As part Chicago’s LGBTQ Pride celebrations this month, St. Luke’s Lutheran Church of Logan Square is very proud to be hosting the Rev. Pieter Oberholzer. Oberholzer is the Founder and Chief Financial Officer of Inclusive and Affirming Ministries (IAM), the largest faith-based LGBTQ-rights organization on the continent of Africa. On Saturday, June 25th from 10:30am to 12pm at 2649 N. Francisco Ave in Chicago, IL Pieter will speak about his work.

Founded in 1995 in Cape Town, South Africa, IAM has gained national and international recognition for its work in the fight against discrimination towards LGBTQ people and is the only organization in Southern Africa with the explicit mission of working with religious leaders in the mainline Christian church – especially those still adhering to patriarchal and fundamentalist values.

Earlier this year, Rev. Oberholzer was featured as an advocate for LGBTQ rights in a televised debate with Ugandan MP David Bahati over proposed legislation that would have made some homosexual acts punishable by death. That debate was aired around the world on BBC World, and the bill was defeated just last month.

Rev. Oberholzer will be speaking at St. Luke’s as part of a tour of North America that includes stops in Canada and Mexico, with other points in the United States. St. Luke’s is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) that has been worshiping in the heart of the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago’s north side since 1900. Oberholzer is a member of the ELM Roster and Proclaim.

For more information, contact Pastor Erik Christensen at pastorerik@stlukesLS.org or (773)235-5420.