Young Gay Ministers and the Spiritual Quest
People at work seem to be confused when they learn how comfortable I am in a Spiritual conversation (about virtually anything) and being a Lesbian. Although Atlanta is both socially progressive and liberal thinking, most individuals still find that a strong Spiritual Spirit is not compatible with a homosexual lifestyle.
I love when my peers talk to me about their desire to find a church. We talk about their dreams and fears of such a quest. It is tough. We have all been there. I do talk and invite them to mine and many (many) have visited the website and/or written down the address for I know that they are curious to see if a church really exists that accepts people "wherever they are on the journey of life".
Although, as far as I know, only one has actually joined a church. I do take pride that several (several) people who were raised in a church but not been in a church in along time may have rekindled that need to find a gathering of faith.
We were sitting at McDonald's watching our kids play on the brand new, reinstalled Playground when our friend, Karen, brought up a dilemma back at her home church in Canada.
The small church needed a new minister. Several had been interviewed and one specific candidate had really been impressive ... there was only one potential challenge, he had disclosed that he is gay. The church, mainly made up of the aging members of their farming community, liked him very much but worried about the rest of the congregation accepting his lifestyle.
Her parents, on the Steering Committee, had called to talk with Karen about it as a matter of simple "chat". In her conversation with us, we talked about the actual fear that the Steering Committee feared. What was it?
From here we directed her to your website and I gave her your booklet. Although it is too early to tell if they have hired this young, energetic minister, I do know that our conversation gave Karen specific and tangible facts to give her parents. Who, in turn, gave them to their Steering Committee...
They hired him!