Hi Beloveds,
This past Sunday we were blessed to have two young guests share with us during worship. Emma Blue and Noah told their stories of coming to understand their identity, the importance of having LGBTQ+ community, and the ways adults can support them (listen to them and take them seriously). I know I was touched, I think we all were, when Emma Blue and Noah shared about the ongoing need for faith communities like ours to stand apart from churches that condemn LGBTQ+ people, places where LGBTQ+ people know they can’t bring all of who they are, and to speak boldly about God’s love and acceptance for folks not despite, but truly because, of the unique and creative ways they show up in the world. If you missed worship on Sunday, you can always worship any time during the week on our YouTube or Facebook channels, or on our website.
This week I’ll be buying two very cool thank you cards for us to sign before and after worship this Sunday for Noah and Emma Blue.
After service a big crew of us met downstairs to keep the conversation going. We started by acknowledging that this conversation can feel uncomfortable- these new ideas can be confusing and we don’t want to say something that would hurt one another. We know that everyone’s heart is in the right place, that’s easy. So, we agreed to create a space where everyone is free to ask questions without judgement. And what a lively time we had! We laughed, learned, built a decent list of questions we want to get back to, and agreed to do it again very soon! Watch for an announcement of part 2.
There is nothing like getting together for a conversation, but if you missed it and want to learn a bit about our discussion, or if you were there and would like the chance to revisit the concepts we discussed, I have attached some resources for reading/watching below.
Please know that while I may not always be your pastor, I am always part of your community. If you have questions you don’t feel ready to pose in a group, or if your family is going through a time of questions and challenges - I am eager to be a resource for you. Sharon, Davi, and Cydne will always know how to get ahold of me.
NPR article on gender identity and pronouns: https://www.npr.org/2021/06/02/996319297/gender-identity-pronouns-expression-guide-lgbtq
A helpful explainer regarding They pronouns: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/they-them-questions-answered
Full glossary of terms by Georgetown University: https://lgbtq.georgetown.edu/glossary-of-lgbtqia-terms/
A great video describing sex assigned at birth, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation as well as some terms that go along with these categories of identity.
One note is that the speaker uses the phrase “opposite gender,” and I do not. Why? Because opposite implies that there are two genders while we have come to learn that there are an unknown number of genders. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CrjaFBF5dY
The Gender Unicorn: https://transstudent.org/gender/
Just for fun, here is a link to an article you can download about what grandparents can do to support LGBTQ+ grandkids: https://pflag.org/resource/supporting-your-lgbtq-grandchild/
I love you and I love being your pastor,
Pastor Page
