Passing the Peace - May 30, 2025,

Dear Passing the Peace Readers, 

This Sunday is our annual Pride service and I am so excited to be planning the worship liturgy that speaks so deeply to my own heart and a very important part of my calling into ministry. Our moderator, the Right Rev Carmen Lansdowne has also created a greeting for Pride Month on behalf of the United Church: 

Pride & A Place at the Table: Showing Up with Love and Strength 

A while back, I asked my followers on instagram what it means to them to know Glen Morris United Church is going through the Affirming Process and I really wanted to share with you these incredibly thoughtful and powerful statements people took the time to write: 

The timing for this is perfect because I was reflecting recently on how a church's stance on 2SLGBTQIA+ affirmation is the #1 most important factor for me when it comes to attending a church/feeling welcome in a (new) church community. I want to go to church to learn, to grow, and to share community with others, not to feel shamed or shunned because of who I am. There's a really great quote from the drag queen Katya where she talks about how she is tired of how gay people have to bear the burden of straight people's ignorance & fears. Why would God create love if it wasn't for everyone? Seeing and being around other queer and trans people is transformative & holds ripple effects. It warms my heart that in a county where Conservative signs mark every lawn, there is a little stone church where people's parents, siblings, and grandparents gather to learn & affirm queer & trans lives. That is revolutionary. That is life-saving. That is the future of the church, and in this time and age, we need to gather with one another more than we need to exclude each other.

-Spencer 

 

Thank you for the invitation to reflect on the importance of an affirming church. While I’m not a regular participant in your congregation, I witness the deep impact your online ministry has had, not only in terms of spiritual care, but also as a beacon of justice, compassion, and inclusion. The visibility of your leadership as a 2SLGBTQIA+ minister makes a difference. It signals to others that the Church can be a place of healing rather than harm, a place of belonging rather than exclusion.

Affirming ministries like yours are vital. They serve as sacred reminders that queer and trans people are not just welcome, but necessary to the fabric of spiritual life. In a world where religious institutions have often been complicit in exclusion, your presence and your leadership rewrite that narrative. You offer an alternative: one rooted in love, equity, and the call to liberate and uplift the marginalized.  

Historically, the United Church of Canada has been a pioneer in affirming queer and trans people. In 1988, it became the first major Christian denomination in Canada to welcome openly gay and lesbian people into ordered ministry. That decision was groundbreaking and difficult—AND it opened the door for countless others to come out, stay in their congregations, and live lives of integrity and faith. Later, the church affirmed same-sex marriage, supported gender-inclusive policies, and continues to engage in ongoing learning and unlearning about gender and sexuality.

But being affirming isn’t just about policy, it’s about practice. Your ministry reminds people that affirmation is a daily act of care, courage, and witness. The online component you offer reaches people who may not feel safe or seen in their local contexts. It tells someone scrolling in the dark, “You are not alone. You are loved. There’s a place for you here.”

-Deb

As a gay Catholic, I struggled and still do struggle to find a safe space for religion and identity. Watching you be so confident in your faith, and yourself gives me peace that I wish I had at a much younger age that I was not “wrong” . Thank you for being visible in your ministry, thank you for creating welcome spaces for prayer and community. So many times you can walk into a religious space and not know if you will be welcomed, so many people who I hoped to be a friend, but I was so scared they wouldn’t accept who I was. It was scary, in a place that had meant peace and comfort. So though I have never been to your church physically, I am a firm believer that a church is not just a building, but it is a community, ao thank you for creating a church in the physical realm, but also each time I open my phone.

-Claudia 

I think there are so many people who yearn to reconnect to spirituality and would find so much healing in that. The challenge is the harm from religious communities historically- but that doesn’t have to be the case. I think there is opportunity to reclaim religion and spirituality, within affirming spaces, such as yours. Create a new story.

-Emerald 

As always, the Affirming Process is intended to be an opportunity for prayer, discernment, learning, and conversation. If you have any of your own thoughts, stories, concerns, questions that you would like to share please be in touch with myself or anyone else on the Affirming Committee (Don, Charlotte, Lynn, Karen, Deb F, Joy, Donna). 

May the peace of Christ be with you this week and throughout this Pride season, 

Yours in Christ, 

Rev Michiko