Dear People of St. James’,
This past week, in the wake of James Dobson’s death, a number of you asked me to pray for those who had been harmed by other Christians. As our congregation prepares to march in Austin Pride, I ask your prayers for those subjected to “conversion therapy” and those shamed for their LGBTQ+ identity, for those who experienced spiritual or emotional trauma from a fear-based, authoritarian religious system, for the parents who felt compelled to follow these teachings and now carry the guilt of having hurt their children, and for those who lost their faith or their place in a religious community due to intolerance. Lord, show your presence and loving care to all who feel lost, rejected, or abandoned. We pray for justice and healing, and that your unconditional love may be known and experienced in new community.
St. James’ Episcopal Church sought to be an early space of sanctuary and inclusive and affirming Christian community in Austin. Members of St. James’, particularly Ms. Ora Houston, stood up at microphones at Diocesan Council after Diocesan Council and at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church to push for marriage equality and the full and unhindered recognition of the God-given gifts for ministry of people from the LGBTQ+ community. St. James’ was quick to move through the Unity in Mission process to get permission to hold same sex blessings, and later marriage, when it was legalized by the Supreme Court’s decision in 2015. Since the bar to the ordination of individuals from the LGBTQ+ community fell in our diocese, St. James’ has supported James Harrington, Steven Tomlinson, Scott Madison, and Addison McMillan in the ordination process. Not only do we support people in their discernment, but we at St. James’ hire people from the LGBTQ+ community for leadership positions. Over the years, St. James’/Iglesia de Santiago has been an inclusive and affirming space for seminarians from the LGBTQ+ community to serve both in the context of Latino Ministries and within our broader multicultural community.
At St. James’, we believe that God’s Love can be expected to break through our age-old prejudices in order to reveal something new and good. We are grateful for the ministries of members of the LGBTQ+ community in our midst and in our larger community, and we seek to be a place where all feel welcome at God’s table and may receive strength for the journey. We know there are ways in which we fall short of our aspirations toward full inclusion, and we hope that we will keep learning and growing in this work. We pray that we will continue in the awareness that we have been blessed in order to be a blessing.
Even if you can’t join us at Austin Pride this Saturday, join us in prayer and continuing advocacy.
Rev. Eileen
