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The Episcopal church seems
to make the headlines via parishes that leave because they don't
approve of gay bishops, gay priests, blessing of same-sex couples,
etc. (Most don't approve of women priests either – certainly not
women bishops!) It's happened here in Connecticut - and the court
battles are not over. Fortunately a majority of the Episcopal
bishops, priests and congregations in the US do not support the
conservative agenda. (Unfortunately this is not the case in much of
the rest of the world.)
However, what really
matters to us as individuals is the parish itself. In most ways a
parish is quite independent and sets its own agenda - including its
view of the LGBT community. Here at St. Paul's our basic view was
settled a long time ago when an openly gay priest was installed.
Those offended by the GLBT community left - and controversy left with
them.
We have gay, lesbian and
transgender parishioners and our previous priest was a lesbian.
However, we are not a “gay” church – we are a diverse church.
You will find poor and rich (actually more like middle class
comfortable), different occupations, different backgrounds (including
different religious backgrounds), some racial diversity, and the full
range of sexuality and gender identity. All this in a small, friendly
church where everyone is a full member of the family (of course this
includes a few slightly strange relatives)!
Large organizations, such
as the Episcopal church, like to be safe and not make the membership
too uncomfortable (remember the civil right era when the mainstream
churches mostly had to be dragged into the struggle?). As we can see,
the right wing does not compromise. It also does not allow for the
possibility of any scriptural interpretation besides their own. As a
result, those of us on the opposite side are expected to make all the
compromises in order to keep the organization together. Under many
circumstances compromise can be a very reasonable thing. However, no
compromise can be justified when issues of justice are at stake.
Although our main concern is what happens here in Willimantic and its
surroundings, we do add our voice to this ongoing battle when
possible. To illustrate, the following is a resolution passed by the
vestry (Episcopal-speak for the council or board) in October 2006:
I. Resolved:
that the Vestry of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Willimantic, CT,
urges the Rt. Rev. Andrew Smith, Bishop of Connecticut, to lift
immediately his inhibition regarding the blessing by clergy of
same-sex unions and their officiating at civil unions.
II. Resolved:
that the Vestry of St. Episcopal Church, Willimantic, CT, affirms our
shared mission of Christian inclusiveness by endorsing the following
paragraphs from a resolution recently adopted by the parishes of St.
Francis Church, Stamford, and St. Paul's on the Green, Norwalk:
We are committed to
full inclusion of everyone, no matter who they are or where they may
be on their faith journey, and we oppose any attempt to discriminate
against any person based upon race, gender, age, sexual orientation,
physical ability, or socio-economic status.
We will continue to invite
those who are not yet here to experience God's radical welcome as an
Episcopal church doing church differently and functioning as the kind
of Episcopal church we believe God expects us to be. We are firm in
our understanding that in God's economy there are no outcasts. And we
welcome dialog with those who disagree with our perspective."
The diocese has lifted its ban on the
blessing of same-sex unions - though there's confusion on the details.
If you desire this blessing, or would like more details, please
contact us at
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