Dear One’s St. C’s - 

June is considered Pride Month. This is a month where we celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, recognize the harm that has been done to this community, and lift up what they have taught us about inclusion, diversity, and acceptance within each other and ourselves.  

Our St. C’s community has included and has been deeply touched by many people who consider themselves a part of the LGBTQ+ community.  My experience of St. C’s is that there is a varying levels of understanding, comfort, and knowledge, but everyone here desires to make St. C’s a welcoming and safe place for all people of all identities.  

So much of our work together at church with Jesus is trying to figure out how we are going to live together, especially around difference.  This is how we love God and our neighbor. It does not mean that we see everything the same, but that we figure out how to live together with dignity and love towards all people.  

I want to start to take time during Pride Month to continue to grow in our understanding, comfort, and knowledge around where the experience of the LGBTQ+ community and our Christian beliefs intersects, with the hopes of continuing the good work of drawing our circle of welcome wider.  There are 4 opportunities in June to do this that I want to make sure you are aware of.  

ONE - The first is a class that St. Mark’s Cathedral is putting on called - No More Special Pleading: How Opening Up to LGBTQ+ Reality Flows Organically from Basic Christianity.  This class will be led by acclaimed Catholic theologian James Alison.This is a great class if you are in a place where you are either confused or conflicted on what the bible/christianity has to say about people who do not fit into the straight/cis category.   This will be offered in-person and on zoom on THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2024, 7–8 P.M. For the zoom link click here.

TWO- Sunday, June 30th is the Seattle Pride Parade. March from downtown to Seattle Center along 4th Avenue, about 2.5 miles The Episcopal Church of The Diocese of Olympia will be walking in the parade and you are welcome to join!  The parade starts at 11am.  I am encouraging people to come to the 9am service and then go from there together to the parade.  Interested in going? Please, let me know and I can connect people.  (vicar@stcolumbakent.org).  THREE - On this Sunday, our worship will touch on our support and care for the LGBTQ+ community who has a history of hurt and exclusion from Christians. 

FOUR - On the evening of July 16th at 7pm at the Grand Cinema in Tacoma a group from St. C’s will go to a new documentary that has just come out called -1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture which explores how in1946 an erroneous translation of the term homosexual in the Bible that has been weaponized against the LGBTQIA+ community ever since.  More details as it gets closer - but save this evening.

I hope you are able to participate in one or all of these opportunities.  There is always room for deepening our knowing and our care of one another. 

with hope, 

Meghan