Integrity Exec. Director Harry Knox Preaches at Intercession NYC

On Sunday, June 3, the Rev. Harry Knox, Interim Executive Director of IntegrityUSA, offered the sermon at the Church of the Intercession, the latest Believe Out Loud Episcopal Congregation in the NYC-Metro area.

Intercession describes itself as follows: "We are a community of followers of Jesus in the tradition of the Episcopal Church. As Episcopalians we strive to be a middle way between the Catholic and Protestant traditions of Christianity. At Intercession you will be surrounded by a beautiful building but more importantly in an open and welcoming community. Our community is multicultural and worships in English and Spanish."

Intercession is located at 550 West 155th St. (at Broadway).

Transit:

• 157 St. (Broadway)
• 155 St. (St. Nicholas)

Sunday services are as follows:

• 8 a.m. Said Mass in English
• 10 a.m. Sung Mass in English
• 12:30 Santa Misa en español 

 We commend it to you as a welcoming community of faith.


Integrity is in the midst of raising funds for its presence at General Convention, the triennial legislative gathering of the entire Episcopal Church.  Slightly more than half of the $110,000 budget has been raised.  These funds help us provide a diverse range of voices from the LGBT community, many of whom would not otherwise be able to attend.  Please give if you are able.

IntegrityUSA General Convention Reception June 2

Integrity is hosting a wine-and-hors d'ouvres reception on Saturday, June 2 at noon, at St. Mark's Church in the Bowery in NYC to share information about our plans for General Convention 2012 and beyond.  The event will be hosted by Lis Jacobs, the Treasurer of IntegrityUSA. 

If you are curious about  Integrity's work and would like to know more, or have ideas about where you think we should be headed, Please attend or contact us for more information. We have offered some perspective on the relevance of Integrity's work in a recent post.  

St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery,  is located at 131 East 10th Street, on the corner of 2nd Avenue. It is the second-oldest church in Manhattan and the oldest continuously-operating place of worship in New York City.  They are an Integrity Proud Parish Partner and we are grateful to them for hosting this event.  We hope you will join us!

EVENT SNAPSHOT:

• WHAT: IntegrityUSA General Convention 2012 Reception
• WHEN:  Sat. June 2, 12-2 p.m.
• WHERE: St. Mark's Church in the Bowery
  131 East 10th Street  New York, NY 10003
  (Transit: 3rd Ave at 14th St.  )
• COST: Free (contributions welcome towards Integrity's General Convention 2012 campaign)

For Just Such a Time as This

 "Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this."

ESTHER 4:14

A question that seems to be in people's minds, if not verbalized, is "Why do we need Integrity around here?" Our bishops ride on Pride floats and speak out for the rights of LGBT people. We have numerous congregations who are welcoming and LGBT people are involved in all levels of ministry. We perform same-sex marriages and blessings in our churches.  And today, the sitting President of the United States announced in an election year that he personally supports same-sex marriage.

Amid all this progress, there's a temptation to sit back and be satisfied.  After all, for LGBT people in our area, finding a church where you can participate fully without your orientation presenting a barrier is easy.  We're past all that, aren't we?

And yet, we're not.

Yesterday, the people of North Carolina, egged on in large part by religious leaders, voted to enshrine discrimination against same-sex couples into their constitution.  Last week, a video circulated in which a pastor in that state advocated physical abuse of effeminate boys.  Our local pride events are frequently protested by "ex-gay ministries" and NYC's new cardinal has warned Catholic churches who dare minister to LGBT people without reminding them of their "disordered" state.

Despite efforts by many progressive Christian leaders to the contrary, the overwhelmingly dominant message on the American airwaves remains that if you're gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, there's no place in church for you.  As rapidly as America seems to be evolving in its acceptance of LGBT issues, the perception is that the institutional church is stubbornly staying behind, and the fact that a recent Pew study showed that over a quarter of young people claim no religious affiliation at all is a telling indicator of what this means for our relevance, leaving young people like this one wondering if the church will be around for them when they're our age.   Also, although in the same poll 70% of Episcopalians support LGBT inclusion, we still have dioceses -- including one nearby -- where people with a same-sex partner are not able to pursue ordination or have their relationships acknowledged by the church.

It will take witness from every single one of us to turn this tide. Some of this work happens at the congregational and even individual level, and our chapter continues to partner with The OASIS and the LGBT Concerns Committee of the Diocese of New York to make that happen here.  But a national voice is also needed.  Integrity is the largest advocate for the LGBT community within the church, and traditionally represents our interests at General Convention.  Our work is entirely supported by our members and partners, with no funding from the national church.  We've set an ambitious goal of $100,000 to mobilize a team of volunteers, of which nearly half has already been contributed, thanks be to God..

Integrity's platform for GC12 includes:

• Advocate for liturgical blessings for same gender couples throughout the Church.
• Support the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music's call for a church wide conversation on marriage.
• Fervently advocate for full inclusion of our transgender sisters and brothers, by supporting a resolution which adds "Gender Identity" and "Gender Expression" to the church's non-discrimination canons and
  
• Release Voices of Witness 3: OUT OF THE BOX. A video and study guide on transgender issues, and provide a copy to all bishops and deputies
  
• Call for strong church wide response to all aspects of bullying, especially that which is based on sexual orientation or gender expression.

If you are able to support Integrity in this work, please consider a donation of any size to our General Convention fund. We also seek to forge or re-establish ongoing partner relationships with congregations in the Dioceses of Long Island, New Jersey, Newark and New York. Our partners work with us to plan programming in the area, receive a voting seat on our national Stakeholders' Council, and we actively promote them as welcoming places of worship to our members. If you are not an official member of Integrity, please consider joining us.

Please contact us if you have any questions or ideas about Integrity's presence at GC12 or are willing to work with us to make these goals a reality. Our NYC-Metro Chapter is already helping with a fund-raiser next month, and we'd love to see you there (details soon). We look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you!

There's Still Time to Have Your Congregation's Holy Week Services on Our List

Integrity NYC-Metro will be publishing the schedule of Holy Week services at each of our local Proud Parish Partner ("P3") congregations later this week.  If your congregation is not listed as a "P3" on our website or blog there is still time to register or renew for a minimum annual donation of just $100 and be included in our guide.

Integrity is supported by its membership and private donations, and receives no funding from the national church.  If your congregation has a focus on social justice, we ask you to suggest that your leadership consider supporting our work by becoming a "P3".  As we approach General Convention this summer when the blessing of same-sex relationships will be debated by clergy and laity from throughout the church, Integrity hopes to have a strong presence advocating for the LGBT population.  In addition, we continue to encourage congregations to become more visibly welcoming through the Believe Out Loud campaign and representing the church at area Pride events.

If your congregation does decide to adopt or renew a "P3" commitment, please mention NYC-metro as your chapter, as a portion of your contribution will then be allocated for our work locally.  And of course we are also grateful for individual memberships and donations.

Thank you!

Committee Offers Preview of Report on Same-Gender Unions

The Standing Committee on Liturgy and Music of the Episcopal Church today published excerpts from a report on the blessing of same-gender unions that it will present at this summer's General Convention in Indianapolis.

The Commission was directed by the 2009 General Convention to collect and develop theological resources and liturgies for blessing same-gender relationships and report to this summer’s General Convention. They undertook a project of mammoth proportions to collect the work that has been going on for the last fifty years in parishes, Integrity chapters and dioceses across the country.

“This is a milestone on our journey to open the Episcopal Church to all people,” said The Rev. Dr. Caroline Hall, President of Integrity. “the Commission’s work not only stands as an example of exceptional collaborative church-wide study but brings us an important step closer to full equality. Their remit was to look at blessings for same-gender couples and they have done this with aplomb, offering not just a rite of blessing but a theological statement which will challenge us all to reconsider the theology of committed relationships, including traditional heterosexual marriage.”

In 2007, a Civil Union Task Force of clergy and laity commissioned by The Right Rev. Mark Beckwith, Bishop of Newark, undertook to understand how the availability of civil unions for same-sex couples in New Jersey impacted those in the Diocese. It reported on its findings in December of that year. The Task Force also produced suggested rites for the blessing of such services in both English and Spanish, which are included in the report. These were among the materials submitted to the SCLM for its work.

Integrity Director of  Communications Louise Brooks contributed to this article

Pride and Shame in the Anglican Communion

A personal reflection from Integrity Province II Coordinator Chap James Day:

I remember when Bishop Robinson received the consent to be bishop at General Convention. I was studying abroad with about two dozen or so students from my college at Corpus Christi College in Oxford. I had followed the newsfeeds through the whole debate at convention, sharing the news with the others, most of whom were Presbyterian (PCUSA) and though sympathetic to my hopes, did not have a dog in the fight. Still they joined me for a pint at one of the pubs to toast what would be one of the first pivotal moments for GLBT Christians in the 21st century. After the pint, we went to evensong at Christ Church Cathedral, and later spoke with some of the clergy who told us how proud they were for the Anglican Church, especially in light of what had happened with Jeffery John just months before. It was a day to be proud to be an Episcopalian and an Anglican, and a newbie openly gay person.

I had heard that this would cause the Church to split—that the Communion would crumble, and I watched for the signs of it. I read of the grumblings of more traditional Anglicans—many of which joined voices with other splinter groups that had left well before Robinson was called to be bishop. I also heard the positive voices and Alleluias from the progressive Anglicans who were taking ownership of this time for the achievement that it was in reclaiming our place at the Table.

As the consecration played out, and the Lambeth Commission was called to review what had happened in the Church, we saw people coming in who had felt disenfranchised and unwanted. We also saw many so obsessed with this one issue leave, and the start of many more battles over property and the very soul of the Church. I was blessed to meet the members of the Lambeth Commission while working at Kanuga. I overheard their conversations as I served them food and drink while they stayed there, and I observed their devotion as they prayed at the Chapel of the Transfiguration each day. I also remember the results of their recommendation in the form of the Windsor Report.

I read the report, and many commentaries trying to explain what it meant, and what the implications of the report were for the GLBT members in the Anglican Communion as well as those traditionalists that felt disenfranchised. I felt shame. The GLBT clergy had begun to “come out” and the greater Communion family just did not want to hear it—they did not want to accept that there was a Gay Son among the Bishops, and they sure as hell did not want any more.

Just like a family, some shunned our new bishop, some accepted, some disowned, and some celebrated. More importantly, some tried to reconcile and to educate on why the family needs to accept. There were family members like those involved in Integrity and CFLAG that knew that our Communion-wide need to accept it’s GLBT sons and daughters was important beyond pious notions of what is a sin or not a sin. It was about restoring life to the outcast and unwanted—saving lives and restoring lives—healing the broken hearted—and strengthening the strained “bonds of affection”.

In Columbus we saw the election of the first female Primate in the Anglican Communion—proof of how the need and push for acceptance and equality shows progress in momentous achievements like that. We also saw one of the more ghastly calls for restraint that made no one happy with regards to the still outcast GLBT members of the Church. It is hard to celebrate the achievements of an oppressed sexual minority with the shadow of continued oppression of another minority.

It was at that point that I joined Integrity. I wanted to join the fight that celebrated the achievements of women in the Church and said “And ALSO now GLBT!” The first hurdle was to deal with the restraints that were asked and later confirmed in New Orleans. One of the most disturbing images of these restraints was our new Presiding Bishop’s image of a Lenten fast on continued consecrations. I had had always heard of the fast as giving up something that was bad for you and taking on something good for the world. That sure did not seem like the case with regards to GLBT Episcopalians.

In Anaheim, we moved forward, pushed by Integrity and the many, many allies that also saw this restraint as antithetical to what it means to be a Christian family—another day to be proud to be an Episcopalian. The legislation that was passed was eyed by the patriarch of the family suspiciously… some of our more distant cousins wished to disown us even further claiming that we had gone our own way to ruin. We had whole dioceses vote to disassociate themselves with the Church, often supported by our cousin provinces.

This week we saw yet another momentous day for GLBT Episcopalians—one that will surely continue to rock the boat—in the consent to the election of Mary Glasspool . Again, it happens legally under the cannons of the Episcopal Church that were strengthened by the legislation in Anaheim last year. Again, it has caused the head patriarch of the family to eye us with suspicion. And Again I am proud—but this time I have a huge amount of Shame.

The shame has nothing to do with the great news of LA, but with the disturbing response of Archbishop Rowan Williams. I do not presume to understand what it is like to be a titular head of a denomination so vastly spread across the world, socio-economic strata, and political and theological spectrums. What I do not hear is the same response at words of hatred against us his GLBT members, or the continued efforts of foreign provinces to usurp property in the Episcopal Church. Most deeply ashamed am I of his restrained responses towards the near holocaust-level hatred that is fueling the “Kill Gays Bill” in Uganda.

One of the signs of the Spirit moving in the Church is that this consent comes on the heels of statements of inclusion and support from a Patriarch so wise that non-believes will turn to listen to him, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He is like that wise old family member that knows that the love of the God and the true bonds of affection that bind a family together are stronger than sexuality or morality. He understands that it is crucial to our faith to accept GLBT Christians into the fold and to celebrate with Easter joy when one like Mary Glasspool is called to be a Bishop among us. He warns us of the demoralizing and demonic destruction that awaits those who shun the outcast, hate those who differ, and seek legislation to exterminate that which we do not want to understand.

I only wish Archbishop Williams would listen to Archbishop Tutu and realize that we too are God’s loved children, that we too are called by the Spirit to serve and lead the Church, and that we deserve to solemnize our love in the Church’s sacraments. Williams, it seems, does not see this, Uganda does not want to see this…and that should make us all ashamed and outraged.

Tutu sees this—Los Angeles sees this—and those that consented to Mary Glasspool’s election see this, and that should make us all proud and filled with an Easter joy.

Celebratory Eucharist - 20 Sep, 4pm - St. Luke's

Details:
Sunday, 20th September 2009 (4:00pm)
Church of St. Luke in the Fields
487 Hudson St (at Grove)

Save the Date for a Celebratory Eucharist in thanksgiving for the passing of inclusive resolutions at General Convention, and in gratitude to our Diocesan Delegates.

If you are interested in contributing to this service (reader, usher, choir, planning, volunteering) or if you have questions, please Email Chap James Day .

[PR Integrity USA] - Integrity Responds to Archbishop of Canterbury's post-GC2009 Statement

The following is a Press Release from Integrity USA as posted on "Walking With Integrity" on Monday, July 27, 2009 - Original Post

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Archbishop of Canterbury issued a statement this morning entitled "Communion, Covenant and our Anglican Future" and subtitled: Reflections on the Episcopal Church's 2009 General Convention from the Archbishop of Canterbury for the Bishops, Clergy and Faithful of the Anglican Communion. In it, +Rowan Williams does what he believes he is called to do as an "Instrument of Unity" for the whole communion: He tries to keep as many as possible at the table doing the work of the gospel. Integrity does not envy him that task.

Integrity regrets the Archbishop's categorization of TEC's commitment to full inclusion of the LGBT baptized as a "rights" issue rather than a "theological" issue -- believing that it falls sadly short of recognizing all the theological reflection that has both moved and motivated this church over the years.

"We are frankly tired of being told we 'haven't done the theology,'" said Integrity President Susan Russell, "when the truth is that there are those in our wider Anglican family who do not agree with the theology we have done. But what we can do is keep doing it. We can keep reaching out. We can keep working together with our communion partners on mission and ministry all over this Worldwide Anglican Family of ours with those who will work with us. And we can stay in conversation with those who won't.

Because we recognize that those who have been waiting for the casting-out-of-TEC-into-outer-darkness are not getting what they want. And as we continue to move forward in mission and ministry with those who embrace historic Anglican comprehensiveness, we believe those "outer darkness" threats are going to ring more and more hollow until they fade away altogether.

And meanwhile, we can live into the liberated-for-mission message our General Convention sent home from Anaheim and bless those who come to us asking for the church's blessing on their already-blessed-by-God relationships and raising up into ALL orders of ministry those who God calls into vocations of deacon, priest and bishop.

Because, as the closing word's of +Rowan Williams' statement assure us:

If the present structures that have safeguarded our unity turn out to need serious rethinking in the near future, this is not the end of the Anglican way and it may bring its own opportunities. Of course it is problematic; and no-one would say that new kinds of structural differentiation are desirable in their own right.

But the different needs and priorities identified by different parts of our family, and in the long run the different emphases in what we want to say theologically about the Church itself, are bound to have consequences. We must hope that, in spite of the difficulties, this may yet be the beginning of a new era of mission and spiritual growth for all who value the Anglican name and heritage.

As American Anglicans, we've "rethought structures" before (see also: "1789" and the birth American Episcopal Church) and lived to tell about it! And -- at the end of the day -- that may in fact be the good news and great hope we have to offer our worldwide Anglican Communion family as we move forward together into God's future."

Contacts:
Louise Brooks, Director of Communications, tvprod@earthlink.net, (626) 993-4605

Integrity Celebrates Virtual Clean Sweep on GC2009 Legislative Agenda By Susan Russell, President of Integrity USA

The following is a message from Susan Russell, President of IntegrityUSA as posted on "Walking With Integrity" on Saturday, July 18, 2009 - Original Post

Integrity Celebrates Virtual Clean Sweep on GC2009 Legislative Agenda
By Susan Russell, President of IntegrityUSA

I’m going to write more about “General Convention in General,” but here’s a legislative wrap up (coming later in the day than I’d meant it to but I’ve decided to give up waiting for the official GC2009 resolution web pages to come back up online – will just add the links to the citations later.)

Heading to Anaheim, Integrity had two primary “agenda items:”
* Move the Episcopal Church beyond B033 and reopen ordination processes to all the baptized;
* Move the Episcopal Church forward on the blessing of same sex marriages and unions.

We saw those goals realized in the adoption of the following resolutions:
* D025 – Supports inclusive ordination processes for ALL orders of ministry
* C056 – Authorizes “generous pastoral support” for blessing marriages, unions & partnerships and collection of liturgical resources for consideration at GC2012

As noteworthy as the content of the resolutions is the context. These resolutions passed not by narrow margins after rancorous debate. They passed by overwhelming consensus after respectful dialogue that left no doubt that those who gathered in Anaheim are committed to an inclusive Anglicanism that keeps at the table all who desire so to do.

D025 -- Ordination
It can – and has – been said that D025 does not “repeal” B033 – and that is, of course, true. There will still be bishops with jurisdiction and standing committees who will choose to “exercise restraint” when consenting the election of a bishop whose “manner of life” would cause concern to the wider Anglican Communion. (And we all know that is code for “partnered gay or lesbian bishop.”) Nevertheless, the inclusive and expansive language of D025 states “this is where we are in 2009” – and frees bishops and standing committees to focus on the theological orientation rather than the sexual orientation of qualified candidates to the episcopate.

Furthermore, by stating unequivocally that “God has called and may call any individual in the church to any ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church, in accordance with the discernment process set forth in the Constitution and Canons of the church” – D025 actually states for the first time as an official resolution of the Episcopal Church that the extra-canonical requirement of celibacy of gay and lesbian candidates for ordination is not the mind of this church.

From the letter by the Presiding Bishop and President of the House of Deputies to the Archbishop of Canterbury:

Nothing in the Resolution goes beyond what has already been provided under our Constitution and Canons for many years. In reading the resolution, you will note its key
points, that:
* Our Church is deeply and genuinely committed to our relationships in the Anglican Communion;
* We recognize the contributions gay and lesbian Christians, members of our Church both lay and ordained, have made and continue to make to our common life and ministry;
* Our Church can and does bear witness to the fact that many of our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters live in faithful, monogamous, lifelong and life-giving committed relationships;
* While ordination is not a “right” guaranteed to any individual, access to our Church’s discernment and ordination process is open to all baptized members according to our Constitution and Canons; and
* Members of The Episcopal Church do, in fact, disagree faithfully and conscientiously about issues of human sexuality.


C056 -- Blessings
What the Episcopal Church adopted in Resolution C056 is a broad local option for the blessings of the marriages, unions and partnerships of same sex couples and a call to the church to work together toward common liturgical expressions of those blessings.

The Rev. Sam Candler (Atlanta), chair of the committee that presented the resolution, called it "an elegant blend of theological care, ecclesiastical breadth and pastoral generosity."

The Rev. Dan Martins (Northern Indiana) had this to say about C056: “If there was ambiguity surrounding D025--and I have contended that there is -- there is none here. This convention has abrogated every positive gesture it has made toward the Anglican Communion since 2003. Everything we did three years ago in response to the Windsor Report is down the drain.”


In other historic action, the General Convention adopted resolutions supporting the enactment of anti-discrimination and hate crimes legislation protecting transgender people at local, state and federal levels. Both houses also adopted resolutions adding "gender identity and expression" to its nondiscrimination policy for hiring lay employees and calling for the revision of church paper and electronic forms to allow a wider range of gender identifications. In review:

C056 – Authorizes “generous pastoral support” for blessing marriages, unions & partnerships and collection of liturgical resources for consideration at GC2012
C048 – Urges support of fully inclusive ENDA legislation pending in Washington
D012 -- Support for Transgender Civil Rights
D025 – Supports inclusive ordination processes for ALL orders of ministry
D032 -- Non-discrimination clause including gender identity and gender expression for lay employees
D076 -- Support for immigration equality for gay couples
D090 -- Church paper work to be made more accessible to flexibility in gender identity and pronoun preference
C023 – Urging support for repeal of DOMA (“Defense of Marriage Act”) passed in Deputies and was referred by Bishops to Executive Council – where we expect affirmative action will be taken to take the voice of the Episcopal Church to Washington on this important issue.

Finally, Integrity applauds the amazing work of ALL our allies in advancing resolutions on a broad range of critical gospel issues. Unlike our last two General Conventions, where the resolutions regarding human sexuality so consumed our legislative process that there was precious little left for anything else, this 76th General Convention worked long, hard and diligently to “do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God” – acting on everything from lay equity in pension plans to ending torture; on labor issues and human rights violations; on universal health care and climate change; on human trafficking and ending the blockade in Cuba.

One of the most moving moments for me came on the last day of legislation when Frank Wade reminded us that our actions in the House of Deputies were -- in their own way --offerings being laid at the altar of our God who calls us to this work of justice, compassion and love. The reminder that “liturgical” and “political” are words that share a root – and that both the work of the people – was a holy container for this holy work we have been about for the last ten days in Anaheim.

There are miles to go before we rest – before the kingdom come on earth IS as it is in heaven. But BIG steps forward were taken by The Episcopal Church at this General Convention. And for that, we rejoice and are glad!

Meet the Diocese of New York Deputation to General Convention

Details:
Monday, June 15th, 6:00 p.m.
Diocesan House, Donegan Hall
1047 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY

Wednesday, June 24th, 7:00 p.m.
Christ Church
20 Carrol St
Poughkeepsie, NY


The General Convention deputation will be holding meetings in preparation for the Convention in Anaheim CA in July. Part of the purpose of these meetings is to give members of the Diocese an opportunity to share their concerns and opinions on matters coming before the General Convention.

The meetings are open, and anyone can come without notice. If you would like to come, it would help us plan better if we know to expect you.

Please contact the Rev. Jerry Keucher, Deputation chair, if you have any questions. jerrykeucher@gmail.com

The Anaheim Appeal - 3 May 2009 at St. Bart's

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RSVP HERE