News from the Gay, Lesbian, and Affirming Disciples Alliance
Strategic Action Ministry Team Works to Set Agenda and Build Team
The newly appointed co-leaders of the Strategic Action Ministry Team have begun
to set an agenda for the future work of the team. Co-leaders Rev. Margeaux May of
Indianapolis, IN, and
Rev. Allen Harris of Cleveland, OH, are working to build the team and set the vision for the team.
Margeaux and Allen have been working to identify the needs of LGBT persons in the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) which the Strategic Action Ministry Team
can address and to outline strategies for meeting these needs. Currently, these initiatives and strategies, still in the planning stages, include:
- To seek full inclusion of bisexual and transgender members in GLAD itself, in GLAD's
Strategic Action Ministry Team, and in Strategic Action Ministry Team initiatives;
to seek great gender, racial, and ethnic diversity within GLAD; and to work with
allied justice organizations for full inclusion of bisexual and transgender as well
as lesbian and gay members.
- To address the bullying in public schools of LGBT youth and call the church
no longer to remain silent.
- To call the church to speak the gospel of love and inclusion to Christian parents who turn their LGBT children away from their homes.
- To address ordination issues for LGBT persons in the Christian church, ensuring
that ordination is open for all regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. To begin, the team proposes to identify which regions show most potential for open ordination and concentrate efforts there. One proposed strategy is to work
to place allies in key positions on regional commissions on the ministry.
- To research the inequities of the insurance and pension provisions of
the Christian Church and formulate a strategy to address any inequities found.
- To explore collaboration with The Disciples Peace Fellowship (DPF) and The Disciples Justice Action Network (DJAN) in our efforts
for full LGBT inclusion.
- To explore alliances with racial and ethnic constituency groups within the Christian
Church. This may include National Convocation (African American ministries), North American Pacific Asian Disciples, Obra Hispana (Hispanic ministries), and others.
- To explore how our members are involved in local and state LGBT coalitions and local politics. The Strategic Action Ministry Team believes that there
is nothing quite so influential as faith-based LGBT groups and allies advocating for our rights locally. To begin work in this direction, the team will explore
working with GLAD's Support and Advocacy Ministry Team to establish more local GLAD
chapters. The team believes that there is great potential in exploring and developing this realm.
- To evaluate thoroughly our present “State of Liberation” within the Christian
Church and report, along with recommendations for actions.
- To work with the teams and chapters of GLAD and offer direction, leadership, and support to achieve GLAD's vision of a just, inclusive church.
This is not a final list, nor a complete list. Allen and Margeaux are working
to build the team, a team of people who may have the time, energy, and inspiration
to work on one or more of these issues, or who may help the team to see other needs.
If you have any comments for the team, suggestions for initiatives or strategies,
and especially if you have an interest in being a member of the team - or if you
just want more information about how the ministry teams operate and where you might
fit in - send an e-mail to glad@gladalliance.org.