Gratitude for the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson II

From Brian Ellison, executive director of the Covenant Network:

On behalf of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians, I extend my great appreciation and gratitude for the faithful and prophetic service of the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson II as Stated Clerk of the General Assembly in one of the church’s most challenging seasons.

I am particularly grateful for Dr. Nelson’s steadfast concern and advocacy for the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people in the life and leadership of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). As a former member of CNP’s Board of Directors, and as an author of some of our earliest advocacy materials in the ordination debates, he has long insisted that all of our work for justice and equity must be held together. My own attention and understanding around the reality of the intersectional injustices faced by queer people of color has come, in part, from insights he shared with me long ago.

I’m proud to call J. Herbert a friend and a colleague, and though his departure will leave a vacuum that no other person will be able to fill in the same way, his voice and the impact of his service will resonate. All of us at the Covenant Network of Presbyterians give thanks to God for his faithful ministry.