On Saturday, September 30, Fourth Presbyterian Church hosted Covenant Conversation: Chicago with the theme of Beyond Words: From Mere Welcome to True Belonging. This event was sponsored by the Presbytery of Chicago, Fourth Presbyterian Church, and the Covenant Network of Presbyterians, with support from additional congregations in the presbytery. In planning for this Covenant Conversation, several questions arose, including:
As Christians who believe that God’s love truly extends to all people, how can we show true hospitality to anyone who walks through our church doors, especially members of the LGBTQIA+ community?
We’ve said we’re welcoming, but how can we show this welcome beyond the walls of our churches and offer God’s love to the broader community?
The morning’s plenary session featured a keynote address with the Rev. Jamie Frazier, Lead Pastor at The Lighthouse Church of Chicago, offering answers to these questions through an intersectional lens. Afterwards, participants chose from a diverse slate of workshops to deepen their understanding of an inclusive Church and world. All workshop descriptions are below, with several resources posted to our website. These resources include the Rev. Nanette Sawyer’s workshop, The Bible’s Witness to Welcome of LGBTQIA+ People: Disarming the Clobber Passages, with workshop video and presentation slides available for free use.
Ministry Serving Aging LGBTQIA+ Folks, led by Jeannine Forrest, Ph.D., R.N., Annette Mileski, provided an interactive discussion on strategies to attract, engage, and support aging LGBTQIA + folks in church ministries. Presentation slides, A Brief Guide to Dementia, and LGBT Older Adults and Dementia Infographic will remain available on this page. The Rev. Michael Kirby’s workshop, From Safe Harbors: The Call of Those Not Living Under Oppression, intertwined legal and theological issues to equip participants with practical ways to help LGBTQIA+ people living in areas that lack legal protections.
Closing worship with the Rev. Marci Auld Glass offered inclusive prayers, music and liturgy. The remainder of the day allowed time for reflection and connection among individuals and congregations who attended, sharing ideas for collaborating together toward a more just and inclusive Church.
The Covenant Network of Presbyterians extends thanks to the Presbytery of Chicago, Fourth Presbyterian Church, and all who supported Covenant Conversation: Chicago. See below for more details of the schedule, workshops and bios.
Schedule
9:30 Registration opens / Coffee
10:00 Plenary/Keynote
11:15 Workshop #1
12:15 Lunch (provided)
1:00 Worship
2:00 Workshop #2
3:00 Time for Reflection and Connecting as Groups/Congregations
3:30 Closing Gathering to Share Ideas and Commitments
4:00 Go in Peace
Keynote/Plenary
Our keynote was provided by the Rev. Jamie Frazier, Lead Pastor at The Lighthouse Church of Chicago.
Reverend Jamie Frazier, affectionately known as Pastor J, loves working at the intersection of race, sexuality, and religion. A celebrated orator, Jamie addressed the historic March on Springfield for Marriage Equality, as well as helped open the 2014 LGBTQ Youth Homelessness Summit with words of encouragement and hope. He’s appeared on CNN and several local Chicago news affiliates, been featured in Newsy, and his church work was referenced in The Washington Post. Pastor J has keynoted and presented workshops at various academic institutions ranging from The University of Chicago to DePaul to Loyola University. His passion and hard work was recognized by Chicago Theological Seminary when he received the inaugural 2017 Bayard Rustin Award for Outstanding Service and Commitment to the Work of Social Justice. Lastly, in 2019 Rev. Frazier organized a movement for Black Queer liberation into an organization Lighthouse Foundation, which is a non-sectarian, nonprofit social justice organization that advances justice for Black LGBTQ+ people across Chicagoland through empowerment, education, and entertainment.
Preaching
Our time together in worship lifted up expansive prayers, music and liturgy with preaching by the Rev. Marci Glass.
Marci Auld Glass is a graduate of Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas and Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. Before joining Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco, CA, Marci served as Pastor & Head of Staff at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho. She has served as Co-Moderator of the Board of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians, Planned Parenthood’s Clergy Advocacy Board, Columbia Theological Seminary’s Alumni Board, and the San Francisco Interfaith Council. She occasionally blogs at www.marciglass.com.
Workshops
How Welcoming Are We, Really? Structuring Worship and Ministry for Authentic Inclusion
Many churches would proudly welcome a sign that says “All Are Welcome.” But how do people who have been hurt by the Church before, especially LGBtQIA+ people, know they can believe it? This workshop will offer creative ways of thinking about welcome that is authentic and effective, including in a church’s worship, publicity/marketing, practices of hospitality, building facilities, community outreach and more.
The Rev. Brian Ellison has served the Covenant Network of Presbyterians since 2012, preaching, teaching and providing overall strategic leadership in implementing the organization’s mission. Previously, Brian served as pastor of Parkville Presbyterian Church (near Kansas City, Missouri) for 13 years after his ordination by Olympia Presbytery in 1999. He is Stated Clerk of the Synod of Mid-America and the current moderator of the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission. A graduate of Harvard University and Princeton Theological Seminary, Brian also is host/contributor at NPR affiliate KCUR-FM. He and his partner, Troy Lillebo, live in Kansas City.
LGBTQ+ 101: An introduction to sexual orientation and gender identity
What do all those letters stand for, anyway? As our understanding of sexual orientation and gender identity continues to evolve, new words to describe these experiences have emerged. This workshop will explore the history and language of LGBTQ+ people, equipping participants with greater comfort and confidence in welcoming diverse neighbors.
Amy Cerniglia is the Communications Coordinator for the Covenant Network of Presbyterians and Director of Music and Outreach at Peace Presbyterian Church in Bradenton, FL. She is also a student at The University of Dubuque Theological Seminary and an openly queer Candidate for Ministry of Word and Sacrament.
From Safe Harbors: The Call of Those Not Living Under Oppression
Join us for a conversation on ways those of us who live under the privileges of welcoming congregations and Illinois’ and Cook County’s extensive legal protections for LGBTQAI+ folk are being called to assist and accompany those of our neighbors in Illinois and beyond who do not have the privileges we enjoy. Legal and theological issues converge to create an opportunity and a calling to care and to put that care into action.
The Rev. Michael D. Kirby is the Senior Pastor at Northminster Presbyterian in Evanston, Illinois and currently serves on the Council and Board of Trustees of the Synod of Lincoln Trails. Michael has served churches in the Presbytery of Chicago for the last 20 years. From 1989 to 2000, Michael practiced law in his hometown of Houston, Texas.
The Bible’s Witness to Welcome of LGBTQIA+ People: Disarming the Clobber Passages
Through in-depth study of a few of the texts that have been used to condemn the LGBTQIA+ community, we will be reclaiming the Bible as a tool of inspiration rather than a weapon of domination and exclusion. We will reassert the good news of Jesus Christ and God’s expansive and inclusive love grounded in God’s vision of a diverse, abundant, beautiful world rooted in peace and justice
The Rev. Nanette Sawyer is a PC(USA) pastor at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago, with responsibility for relational small group ministries, including the LGBTQIA+ fellowship group (Widen Our Welcome – WOW), interfaith relations, and racial equity concerns.
Ministry Serving Aging LGBTQIA+ Folks
An interactive discussion on strategies to attract, engage, and support aging LGBTQIA + folks in church ministries – both with and without cognitive impairment.
Jeannine Forrest, Ph.D., R.N., brings over 40 years of healthcare education, research and practice to older adults, caregivers and organizations impacted by dementia.
Annette Mileski serves as the Director of the Center for Life and Learning at Fourth Presbyterian Church. She is an ordained Deacon in the Episcopal Church and advocates for equity for all people.
Spiritual Formation for Queer Christians: Coming Out, Creativity and Identity
Many queer Christians have spent our time in churches fighting for our right to be in the room, to be heard, and to be accepted for all of who we are. Even the most permissive churches rarely have queer theology as a major fabric of who they are, leaving queer Christians to figure out where we fit in scripture for ourselves. This workshop will focus on how we as queer people can weave our stories and identities along with our faith to truly thrive and grow.
Slats Toole (they/them) is a writer, musician, preacher and theater professional currently based in the Twin Cities. Slats’ Lenten poetry series has been compiled in the collection Queering Lent, and their work has also been published in places like Call to Worship, The Presbyterian Outlook and Sacramental Life. Slats has led workshops on expansive language and queer theology (with a particular emphasis on gender identity) throughout the United States and Canada, including at numerous CNP events. Slats makes their home in Minneapolis with their partner Mads.
Community Outreach: Pride and Beyond
One important part of being a welcoming congregation within your walls is to be present and welcoming outside your walls. Using experiences in a mid-size congregation in a red state and a larger congregation in a blue state, we will consider ways you can be a witness in your own communities, appropriate for your own context..
The Rev. Marci Auld Glass is pastor at Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco. (See full bio under Preacher)