PC(USA) churches celebrate full dignity and humanity of all people
We write this letter in response to the March 10 article by Ellen Driscoll, in which CAMP Rehoboth Youth Coordinator Barbara L. Antlitz noted that “the majority of Christians . . . support equality for LGBTQ people, including the Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church, the United Church of Christ and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.”
To that we say, “Amen!” and we want to add our denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA), to Antlitz’s list. Not every Presbyterian Church in the Cape Region is PC(USA), but both Westminster Presbyterian Church and Coolspring Presbyterian Church are, and we stand with our denomination’s full support for and celebration of people of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations. We welcome all people to join our communities of faith in worship, fellowship, and service.
As Presbyterians, we believe that the church participates in God’s transformative work in the world. Our communities of faith work to tear down walls of division and hostility, and show God’s love in word and action. Over the years, our denomination has moved to the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ siblings. In June 2018, at our 223rd General Assembly in St. Louis, there was a unanimous vote to acknowledge and apologize for the church’s previous unwelcoming stance on LGBTQ+ parishioners and its past mistake in being unwelcoming to transgender and non-binary individuals.
Our denomination now affirms their right to live free from discrimination in any arena. We also celebrate the many LGBTQ church pioneers within the history of our denomination. Following their example, Westminster and Coolspring are committed to welcoming, lifting up, and working for the human rights of all God’s people. We realize that we will not be perfect in how we do this, but we see our LGBTQ+ siblings as made fully and completely in the image of God, and we celebrate their gifts and leadership among us.
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