Erin receives the Fred McFeely Rogers Award for Creative Ministry!

On Pride Sunday I had the opportunity to preach at one of our partner churches. The text for the sermon was a story that is treasured by many transgender Christians and other queer believers for being an early example of the radical inclusion of God’s love (Acts 8:26-40). In the story, a non-binary person is baptized and welcomed into the family of faith without anyone demanding that they change something about their gender identity or expression.

(If this is a Bible story you haven’t heard before, I’d love to talk with you about it sometime, or check out this episode of The Bible for Normal People with scholar Austen Hartke.)

In the sermon, I observed that when we talk about including LGBTQIA+ people in churches, it’s often out of concern for the well-being of queer people. Which is good and right. For too long in too many of our churches, queer people have been expected to suppress who God made them to be or risk losing the support of faithful friends and family.

Queer Christians need affirming churches. However, what we should talk about more often is that churches need queer people! And not because we need to fill more seats. It’s because queer people bring unique spiritual gifts: skills for introspection, naming alternative perspectives, and building communities of care - just to name a few.

The spiritual gifts of queer people have nurtured The Commonwealth into the vital community that it is today. I’m especially grateful for my co-pastor, Rev. Erin Angeli, who was recently recognized for her groundbreaking work when she received the Fred McFeely Rogers Award for Creative Ministry at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary!

Not only did Erin receive a cardigan in homage to Presbyterian saint Mr. Rogers, but she was also asked to give a lecture to the community. For her presentation, Erin shared what she has learned about “Cultivating Queer Spiritual Community Through Individual and Corporate Practice.” By combining hard-won insights from her own work and interfaith reflections from practitioners across traditions, she provided practical wisdom for leaders who want to nurture spaces that support the spiritual lives of queer people. Check out the video!