Features
Equality in the Kingdom
Equality in
the Kingdom
"Open
& Affirming" Spreads in Northeast Vermont
by Stacey Horn
When
the Vermont Conference of the United Church of Christ voted in 2002 to
be "Open and Affirming," it was a bold step for the largest
Protestant denomination in the state. It was a declaration of equality
for all parishioners, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
members.
Then came the wait to see whether
and how many individual congregations would follow suit. As of press time,
16 (10 percent) have voted to identify as "Open and Affirming."
The next church to consider such a
declaration is in the heart of the Northeast Kingdom, not known as the
most gay-friendly area of Vermont.
Members of North Congregational Church in
St. Johnsbury will vote on whether to become Open and Affirming at their
annual meeting in March. Pastor Jay Sprout expects the outcome to be positive.
Surveys of the congregation and meetings over the past year have shown
almost unanimous support, but Sprout conceded that those attending the
meetings "were strongly in favor of the issue," and that dissenters
may have opted not to participate.
Sprout does not expect, however, that North
Church will lose members over this issue. He said that the church has
been moving toward greater inclusiveness over the past several years,
and although "there have been a few losses, we've experienced many
gains." The church's membership has remained steady at around 259
for the past three years. According to Sprout, the choice to become Open
and Affirming is consistent with North Church's theology, and some members
have expressed concern that "unless you make a stand that specifically
states you're welcoming, a lot of people are going to associate you with
the rejecting side of the church."
If North Church votes to become Open and
Affirming, Sprout explained, the church will adopt a statement that welcomes
all people "to participate in every opportunity to worship and serve
God." Sprout added, "We intentionally worded it in such a way
to not exclude the pulpit," though he said that considering a gay
pastor "would raise the question in new dimensions" for members
of North Church.
"We are hoping to have 20 [Open and
Affirming] churches by the end of this year. At the moment we have just
one in the Northeast Kingdom," said Rev. Arnold Thomas, the Vermont
Conference Minister for the United Church of Christ. That one is the Danville
Congregational Church. And, by the way, its pastor is a gay man. Reverend
James Llewellyn explained that the church, which became Open and Affirming
in February of 2002, did not set out to hire a gay pastor: "The search
committee told me, 'We set out to hire the best person for the job. He
turned out to be gay.'" Llewellyn became pastor of Danville Congregational
in August of 2003. After completing seminary, Llewellyn identified himself
as a gay man on the profile he sent to approximately 400 churches. He
interviewed with about half a dozen. Llewellyn speculated, "If I
had not disclosed on the profile I would have gotten more responses."
Rev. Llewellyn and his partner were joined
in civil union days after moving to Vermont and now reside in the parsonage
in Danville. They had already had a commitment ceremony in their previous
home of Oakland, California. The move to rural Vermont has been an adjustment,
but, Llewellyn said, "for a little church in the hills of Vermont
in a very conservative area, Danville is quite surprising."
According to Llewellyn, Danville's semi-isolation
has actually made its citizens more likely to accept difference. He explained,
"Until recently, if the community shunned you, it was difficult to
survive" in the harsh, sparsely populated Northeast Kingdom. "When
families had children that turned out to be gay, they weren't shunned."
There would have been no nearby towns or cities for them to go to. "This
has created a situation here where the gay people haven't left,"
Llewellyn said, making it impossible to "live under the assumption
that there are no gay people in town."
With 156 active members, Danville Congregational
Church is the largest in town (population 2100). It maintains strong ecumenical
relationships with nearby churches of other denominations, collaborating
on events and activities such as Vacation Bible School, a thrift store,
and a food shelf. According to Llewellyn, members of Danville Congregational
have an "openness to new ideas" that is reflected in their theology
and social action.
And, soon, Danville Congregational
may be joined by another Open and Affirming voice in the Kingdom.
Stacey Horn teaches at Champlain College and is active in the Presbyterian
Church.