 I am an alum of St. Stephen's University (SSU), in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada. my four years there were during SSU's time as a Christian university. SSU is no longer a Christian university, and I have been an agnostic¹ for nearly a decade, but many connections I made with people at SSU, and in the extended community, have remained strong even as we have grown and our lives have changed. through my friends within the community, I learned about the event, "Queerly Grafted", which took place on Saturday, March 14th, at the church I attended during my time at SSU, St. Croix [Vineyard] Church. the church was asked to leave Vineyard Canada due to their "belief and practice in performing same-sex marriages and celebrating full inclusion and affirmation of LGBTQ+ family, friends, and neighbours." Queerly Grafted was "an evening of song and stories in which LGBTQ+ people shared their stories of pain and appreciation and grief in their relationship with the Vineyard movement." I chose to travel to St. Stephen for the weekend's events, as well as to connect with friends and family in the area. due to COVID-19, most of the events were postponed. PIE Day was able to go forward, without pie; St. Croix Church held the event to be public, intentional, and explicit about being an affirming congregation. at the end of the Queerly Grafted evening, any queer individuals who wanted to share were invited to speak. here is what I shared: I grew up in the United Methodist Church (UMC) in the United States. last year, at the UMC General Conference, the denomination adopted the Traditional Plan, the most restrictive and non-affirming option of those presented. one of the speakers for an affirming outcome was J.J. Warren; he spoke of wanting to be a pastor in the UMC because he loved the tradition. J.J. saw the UMC as his home. the UMC was my home as well – even as I grew older and saw its imperfections. until last year, it felt like I always had a place there if I wanted to visit when I was in the US. when the UMC adopted the Traditional Plan, they made me feel like I was no longer welcome; they made me doubt if I ever truly had been welcome. some people think they can stay neutral when it comes to welcoming LGBT+ people within their community. when I was growing up, there was this sense that since “the church” (whoever that may be) did not agree, everyone had to remain silent – the agreed upon position was that homosexuality was wrong. many people continue to let this fear guide them. instead of choosing courage to act out of love, they hide away in fear. the decision of St. Croix Vineyard, their leadership team, their congregation, to choose not to be silent to the injustice that Vineyard Canada has decided in regards to LGBT+ individuals, is one of choosing courage and standing on the side of love. this is the kind of courage we need more often – when love is chosen over fear, when the myth of neutrality is shown for what it is. by speaking into the injustice, St. Croix Vineyard is letting love guide them, and choosing to be a beacon of hope for those seeking home. when I came out as bisexual in 2018, I sought an affirming church. my new church is part of the United Church of Canada, a denomination with similar roots to the United Methodist Church. but like St. Croix Vineyard, the United Church of Canada has chosen love over fear and continues to be a home for LGBT+ people. when I see the rainbow Christ Candle on the altar at the front, I am reminded that those who gather there are serious about their ongoing commitment to inclusion of all people. I love knowing that when familiar hymns are sung, they are being sung in a safe place. I loved being able to reclaim church as a home. tonight I saw that important reclaiming being done in your songs that were written or rewritten to speak into queer experiences. having songs that reflect us is beautiful. what St. Croix Vineyard is doing is also beautiful – saying they will stand up for love when their denomination decided not to be affirming. listening to queer voices, valuing queer lives and experiences, and shaping a safe place that welcomes all to find a church home – the importance of that cannot be underestimated. 1. agnostic is from the Greek a (prefix, meaning "without") and gnosis (noun, meaning "knowledge [of spiritual mysteries]"). I am an open agnostic - I hold the view that the existence or nonexistence of any deities is currently unknown, but is not necessarily unknowable; I will withhold judgment until more evidence, if any, becomes available. Comments are closed.
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