Equality in the Kin dom ‘Open , Affirming’ Spreads in BY STACEY HORN en the Vermont Conference of the United . Church of Christ voted in 2002 to be “Open and Affirming,” it was a bold step for the largest Protestant denomination in the state. It was a declaration of equality for all parishioners, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender mem- bers. Then came the wait to see whether and how many individual congregations would follow suit. As of press time, 16 (10 percent) have voted to identify as “Open and Affirming.” . v The next church to con- sider such a declaration is in the heart of the Northeast Kingdom, not known as.the most gay-friendly area of Vermont. Members of North Congregational Church in St. Johnsbury will vote on whether to become Open and Affirming at their ‘ annual meeting in March. Pastor Jay Sprout expects the outcome to be positive. Surveys of the congrega- . tion and meetings over the past year have shown almost unanimous sup- port, but Sprout conceded that those attending the meetings “were strongly in favor of the issue,” and that dissenters may have opted not to participate. Sprout does not expect, however, that North Church will - lose members over this issue. He said that the church has been mov- ing toward greater inclusiveness over the past several years, and although “there have been a few losses, we’ve experienced many gains.” The Church’s membership has remained steady at around 259 for the past three_years. According to Sprout, the choice to become Open and Affirming is consistent with North Church’s theology, and some members have expressed con- cern that “unless you make a stand that specifically states you’re wel- coming, a lot of people are going to associate you with the rejecting side of the church.” Northeastern VT If North Church votes to become Open and Affirming, Sprout explained, the church will adopt a statement that welcomes all people- “to participate in every opportunity to worship and serve God.” Sprout added, “We intentionally worded it in such away to not exclude the pulpit,” though he said that consid- ering a gay pastor “would raise the question in new dimensions” for members of North Church. “We are hoping to have 20 [Open and Affirming] churches by the end of this year. At the moment we have just one in the Northeast Kingdom,” said Rev. Arnold Thomas, the Vermont Rev. Llewellyn and his partner were joined in civil union days after moving to Vermont and now reside in the parsonage in Danville. They had already had a commitment ceremony in their pre- vious home of Oakland, California. The move to rural Vermont has been an adjustment, but, Llewellyn said, “for a little church in the hills of‘ Vermont in a very conservative ' area, Danville is quite surprising.” According to Llewellyn, Danville’s semi-isolation has actual- , ly made its citizens more likely to accept difference. He explained, “Until recently, if the community shunned you, it was difficult to sur- vive” in the harsh, sparsely populat- ed Northeast Kingdom‘: “When fam- ilies had children that turned out to be gay, they weren’t shunned.” There would have been no nearby towns or cities for them to go to. g “This has created a situation here where the gay people haven’t left,” Llewellyn said, making it..’impossi- bleto “live under the assumption that there are no gay people in North Church may vote to adopt a statement that 4 welcomes all’ people “to participate in every opportunity to worship and serve God” - including from the pulpit. ' Conference Minister for the United Church of Christ. That one is the Danville Congregational Church. And, by the way, its pastor is a gay man. Reverend James Llewellyn explained that the church, which became Open and Affirming in February of 2002, did not set out to hire a gay pastor: “The search committee told me, ‘We set out to hire the best person forthe job. He turned out to be gay.”’ Llewellyn became pastor of Danville Congregational in August of 2003. After completing seminary, Llewellyn identified himself as a gay man on the profile he sent to approximately 400 churches. He ' . interviewed with about half a dozen. Llewellyn speculated, “If I had not disclosed on the profile I would have gotten more responses.” town.” With 156 active members, Danville Congregational Church is the largest in town (population 2 2100). It maintains strong ecumeni- cal relationships with nearby churches of other denominations, collaborating on events and activi- ties such as Vacation Bible School, a thrift store, and a food shelf. According to Llewellyn, members of Danville Congregational have an “openness toinew ideas” that is reflected in their theology and social action. And, soon, Danville Congregational may be joined by ' another Open and Affirming voice in the Kingdom. V Stacey Horn teaches at Champlain College and is active in the Presbyterian Church. Subscription Rates 1 year = 3 issues Individual 1 year $20 2 years $34 Outside US: $25 (US $) Hardship: $10 — $15 Institutions and Libraries; $33 Sustaining: $50 — $200 ‘ Free on request to women in prison or mental institutions Sinister Vfisdom A Multicultural Journal by & for Lesbians Celebrating 28 years! “A delight to hold as well as to read...truly reflects what lesbians are thinking and doing.” . Henri/etta Bensussan in Women's Voices New Issues: #62—Lesbirm Writers on Reading ‘W1 W”7l"!§- #63—Lesbians and Nature. #64—Lesbicms '& Music, Drama & Art (forthcoming) A 50lc non-profit organization Donations are tax-dedurtablz 7 Information & Writing Guidelines at: www.sinisterwisdom.o'rg Make checks payable to Sinister Wisdom, Inc. 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