Luther Place Memorial Church Practices Rainbow Hospitality

By Believe Out Loud | July 2, 2013

Over decades of ministry at Luther Place Memorial Church, our congregation has talked about and then lived out a specific type of welcome called “biblical hospitality.” In her book Just Hospitality, Letty Russell, one of the wise theologians of the church, defines biblical hospitality as “the practice of God’s welcome by reaching across difference to…

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Happy Pride!

By Believe Out Loud | June 28, 2013
A woman in a pink shirt waving a flag in a parade.

Click here to subscribe to receive all our email updates! From the Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn DOMA’s Section 3 to the closure of Exodus International, our community has a lot to celebrate this year at Pride! Believe Out Loud will once again join the Collegiate Churches of New York as we march together in…

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Pride Is Faith

By Believe Out Loud | June 26, 2013
A mosaic tiled cross on a black background.

“Pride is faith in the idea that God had when God made us.” –Isak Dinesen, nee Karen Blixen  I often quote this insight from Blixen’s memoir, Out of Africa, during LGBT Pride Month. This morning on Atlanta’s public radio station, an interview reminded me of the religious objections to Atlanta’s Pride Parade, formerly in June, the…

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A Proud Mother Shares Her Story

By Believe Out Loud | June 25, 2013 |

In honor of Pride, I am grateful for the chance to share a sermon given by Lourdes, mom of a gay son, who attended one of the Believe Out Loud workshops offered by Integrity, the LGBT-advocacy organization within the Episcopal Church. Our partners in other denominations offer similar workshops with the guidance of the Institute for Welcoming Resources,…

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Overcoming Fear: Pride Is My Calling

By Believe Out Loud | June 24, 2013 |

Two weeks into my seminary career, I was struggling. I was confronting the reality that essential components of who I was—my theological and political convictions, and especially my sexual identity—directly opposed the beliefs of my family and others who I loved. I lived in persistent fear that I would never feel safe or happy with…

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President Obama Celebrates Pride Month

By Believe Out Loud | June 4, 2012
Minimalist dialogue bubbles on soft peach

  June is LGBT Pride Month around the country and in many countries around the world. President Barack Obama highlights the unsung heroes of the LGBT community in this video message from The White House.      Learn more about More Light Presbyterians            <object width=”480″ height=”300″><param name=”movie” value=”http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/all/modules/swftools/shared/flash_media_player/player5x2.swf”></param><param name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true”></param><param name=”bgcolor” value=”282828″></param><param name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always”></param><param name=”flashvars” value=”config=http://www.whitehouse.gov/xml/video/156446/config.xml&path_to_plugins=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/modules/wh_multimedia/wh_jwplayer/plugins&path_to_player=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/all/modules/swftools/shared/flash_media_player/player5x2.swf”></param><embed…

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