June 2021 Newsletter
Interview with Jamie Ulrich for Pride Month
Jamie Ulrich (she/her/hers) is a candidate for Word and Sacrament ministry in the SWPA Synod. She has just finished her second year at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, and will begin her internship at Epiphany Lutheran Church in Pickerington, Ohio in the fall. Jamie is a member of Bethlehem, Glenshaw. This conversation between Jamie and Pastor Kerri Clark has been edited for clarity and length.
So, you shared that you identify as a bisexual woman. When did you come out, and what was that experience like?
I started to come out to my loved ones in the fall of 2018. It was a really important time for me and my life. I came out as a result of getting into a relationship, and so it was kind of like, “I guess it’s time to tell people how I really feel!” It’s something I had known for a good while, probably since high school, and obviously I started small - I started with my parents, and told my friends, and then started telling extended family, and everyone was really, really supportive. I have a very positive coming out story and I know that that is very much a privilege because not everyone has that experience. It was very much a process, for me and for my family and my friends, because I didn’t know what exactly I identified as right away. I just knew that there was some degree of attraction to more than just one gender. For me, it was a process of learning to accept what I had hidden away for a long time, and to be able to talk to other people about it, to talk to my family and my loved ones about it was really such a blessing, honestly, to finally feel like I was able to really be myself authentically.
What do you wish people knew about being LGBTQ+ and Christian?
Even though it brings about its own challenges, it’s not impossible the way some people think. Obviously I feel like God loves and calls all of us God’s beloved children, and so I think there’s something really meaningful about how specifically the LGBTQ+ community has been named and chosen and is called beloved by God, even though we’re different. Something I’ve learned over the years is that even though we certainly face challenges in the church and in society at large, at the end of the day we have a very, very loving God, and we were made this way on purpose. God makes us all in God’s image very intentionally, and I believe that all of us are deeply loved by our creator.
What advice would you give to LGBTQ+ kids and teens who are struggling with their faith?
I would encourage kids and teens who are queer who are struggling with their faith to look for resources that are available to them. There is so much out there right now that combines the worlds of sexuality and spirituality. The younger generations are so incredible when it comes to celebrating diversity. I think about people like Rebekah Bruesehoff, the ELCA transgender child who is doing incredible advocacy work and explains how much she loves the church but also is super confident in her identity as a transgender girl. That is just really incredible and that inspires me, so I can only imagine how inspiring that would be to other kids and young people who are having similar experiences.
What advice would you give a congregation about how to best support LGBTQ+ people?
I think the biggest thing is to be as inclusive and as welcoming as possible, and to mean it. When you say “all are welcome” you need to actually mean that all means all. That’s super important, and unfortunately we don’t see that in all of our churches. People like to throw that phrase around that “all are welcome,” but then the minute someone who is queer actually starts showing up, they don’t feel super welcome. So I think it’s about walking the walk and following through on the inclusivity that we proclaim and the words that we’re saying. It requires action.
What does justice look like for LGBTQ+ people?
I think justice and equity really go hand-in-hand. The biggest thing that members of the LGBTQ+ community want is to be treated fairly. We want the same human rights that everybody else has. I think that something that’s really important when it comes to that is good allyship - having people that are on our side, because us members of the community, we’re strong, we can stick up for ourselves, but I think justice really looks like when we have other people also advocating for our rights, and willing to put some skin in the game, and following your words with actions, and actually showing up and stepping up for queer siblings is the most important thing you can do. That’s the biggest way to show us we’re really welcomed and cared for and loved is to stick up for us when we need it.
Anything else you want to share with our readers?
I just found out recently that less than 10% of ELCA congregations are Reconciling in Christ at this point, so I want to emphasize that we still have a lot of work to do. I feel like we have this almost false sense of how inclusive and welcoming the church is becoming, which, it is, but even though we are getting more inclusive and more churches are voting to become RIC congregations, there’s still a lot of work to be done. 9% is not enough. We need to keep going.
Reconciling in Christ
Thank you to Pastor Ross Carmichael for providing the following information.
Since 1983, the Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Program has been a public way for faith communities to see, name, celebrate, and advocate for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions in the Lutheran church.
RIC Partners Public Commitments:
Your community explicitly states a welcome to people of “all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions” or “LGBTQIA+” and names its commitment to "racial equity" or "anti-racism" in its welcome statement.
Open to calling an LGBTQIA+ and Black, Brown, Indigenous, Person of Color (BIPOC) Rostered Leader.
Will allow community space/sanctuary to be used for LGBTQIA+ weddings and blessings.
Will make a meaningful contribution annually to support the national RIC program.
There are currently five RIC congregations and one RIC service organization in the SWPA Synod:
St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Pittsburgh (Shadyside)
304 Morewood Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412.682.3342
St_andrewELCA@verizon.net
http://www.standrewpittsburgh.org/
St. John’s Lutheran Church, North Versailles
715 Lincoln Highway
North Versailles, PA 15137
412.824.0277
stjohnsnvoffice@gmail.com
http://www.stjohnsnorthversailles.com/
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Pleasant Hills
400 Old Clairton Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15236
412.655.2168
poplcph@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/POPLutheranPH/
Holy Angels Lutheran Church, Wilmerding
201 Caldwell Avenue
Wilmerding, PA 15148
412.823.5175
Holyangels15148@aol.com
https://holyangelswilmerding.wordpress.com/
Perry Highway Lutheran Church, Wexford
11403 Perry Highway
Wexford, PA 15090
724.935.1226
secretary@phlc.org
http://phlc.org/
Glade Run Lutheran Services
30 Glade Run Drive
Zelienople, PA 16063
724.452.4453
contact@gladerun.org
https://gladerun.org/
Congregations seeking to take the first steps toward becoming RIC can access a variety of resources at the ReconcilingWorks website. These include a Faith Community Assessment Survey to help ascertain a congregation’s readiness and an appropriate timeline for the process; Frequently Asked Questions; resources (online or print) with introductions to basic terms around sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and support for LGBTQIA+ youth and their families; a Building an Inclusive Church toolkit; and links to periodic online training sessions, including the Building an Inclusive Church training, which leads a congregation through intentional steps of the process toward becoming a Reconciling in Christ congregation.
Congregations in the SWPA Synod that are already designated as RIC come together as the Pittsburgh chapter of ReconcilingWorks. The group meets semi-regularly to share in conversation and community and to plan additional outreach and educational events. Anyone interested in learning more about becoming a Reconciling in Christ congregation is invited to contact the local chapter at rwpittsburgh@gmail.com. A representative would be happy to speak with you and answer questions, provide appropriate resources, and connect you with someone to accompany your congregation through the process. The group will also have a booth at Millvale Pride on Saturday, June 26, from 12:00-4:00 pm (518 Grant Avenue, Millvale, PA 15209) if you would like to stop by and meet people from our synod’s RIC congregations!
Service of rededication
Bethel AME Church is the oldest Black church in Pittsburgh, organized in 1808. In the 1950s, the land where Bethel's building stood was taken through eminent domain for the construction of the Civic Arena. Now, the Penguins organization is collaborating with the congregation of Bethel AME to provide reparations and rededicate a portion of land in the new Lower Hill development to something connected with the church.
Join the community of Bethel AME for a rededication worship service on Saturday, June 19 at noon, in the parking lot across from PPG Paints Arena (Centre Ave. side).
Juneteenth
Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19, is the anniversary of the date in 1865 that news of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was finally announced (and enforced) in Texas by Union army General Gordon Granger.
On Saturday, June 19, 3pm the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh invites the community to an ecumenical prayer witness of lament and repentance at The Fence in East Liberty (across Centre Avenue from the East Liberty Target, 6231 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206), in commemoration of Juneteenth and the third anniversary of the death of Antwon Rose. The theme will be "A Station of the Cross: Pray Their Names!"
Emanuel Nine Commemoration
Documentary and conversation
Watch the Emanuel documentary on your own - more information about the film and where to watch it.
Join the AD&J Team for conversation via Zoom on Wednesday, June 16 at 7pm or Thursday, June 17 at 1pm.
Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83973713751
By phone: Dial 301-715-8592, meeting ID: 839 7371 3751
Worship Resources
As part of the 2019 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, voting members adopted a resolution designating June 17 as a commemoration of the martyrdom of the Emanuel 9—the nine people shot and killed on June 17, 2015, during a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
To mark this commemoration, these resources from the ELCA can be adapted for use in your congregation, online conversation, or individual reflection and devotion.