June is Pride month and The Episcopal Church is celebrating the 50th anniversary of our affirmation of the LGBTQ+ community. Recently, the national church sent out this short summary of this important work:
"For decades, LGBTQ+ Episcopalians and allies have worked to make The Episcopal Church a place of belonging and inclusion. We have prayed, studied, and discerned, and in doing so, we have seen the evidence of God’s blessing in the lives and love of our LGBTQ+ siblings in Christ
In 2026, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of our church affirming that LGBTQ+ people have a full and equal claim to the love, acceptance, and pastoral care of the church. The journey to make that promise a reality continues today, as we remember the struggles, celebrate the joy, and give thanks for love and for lives that refuse to be erased.
Today in The Episcopal Church, discernment for the ministries of bishop, priest, deacon, and lay leadership is open to all without discrimination. We celebrate and give thanks for the beauty, strength, and sacred worth of LGBTQ+ leaders across all contexts and callings.
We invite you to join us on the journey. You belong. No exceptions".
On June 1, you can join a livestream service with Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe in the Episcopal Church Center chapel, during which he will bless all upcoming Episcopal Pride events and participants. The service will air at 6 p.m. ET on The Episcopal Church’s Facebook page
and YouTube channel, with a recording available afterward.
You can read more about the history of The Episcopal Church and the LGBTQ+ community here: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/organizations-affiliations/lgbtq/history/
Here is 60 second video produced by The Episcopal Church and offered to churches to add their tagline and share on their social media platforms which we will do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ysh09pQr18I
Let us all recommit ourselves to living out our baptismal vow to “strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being.”
Peace,
Bill+
