St. Ansgar Lutheran Church: Why We March In Pride

By The Congregation, St. Ansgar Lutheran Church

Patrick

When I was a kid growing up in the south, church was about exclusion. I grew up in the middle of “Christian coalition” country and my best friend was Jewish. Self-righteousness and judgmental attitudes bothered me then, and they bother me now.

My interpretation of the Bible is that it’s about love, and it’s important to me to belong to a church that’s inclusive of everyone. That’s why I’m proud to be part of St. Ansgar; we don’t judge, and we accept you for who you are.

Last year was the first year I marched in the Pride parade. I marched because of the experience I had back when I was little. I marched because I want to make sure that people don’t think that all Christians are self-righteous and judgmental.

It was a fun time, and our kids loved it. But it was really neat to see the crowd’s reactions, because a lot of folks don’t expect churches to believe in the rights of gay people. It was a good experience, a good feeling.               

 Ola

I started marching in the Pride parade two years ago so I could bring my daughter Eva. She was four and rode on my shoulders waving to everybody. It was a big parade party for her!

Eva’s biggest concern was, “Why didn’t I get to wear a costume?” Well, I didn’t know that people were going to wear costumes so last year she dressed up as Wonder Woman.

I want my daughter to witness the gay community celebrate and see us and our friends as supporters. I also want to show that not all churches are “against gays.” It makes me feel really proud to walk down the street with the church banner. Everyone who sees us in the parade makes us feel welcome, and that makes you feel really good about yourself. St. Ansgar is an open community that doesn’t discriminate— and that’s a good model for other churches.

To me, Pride means equality. Freedom. We’ll march in the parade again this year, and we’ll continue the superhero theme. Eva is dressing up as Batgirl.

Deb

The concept of Pride, for me, is the ability to be open about yourself and to expect that other people will accept you— all aspects of who you are. I think that churches have said and done things that are problematic for the health and self-esteem of gay and lesbian people, and I’m pleased to be a part of a church that presents a Christianity that is open and accepting.

I have had lots and lots of conversations with my grandmother Alice about this issue. We both believe that religion should not be used to inflict further harm on people, that church should provide a full welcome to everyone.

Grammy Alice is active in the Reconciling United Methodist movement, and she’s been really excited about our progress at St. Ansgar. In fact, I missed the Portland Pride parade last summer because I was picking up Grammy in Ohio. She was attending the Annual Conference of the East Ohio United Methodist Church. The afternoon I arrived, members of the Reconciling Ministry marched from the assembly hall with balloons and banners and rainbow stoles to a celebratory service. I was thrilled to share that experience with her. 

Note: The United Methodist Church has been a full communion partner with the ELCA since 2009.

Norm

Just after his 21st birthday, my oldest son Steven told me he was gay. It took me several years to realize that the fact that he was gay did not really change my life. It was very difficult for me to “come out” in the beginning, but the night my son told me he was gay, I said, “I loved you the day you were born, and nothing you do will ever change that.” It took me a while before I was able to support him publicly, but now it matters a great deal to me to protect his rights as a gay man and to protect the rights of all gay people.

The reason I started going to St. Ansgar is that it’s a Reconciling in Christ church.  I can’t understand people — or churches — who aren’t willing to recognize gay people as human beings worthy of love. Plus, I think that Pastor Bill is a magnificent pastor, preacher, and a great friend. We’re very, very, pleased that we found St. Ansgar.

Last year my wife Cheryl manned the St. Ansgar booth while the Pride parade made its way to Deering Oaks Park. This year, I’m excited that we are going to do the same thing as a token of our love for our son and his partner.

I’m sad Steven had to go to California to find peace as a gay man, but I’m very proud of all that he has accomplished. We love him dearly and want him to feel safe and comfortable in this world.                   

Pastor Bill

I knew from a very young age that I was gay. Because I grew up Roman Catholic, I learned early on that my “best” option was to suppress my sexual orientation and not talk about it. I became a Roman Catholic priest and took a vow of celibacy, thinking this would solve the issue of having to deal with my sexual orientation. Nine years later I came to realize how unhealthy my life had become because I had to hide this important part of who I was. With the help of supportive family, friends, and professionals, I came out as gay in 1991. A couple of years later, I became a Lutheran. A huge weight was lifted from my shoulders as I could live life as the “real” Bill and not as a construction of what other people wanted or expected. I was being honest about what God had intended for me and how God created me.

I march in Pride because I am gay, but that is only one reason. Mainly, I march because I am pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Our national and regional church embraces diverse sexual orientations and gender expressions. At St. Ansgar we celebrate that diversity. It is evidenced in the warm and open welcome that all people get at our door, and for me the openness to diversity was solidified when the people of St. Ansgar voted unanimously to call me as an openly gay pastor. When Americans are surveyed about the church, about 90% of those under 30 use the term “anti-gay” to describe their understanding of what church is. They have good reason to feel this way, as the church has historically been horrible towards GLBTQ people. For me, it is so important that the Pride parade include faith communities as a show of support for all the children of God regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity and expression.                          

Becky

I’ve been involved in St. Ansgar’s openness to the GLBT community since church council started talking about adopting our statement of welcome. This year will be my third year marching behind St. Ansgar’s beautiful banner in the Southern Maine Pride Parade. Why? I have asked myself that several times over the years.

I think my first answer came from Pastor Bill around the table in the church library. It’s simply a social justice issue. Whether someone is a divorced straight woman like me or one with a gender identity different from me, she should have the same rights as I do to worship God without judgment, to express affection for the one she loves without fear of stares or violence, and to have the family relationship that she desires without outside interference. It’s a bit cliché, but I strongly believe that justice for some is justice for none. There it was. I had my answer.

Then I spent time reflecting about my mom after she passed away. I spent a lot of time thinking about the incredible women that raised me. She taught me that you should love someone even if you don’t understand them. She taught me that you should give your time and support to people even if you don’t know them yet. She taught me to see that there is good in everyone. She taught me that the best way to worship God and thank him for his many blessings is to treat people with love and grace. Then one night when I was missing her dearly, I pulled her marked-up bible off the shelf. All of a sudden, I realized that, although my mom was a wonderful woman, she didn’t come up with this on her own! All of these lessons are right there in the bible as Jesus’ teachings and actions. So the second answer to why I’m involved in St. Ansgar’s welcome to the GLBT community is because my mom and, as the old Sunday School songs goes, “the bible tells me so.”

_________________
Images courtesy of St. Ansgar Lutheran Church