandmother from a very young age. Through these experiences he developed a strong love for the Eucharist, the rosary and Marian devotion, liturgy and church life. After attending Catholic and public schools Mitulski graduated from Royal Oak High School in 1976 and enrolled in Columbia University in New York City, graduating in 1986 with a degree in Religion. He was an early member of Dignity where he was the youngest person on the Board of Driectors and first worked with Fr. John McNeill. He went on to begin his pastoral career at MCC New York, serving as the church’s associate pastor until 1986 when he was called to MCC San Francisco. His fifteen-year tenure there covered the height of the AIDS years with the church providing pastoral care, bereavement support, and thousands of funerals, along with several weekly services and countless programs. He became well known for his social justice activism, including handing out medical marijuana (then illegal) after church services one Sunday, defending the rights of the homeless in the Castro neighborhood, and engaging the political process to protect the rights of LGBT people. While pastoring, he graduated from Pacific School of Religion (PSR) with his Masters of Divinity in 1991. Mitulski was diagnosed with AIDS in 1995. By speaking publically about his illness, and writing about it—particularly in religious settings—he has helped to raise awareness and compassion for those with HIV. He co-chaired San Francisco’s Ryan White Health Services Planning Council from 1998-2001. After leaving MCC San Francisco, Jim was hired as the program coordinator at the James C. Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center at San Francisco's Main Library. He served there until he was tapped to work in the denominational offices of Metropolitan Community Churches—first in Leadership Development and then as an Elder, overseeing ministries in several states and countries. During this period he also served as pastor of MCC of the Redwood Empire in rural Guerneville, California, and later, of City of Angels MCC, an interfaith church in Glendale. While work as national church staff, Mitulski established numerous scholarships at seminaries across the country for MCC students. He taught theological students in Australia and South Africa and participated in a mission trip to the Mother of Peace HV/AIDS orphanage in Motuko, Zimbabwe. Mitulski returned to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2008 as the pastor of New Spirit Community Church, which had multiple affiliations including the United Church of Christ, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), MCC, The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, and Pacific School of Religion (PSR). At the same time, he served as campus chaplain and co-director of worship at PSR. His involvement in the school has been extensive, including a stint on the Board of Trustees from 2000-2009. He also taught multiple courses, including HIV and Theology, Liturgy for Liberation, Queer church music and liturgy, and Church Growth for Liberals. He also served as adjunct faculty at Lancaster Theological Seminary and Episcopal Divinity School. Mitulski has been published in Take Back the Word: A Queer Reading of the Bible with “Ezekiel understands AIDS : AIDS understands Ezekiel, or Reading the Bible with HIV,” in John McNeil’s Sex as God Intended, in Christian Century, The Witness, and The Lambda Literary Review. He has been a frequent guest columnist for the Bay Area Reporter. With recognized credentials in the United Church of Christ, The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and MCC, Mitulski now serves as the interim pastor at Cathedral of Hope UCC in Dallas, Texas, which is the world’s largest GLBT church. (This biographical statement written by Justin Tanis with information provided by Jim Mitulski.) Biographical Text The Rev. Elder Jim Mitulski, known for his passionate connection of spirituality and social justice, has served LGBT congregations in New York City, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Dallas, Texas as well as serving as a denominational executive with Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC). Raised as a Roman Catholic in Royal Oak, Michigan, Mitulski attended Mass regularly with his fervently religious grandmother from a very young age. Through these experiences he developed a strong love for the Eucharist, the rosary and Marian devotion, liturgy and church life. After attending Catholic and public schools Mitulski graduated from Royal Oak High School in 1976 and enrolled in Columbia University in New York City, graduating in 1986 with a degree in Religion. He was an early member of Dignity where he was the youngest person on the Board of Driectors and first worked with Fr. John McNeill. He went on to begin his pastoral career at MCC New York, serving as the church’s associate pastor until 1986 when he was called to MCC San Francisco. His fifteen-year tenure there covered the height of the AIDS years with the church providing pastoral care, bereavement support, and thousands of funerals, along with several weekly services and countless programs. He became well known for his social justice activism, including handing out medical marijuana (then illegal) after church services one Sunday, defending the rights of the homeless in the Castro neighborhood, and engaging the political process to protect the rights of LGBT people. While pastoring, he graduated from Pacific School of Religion (PSR) with his Masters of Divinity in 1991. Mitulski was diagnosed with AIDS in 1995. By speaking publically about his illness, and writing about it—particularly in religious settings—he has helped to raise awareness and compassion for those with HIV. He co-chaired San Francisco’s Ryan White Health Services Planning Council from 1998-2001. After leaving MCC San Francisco, Jim was hired as the program coordinator at the James C. Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center at San Francisco's Main Library. He served there until he was tapped to work in the denominational offices of Metropolitan Community Churches—first in Leadership Development and then as an Elder, overseeing ministries in several states and countries. During this period he also served as pastor of MCC of the Redwood Empire in rural Guerneville, California, and later, of City of Angels MCC, an interfaith church in Glendale. While work as national church staff, Mitulski established numerous scholarships at seminaries across the country for MCC students. He taught theological students in Australia and South Africa and participated in a mission trip to the Mother of Peace HV/AIDS orphanage in Motuko, Zimbabwe. Mitulski returned to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2008 as the pastor of New Spirit Community Church, which had multiple affiliations including the United Church of Christ, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), MCC, The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, and Pacific School of Religion (PSR). At the same time, he served as campus chaplain and co-director of worship at PSR. His involvement in the school has been extensive, including a stint on the Board of Trustees from 2000-2009. He also taught multiple courses, including HIV and Theology, Liturgy for Liberation, Queer church music and liturgy, and Church Growth for Liberals. He also served as adjunct faculty at Lancaster Theological Seminary and Episcopal Divinity School. Mitulski has been published in Take Back the Word: A Queer Reading of the Bible with “Ezekiel understands AIDS : AIDS understands Ezekiel, or Reading the Bible with HIV,” in John McNeil’s Sex as God Intended, in Christian Century, The Witness, and The Lambda Literary Review. He has been a frequent guest columnist for the Bay Area Reporter. With recognized credentials in the United Church of Christ, The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and MCC, Mitulski now serves as the interim pastor at Cathedral of Hope UCC in Dallas, Texas, which is the world’s largest GLBT church. (This biographical statement written by Justin Tanis with information provided by Jim Mitulski.) 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 Jim Mitulski Cathedral of Hope Catholic Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Jim Mitulski MCC Metropolitan Community Church New Spirit Community Church Pacific School of Religion PSR Roman Catholic RTSA Ecumenical Planning Team The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries UCC United Church of Christ https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/8698804dbfa965588b01f1571eac14e2.jpg 7c456a5c95b1772a887d8a527d3384c9 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/16d22f83f93acaadfc58359534bdb211.jpg 28ee6513119c0309659ab46717767a31 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. Martha L. Carroll Stole Text Martha L. Carroll Pastor Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) South Bend, IN In 1977 I was ordained as a deacon in the United Methodist Church at the annual conference held in Shreveport, Louisiana. I was presented with this stole. In 1979, I left the UMC and was ordained as a minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Camden, Arkansas. Every time I look at this stole I am saddened. It is a constant reminder that I can no longer serve in the denomination in which I grew up and loved so much. Even as a Disciple, it has been difficult. This is my 25th year of ordained ministry. In 1996, at the age of 50, I was called to serve full time in this Open and Affirming congregation that has welcomed me and my partner, Sandra Stratton. It has been a wonderful experience. In many ways it makes up for the many years of secular employment, brief interims, and serving in other capacities, all the while waiting to do what I knew in my heart I was called to do. They were not wasted years. I’m glad I kept the faith. I am delighted to be serving this church. I mourn that so many of my brothers and sisters have given up, moved on, or wait with inordinate patience for the church to recognize what God already knows: We, too, are called to serve. Denomination United Methodist Church Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Contribution Date 2007 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 909 Title A name given to the resource Martha L. Carroll Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant South Bend, Indiana (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Pastor Martha L. Carroll Carroll, Martha L. Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Indiana Open and Affirming in the UCC (ONA) Ordination United Church of Christ https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/77611068bddc964883ff279432eb4452.jpg e806f227bb94de9c14b8df0f3a1fede8 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/b8fbc268ecd1a112fe9122d3c4c0e082.jpg 658d35ed915c844f7a03e2ef4054bf37 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. Nancy Brink Stole Text NANCY BRINK DISCIPLES OF CHRIST Omaha, Nebraska I am Nancy Elaine Brink. I was born and raised in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and was ordained in 1979 in Hereford, TX. At that time I was married to an ordained man and planned to live out my ministry as part of a clergy couple. As that marriage was ending, I fell in love with a friend – a woman. My coming out was a coming home to myself. I had no doubt that God loved me – but what about the church? I spent the next 9 years in ministry but in the closet. It was only when I felt called to adopt a child in 1996 that I made the leap and came out. I’m so grateful for the loving support of North Side in Omaha, Nebraska where I continue as pastor. I share my life with Maria Perez and our daughter Hannah. This stole was a gift made for me by an artist in the congregation, Bonita Ware. Denomination Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 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 1047 Title A name given to the resource Nancy Brink Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Nebraska (USA) Brink, Nancy Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Marriage Equality Nebraska Ordination Perez, Maria Women and Religion 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. Rev. Dr. Linda Patrick Stole Text Rev. Dr. Linda Patrick Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Indiana As a Closeted Lesbian, I served as a senior pastor of a mid-sized congregation and worked as a teaching pastor in the Indianapolis area. I had just received my Doctor of Ministry degree from Christian Theological Seminary when I came OUT in 2000. Later that year, my judicatory “lost” my personal file, including my contact information and all documentation that I had ever attended seminary, been ordained, or served the church as a pastor. For years, I heard nothing from our Region. I had been in Search and Call, hoping to be called to a new parish, but communications quit coming. I gave up seeking a church as I had to make a living, and returned to my previous vocation as a registered nurse. Finally, in 2010, it came to my attention that I no longer had standing in Indiana. When I made this discovery and petitioned our Region for reinstatement, I was told that, now that I was OUT, I was not eligible for be re-instated as Clergy with Standing and, hence, barred from serving as clergy in any of our churches. Three O&A congregations, along with previous professors and pastors petitioned on my behalf for my reinstatement. Finally, in 2013, when the Church in Indiana dropped the ban, ordaining LGBT persons, my standing was reinstated. Even though I had been effectively silenced for thirteen years at the height of my ministry, I have returned to church life. I am actively serving as a retired pastor, volunteering to lead a ministry team at Central Christian Church, where my wife and I are members. We are also active members of the GLAD Alliance. Denomination Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Contribution Date 2015 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 1183 Title A name given to the resource Rev. Dr. Linda Patrick Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Indiana (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Rev. Dr. Linda Patrick Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) GLAD Alliance Indiana Ordination Patrick, Linda Women and Religion 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. Rev. Dan Adolphson Stole Text Rev. Dan Adolphson Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Minneapolis, Minnesota The call to ordained ministry. As I look back, it was a call that has been on my life since I first said “yes” to God as a freshman in high school. I just kept saying no for a variety of reasons. One of those reasons was that a gay man couldn’t be a minister, according to my conservative bible college professors and pastors during that period of my life. In 2004, God got really serious, or maybe I started listening better. The first time was around the communion table at Lake Harriet Christian Church, where I heard the message of extravagant welcome, that all are welcome around the table, period, end of sentence. God accepted me as I was, and, in fact, loved me because of it. In that sacred moment, I heard God’s call to return to ministry, that God wasn’t done with me yet. On October 15, 2008, a crisp fall day at West Des Moines Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the people of the Upper Midwest Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) overwhelmingly voted to allow ordination of all of God’s children, lifted a 20+ year ban on such ordinations. That day, God tapped me on the shoulder and reminded me of the call, and in 2010, I started my seminary education. February 28, 2015 marks an important day in our region’s history, and for our wider church. I will be the first openly GLBTQ person ordained since the ban was lifted. The beauty of extravagant welcome, of “All Means All” will be on display for the church and all to see, and we will dance in the grace and delight of God. Rev. Dan Adolphson Associate Pastor, First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Minneapolis, MN Vice-Moderator, GLAD Alliance, The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) About the stole This stole was the first stole I ever purchased, when I entered into the Licensed Ministry Program of the Upper Midwest Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in 2005. Denomination Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Contribution Date 2015 Contribution Story Rev. Adolphson's ordination included an exhibit of the Shower of Stoles Project and the donation of his stole. <div></div> <div>David Lohman</div> <div>Faith Work Manager Click <a href="https://www.lgbtran.org/Profile.aspx?ID=1493">here</a> to read Rev. Daniel Adolphson's biographic profile in the LGBTQ Religious Archives Network's Profiles Gallery. </div> 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 1182 Title A name given to the resource Rev. Dan Adolphson Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Rev. Dan Adolphson Adolphson, Dan Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Clergy Activist Minneapolis https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/d2874d98753490ad3ff36a3988da72a8.jpg b9c257c5f1693e9b9b9e0102cbfb7eca https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/fe0bfc4cab8d34ff774db24ffa82f389.jpg 76989792cd621fb2636b3f0eca18fa77 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. Cheryl Breiner Stole Text CHERYL BREINER CHRISTIAN CHURCH (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST) I was ordained in the Central Rocky Mountain Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in May 1982. My partner Doretta Philpot and I will have lived together 20 years in June 2002. She gave me this stole. I offer it to the Project because after I came out in the Central Rocky Mountain Region in 1996, I lost my standing as a minister that region. I offer it with hope for a new day in the church when love will reign. Denomination Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 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 884 Title A name given to the resource Cheryl Breiner 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 Cheryl Breiner Breiner, Cheryl Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Philpot, Doretta Theology United States Women and Religion 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. Gay Straight Alliance at Methodist Theological School (Solidarity Stole) Stole Text Gay Straight Alliance at Methodist Theological School Ecumenical Delaware, OH We are gay, lesbian, straight, bisexual, and queer. We are United Methodist, United Church of Christ, Presbyterian Church (USA), Disciples of Christ, American Baptist, and Unitarian Universalist. We are students, professors, and administrators. We are ordained. We are awaiting ordination. We are denied ordination. We are Sunday School teachers, musicians, and children and youth leaders. We are progressive, liberal, and conservative. We are hopeful. Denomination Ecumenical Contribution Date 2010 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 1149 Title A name given to the resource Gay Straight Alliance at Methodist Theological School (Solidarity Stole) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Delaware, Ohio (USA) Ally American Baptist/USA Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Ecumenical Ohio Ordination Presbyterian Church (USA) Unitarian Universalist United Church of Christ United Methodist Church 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. WOW Interfaith Worship Celebration (Solidarity Stole) Stole Text WITNESS OUR WELCOME (WOW) INTERFAITH WORSHIP CELEBRATION June 10, 2006 Danville, CA This stole was signed by more than 80 worshippers at the 2006 WOW Interfaith Worship Celebration in Danville, CA in solidarity with and recognition of GLBT persons of faith who have faced painful choices between their faith calling and being true to their own sexual identity. This was the fifth annual WOW event where clergy and congregants from 20 communities of faith representing 11 denominations and faith traditions have gathered to celebrate our GLBT neighbors in the valleys surrounding Mt. Diablo, east of San Francisco. WOW is the result of the need for inclusive faith communities to “come out of the closet” and let the world know that, as children of God, we all are created in the image of the Divine. Having been surrounded by the Shower of Stoles for five years, we felt it was time to contribute a stole on behalf of our community. Denominations and faith traditions represented are: American Baptist, Catholic, Disciples of Christ, Episcopal, Jewish, Lutheran, United Methodist, Presbyterian, Unitarian Universalist, United Church of Christ, and Unity. We are also sponsored by five chapters of PFLAG, GLSEN, That All May Freely Serve, and the Pacific School of Religion’s Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry. Denomination Ecumenical Contribution Date 2006 Contribution Story This stole was signed during a worship service in conjunction with an exhibit of Stoles. David Lohman Faith Work Coordinator National Gay & Lesbian Task Force's Institute for Welcoming Resources Home of the Shower of Stoles Project 2007 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 1074 Title A name given to the resource WOW Interfaith Worship Celebration (Solidarity Stole) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Danville, California (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Barbara Reed Ally American Baptist/USA Baptist California Catholic Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Episcopal Church Jewish Lutheran Ordination Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Presbyterian Reed, Barbara Roman Catholic That All May Freely Serve (TAMFS) Theology Unitarian Universalist United Church of Christ United Methodist Church Unity Fellowship Church Movement https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/6d4b276717db4aa6f01a5e03fb727274.jpg 7ae73a4ccedde63efd399c9f73518a25 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/7c8ed231eda326830027d94158bdb740.jpg 7c17044c0a8142e064d3e4387b93e45a 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. Reverend Dámaris E. Orgeta Stole Text THE REVEREND DÁMARIS E. ORTEGA<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> United <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Church of Christ New York, NY I thank God for making me as I am. I thank God for calling me to serve the church as I am. I thank God that The Spirit called me to freedom and to be a witness of God’s diverse creation! Following my passion for ministry and service in the church that nurtured my growth and development as a young Christian, I was ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Puerto Rico in 1995. After experiencing the bias and open discrimination of the Puerto Rican church, approving a resolution to ban openly gay and lesbian people to serve as pastors, I left without any hope in coming out and affirming my sexual orientation. Giving up this stole to be added to the collection of the Shower of Stoles Project marks the end of that hopeless period in my journey. In the United Church of Christ I have experienced God’s extravagant welcome, offering not only hope to my life, but the vision, courage and passion to my spiritual journey and ministry. Denomination United Church of Christ Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Contribution Date 2007 Contribution Story This stole was given to me during a meeting of the Bishops & Elders Council in Sarasota, FL in September, 2007. 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 1110 Title A name given to the resource Reverend Dámaris E. Orgeta Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant New York, New York (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Reverend Dámaris E. Orgeta Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) New York New York City Ordination Orgeta, Dámaris E. Theology United Church of Christ https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/2c3c03989f0ea25ec69f5ac931f3665e.jpg 6786d05794c7d93298e9cb7ee40347b0 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. Southside Singers Stole Text SOUTHSIDE SINGERS<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) <?xml:namespace prefix = ns0 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />South Bend, IN This stole is given on behalf of the Southside Singers of Southside Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in South Bend, IN. Southside is an Open and Affirming congregation, and several Southside Singers are people who were either unwelcome or unable to share their gifts in other churches. Southside welcomes all who come, and we pray for the day when gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people will be welcomed in churches everywhere. Meanwhile, we continue to “make a joyful noise,” because we have come to know God’s wonderful, abundant love for us and all God’s children. Denomination Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Contribution Date 2007 Contribution Story This stole was included with a shipment of stoles from an exhibit in South Bend. 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 1109 Title A name given to the resource Southside Singers Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant South Bend, Indiana (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Southside Singers Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Indiana Open and Affirming in the UCC (ONA) Theology