Author: Amalia Vagts

All of us have been affected by the actions in Ferguson, MO these past two and 1/2 weeks. Many of you have posted thoughts on Facebook, tweeted, and have written longer reflections. Last week, Pastor Donna Simon, ELCA pastor and member of Proclaim and Pastor Jennifer Thomas (an ELM Extraordinary Friend!) went to Ferguson as part of a faith-based organizing collaborative called PICO National Network. Donna wrote about her experience on her blog, Peace Pastor, re-posted here with Donna’s permission.

There Are No Sides in Ferguson, by Rev. Donna Simon

(Originally posed on Peace Pastor on 8/21/2014)

August 22, 2014. The situation in Ferguson, Missouri this week is complicated. I read that on Facebook and Twitter and was convinced, though actually going there helped a lot with perspective. There are many competing narratives about Ferguson, and even firsthand accounts vary. Real witness is best done up close, though. We usually see what God is doing in our communities by venturing outside of our church walls and our comfort zones.

God is doing a lot of things in Ferguson, and so too are people. People are doing good things, bad things, complicated things.

What we do know is this: On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown was shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. It appears that he was shot six times. He joins an ever-expanding roster of unarmed young black men shot by police officers, and his death exposed a community’s pain over the way it is treated by the police. None of this is open to debate. It’s not a “side.” It is the truth. Mike Brown was unarmed, and he is dead. There is pain. It is being expressed.

There was also looting. And “rioting,” which is a word employed to describe a panoply of human behaviors, some of them peaceful and some more detrimental to persons and property. The looting and “rioting,” alongside details released about Brown’s behavior before and during his brief time in police custody have provided a neat opportunity to describe this situation in the language of Western modernism. There are “two sides,” to wit: the lawful side, whose primary symbol is the mostly white law enforcement community, and the side of those who believe that injustices have been perpetrated (and continue to be perpetrated) in Ferguson. Standing for the latter is a much more diverse community which includes Mike Brown, peaceful protestors, “rioters” and looters, national activists, and people who express their displeasure with the situation on social media and other outlets.

People expressing an opinion about Ferguson can expect to answer to the charge that they are “taking sides.”

I was there last night, and here is what I heard:

• Every night, police have opened fire on the protesters with tear gas, rubber bullets, and possibly real bullets.
• Greater St. Mark’s Missionary Baptist Church has been functioning as sanctuary space for the protesters, clergy and activists who are witnessing in Ferguson. The handwritten sign out front says “Safe Space. No alcohol. No guns.” People have used the space for rest and respite, and to wash tear gas out of their eyes. The police learned that the church had been offered as sanctuary, so they began a series of interventions which seem to be aimed at intimidating those inside. They lined their cars right outside of the gymnasium space occupied by protesters. They entered and confiscated items, including some Maalox which was being diluted to treat tear gas injuries. They threatened to remove everyone from the church property.
• Police have chased protesters, hit them with batons and the butts of rifles, shouted at them, and practiced other forms of intimidation. People who have engaged in a lot of nonviolent civil action have been shocked by the extreme behavior of the police, especially the Ferguson PD (now relieved of duty) and the St. Louis County police.

Here is what I saw:

• A community is hurting and angry. There are still protesters walking and shouting at the police. Their behavior may not be helpful, but their frustration should be understandable.
• At least two grassroots organizations have grown out of this continued engagement between protesters and law enforcement. One is called Clergy United; that group is gathering clergy from the St. Louis Metro, and we were told last night that clergy from beyond the Metro are asking how they might become involved. The other group is made up largely of young people. They call themselves the Peacekeepers, and they are doing just that. Both groups have their names on shirts already. They are legit.
• Young people are raising their voices in Ferguson, in largely constructive and courageous ways. Many were marching peacefully last night, at times chanting, “I’m young. I’m strong. And I’ll keep marching all night long.” Their energy shows no sign of flagging.
• Clergy are present. I went to Ferguson with my friend and colleague Jennifer Thomas, because we were invited by the PICO National Network, a faith-based community organizing collaborative. Both Jennifer and I are active with PICO and our local affiliate, Communities Creating Opportunity. It was an easy decision. We are called to stand in broken places and offer a word of grace and healing.
• People are marching because they have to. I mean that they are compelled to do so by frustration, faith, commitment to social justice. Also, they are required to do so by the police. No stopping is allowed.
• There were a lot of cops. A lot. They were clustered in groups of 5-20. At least a couple dozen clusters. There were armored vehicles. The presentation is very combative and intimidating, which would seem to be the point.

So much remains to be done. So many words of healing and hope are still to be uttered. There has been precious little dialogue between law enforcement and community leaders, and the brokenness will continue until that happens in a viable and sustainable manner. This is going to be a long process. It will be a complicated process, and will require a lot of folks to stand down and give up some of their power in order to engage in real conversation. There are no sides. Just brokenness, pain, anger. So God is there also.

Rev. Donna Simon is pastor at St. Mark Hope and Peace Lutheran Church, in the urban core of Kansas City, MO. She is married to Colleen Simon and is a member of Proclaim, an active community of LGBTQ Lutheran rostered leaders, candidates, and seminarians.

by Amalia Vagts, Executive Director

Last weekend, I headed out to Los Angeles for Brenda Bos’ ordination. It was a marvelous celebration. While in town, I had the chance to connect with four extraordinary congregations – communities of faith that are allies in our work to affirm and support ministry by LGBTQ rostered leaders. Together, LGBTQ leaders and extraordinary congregations proclaim God’s love and seek justice for all people.

The ordination was hosted by St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in North Hollywood, Brenda’s home congregation. St. Matthew’s was the home congregation for Joel Workin and was previously served by late Bp. Paul Egertson and current Bp. R. Guy Erwin. This faith community has a long history of lifting up and supporting LGBTQ leaders and allies.

That evening, I had the great fortune of joining a group of people from St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Santa Monica for their annual outing to the Hollywood Bowl. A group of 25 or so gathered for a picnic meal ahead of time and then journeyed up the hill to hear the L.A. Philharmonic. It was a great time catching up with Pastor Jim Boline (Proclaim member) and members of the congregation. This wonderful group has been the host congregation for THREE Proclaim interns, including Brenda Bos, Becca Seely, and a week from now, Joel Bergeland.

The following morning, after a little “God on the beach” (see the cross I found?), I headed to Lutheran Church of the Master. This congregation played a major role in the ONE VOICE campaign back in 2009 when they worked together to raise $40,000 in support of the allied Lutheran LGBTQ organizations. They have continued their witness through support of the L.A. area Proclaim internship and through the prophetic preaching and teaching of Pastor Ioan Ittu, a strong ally to the LGBTQ community.

And while I only had time for a drop-by visit, I was able to check in on St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church where Pastor Caleb Crainer (Proclaim member) serves. St. Andrew’s has grown in their witness in the past year, becoming an RIC congregation and expanding their visible welcome by placing a rainbow flag prominently in front of the building.

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries does much to highlight rostered leaders. Equally part of the story are the individuals who make up the congregations that call and support LGBTQ rostered leaders. It was fantastic to be in the company of so many engaged, committed, and faithful people this past weekend.

Was your congregation not listed? A gal can only do SO much in 48 hours in L.A. Hope to catch you next time!

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Amalia Vagts is Executive Director of ELM and is thankful for chances to see extraordinary leaders and congregations in person as she travels around. She also gets to meet up with extraordinary bishops from time to time too!  She is pictured here with Bp. Murray Finck of the Pacifica Synod who presided at Brenda’s ordination, along with Bp. R. Guy Erwin of the Southwest California Synod.

The ELM Board of Directors met for their August meeting yesterday evening, welcoming the newest member of the Board, Rev. Gordon Straw.

Gordon brings years of experience in organizational development, development of lay ministry leaders, and experience and commitment to intercultural competency. Gordon is an enrolled member of the Brothertown Indian Nation. He currently serves as the program director for Lay Schools for Ministry in the ELCA and is a former director for American Indian/Alaska Native ministries in the ELCA. Gordon is married to Evelyn Soto and they have a daughter, Amanda, who will begin her second year at DePauw University, Greencastle, IN in the fall.

Gordon writes,

“I am joining the ELM board because I want to make more public my personal commitment to the full inclusion and participation of LGBTQI leaders in the ELCA. While in Lutheran Student Movement, I began to make connections between my own personal struggle with acceptance of my “mixed blood” identity by others and the struggles of LGBTQI people with acceptance of their sexual and gender identities by the Lutheran church. This journey began in 1978; I like to say that I had been living with a bound conscience in the church, until 2009. I hope to bring together my passion for developing leaders for the church and my commitment to full inclusion and participation of LGBTQI persons in the church.”

The ELM Board of Directors consists of twelve individuals with diverse experiences and talents. These leaders are: Dr. Margaret Moreland (Berkeley, CA); Rose Beeson (Washington, DC); Asher O’Callaghan (Minneapolis, MN); Rev. Dr. J. Elise Brown (New York, NY); Jim Kowalski (San Francisco, CA); Ángel David Marrero-Roe (Boston, MA); Dr. Jeremy Posadas (Sherman, TX); Rev. Julie Boleyn (Chicago, IL); Charlie Horn (Pitman, NJ); Rev. Mike Wilker (Washington, DC); and Rev. Gordon Straw (Chicago, IL).

GET INVOLVED: Are you interested in serving on the ELM Board of Directors? We are always interested in talking more with potential  board members who have passion for and commitment to ELM’s vision and mission. Board terms are three years long and run from March 1 – March 1. Please reach out to Amalia Vagts, Executive Director, if you would like to learn more.

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Amalia Vagts, Executive Director, gives thanks daily for the passion, dedication, wit, and wisdom of the ELM Board of Directors.

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries announces the 2014 Joel R. Workin Scholar, Amy Christine Hanson.

Amy Hanson is the 2014 Joel R. Workin Scholar, an award created to honor the legacy of Joel Workin, one of the first openly gay seminarians in the Lutheran Church.

Amy recently graduated from Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. She completed her Lutheran formation classes at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN last year. She is currently serving as an intern pastor at First Lutheran Church of St. Peter. Amy has been certified as an ELCA Mission Developer/Redeveloper. During and prior to seminary, Amy worked with a number of social service agencies, including Delores Project and Denver Urban Ministries.  Amy is a member of House for All Sinners and Saints, ELCA, in Denver, CO.

In the letter notifying her of the decision,the committee wrote the following,

“We were compelled by your resume as well as your letter of recommendation, but your essay stood out to us most of all.  You have a gift for language and for weaving together personal narrative with theological exploration.   We loved the way that your writing both reflected your unique voice and engaged in lively conversation with Joel’s sermon.  Many of the members of the committee spoke appreciatively of how the warmth and openness of your essay invited us to get to know not just what you think, but who you are.

The committee was moved by the way you expanded the notion of closet to include your experience of coming out of other closets and into the light.  As you mentioned that Joel does so well in his sermon, we appreciated the way you thoughtfully ‘queered a certain theological conviction’ in your own right.”

In an email conversation about the award and Joel’s impact on her ministry, Amy wrote

“Joel was (and continues to be, through his writing), the sort of prophetic truth teller that is so needed by the church and our broken world. He tells the truth about God and the truth about what it means to be human, and that even in the midst of all this brokenness, the promise of God’s grace and overwhelming love endures. I have known this to be true in my own life, and this is my own call to ministry, to tell the truth about God’s grace in a world that needs to hear it.”

Amy had this to say about her call to ministry,

“My call to ministry is bi-vocational, I feel called to hospital chaplaincy and mission redevelopment parish ministry. Both of these vocations involve meeting the people of God wherever you find them, and accompanying them as they discover and articulate what God is doing in their lives and their communities. I hope to be the sort of brilliant preacher that Joel was, and to honor his legacy by following my call and unceasingly proclaiming the Gospel to the beautiful, broken, and beloved people of God.”

Read Amy’s reflection on Joel Workin’s sermon, “The Light of Lent.” Amy Hanson – Workin Reflection

Joel R. Workin Scholar Award

Each year ELM names a Joel R. Workin Scholar to honor the life and ministry of Joel Workin. Joel was one of the three gay seminarians who were refused ordination in 1989 after “coming out” to their candidacy committees.

This award comes with a $2,500 scholarship for academic or spiritual study and is available for publicly-identified lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Lutheran seminarians who are members of Proclaim. The increased award is the result of increased contributions to the fund. The fund is managed by InFaith Community Foundation. Anyone interested in making a planned gift to the fund may contact Amalia Vagts (director(at)elm.org).

The Workin Scholar Selection committee thanks all who applied for the award.

About Joel Workin

Joel Raydon Workin (1961-1995) was born in Fargo, ND, and grew up on a farm in nearby Walcott. He received his Master of Divinity from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, CA. In 1986 Joel interned at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Inglewood, CA.

In the fall of 1987, Joel came out publicly as a gay candidate for the ordained ministry and was certified for call by the American Lutheran Church (a predecessor body to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America). Following this courageous and faithful act, Joel’s certification was revoked by the ELCA and his name was never placed on the roster of approved candidates waiting for call.

Joel’s ministry continued in Los Angeles, however, at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and as Director of Chris Brownlie Hospice. On December 30, 1988, Joel married Paul Jenkins. Joel was a member of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, North Hollywood. He and Paul were active in Lutherans Concerned/Los Angeles and Dignity/Los Angeles. Paul died of AIDS on June 6, 1993.

 

In the last weeks of his illness, Joel gave his friends and family permission to sponsor an endowed memorial fund in his name. The Joel R. Workin Memorial Scholarship Fund was thus established upon Joel’s death on November 29, 1995. Joel’s parents, Ray and Betty Workin worked with Michael Price Nelson and other friends of Joel’s to release a collection of his essays and sermons, called “Dear God, I am Gay – thank you!” The second edition was released in 2013.

Information on receiving a copy of the book here.

Every month, we receive contributions from people who have committed to support us throughout the year. We call these folks our “Extraordinary Friends.” If you are one of those Friends, we are thankful beyond words for your sustaining support.

Extraordinary Friends make ELM’s world go round!

There are many in the church who say they support diverse leaders. But it takes financial resources to provide the kind of accompaniment, affirmation, and advocacy that Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries is known for. In the last year our Friends have helped us with projects like the following…

•  Host the Proclaim Retreat – largest dedicated gathering of LGBTQ rostered leaders and ministry candidates in any denomination.
• Field calls and emails from over 40 Lutheran candidates for ministry looking for resources with candidacy.
• Present at the ELCA Conference of Bishops and the ELCA seminary internship directors’ annual retreat about working with LGBTQ candidates. We were also invited to attend the ELCA Fund for Leaders’ annual dinner in recognition of our support for candidates.
• Work on the following one-of-a-kind resources: Candidacy and LGBTQ Individuals (for ELCA candidacy committees); a handbook for first call candidates; a guide for call committees and synods wanting to extend a welcome to LGBTQ candidates; and a collection of stories from LGBTQ ministers.

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Here are some words of thankfulness from LGBTQ leaders supported through by our Extraordinary Friends:

“If you don’t have hope about the future of the church, you need to meet a member of the Proclaim community, especially one of our seminarians.”

 “ELM provides promised and lived community.”

 “The Proclaim Retreat provides a place for renewal, collegiality, learning, and witness.”             

 “Words of gratitude seem an inadequate expression for how very important and essential ELM’s support has been and continues to be.”

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At the Proclaim retreat this year, the ministers and candidates wanted to show their gratitude for our Extraordinary Friends. So they wrote notes of thanks for current Friends and made “friendship” bracelets for new ones. 

Monthly giving provides this ministry with a steady cash flow, assurance of renewal of gifts, and allows many to provide larger gifts over the course of time.  This method of giving is crucial to our success.

You can affirm LGBTQ leaders and their ministries through your contribution. These leaders seek to be engaged in ministry year round – we can show our support by contributing to their ministry each month.

GET INVOLVED It’s very easy to become an Extraordinary Friend – you can join with a gift of $10 or more a month. You can sign up right here online and give from your checking account or with a credit card. You can also mail us a monthly check directly from your bank account (or kitchen table). Your monthly support means so much to these faithful (and fabulous) leaders and their ministries.

I give thanks for our Extraordinary Friends and for all those who support this ministry with their prayers and contributions.

by Amalia Vagts. Amalia is executive director of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries and gets to write and talk each month with ELM’s Extraordinary Friends, which makes her very, very happy! Read more.

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries celebrates the life of the Rev. Bishop Stanley E. Olson. Bishop Olson was born September 4, 1926 in Omaha, Nebraska and died on July 2, 2014 in Sacramento, CA.

Bishop Olson was a champion for justice and played a formative role in the early days of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries. In the early 1990’s, he was part of the founding board of the Extraordinary Candidacy Project (ECP), which launched a pathway to certification for LGBTQ people called to ordained ministry in the Lutheran Church.

In his retirement, he continued to make a public witness in support of LGBTQ clergy. He and his spouse Mary Lou were active members of Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer in Sacramento, traveling a distance each week for worship. He was an avid supporter of Rev. Robyn Hartwig (ELM Historic Roster) and was instrumental in securing an internship for then-ECP candidate Jay Wilson (ELM Historic Roster). Bishop Olson participated in the extraordinary ordinations of the Rev. Anita Hill, the Rev. Megan Rohrer, and the Rev. Jay Wilson. In these and other numerous ways, he was a visible witness for justice.

He is loved and remembered by many in this movement.  ELM Co-Chair Mike Wilker remembers him as a “beautiful force.”

While Bishop Olson was known for preaching primarily from notes and memory, his daughter Sara found this snippet from a sermon he preached in 1968, speaking to the church and the civil rights movement.

“…….I am called by God to a ministry of Word AND action … a ministry that will inevitably cause the calm waters of congregational life to be whipped into the waves of a major storm. And to be less, or to do less, or to do nothing out of a fear of causing controversy in the house of God, is to be trapped by the devil. It is to be disowned by God. It is to fail His cause of love and of justice. It is to be silent when called to speak. ….. Our inoffensiveness has been offensive….. We have kept millions bound in their suffering and poverty…..”

His daughter Sara also shared this anecdote and glimpse into the depth of commitment Bishop Olson had for LGBTQ issues with the following story:

“My dad had an oversized file box (plastic, twice the size of a banker’s box) that was FULL of files that were all related to LGBT and the church, each file carefully labeled.   The funniest thing to me was that there was one lone file at the very back that was titled ‘Not Gay Stuff’ which was empty.”

We give thanks for the life of Stan Olson and for the beautiful force he was in the life of this church and in the lives of so many. We offer our prayers to his wife, Mary Lou, to his children and grandchildren, and to all who mourn this loss.

At the request of the family, donations in his memory can be made to Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, Sacramento; ReconcilingWorks, or the ELCA Foundation.

Memorial Service: Saturday, July 19 at 11 a.m., St. John’s Lutheran Church, Sacramento (1701 L St, Sacramento, CA 95811)

Condolences can be sent to his wife Mary Lou at 4307 Garden Oak Ct., Sacramento CA 95841 or by email care of daughter Sara (sorehms956@aol.com).

“If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.” – Romans 14:8

Two Thrivent representatives organized an event last Saturday night to benefit Lutheran organizations working for justice for LGBTQ people.

The representatives, Gregory Jahnke and Judith Dancer, are opposed to recent Thrivent Financial changes that make the groups Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries and ReconcilingWorks ineligible for Thrivent funding.

Here’s what Greg Jahnke had to say about the event,

“The wonderful Karen Hirst and Tom Shaw entertained our guests at Martuni’s in San Francisco for a ‘fun-draiser’  for Reconciling Works and Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries.  Judith Dancer and I are openly queer Thrivent reps standing in opposition to Thrivent’s new benevolent giving program restrictions. Our guests gave $7,000 for these great organizations! Thanks to everyone who donated. You are making a difference.”

We think Greg and Judith are fabulous! We stand with them in their role as Thrivent representatives who have done much for the LGBTQ community and our organization. We have been remembering in prayer Greg, Judith, and other LGBTQ-identified Thrivent employees who have been hurt by the recent Thrivent decisions.

Thanks to these wonderful supporters, ELM will receive even more than we did through Thrivent Choice Dollars in 2013. These funds will help our efforts to ensure that LGBTQ people called to rostered ministry in the Lutheran church are affirmed and supported in their calls.

Stay tuned for how you can get involved in a continued “on-line event!”

by Amalia Vagts, Executive Director

I offered this reflection on opening night of the 2014 Proclaim Retreat. I’m sharing it here as a way of inviting you into a bit of “retreat” time in your day.

I want to welcome you to the 2014 Proclaim Retreat and to say a few words about three things  – community, change, and Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries.

This is the 4^th Proclaim retreat. And it’s the 20^th or so gathering of openly LGBTQ rostered leaders and seminarians. I think three of the folks who attended that first one in the 1990’s are here. Many of them are still active in the Proclaim community.

Community
What do we mean when we say “community?” Proclaim community, LGBTQ community. It often conjures up the idea of a fixed group with clear edges – someone is in it; someone is out of it.

I think it is more helpful to think of this word as dynamic… think of the Holden Village community. I often talk about being “part of the Holden community” in the fall of 2005. The beauty of the Holden community is that it turns over nearly every day during high season. A bus comes in, and a bus goes out. Yet the community finds values and truths that remain constant.

If you are new to this community, I urge you to not imagine that you need to do something specific to become “part” of it. You are it. If it is your first time here, I encourage you to know that you come with some of the answers to questions we’ve been asking. And if you have been coming for 25 years, I encourage you to see that you come with some of the questions we still need to ask. This community, the Proclaim community, extends back long before the word “Proclaim” was associated with it and it will continue, I hope, long into the future reflecting new shared values and truths.

Change
The Proclaim community has experienced tremendous change in the last 5 years.  When a group grows or changes, we always lose things as we gain other things. This gathering is not what it was for those who gathered in the early 1990’s. There can be sadness in that and it’s important to name that. We need to remember always why we change and to celebrate what has come from that.

Each of you is here. Look around this room. Take a quick mental selfie. YOU are here.

And that is what we are celebrating. We are a dynamic community that continues to experience enormous change. It will be through naming this, honoring it, talking about it and moving through it together that we remain flexible and grow into new ways of being church. When you speak out about what is working or not working, you help the whole community evolve.

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries
Why does this organization even exist? Well, all justice and social movements exist in response to some form of injustice. If sexual orientation and gender identity and expression were non-issues in our church, there would be no need for Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries. We  name the injustice. Our church suffers from the sins of homophobia, heterosexism, and sexism.

Later on this weekend we are going to learn from the brilliant Alexia Salvatierra. Two years ago, I did an exercise in one of her workshops that clarified my vision for this work. Alexia talks about meeting the world’s lie with God’s dream. For far too long, the world and the church have told the lie that LGBTQ people are lesser and inherently sinful.  You were faithful to God’s call through that lie. And now, some are telling a new lie – that we’re “all the same.” God’s dream is that we are wonderfully made. We are each, wonderfully made in God’s divine image and God’s dream is that we are not lesser than or inherently sinful.  God’s dream is that we are unique. And you understand that. Your are fabulous. Jesus teaches that the Body of Christ is comprised of many parts. We are not all the same – our diversity is the very thing that brings beauty and strength.  I love a simple vase of yellow tulips. It’s so pretty. But it is the dazzling bouquet that captivates and inspires me.

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries is here to share God’s dream about LGBTQ people called to rostered ministry. We exist to affirm and support you and your ministries. We celebrate you. Proclaim is one important part of that work – as rostered leaders, you have been set apart for distinct ministry in this church. And we proclaim God’s love and seek justice in order to affirm and support you in that calling in the face of the world’s lies about you.

The 2^nd  part of ELM’s work is candidacy accompaniment. Through this program, we provide particular accompaniment – which can at times include advocacy – as you negotiate the candidacy process. In this way ELM affirms and supports those pursuing rostered leadership in this church and we proclaim God’s love and seek justice in this process.

The 3^rd major part of work is Ministry Engagement – affirming and supporting those ministries who are allies in this work – those calling and those seeking to call LGBTQ rostered leaders.

This is what we’re trying to say with these shirts that say “Faithful. Fabulous.” You have been astonishingly faithful to a call that has not been easy for many of you. We celebrate that. And you ARE fabulous and we celebrate and encourage your fabulousness!

I invite you to be faithful – and fabulous.

(Edited from a previous version for clarity).