In 1976, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church declared that “homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church” (1976-A069). Since then, the church has continued to work toward full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) Episcopalians – and All Saints Church has been part of leading the charge in work that is clearly not done yet. Here’s just the tip-of-the-iceberg of that history:

• In 1985 GALAS (Gays & Lesbians All Saints) was formed and in 1992 then-rector George Regas presided at the first blessing of a same-sex union (Mark Benson & Phil Straw).
• In 1997 All Saints launched its “Beyond Inclusion” ministry and in 2002 we joined with other organizations and individuals around the church to form “Claiming the Blessing” – an umbrella collaborative working toward the same goal of full inclusion.
• In 2003 Gene Robinson – the first openly gay bishop – was elected and consecrated; in 2009, General Convention resolved that God’s call is open to all; in 2012, a provisional rite of blessing for same-gender relationships was authorized, and discrimination against transgender persons in the ordination process was officially prohibited.
• In 2015, the canons of the church were changed to make the rite of marriage available to all people, regardless of gender.

In 2018 the work continues – and All Saints continues to be part of the struggle to dismantle homophobia and transphobia in all its forms. We asked a multi-generational cross-section of All Saintsers to answer the question:

Is it still important for All Saints to offer an explicit welcome to members of the LGBTQ community … and if so, why?

The LGBTQ community is full of people who either think that all Christians are like the homophobic ones they see in the media or who have had the experience of being beaten up by theology that demeans, condemns and ostracizes LGBTQ people. For those who find their way into All Saints, it’s kind of hard to believe at first that what you’re hearing is actually real – that this is a place that doesn’t just accept or include people but really, helps us celebrate who we are – and makes sure that we know that God loves us just as we are. It was a shock to me 35 years ago – and we absolutely need to keep offering that message to people who are still finding their way here. That “explicit welcome” has become such a part of our DNA that it may seem repetitive or unnecessary to say it. But for those new people who have never heard it, it is an unbelievably moving “welcome home.” – Jim White

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All Saints Church has done so much amazing work when it comes to working with the LGBTQ community and we have so much exciting work ahead of us. It is no longer uncommon for churches to be LGBTQ affirming. It’s still very uncommon for churches to center the voices of LGBTQ people – particularly trans and nonbinary people. When we center these voices we get to learn how the queer and trans community breathes new life into the Jesus Movement. All Saints Church has an opportunity to lead the way in making gender nonconforming people feel welcome in our sanctuary, in our main bathrooms, and in our theology. We can introduce our pronouns when meeting someone. We can look at our bathrooms and see who is welcomed. We can look at who we are excluding when we say brothers and sisters because so many people here in Los Angeles do not identify as a brother or sister. We can look at all of these things and say ‘how will we proclaim God’s love is beyond binary?’ – Kelly O’Phelan

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It takes diversity of identity, culture and background to build a community representative of the human race. And in doing so, we become better people who can challenge and empower each other to have a voice. – Derek Wan

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Over the years that I have spoken to LGBTQ people at All Saints, one very common story is of crying in last pew after hearing the statement that we are welcome – not just the generic “we sinners” but the specific mention of me – a gay man, trans woman. For many LGBTQ people who are raised in a church, the constant message is everybody but you … so when they walk into church, their default is rejection. Everything they hear is thru the lens of ‘this does not include me.’ As a person becomes aware of their sexuality they come to a place where they have to reject the church, or deny their own self. Either process is destructive to the soul. So it is very important to correct the previous tapes that play over and over in our heads, and say ‘You the Queer are God’s child as you are and this faith community will affirm that.’ When someone who has come out to themselves and is seeking reconnection to a faith community hears “whoever YOU are” …and knows that the you includes me – the lesbian – it matters. It heals. – Janis Reid

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Sometimes you hear a list of pairings and immediately think “Those things go great together!” Chocolate and Peanut Butter, Vodka and Tomato juice, Imelda Marcos and shoes. Not on the list: LGBTQ people and Christianity. Doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, does it? I grew up going to Catholic Mass. As a child I always loved the incense – which was prophetic, because my favorite joke as an adult was “Hey Father: Love the dress, but your purse is on fire.” I needed humor. The church that taught me that Christ had a deep abiding love for all of us – and that it didn’t include me. Word from the Vatican was that LGBTQ people were harmful to the church and families. When I attended my first All Saints Eucharist and I heard LGBTQ people mentioned in the service it was like UFO sighting, radical and implausible. But there it was, all the same. All Saints Church was saying that yes, The Unconditional Love Of God, reached past all boundaries of prejudice, homophobia, ignorance, shame and my own self-loathing. And I listened. And it healed a big ouchie for me. The hurt of wanting to belong but of being kept at a distance. When All Saints says “Whoever you are and wherever you are on your journey of faith, there is a place for you here,” they mean it. Happy Pride Month, everyone: You are loved! – Alec Mapa

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“Whoever you are and wherever you are on your journey of faith, there is a place for you here” are words of radical welcome that have been part of the DNA of All Saints Church for decades.
We believe we are called to offer a broadly inclusive message of hope and healing to all those seeking to find and be found by God. And so we continue to offer an explicit invitation to members of the LGBTQ community who have too often been rejected by the church because of who they are, how they identify or who they love.

• We proudly hang the PRIDE flag at our Welcome Table as an outward and visible sign of that invitation.
• We strive to enhance the journey of faith of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community through opportunities to foster spiritual and educational growth, social interaction, political advocacy and pastoral care.
• We have a long history of being in the forefront of LGBTQ equality in the church and in the world – from blessing same-sex unions since 1992 to working against Prop 8 here in California and leading the fight for full inclusion in the Episcopal Church.
• We offer LGBTQ mentors for newcomers finding their way and referrals to LGBTQ clergy for pastoral care.

The goal of LGBTQ mentorship at All Saints Church is to help LGBTQ individuals connect: with the greater All Saints community; with our parish LBGTQ community, and with the larger LGBTQ community of greater Los Angeles. We focus on providing welcome and information, providing a personal connection into our ASC community, and supporting mentees in accessing our community’s resources. Our LGBTQ mentors are of different genders, cultures, and are available to communicate in several languages. For more information or to be connected to an LGBTQ mentor, please contact Jamie Hebert at 626.583.2765 or jhebert@allsaints-pas.org.

This piece by Susan Russell was originally published in the June 2018 issue of Saints Alive — our monthly newsmagazine. Photo: All Saints’ staff members celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month on the quad lawn. [photo credit: Keith Holeman]