CRUX 2019
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
Seeking God in<br />
all people<br />
Barbara Curry<br />
As Christians, we are taught to see God in all people and to<br />
love each and every one of them as ourselves.<br />
The Episcopal Church invites all to come in and worship —<br />
regardless of whom they love. That’s a bold statement that says<br />
we as a faith community are not going to judge the stranger in<br />
our midst. We’re not alone: Across the United States, several<br />
other denominations have joyously taken the stance to see God<br />
in all people. They have proclaimed their churches as open and<br />
affirming.<br />
It wasn’t always like that in The Episcopal Church.<br />
In 1974, Dr. Louis Crew (Clay) found himself wanting religion<br />
in his life and not finding it. He and his partner, Ernest Clay,<br />
were living in San Francisco, and they wanted something more<br />
than the bar scene to meet other gay couples. He called Grace<br />
Episcopal Cathedral nearby, because they were known to be<br />
progressive, and asked if they could help him and his partner<br />
meet other gay Episcopalians. The derisive laughter he heard<br />
in response prompted him to start a newsletter to help gay<br />
and lesbian members of the Episcopal Church support one<br />
another in what was then a fairly hostile environment. He was<br />
determined for every Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer<br />
and Questioning (LGBTQ+) person to find the Love of God in our<br />
Episcopal Church.<br />
That effort has grown over the decades to what is now an<br />
essential part of the Episcopal Church, an advocacy organization<br />
called Integrity. Integrity gained strength and visibility and soon<br />
after forming they were a presence at our Episcopal General<br />
Convention, yet their voice was often dismissed.<br />
In 1976 Integrity spearheaded a resolution at General Convention<br />
to prohibit discrimination against gays and lesbians. It passed,<br />
and a year later, the first openly gay priest was ordained in the<br />
Episcopal Church.<br />
In 1985, Integrity urged our General Convention to speak out<br />
against hate crimes based on sexual orientation and to encourage<br />
federal officials to take action against such violence.<br />
In 1988, at General Convention in Detroit, it was the Rev. Dexter<br />
Knight Cheney, now a retired priest in ECCT, as part of his role<br />
at the Diocese of Michigan, who was designated the Home<br />
Secretary for the convention. He was approached by groups from<br />
Detroit and Ann Arbor to help organize the first Integrity Eucharist<br />
at convention.<br />
26