Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Many Voices part 2





Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































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About
Five-year roadmap toward justice

Video campaign

Media










Our team




The board

Financial support

Organizational background




Governance & finance documents

Contact us

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



About

As a Black church movement for gay and transgender justice, we envision a community that embraces the diversity of the human family and ensures that all are treated with love, compassion, and justice.
Black gay and transgender people are too often case studies in discrimination, shame, hardship, insecurity and isolation.
Job insecurity and other financial threats, lack of legal protections, discrimination in employment and housing, heightened violence due to gender non-conformity—all these and more can be a daily reality. The Black church, historically a crucible for social change, has been strangely silent and unavailable to confront or address the inequalities and injustices experienced by LGBT people and their families.
Many Voices envisions a Black church and community that embrace the diversity of the human family and ensures that all are treated with love, compassion, and justice.
To fulfill that vision, we are transforming the inaccurate narrative that the entire Black church is negative.
We raise the voices of Black gay and transgender Christians who, despite rejection and condemnation, contribute so much.
And we equip and bring forward influential Black leaders to demonstrate that support for LGBT equality and justice is deeply rooted in the Black religious experience and entirely consistent with being Christian.
Once the narrative of a monolithic church has been repudiated, the silence will be broken, allowing space for a new, thoughtful dialogue about fairness, equality, and justice for everyone.
How will we get there? Coming soon: Our five-year roadmap. Watch for it.
Become one of the many voices that are speaking for love and justice!
Take the next step and make a donation here.

*Many Voices is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
Tax ID: 45-4613506
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  


http://www.manyvoices.org/about/












Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































Facebook

Tumblr

Twitter

YouTube

Vimeo

Pinterest

RSS Feed

Email

Shopping Cart

Search for:
 
  
Join our mailing list
  
 

About
Five-year roadmap toward justice

Video campaign

Media










Our team




The board

Financial support

Organizational background




Governance & finance documents

Contact us

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



About

As a Black church movement for gay and transgender justice, we envision a community that embraces the diversity of the human family and ensures that all are treated with love, compassion, and justice.
Black gay and transgender people are too often case studies in discrimination, shame, hardship, insecurity and isolation.
Job insecurity and other financial threats, lack of legal protections, discrimination in employment and housing, heightened violence due to gender non-conformity—all these and more can be a daily reality. The Black church, historically a crucible for social change, has been strangely silent and unavailable to confront or address the inequalities and injustices experienced by LGBT people and their families.
Many Voices envisions a Black church and community that embrace the diversity of the human family and ensures that all are treated with love, compassion, and justice.
To fulfill that vision, we are transforming the inaccurate narrative that the entire Black church is negative.
We raise the voices of Black gay and transgender Christians who, despite rejection and condemnation, contribute so much.
And we equip and bring forward influential Black leaders to demonstrate that support for LGBT equality and justice is deeply rooted in the Black religious experience and entirely consistent with being Christian.
Once the narrative of a monolithic church has been repudiated, the silence will be broken, allowing space for a new, thoughtful dialogue about fairness, equality, and justice for everyone.
How will we get there? Coming soon: Our five-year roadmap. Watch for it.
Become one of the many voices that are speaking for love and justice!
Take the next step and make a donation here.

*Many Voices is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
Tax ID: 45-4613506
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  

http://www.manyvoices.org/about/













Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































Facebook

Tumblr

Twitter

YouTube

Vimeo

Pinterest

RSS Feed

Email

Shopping Cart

Search for:
 
  
Join our mailing list
  
 

How to Begin
Understanding what the Bible says

A conversation with your pastor

Learning about inclusion

Expressing the congregation’s welcome

Educating your congregation

Responding when someone comes out

Engaging your own faith tradition

Getting comfortable with voicing your concerns

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



How to Begin

Looking for guidance or have a specific question?
This section includes several issues that people frequently raise. Look here for more specific questions. If your question is not addressed, however, please ask here.
Throughout the site, you can also look for this icon that flags resources that are particularly useful to people just beginning their journey to becoming welcoming:


Explore this section on how to begin…

Understanding what the Bible says
Sacred texts inspire us, offer examples of journeying with God, help us to be faithful to God and to see the central message of God’s love in action.
Read More
Learning about inclusion
In some ways, the first lessons about inclusion are similar to the first lessons of learning a new language. We quickly realize that we can offend even when we mean to be welcoming.
Read More
Educating your congregation
Your first step is to identify the gap that—if filled —would allow the congregation to become truly inclusive and welcoming.
Read More
Engaging your own faith tradition
Welcome, inclusion, community, love and hospitality are found in each faith tradition, and Scriptures speak positively about God’s love for all.
Read More

A conversation with your pastor
You may be upset, you may feel newly inspired, you may have suffered in silence for a long, long time. Wherever you are, know that you’re in the perfect place.
Read More
Expressing the congregation’s welcome
Lori entered the sanctuary of Ellsworth Church. Greeted by warm handshakes and bright smiles, she wondered. “Is all of this love and warmth lasting….?”
Read More
Responding when someone comes out
When someone chooses to share the truth of their existence with you, it reflects their view that you are open and trustworthy. The good news is that you are not expected to have answers….
Read More
Getting comfortable voicing concerns
Lifting your voice may not require grand schemes and extensive planning. Simply say what is true for you in your own way. Many Voices can help you with resources to make that difference.
Read More


    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/how-to-begin/












Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































Facebook

Tumblr

Twitter

YouTube

Vimeo

Pinterest

RSS Feed

Email

Shopping Cart

Search for:
 
  
Join our mailing list
  
 

How to Begin
Understanding what the Bible says

A conversation with your pastor

Learning about inclusion

Expressing the congregation’s welcome

Educating your congregation

Responding when someone comes out

Engaging your own faith tradition

Getting comfortable with voicing your concerns

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



How to Begin

Looking for guidance or have a specific question?
This section includes several issues that people frequently raise. Look here for more specific questions. If your question is not addressed, however, please ask here.
Throughout the site, you can also look for this icon that flags resources that are particularly useful to people just beginning their journey to becoming welcoming:


Explore this section on how to begin…

Understanding what the Bible says
Sacred texts inspire us, offer examples of journeying with God, help us to be faithful to God and to see the central message of God’s love in action.
Read More
Learning about inclusion
In some ways, the first lessons about inclusion are similar to the first lessons of learning a new language. We quickly realize that we can offend even when we mean to be welcoming.
Read More
Educating your congregation
Your first step is to identify the gap that—if filled —would allow the congregation to become truly inclusive and welcoming.
Read More
Engaging your own faith tradition
Welcome, inclusion, community, love and hospitality are found in each faith tradition, and Scriptures speak positively about God’s love for all.
Read More

A conversation with your pastor
You may be upset, you may feel newly inspired, you may have suffered in silence for a long, long time. Wherever you are, know that you’re in the perfect place.
Read More
Expressing the congregation’s welcome
Lori entered the sanctuary of Ellsworth Church. Greeted by warm handshakes and bright smiles, she wondered. “Is all of this love and warmth lasting….?”
Read More
Responding when someone comes out
When someone chooses to share the truth of their existence with you, it reflects their view that you are open and trustworthy. The good news is that you are not expected to have answers….
Read More
Getting comfortable voicing concerns
Lifting your voice may not require grand schemes and extensive planning. Simply say what is true for you in your own way. Many Voices can help you with resources to make that difference.
Read More


    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/how-to-begin/

















Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































Facebook

Tumblr

Twitter

YouTube

Vimeo

Pinterest

RSS Feed

Email

Shopping Cart

Search for:
 
  
Join our mailing list
  
 

How to Begin
Understanding what the Bible says

A conversation with your pastor

Learning about inclusion

Expressing the congregation’s welcome

Educating your congregation

Responding when someone comes out

Engaging your own faith tradition

Getting comfortable with voicing your concerns

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



Understanding what the Bible says

A few texts that have been used to deny the dignity and worth of gay and lesbian persons and wrongly presumed silence about transgender persons have caused great pain. Similarly, texts that have denied the full humanity and personhood of women, slaves, lepers, cultural and ethnic minorities have far too often been tools of exclusion.
The first question is how do we approach the Bible? We may come seeking simple answers… We may come with fixed ideas… We may come poised for an argument.
But remember, the Bible is bigger than any six or seven highlighted passages. It is more meaningful than tiny slices of scripture and proof-texting. It has greater impact than our favorite verses. We would have a richer experience by asking
• What is the point?
• What am I learning about God’s character?
• Am I confined by the short list or am I gaining a better understanding of the whole?
Here’s where to look for discussions of specific texts and more.
Sacred texts inspire us, offer examples of journeying with God, help us to be faithful to God and to see the central message of God’ love in action. We do not simply rely upon words on a page, but we live out the meaning in our relationships with others.  We should engage and read the holy writings and be open to the positive messages in the Bible, while acknowledging that there are problematic messages.
Most of us use the Bible in many different ways:
• for personal reflection,
• for congregational sharing/preaching,
• for group study and prayer,
• as the basis of tradition and denominational development.
In each use and reading of the Bible, it helps to consider
• The historical, social and cultural context at the time of the writing
• Our current time, knowledge and understandings
• Our culture, traditions and denominational affiliation
• Our personal experiences and beliefs
Listening for the Word of God is about remaining open to what God is doing now and discerning how you will respond. Certainly, God’s welcome is broader than we could ever imagine and too vast to be contained between book covers.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  


http://www.manyvoices.org/how-to-begin/understanding-what-the-bible-says/













Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































Facebook

Tumblr

Twitter

YouTube

Vimeo

Pinterest

RSS Feed

Email

Shopping Cart

Search for:
 
  
Join our mailing list
  
 

How to Begin
Understanding what the Bible says

A conversation with your pastor

Learning about inclusion

Expressing the congregation’s welcome

Educating your congregation

Responding when someone comes out

Engaging your own faith tradition

Getting comfortable with voicing your concerns

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



Understanding what the Bible says

A few texts that have been used to deny the dignity and worth of gay and lesbian persons and wrongly presumed silence about transgender persons have caused great pain. Similarly, texts that have denied the full humanity and personhood of women, slaves, lepers, cultural and ethnic minorities have far too often been tools of exclusion.
The first question is how do we approach the Bible? We may come seeking simple answers… We may come with fixed ideas… We may come poised for an argument.
But remember, the Bible is bigger than any six or seven highlighted passages. It is more meaningful than tiny slices of scripture and proof-texting. It has greater impact than our favorite verses. We would have a richer experience by asking
• What is the point?
• What am I learning about God’s character?
• Am I confined by the short list or am I gaining a better understanding of the whole?
Here’s where to look for discussions of specific texts and more.
Sacred texts inspire us, offer examples of journeying with God, help us to be faithful to God and to see the central message of God’ love in action. We do not simply rely upon words on a page, but we live out the meaning in our relationships with others.  We should engage and read the holy writings and be open to the positive messages in the Bible, while acknowledging that there are problematic messages.
Most of us use the Bible in many different ways:
• for personal reflection,
• for congregational sharing/preaching,
• for group study and prayer,
• as the basis of tradition and denominational development.
In each use and reading of the Bible, it helps to consider
• The historical, social and cultural context at the time of the writing
• Our current time, knowledge and understandings
• Our culture, traditions and denominational affiliation
• Our personal experiences and beliefs
Listening for the Word of God is about remaining open to what God is doing now and discerning how you will respond. Certainly, God’s welcome is broader than we could ever imagine and too vast to be contained between book covers.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter


Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/how-to-begin/understanding-what-the-bible-says/























Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































Facebook

Tumblr

Twitter

YouTube

Vimeo

Pinterest

RSS Feed

Email

Shopping Cart

Search for:
 
  
Join our mailing list
  
 

How to Begin
Understanding what the Bible says

A conversation with your pastor

Learning about inclusion

Expressing the congregation’s welcome

Educating your congregation

Responding when someone comes out

Engaging your own faith tradition

Getting comfortable with voicing your concerns

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



Understanding what the Bible says

A few texts that have been used to deny the dignity and worth of gay and lesbian persons and wrongly presumed silence about transgender persons have caused great pain. Similarly, texts that have denied the full humanity and personhood of women, slaves, lepers, cultural and ethnic minorities have far too often been tools of exclusion.
The first question is how do we approach the Bible? We may come seeking simple answers… We may come with fixed ideas… We may come poised for an argument.
But remember, the Bible is bigger than any six or seven highlighted passages. It is more meaningful than tiny slices of scripture and proof-texting. It has greater impact than our favorite verses. We would have a richer experience by asking
• What is the point?
• What am I learning about God’s character?
• Am I confined by the short list or am I gaining a better understanding of the whole?
Here’s where to look for discussions of specific texts and more.
Sacred texts inspire us, offer examples of journeying with God, help us to be faithful to God and to see the central message of God’ love in action. We do not simply rely upon words on a page, but we live out the meaning in our relationships with others.  We should engage and read the holy writings and be open to the positive messages in the Bible, while acknowledging that there are problematic messages.
Most of us use the Bible in many different ways:
• for personal reflection,
• for congregational sharing/preaching,
• for group study and prayer,
• as the basis of tradition and denominational development.
In each use and reading of the Bible, it helps to consider
• The historical, social and cultural context at the time of the writing
• Our current time, knowledge and understandings
• Our culture, traditions and denominational affiliation
• Our personal experiences and beliefs
Listening for the Word of God is about remaining open to what God is doing now and discerning how you will respond. Certainly, God’s welcome is broader than we could ever imagine and too vast to be contained between book covers.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  

http://www.manyvoices.org/how-to-begin/understanding-what-the-bible-says/

















Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































Facebook

Tumblr

Twitter

YouTube

Vimeo

Pinterest

RSS Feed

Email

Shopping Cart

Search for:
 
  
Join our mailing list
  
 

How to Begin
Understanding what the Bible says

A conversation with your pastor

Learning about inclusion

Expressing the congregation’s welcome

Educating your congregation

Responding when someone comes out

Engaging your own faith tradition

Getting comfortable with voicing your concerns

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



Understanding what the Bible says

A few texts that have been used to deny the dignity and worth of gay and lesbian persons and wrongly presumed silence about transgender persons have caused great pain. Similarly, texts that have denied the full humanity and personhood of women, slaves, lepers, cultural and ethnic minorities have far too often been tools of exclusion.
The first question is how do we approach the Bible? We may come seeking simple answers… We may come with fixed ideas… We may come poised for an argument.
But remember, the Bible is bigger than any six or seven highlighted passages. It is more meaningful than tiny slices of scripture and proof-texting. It has greater impact than our favorite verses. We would have a richer experience by asking
• What is the point?
• What am I learning about God’s character?
• Am I confined by the short list or am I gaining a better understanding of the whole?
Here’s where to look for discussions of specific texts and more.
Sacred texts inspire us, offer examples of journeying with God, help us to be faithful to God and to see the central message of God’ love in action. We do not simply rely upon words on a page, but we live out the meaning in our relationships with others.  We should engage and read the holy writings and be open to the positive messages in the Bible, while acknowledging that there are problematic messages.
Most of us use the Bible in many different ways:
• for personal reflection,
• for congregational sharing/preaching,
• for group study and prayer,
• as the basis of tradition and denominational development.
In each use and reading of the Bible, it helps to consider
• The historical, social and cultural context at the time of the writing
• Our current time, knowledge and understandings
• Our culture, traditions and denominational affiliation
• Our personal experiences and beliefs
Listening for the Word of God is about remaining open to what God is doing now and discerning how you will respond. Certainly, God’s welcome is broader than we could ever imagine and too vast to be contained between book covers.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  


http://www.manyvoices.org/how-to-begin/understanding-what-the-bible-says/
















Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































Facebook

Tumblr

Twitter

YouTube

Vimeo

Pinterest

RSS Feed

Email

Shopping Cart

Search for:
 
  
Join our mailing list
  
 

How to Begin
Understanding what the Bible says

A conversation with your pastor

Learning about inclusion

Expressing the congregation’s welcome

Educating your congregation

Responding when someone comes out

Engaging your own faith tradition

Getting comfortable with voicing your concerns

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



A conversation with your pastor

Thank you for considering how to speak with your pastor about expanding the congregation’s welcome and inclusion.


You may be upset about something that’s happened—or not happened.
You may feel newly inspired by the possibilities of a breakthrough to new wholeness in your congregation.
You may have suffered in silence for a long, long time.
Wherever you are, know that you’re in the perfect place. Lifting your voice could be key to greater inclusion.
Before beginning a conversation…
Think about what you know about this person.
• Perhaps your pastor hasn’t ever spoken from the pulpit about including everyone along the full spectrum of sexual orientation or gender identity.
• Perhaps you’ve heard proud declarations of welcome for everyone, but you’ve also heard condemnations or you still have questions about where the pastor stands.
• Within your worship community, you may have endured expressions of inequality and discrimination against persons who are gay or transgender.
Consider as well that a pastor’s reluctance to raise the issue is not necessarily a sign of opposition. Pastors often wonder how their congregations will react if they take a supportive stand: Will this conversation be too divisive? Will members disagree? Will they leave the church? Will they remove the pastor?
Your pastor may be waiting for the congregation to ask about welcome of gay or transgender people, and what the church is supposed to be.
Engaging in conversation with your pastor benefits everyone.
Very often, your own experience and perspective provide the best starting point.
• If you’re lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender yourself, or have close friends or family members who are, talk with the pastor about what it means—how hurtful it can be—that you or they are made invisible or condemned.
• Talk about your desire to see everyone involved, embraced, and fully included in the life of your congregation.
• Invite your pastor to think creatively with you about how to accomplish the kind of worship that reflects God’s diversity and expresses the welcome spoken about.
• Offer to help make this happen, offer your ideas as a starting point, and ask the pastor for ideas.
• Make clear that you and others will stand with the pastor to create a more open and welcome worshipping community.
If your pastor has been openly condemning…
You might consider sharing the effect of that condemnation on the young people in your faith community. Recent research suggests that not only are a significant number of youth in our churches questioning their orientation or gender identity, these youth are more likely to attempt or commit suicide when faced with pastoral condemnation. Many pastors are upset to learn that they may be causing such distress among the youth in their flock.
Remember, too, that many people in our churches, pastors included, were brought up to believe that the Bible is condemning, and they haven’t been introduced to alternative views of Scripture. Here is some material you could look through to see what might be useful to share with your own pastor.
For additional perspectives, please follow these links:
Dr. Obrey Hendricks Jr.,  Don’t Blame it on the Bible
Rev. Cedric A. Harmon, But I Know what the Bible Says
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  


http://www.manyvoices.org/how-to-begin/a-conversation-with-your-pastor/
























Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































Facebook

Tumblr

Twitter

YouTube

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How to Begin
Understanding what the Bible says

A conversation with your pastor

Learning about inclusion

Expressing the congregation’s welcome

Educating your congregation

Responding when someone comes out

Engaging your own faith tradition

Getting comfortable with voicing your concerns

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



A conversation with your pastor

Thank you for considering how to speak with your pastor about expanding the congregation’s welcome and inclusion.


You may be upset about something that’s happened—or not happened.
You may feel newly inspired by the possibilities of a breakthrough to new wholeness in your congregation.
You may have suffered in silence for a long, long time.
Wherever you are, know that you’re in the perfect place. Lifting your voice could be key to greater inclusion.
Before beginning a conversation…
Think about what you know about this person.
• Perhaps your pastor hasn’t ever spoken from the pulpit about including everyone along the full spectrum of sexual orientation or gender identity.
• Perhaps you’ve heard proud declarations of welcome for everyone, but you’ve also heard condemnations or you still have questions about where the pastor stands.
• Within your worship community, you may have endured expressions of inequality and discrimination against persons who are gay or transgender.
Consider as well that a pastor’s reluctance to raise the issue is not necessarily a sign of opposition. Pastors often wonder how their congregations will react if they take a supportive stand: Will this conversation be too divisive? Will members disagree? Will they leave the church? Will they remove the pastor?
Your pastor may be waiting for the congregation to ask about welcome of gay or transgender people, and what the church is supposed to be.
Engaging in conversation with your pastor benefits everyone.
Very often, your own experience and perspective provide the best starting point.
• If you’re lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender yourself, or have close friends or family members who are, talk with the pastor about what it means—how hurtful it can be—that you or they are made invisible or condemned.
• Talk about your desire to see everyone involved, embraced, and fully included in the life of your congregation.
• Invite your pastor to think creatively with you about how to accomplish the kind of worship that reflects God’s diversity and expresses the welcome spoken about.
• Offer to help make this happen, offer your ideas as a starting point, and ask the pastor for ideas.
• Make clear that you and others will stand with the pastor to create a more open and welcome worshipping community.
If your pastor has been openly condemning…
You might consider sharing the effect of that condemnation on the young people in your faith community. Recent research suggests that not only are a significant number of youth in our churches questioning their orientation or gender identity, these youth are more likely to attempt or commit suicide when faced with pastoral condemnation. Many pastors are upset to learn that they may be causing such distress among the youth in their flock.
Remember, too, that many people in our churches, pastors included, were brought up to believe that the Bible is condemning, and they haven’t been introduced to alternative views of Scripture. Here is some material you could look through to see what might be useful to share with your own pastor.
For additional perspectives, please follow these links:
Dr. Obrey Hendricks Jr.,  Don’t Blame it on the Bible
Rev. Cedric A. Harmon, But I Know what the Bible Says
    



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How to Begin
Understanding what the Bible says

A conversation with your pastor

Learning about inclusion

Expressing the congregation’s welcome

Educating your congregation

Responding when someone comes out

Engaging your own faith tradition

Getting comfortable with voicing your concerns

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



Learning about inclusion




Your desire to be welcoming and include all persons in the life and ministry of your church is a fantastic starting place. No one should be locked out of worship.
In some ways, the first lessons about inclusion are similar to the first lessons of learning a new language. We quickly realize that we can offend even when we mean to be welcoming.
Inclusion requires intention.
Using resources at Many Voices will enable you to open up worship spaces to fully involve every person in the experience of community. As you do so, the possibility of justice unfolds. Every time you reach beyond boundaries, break down walls of division, and remove hindrances to welcome based on gender, sexuality, race or any other difference in places of worship, you expand equality and eliminate exclusion.
One way to begin is to embrace the emphasis on hospitality that permeates the Bible and is demonstrated in the stories of Jesus’ compassion. We can draw inspiration from sacred texts: Loving God with heart, strength, soul and mind; and neighbor as yourself.
You'll find that expanding welcome in your place of worship creates a warm environment inside and promotes a positive view of your faith tradition externally. Your congregation may begin to attract those who feel alienated. As persons of every sexual orientation and gender identity participate fully in the life of the congregation, the richness of the worship deepens.
In inclusive spaces, people who are already members of the congregation may experience new freedom to be open and honest about who they are. When barriers and conditions of acceptance are removed, parents and loved ones willingly extend invitations to all.
    



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©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  

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How to Begin
Understanding what the Bible says

A conversation with your pastor

Learning about inclusion

Expressing the congregation’s welcome

Educating your congregation

Responding when someone comes out

Engaging your own faith tradition

Getting comfortable with voicing your concerns

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



Learning about inclusion




Your desire to be welcoming and include all persons in the life and ministry of your church is a fantastic starting place. No one should be locked out of worship.
In some ways, the first lessons about inclusion are similar to the first lessons of learning a new language. We quickly realize that we can offend even when we mean to be welcoming.
Inclusion requires intention.
Using resources at Many Voices will enable you to open up worship spaces to fully involve every person in the experience of community. As you do so, the possibility of justice unfolds. Every time you reach beyond boundaries, break down walls of division, and remove hindrances to welcome based on gender, sexuality, race or any other difference in places of worship, you expand equality and eliminate exclusion.
One way to begin is to embrace the emphasis on hospitality that permeates the Bible and is demonstrated in the stories of Jesus’ compassion. We can draw inspiration from sacred texts: Loving God with heart, strength, soul and mind; and neighbor as yourself.
You'll find that expanding welcome in your place of worship creates a warm environment inside and promotes a positive view of your faith tradition externally. Your congregation may begin to attract those who feel alienated. As persons of every sexual orientation and gender identity participate fully in the life of the congregation, the richness of the worship deepens.
In inclusive spaces, people who are already members of the congregation may experience new freedom to be open and honest about who they are. When barriers and conditions of acceptance are removed, parents and loved ones willingly extend invitations to all.
    



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3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  

http://www.manyvoices.org/how-to-begin/learning-about-inclusion/











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How to Begin
Understanding what the Bible says

A conversation with your pastor

Learning about inclusion

Expressing the congregation’s welcome

Educating your congregation

Responding when someone comes out

Engaging your own faith tradition

Getting comfortable with voicing your concerns

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



Expressing the congregation’s welcome

How does welcome look and feel?


Lori entered the sanctuary of Ellsworth Church greeted by warm handshakes and bright smiles.
As she took her seat six rows from the chancel area, she wondered. “Is all of this love and warmth lasting, or is it based on the assumption that every one is or should be heterosexual?”
•The melodies and lyrics of great music enlightened and soothed her.
•Words of love and mutuality encouraged her.
•Readings and the sermon inspired her.
It wasn’t until she stood at the exit about to greet the Pastor that it dawned on her: There are families of every combination, the greeters are male partners of different races, the pastor is a married heterosexual woman, the first reader is a lesbian woman, and the choir is peppered with transgender women and men.
Lori thanked the pastor for a lovely worship and the palpable inclusion. “No,” she thought, “this wasn’t surface, it was real welcome.”
Share the joy
There is no one way or cookie-cutter method to express authentic hospitality. Welcome should reflect the culture and style of your church. However, it should be experienced and felt throughout the entire congregation and the worship.
Take full advantage of community events to exhibit your inclusiveness. Festivals, walks, marches, block parties and Pride events are perfect opportunities to publicly acknowledge your welcome of all people.
Greeters should be comfortable with difference and engage people to help establish a positive experience for your guests at the outset.
• Has your church included persons of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity in leading worship?
• Are there clear representations of your welcome in the liturgy – each time you gather and not just for special occasions?
Raise awareness in the congregation about the injustices, discrimination and rejection experienced by persons because of difference. Integrate acceptance, hospitality and welcome into sermons, prayers and even bulletins. All of these steps will support understanding throughout your church. Remember, as you extend welcome you may find existing members feeling fully visible in ways they had not been before.
Welcome is for everyone and can be expressed by everyone. Use the Resources tab above to search this site for children’s sermons, adult and children’s curricula and other resources to aid you in creating a welcoming environment from pulpit to exit and beyond.
    



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3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  



http://www.manyvoices.org/how-to-begin/expressing-the-congregations-welcome/














Many Voices
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How to Begin
Understanding what the Bible says

A conversation with your pastor

Learning about inclusion

Expressing the congregation’s welcome

Educating your congregation

Responding when someone comes out

Engaging your own faith tradition

Getting comfortable with voicing your concerns

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



Expressing the congregation’s welcome

How does welcome look and feel?


Lori entered the sanctuary of Ellsworth Church greeted by warm handshakes and bright smiles.
As she took her seat six rows from the chancel area, she wondered. “Is all of this love and warmth lasting, or is it based on the assumption that every one is or should be heterosexual?”
•The melodies and lyrics of great music enlightened and soothed her.
•Words of love and mutuality encouraged her.
•Readings and the sermon inspired her.
It wasn’t until she stood at the exit about to greet the Pastor that it dawned on her: There are families of every combination, the greeters are male partners of different races, the pastor is a married heterosexual woman, the first reader is a lesbian woman, and the choir is peppered with transgender women and men.
Lori thanked the pastor for a lovely worship and the palpable inclusion. “No,” she thought, “this wasn’t surface, it was real welcome.”
Share the joy
There is no one way or cookie-cutter method to express authentic hospitality. Welcome should reflect the culture and style of your church. However, it should be experienced and felt throughout the entire congregation and the worship.
Take full advantage of community events to exhibit your inclusiveness. Festivals, walks, marches, block parties and Pride events are perfect opportunities to publicly acknowledge your welcome of all people.
Greeters should be comfortable with difference and engage people to help establish a positive experience for your guests at the outset.
• Has your church included persons of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity in leading worship?
• Are there clear representations of your welcome in the liturgy – each time you gather and not just for special occasions?
Raise awareness in the congregation about the injustices, discrimination and rejection experienced by persons because of difference. Integrate acceptance, hospitality and welcome into sermons, prayers and even bulletins. All of these steps will support understanding throughout your church. Remember, as you extend welcome you may find existing members feeling fully visible in ways they had not been before.
Welcome is for everyone and can be expressed by everyone. Use the Resources tab above to search this site for children’s sermons, adult and children’s curricula and other resources to aid you in creating a welcoming environment from pulpit to exit and beyond.
    



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Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  



http://www.manyvoices.org/how-to-begin/expressing-the-congregations-welcome/





Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
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 Get Involved































































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How to Begin
Understanding what the Bible says

A conversation with your pastor

Learning about inclusion

Expressing the congregation’s welcome

Educating your congregation

Responding when someone comes out

Engaging your own faith tradition

Getting comfortable with voicing your concerns

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



Educating your congregation



Questions to ask
• Is there room for new learning and understanding of the role of scripture?
• Can we comfortably speak about sexuality and sex at our church?
• What more can we say about hospitality and welcome? What more can we do to be more welcoming?
• How are sexual orientation and gender matters of justice?
Consider opening up the conversation within your place of worship with friends you already know are asking questions like these. Start your process of engagement where you are as a congregation. Do not be concerned with large numbers —a small group of committed people can make a difference.
Why are we talking about this?
Some in your community of faith may feel that too much time has already been spent discussing gay and lesbian issues. Part of the education is helping them recognize themselves in this discussion. Think about creating space for honest dialogue.  Everyone suffers when part of community is isolated and made to feel unwelcome; breaking through the silence invites truth-telling.
A central issue for our faith
You have the opportunity to demonstrate and share why this is a central faith issue. Care for our neighbors, love of all families, and refusal of isolation, hurt, oppression and marginalization—all of these are the work of justice.
Be mindful to partner with others in your local congregation and within your denomination and faith tradition to increase the tools you have and keep the conversation relevant to your community. Sharing the resolutions and directives that already support full inclusion will be fresh news to some in your church.
Educational resources, like the Circles of Sexuality, on Many Voices can help everyone see themselves as part of this journey. There are stories on this site from members of congregations like yours and from pastors whose faith has deepened as a result of boldly raising their voices.
As this educating and learning takes place, your worshipping community will be reminded that openness and inclusion are core values of Christian faith. New opportunities for inclusion of all in the life and mission of your congregation can emerge. Dialogue and discussion that are open and non-threatening present chances for deep sharing and deeper understanding.
Click here for more information and details on educating your faith community.
    



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Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  



http://www.manyvoices.org/how-to-begin/educating-your-congregation/












Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
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 Get Involved































































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How to Begin
Understanding what the Bible says

A conversation with your pastor

Learning about inclusion

Expressing the congregation’s welcome

Educating your congregation

Responding when someone comes out

Engaging your own faith tradition

Getting comfortable with voicing your concerns

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



Educating your congregation



Questions to ask
• Is there room for new learning and understanding of the role of scripture?
• Can we comfortably speak about sexuality and sex at our church?
• What more can we say about hospitality and welcome? What more can we do to be more welcoming?
• How are sexual orientation and gender matters of justice?
Consider opening up the conversation within your place of worship with friends you already know are asking questions like these. Start your process of engagement where you are as a congregation. Do not be concerned with large numbers —a small group of committed people can make a difference.
Why are we talking about this?
Some in your community of faith may feel that too much time has already been spent discussing gay and lesbian issues. Part of the education is helping them recognize themselves in this discussion. Think about creating space for honest dialogue.  Everyone suffers when part of community is isolated and made to feel unwelcome; breaking through the silence invites truth-telling.
A central issue for our faith
You have the opportunity to demonstrate and share why this is a central faith issue. Care for our neighbors, love of all families, and refusal of isolation, hurt, oppression and marginalization—all of these are the work of justice.
Be mindful to partner with others in your local congregation and within your denomination and faith tradition to increase the tools you have and keep the conversation relevant to your community. Sharing the resolutions and directives that already support full inclusion will be fresh news to some in your church.
Educational resources, like the Circles of Sexuality, on Many Voices can help everyone see themselves as part of this journey. There are stories on this site from members of congregations like yours and from pastors whose faith has deepened as a result of boldly raising their voices.
As this educating and learning takes place, your worshipping community will be reminded that openness and inclusion are core values of Christian faith. New opportunities for inclusion of all in the life and mission of your congregation can emerge. Dialogue and discussion that are open and non-threatening present chances for deep sharing and deeper understanding.
Click here for more information and details on educating your faith community.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

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Like ManyVoices
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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  



http://www.manyvoices.org/how-to-begin/educating-your-congregation/



Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
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 Get Involved




































































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How to Begin
Understanding what the Bible says

A conversation with your pastor

Learning about inclusion

Expressing the congregation’s welcome

Educating your congregation

Responding when someone comes out

Engaging your own faith tradition

Getting comfortable with voicing your concerns

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



Responding when someone comes out

When someone chooses to share the truth of their existence with you, it reflects their view that you are open and trustworthy. You may not know what to do, you may feel like you do not know enough to handle their questions. The good news is that you are not expected to have answers; what they most often want is for you to be present with them, listen to them, encourage them, and be honest.
Your willingness to truly listen to their story can be freeing for them and you. Be open to learn about their lived experience, with them. Coming out is not a one-time-and-you’re-done experience. It is a process that will unfold over time. Awareness of and sensitivity to the alienation felt by persons of different sexual orientations from communities of faith may invite others to share with you. Remain available; the challenge to be true to self will require support over time.
Share God’s love for them, express your love for them, and joyfully affirm them. Assure them that they are a gift to your congregation. You can also offer your support in tangible ways; recommend resources, support systems, share your knowledge of faith and spirituality, and commit to journey with them. Embrace their sharing with you as a fresh invitation to be in relationship and to grow together. Their coming out means they are ready to know themselves more fully, to know others and to be known for who they are.
Here is an inspiring video sharing the difference one person can make.
    



About
Media

Our team

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Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  

http://www.manyvoices.org/how-to-begin/responding-when-someone-comes-out/















Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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About
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How to Begin
Understanding what the Bible says

A conversation with your pastor

Learning about inclusion

Expressing the congregation’s welcome

Educating your congregation

Responding when someone comes out

Engaging your own faith tradition

Getting comfortable with voicing your concerns

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



Responding when someone comes out

When someone chooses to share the truth of their existence with you, it reflects their view that you are open and trustworthy. You may not know what to do, you may feel like you do not know enough to handle their questions. The good news is that you are not expected to have answers; what they most often want is for you to be present with them, listen to them, encourage them, and be honest.
Your willingness to truly listen to their story can be freeing for them and you. Be open to learn about their lived experience, with them. Coming out is not a one-time-and-you’re-done experience. It is a process that will unfold over time. Awareness of and sensitivity to the alienation felt by persons of different sexual orientations from communities of faith may invite others to share with you. Remain available; the challenge to be true to self will require support over time.
Share God’s love for them, express your love for them, and joyfully affirm them. Assure them that they are a gift to your congregation. You can also offer your support in tangible ways; recommend resources, support systems, share your knowledge of faith and spirituality, and commit to journey with them. Embrace their sharing with you as a fresh invitation to be in relationship and to grow together. Their coming out means they are ready to know themselves more fully, to know others and to be known for who they are.
Here is an inspiring video sharing the difference one person can make.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  


http://www.manyvoices.org/how-to-begin/responding-when-someone-comes-out/












Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































Facebook

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How to Begin
Understanding what the Bible says

A conversation with your pastor

Learning about inclusion

Expressing the congregation’s welcome

Educating your congregation

Responding when someone comes out

Engaging your own faith tradition

Getting comfortable with voicing your concerns

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



Engaging your own faith tradition

Welcome, inclusion, community, love and hospitality are found in each faith tradition, and Scriptures speak positively about God’s love for all.
Take a look inside
As you take new steps within your church to make real the inclusive love of God, be sure to examine the teachings, doctrine, resolutions and messages specific to your tradition. Many years of rancorous debate, and blatant silence have delayed the openness we’ve longed for. Passages of scripture have been used to pass judgment, raise fears and maintain division among us. Suspicion of condemnation from the church by gay and transgender people is based on prior knowledge of these teachings that deny their full humanity.
Express love publicly
Share with each other welcoming and affirming words. A central value of our faith, to love your neighbor as yourself, guides our worship, and our work in the world. Seek ideas that create openings for broader understanding in the community. Allow the authentic love in your church to emerge and intentionally embrace each person for who they are.
Follow God’s guidance
You will find deep inspiration and feel more secure in discussions of inclusion by remembering the biblical mandate to love mercy, do justice and walk humbly with God.
    



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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  

http://www.manyvoices.org/how-to-begin/engaging-your-own-faith-tradition/











Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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How to Begin
Understanding what the Bible says

A conversation with your pastor

Learning about inclusion

Expressing the congregation’s welcome

Educating your congregation

Responding when someone comes out

Engaging your own faith tradition

Getting comfortable with voicing your concerns

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



Engaging your own faith tradition

Welcome, inclusion, community, love and hospitality are found in each faith tradition, and Scriptures speak positively about God’s love for all.
Take a look inside
As you take new steps within your church to make real the inclusive love of God, be sure to examine the teachings, doctrine, resolutions and messages specific to your tradition. Many years of rancorous debate, and blatant silence have delayed the openness we’ve longed for. Passages of scripture have been used to pass judgment, raise fears and maintain division among us. Suspicion of condemnation from the church by gay and transgender people is based on prior knowledge of these teachings that deny their full humanity.
Express love publicly
Share with each other welcoming and affirming words. A central value of our faith, to love your neighbor as yourself, guides our worship, and our work in the world. Seek ideas that create openings for broader understanding in the community. Allow the authentic love in your church to emerge and intentionally embrace each person for who they are.
Follow God’s guidance
You will find deep inspiration and feel more secure in discussions of inclusion by remembering the biblical mandate to love mercy, do justice and walk humbly with God.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/how-to-begin/engaging-your-own-faith-tradition/








Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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About
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How to Begin
Understanding what the Bible says

A conversation with your pastor

Learning about inclusion

Expressing the congregation’s welcome

Educating your congregation

Responding when someone comes out

Engaging your own faith tradition

Getting comfortable with voicing your concerns

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



Getting comfortable with voicing your concerns

Have you been called, but…

•you don’t want to rock the boat,
•you feel inadequate to challenge the way things are,
•you believe you may be the only one who is disturbed by this, or
•you’re not sure you have the right words to express what you feel?
If you…
•feel compelled to do something,
•have said, “enough already” or
•are asking, “why can’t they see this?”
…these are gentle nudges to raise your voice.
You do have the ability to speak authentically and to motivate others. Lifting your voice may not require grand schemes and extensive planning. Simply say what is true for you in your own way, and you will have taken a significant step.  Many Voices will help you with resources to make that difference.
Remember, there may be young people in your congregation, as in many others, who self-identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or “queer.” There may also be those with questions and concerns about sexual orientation or gender identity in relation to their faith. Raising your voice helps create a safe environment for their questions. Breaking silence enriches the community and saves lives, especially in religious settings where youth seek to balance their commitment to God with their sense of self.
Remember also that parents and guardians of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning children need places of nurture and spiritual guidance.  Speaking about the needs of these families will not require expertise in theology or human sexuality; it will simply require your compassion.
Lifting up your concerns may open room for others
to express their private hurts and initiate the process of healing. Whatever you do to demonstrate compassion, seek justice, and broaden understanding of God’s abundant grace will reap benefits.
Genuine welcome is wholly transformative. You, your congregation, and the larger community will see the change happen. Remember the words of Audre Lorde, When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

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Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/how-to-begin/getting-comfortable-with-voicing-your-concerns/











Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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About
 How to Begin
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Search for:
 
  
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How to Begin
Understanding what the Bible says

A conversation with your pastor

Learning about inclusion

Expressing the congregation’s welcome

Educating your congregation

Responding when someone comes out

Engaging your own faith tradition

Getting comfortable with voicing your concerns

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



Getting comfortable with voicing your concerns

Have you been called, but…

•you don’t want to rock the boat,
•you feel inadequate to challenge the way things are,
•you believe you may be the only one who is disturbed by this, or
•you’re not sure you have the right words to express what you feel?
If you…
•feel compelled to do something,
•have said, “enough already” or
•are asking, “why can’t they see this?”
…these are gentle nudges to raise your voice.
You do have the ability to speak authentically and to motivate others. Lifting your voice may not require grand schemes and extensive planning. Simply say what is true for you in your own way, and you will have taken a significant step.  Many Voices will help you with resources to make that difference.
Remember, there may be young people in your congregation, as in many others, who self-identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or “queer.” There may also be those with questions and concerns about sexual orientation or gender identity in relation to their faith. Raising your voice helps create a safe environment for their questions. Breaking silence enriches the community and saves lives, especially in religious settings where youth seek to balance their commitment to God with their sense of self.
Remember also that parents and guardians of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning children need places of nurture and spiritual guidance.  Speaking about the needs of these families will not require expertise in theology or human sexuality; it will simply require your compassion.
Lifting up your concerns may open room for others
to express their private hurts and initiate the process of healing. Whatever you do to demonstrate compassion, seek justice, and broaden understanding of God’s abundant grace will reap benefits.
Genuine welcome is wholly transformative. You, your congregation, and the larger community will see the change happen. Remember the words of Audre Lorde, When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/how-to-begin/getting-comfortable-with-voicing-your-concerns/









Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































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Resources
Worship








Black Church Conversations









Biblical Themes





Education









Frequently Asked Questions





Rituals & Blessings




Music & Media




Church Seasons










Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Prayer of petition
We pray for transformation in places of worship to be a better community.

God of wonders, your people come before you to celebrate the diversity of your creation.
We come before you to recognize that we are many, yet one in you and one with one another.
Help us to be the people you call us to be:
humble,
caring,
welcoming,
affirming,
trustworthy,
loving…
Prophetic people who are willing to hear the voice of your Spirit calling the world to be transformed by the loving presence of a God who works with us, who walks with us, and who empowers us to be the children of freedom.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us that we may be the community that your son Jesus Christ, called us to be: a community of love and reconciliation, in whose name we pray.
Amen.


By the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. Used with permission.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  

http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/prayer-of-petition/









Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































Facebook

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Resources
Worship








Black Church Conversations









Biblical Themes





Education









Frequently Asked Questions





Rituals & Blessings




Music & Media




Church Seasons










Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Prayer of petition
We pray for transformation in places of worship to be a better community.

God of wonders, your people come before you to celebrate the diversity of your creation.
We come before you to recognize that we are many, yet one in you and one with one another.
Help us to be the people you call us to be:
humble,
caring,
welcoming,
affirming,
trustworthy,
loving…
Prophetic people who are willing to hear the voice of your Spirit calling the world to be transformed by the loving presence of a God who works with us, who walks with us, and who empowers us to be the children of freedom.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us that we may be the community that your son Jesus Christ, called us to be: a community of love and reconciliation, in whose name we pray.
Amen.


By the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. Used with permission.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  

http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/prayer-of-petition/









Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































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Resources
Worship








Black Church Conversations









Biblical Themes





Education









Frequently Asked Questions





Rituals & Blessings




Music & Media




Church Seasons










Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Invocation

Diviner of justice and Deliverer of hope,
we come to worship, to praise, to honor the cause of truth, fairness, mercy and justice.
Let us worship in community, celebrating right relationships.











By Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Kirk-Duggan, Soul Pearls: Worship Resources for the Black Church, Abingdon Press, Nashville 2003.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  

http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/invocation/














Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































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Resources
Worship








Black Church Conversations









Biblical Themes





Education









Frequently Asked Questions





Rituals & Blessings




Music & Media




Church Seasons










Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Invocation

Diviner of justice and Deliverer of hope,
we come to worship, to praise, to honor the cause of truth, fairness, mercy and justice.
Let us worship in community, celebrating right relationships.











By Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Kirk-Duggan, Soul Pearls: Worship Resources for the Black Church, Abingdon Press, Nashville 2003.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

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Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  


http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/invocation/











Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
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 Events
 Get Involved




































































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Resources
Current Search Terms
Greetings & Opening Prayers
Refine Your Search
WorshipPrayers for Various Occasions (1)

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



Resources in "Greetings & Opening Prayers"

Invocation
Greetings & Opening Prayers, Worship



Prayer of petition
Greetings & Opening Prayers, Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
We pray for transformation in places of worship to be a better community.

   



About
Media

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Employment

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Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


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Donate now

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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/resources/?/greetings-opening-prayers/















Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
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 Blog
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 Get Involved




































































Facebook

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Search for:
 
  
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Resources
Current Search Terms
Greetings & Opening Prayers
Refine Your Search
WorshipPrayers for Various Occasions (1)

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



Resources in "Greetings & Opening Prayers"

Invocation
Greetings & Opening Prayers, Worship



Prayer of petition
Greetings & Opening Prayers, Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
We pray for transformation in places of worship to be a better community.

   



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

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Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/resources/?/greetings-opening-prayers/











Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































Facebook

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Resources
Worship








Black Church Conversations









Biblical Themes





Education









Frequently Asked Questions





Rituals & Blessings




Music & Media




Church Seasons










Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Prayer of Hope
Prayer affords us the opportunity to strengthen our hope and our resolve for health and wholeness.
God of Hope,
All of us are affected by HIV/AIDS.
At this time of Advent Hope, as we prepare for the coming of your son into the world, we give thanks for signs of hope.
For growing understanding,
For medical advances,
For changing attitudes and behavior,
For greater awareness and concern in your church.

God of Unity, bind us together with strong ties of love,
That this church community may be a place where all can find acceptance.
May it be a place of welcome for all affected by HIV/AIDS.
May it be a place where care is given and received, especially for affected children and youth.
Where stories are told and heard,
Where fear is overcome by love,
Where you are to be found.

Amen.

Adapted from the Diakonia Council of Churches in South Africa.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/prayer-of-hope/











Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































Facebook

Tumblr

Twitter

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Pinterest

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Shopping Cart

Search for:
 
  
Join our mailing list
  
 

Resources
Worship








Black Church Conversations









Biblical Themes





Education









Frequently Asked Questions





Rituals & Blessings




Music & Media




Church Seasons










Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Prayer of Hope
Prayer affords us the opportunity to strengthen our hope and our resolve for health and wholeness.
God of Hope,
All of us are affected by HIV/AIDS.
At this time of Advent Hope, as we prepare for the coming of your son into the world, we give thanks for signs of hope.
For growing understanding,
For medical advances,
For changing attitudes and behavior,
For greater awareness and concern in your church.

God of Unity, bind us together with strong ties of love,
That this church community may be a place where all can find acceptance.
May it be a place of welcome for all affected by HIV/AIDS.
May it be a place where care is given and received, especially for affected children and youth.
Where stories are told and heard,
Where fear is overcome by love,
Where you are to be found.

Amen.

Adapted from the Diakonia Council of Churches in South Africa.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
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We praise you God for you have made
A prayer of appreciation for the creative intentions of God.
We praise you God for you have made
A world of such variety;
A world of color, light and shade,
Of varied sexuality.

We come as ones who love you, God,
In many different frames and ways.
Indulge us, help us find a place
To share your loving, daring days.

We hold each other, hold us now
And never, ever let us go
God, give us generosity
That we may share the love we know.
Amen.

By Andrew Pratt, Courage To Love: Liturgies for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community, Compiled by Geoffrey Duncan, The Pilgrim Press, Cleveland 2002.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



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3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
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Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
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Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

We praise you God for you have made
A prayer of appreciation for the creative intentions of God.
We praise you God for you have made
A world of such variety;
A world of color, light and shade,
Of varied sexuality.

We come as ones who love you, God,
In many different frames and ways.
Indulge us, help us find a place
To share your loving, daring days.

We hold each other, hold us now
And never, ever let us go
God, give us generosity
That we may share the love we know.
Amen.

By Andrew Pratt, Courage To Love: Liturgies for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community, Compiled by Geoffrey Duncan, The Pilgrim Press, Cleveland 2002.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



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3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  

http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/we-praise-you-god-for-you-have-made/









Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Prayer for Christmas Day
May we see God's presence and strength among the vulnerable of our day.

Holy One,
born among us in Jesus,
live in us through the power of your Spirit
as we seek to follow the way of the One
who is found among the most vulnerable
and yet embodies the strength of the ages.
Amen.

From Gay, Lesbian, and Affirming Disciples (GLAD) Alliance. Used with permission.
Contributed by Rev. Wes Jamison


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



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3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  

http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/prayer-for-christmas-day/











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A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Prayer for Christmas Day
May we see God's presence and strength among the vulnerable of our day.

Holy One,
born among us in Jesus,
live in us through the power of your Spirit
as we seek to follow the way of the One
who is found among the most vulnerable
and yet embodies the strength of the ages.
Amen.

From Gay, Lesbian, and Affirming Disciples (GLAD) Alliance. Used with permission.
Contributed by Rev. Wes Jamison


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



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Media

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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  


http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/prayer-for-christmas-day/








Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Epiphany prayer
In this Collect we invite wisdom inherent in Epiphany to sweep over us.

Holy One,
your steadfast love, embodied in Jesus, the Christ,
draws wisdom seekers to you in search of hope.

In our search for wisdom,
may we be drawn ever closer to you,
through Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world.
Amen.


From Gay, Lesbian, and Affirming Disciples (GLAD) Alliance.  Used with permission.
Contributed by Rev. Wes Jamison


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  

http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/epiphany-prayer/

















Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Epiphany prayer
In this Collect we invite wisdom inherent in Epiphany to sweep over us.

Holy One,
your steadfast love, embodied in Jesus, the Christ,
draws wisdom seekers to you in search of hope.

In our search for wisdom,
may we be drawn ever closer to you,
through Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world.
Amen.


From Gay, Lesbian, and Affirming Disciples (GLAD) Alliance.  Used with permission.
Contributed by Rev. Wes Jamison


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

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Employment

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Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  

http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/epiphany-prayer/












Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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About
 How to Begin
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 Get Involved




































































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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Prayer for Transfiguration Sunday
Our request for the light of God to shine in our lives brightly and in full force is heard and will be answered.

Radiant God, source of light,
as you surrounded Jesus with your glory,
so you come to us in penetrating brightness.

You catch us off guard and expose our weakness.

We choose the limelight while you call us to explore the shadows
and brighten the darkness.

We seek the spectacular while you bind up the broken in
countless acts of mercy.

We seek to stay on the mountain or in a comfortable pew while
you walk to the valleys of need.

Radiant God,
fill us with light and courage to carry good news into all the
corners of the world and to bring back the joy of your presence.
Amen


By Reconciling Congregation Program From Shaping Sanctuary: Proclaiming God’s Grace in an Inclusive Church, Copyright 2000. Reprinted by permission.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

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Employment

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Encourage learning
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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  


http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/prayer-for-transfiguration-sunday/













Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Prayer for Transfiguration Sunday
Our request for the light of God to shine in our lives brightly and in full force is heard and will be answered.

Radiant God, source of light,
as you surrounded Jesus with your glory,
so you come to us in penetrating brightness.

You catch us off guard and expose our weakness.

We choose the limelight while you call us to explore the shadows
and brighten the darkness.

We seek the spectacular while you bind up the broken in
countless acts of mercy.

We seek to stay on the mountain or in a comfortable pew while
you walk to the valleys of need.

Radiant God,
fill us with light and courage to carry good news into all the
corners of the world and to bring back the joy of your presence.
Amen


By Reconciling Congregation Program From Shaping Sanctuary: Proclaiming God’s Grace in an Inclusive Church, Copyright 2000. Reprinted by permission.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

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Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


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Donate now

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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  

http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/prayer-for-transfiguration-sunday/












Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
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 Get Involved




































































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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Prayer of commitment
Expression of gratitude for the spirit and symbols of our common union. This prayer may be offered after communion.

Gracious God,
you have welcomed us to this table
as your beloved children
and nourished us with the love of Christ
embodied in bread and cup.

Strengthen us with courage
to embrace all whom you love
as beloved children.

May your love through us
bring healing and wholeness to them and us
in the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord
and through the power of your Spirit.
Amen.


By Rev. Wes Jamison, Gay, Lesbian, and Affirming Disciples (GLAD) Alliance. Used with permission.
Contributed by Rev. Wes Jamison


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  

http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/prayer-of-commitment/
















Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
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 Get Involved




































































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Resources
Worship








Black Church Conversations









Biblical Themes





Education









Frequently Asked Questions





Rituals & Blessings




Music & Media




Church Seasons










Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Prayer of commitment
Expression of gratitude for the spirit and symbols of our common union. This prayer may be offered after communion.

Gracious God,
you have welcomed us to this table
as your beloved children
and nourished us with the love of Christ
embodied in bread and cup.

Strengthen us with courage
to embrace all whom you love
as beloved children.

May your love through us
bring healing and wholeness to them and us
in the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord
and through the power of your Spirit.
Amen.


By Rev. Wes Jamison, Gay, Lesbian, and Affirming Disciples (GLAD) Alliance. Used with permission.
Contributed by Rev. Wes Jamison


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

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Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  


http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/prayer-of-commitment/










Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
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 Get Involved




































































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Education









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Church Seasons










Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Contemporary Lord’s Prayer
Offering this prayer in unison brings us together and the words illustrate our common journey.

Our Parent, who is among us, blessed be your Creation.
May your reign be a reality here on earth.
May we become more interested in building your kin-dom here and now than in waiting for it to come down from above.
Let us share our bread with those who hunger.
Let us learn to forgive as well as to receive forgiveness.
Help us through the time of temptation, delivering us from all evil.
For ours are the eternal blessings that you pour upon the earth.
Amen.

Copyright © by J. Manny Santiago, 1999. From the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. Used with permission.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  


http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/contemporary-lords-prayer/













Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Contemporary Lord’s Prayer
Offering this prayer in unison brings us together and the words illustrate our common journey.

Our Parent, who is among us, blessed be your Creation.
May your reign be a reality here on earth.
May we become more interested in building your kin-dom here and now than in waiting for it to come down from above.
Let us share our bread with those who hunger.
Let us learn to forgive as well as to receive forgiveness.
Help us through the time of temptation, delivering us from all evil.
For ours are the eternal blessings that you pour upon the earth.
Amen.

Copyright © by J. Manny Santiago, 1999. From the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. Used with permission.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
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Prayer of confession
May we be available and open to all in words and in deeds.

God of the people, you have called us to walk humbly before you and to share in the struggle with the least of these, yet we have failed to live up to this call. Today, we come before you asking your Spirit to empower us to be agents of transformation for the world. Make us a chalice from which all the oppressed can find the living waters of God, who calls us to live a life of service, of humility, and of reconciliation with you, with creation, and with the world.
Amen.

By The Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. Used with permission.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



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©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  


http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/prayer-of-confession/











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Prayer of confession
May we be available and open to all in words and in deeds.

God of the people, you have called us to walk humbly before you and to share in the struggle with the least of these, yet we have failed to live up to this call. Today, we come before you asking your Spirit to empower us to be agents of transformation for the world. Make us a chalice from which all the oppressed can find the living waters of God, who calls us to live a life of service, of humility, and of reconciliation with you, with creation, and with the world.
Amen.

By The Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. Used with permission.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



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3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  

http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/prayer-of-confession/





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A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Prayer of petition
We pray for transformation in places of worship to be a better community.

God of wonders, your people come before you to celebrate the diversity of your creation.
We come before you to recognize that we are many, yet one in you and one with one another.
Help us to be the people you call us to be:
humble,
caring,
welcoming,
affirming,
trustworthy,
loving…
Prophetic people who are willing to hear the voice of your Spirit calling the world to be transformed by the loving presence of a God who works with us, who walks with us, and who empowers us to be the children of freedom.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us that we may be the community that your son Jesus Christ, called us to be: a community of love and reconciliation, in whose name we pray.
Amen.


By the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. Used with permission.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



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3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/prayer-of-petition/











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A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Prayer of petition
We pray for transformation in places of worship to be a better community.

God of wonders, your people come before you to celebrate the diversity of your creation.
We come before you to recognize that we are many, yet one in you and one with one another.
Help us to be the people you call us to be:
humble,
caring,
welcoming,
affirming,
trustworthy,
loving…
Prophetic people who are willing to hear the voice of your Spirit calling the world to be transformed by the loving presence of a God who works with us, who walks with us, and who empowers us to be the children of freedom.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us that we may be the community that your son Jesus Christ, called us to be: a community of love and reconciliation, in whose name we pray.
Amen.


By the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. Used with permission.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

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Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/prayer-of-petition/





Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Prayer for unity
One in the Spirit and one in worship — we pray!

Loving, accepting, welcoming God, your people come before you in gratitude for the things you have done and in awesome wonder of the things we are capable of doing with you.
We come before you, humbly asking for your Spirit to shower us with the love you have for all humanity.
We come before you, ready to follow Jesus’ steps in proclaiming liberation, joy, reconciliation, and love to all.
We come as one body, yet many members; we are people of many colors, of many genders, of many sexual orientations, of many economic situations, of different kinds of families, yet we are one in you.
Be with us as we continue proclaiming your grace for the entire world through our actions and lives.
Amen.


By the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. Used with permission.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



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Encourage learning
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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/prayer-for-unity/











Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Prayer for unity
One in the Spirit and one in worship — we pray!

Loving, accepting, welcoming God, your people come before you in gratitude for the things you have done and in awesome wonder of the things we are capable of doing with you.
We come before you, humbly asking for your Spirit to shower us with the love you have for all humanity.
We come before you, ready to follow Jesus’ steps in proclaiming liberation, joy, reconciliation, and love to all.
We come as one body, yet many members; we are people of many colors, of many genders, of many sexual orientations, of many economic situations, of different kinds of families, yet we are one in you.
Be with us as we continue proclaiming your grace for the entire world through our actions and lives.
Amen.


By the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. Used with permission.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

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Employment

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Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  


http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/prayer-for-unity/














Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Consecration
Inviting blessing upon the elements of bread and the cup offers us opportunity to reflect upon God's presence with us all in every place.

Gracious and Powerful God, Loving and Vulnerable God, you came to us as an infant child, trusting human protection. You came to us as a mighty prophet trusting human openness. You came to us as a Living Savior, trusting that we would follow.  Send now your Holy Spirit to bless these simple elements, that they may be for us the sign and presence of Jesus Christ. Bless this table that all may be free to come to it.  Bless every child and every parent, every friend and every enemy, that we may all be one.
With Christ on our hearts, we pray.
Amen

From All Whom God Has Joined: Resources for Clergy & Same-gender Loving Couples, Leanne McCall Tigert and Maren C. Tirabassi, The Pilgrim Press, 2010. Reprinted with permission.
Contributed by Rev. Gregory R. Morisse


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



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3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/consecration/













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A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Consecration
Inviting blessing upon the elements of bread and the cup offers us opportunity to reflect upon God's presence with us all in every place.

Gracious and Powerful God, Loving and Vulnerable God, you came to us as an infant child, trusting human protection. You came to us as a mighty prophet trusting human openness. You came to us as a Living Savior, trusting that we would follow.  Send now your Holy Spirit to bless these simple elements, that they may be for us the sign and presence of Jesus Christ. Bless this table that all may be free to come to it.  Bless every child and every parent, every friend and every enemy, that we may all be one.
With Christ on our hearts, we pray.
Amen

From All Whom God Has Joined: Resources for Clergy & Same-gender Loving Couples, Leanne McCall Tigert and Maren C. Tirabassi, The Pilgrim Press, 2010. Reprinted with permission.
Contributed by Rev. Gregory R. Morisse


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

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Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


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Donate now

Sign up

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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  


http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/consecration/














Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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About
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Prayer of Thanksgiving
Rejoice in this offering of thanksgiving at the Communion Table for the gathering of all and the shared meal.

God of all creation, Spirit of our living hope, fall afresh on this table.  We remember your Passover covenant and we give you thanks for all our ancestors in faith.  We rejoice that you teach us the way of reconciliation with you and all people everywhere.  We give thanks that you remain faithful to your covenant even when we are faithless.  Overwhelm these simple elements of bread and cup. Transform this ordinary ritual into holy food. Meet us here, O Christ, that we may be filled by  your spirit and replenished by your grace. Amen.
By Greg Morisse from All Whom God Has Joined: Resources for Clergy & Same-Gender Loving Couples, The Pilgrim Press 2010


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

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Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

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Like ManyVoices
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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/prayer-of-thanksgiving/












Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
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 Get Involved




































































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Resources
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Education









Frequently Asked Questions





Rituals & Blessings




Music & Media




Church Seasons










Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Prayer of Thanksgiving
Rejoice in this offering of thanksgiving at the Communion Table for the gathering of all and the shared meal.

God of all creation, Spirit of our living hope, fall afresh on this table.  We remember your Passover covenant and we give you thanks for all our ancestors in faith.  We rejoice that you teach us the way of reconciliation with you and all people everywhere.  We give thanks that you remain faithful to your covenant even when we are faithless.  Overwhelm these simple elements of bread and cup. Transform this ordinary ritual into holy food. Meet us here, O Christ, that we may be filled by  your spirit and replenished by your grace. Amen.
By Greg Morisse from All Whom God Has Joined: Resources for Clergy & Same-Gender Loving Couples, The Pilgrim Press 2010


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

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Closing prayer
Jesus says, Come to me, and I will give you rest. A rest that is not passive, but is having the weight and concern of this life taken from you.

Leader:
Jesus says, Come to me,
and I will give you rest.
A rest that is not passive,
but is having the weight and concern
of this life taken from you.
A rest that is not the hurry of the world,
but is growing at the proper pace.
A rest that is not the closing of your eyes,
but is opening them at last.
Come to my rest, he says.
To where you belong.
All:
Lord, give us your rest
and take us up
into your striving for this world.

From Courage To Love: Liturgies for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community, Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd. © 2002 Geoffrey Duncan.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



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Employment

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Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/closing-prayer/











Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Closing prayer
Jesus says, Come to me, and I will give you rest. A rest that is not passive, but is having the weight and concern of this life taken from you.

Leader:
Jesus says, Come to me,
and I will give you rest.
A rest that is not passive,
but is having the weight and concern
of this life taken from you.
A rest that is not the hurry of the world,
but is growing at the proper pace.
A rest that is not the closing of your eyes,
but is opening them at last.
Come to my rest, he says.
To where you belong.
All:
Lord, give us your rest
and take us up
into your striving for this world.

From Courage To Love: Liturgies for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community, Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd. © 2002 Geoffrey Duncan.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

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Like ManyVoices
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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/closing-prayer/












Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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About
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Resources
Worship








Black Church Conversations









Biblical Themes





Education









Frequently Asked Questions





Rituals & Blessings




Music & Media




Church Seasons










Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Prayer
Our conversations with God are often times of healing and reminders of our growing edges. This prayer calls us to express love everywhere and to everyone.

O gracious and loving God,
who calls us to be your people in this age,
forgive us when we keep Christ in the past,
and the Gospel as letters on a page,
and the church as an organization
in which we may or may not participate.

Forgive us when fellowship and mission
is meant for and delivered to
those we already know and love
and we become a social club instead of your church.

Forgive us and have mercy upon us, O God.
Let your risen Christ reside here with us,
and the Gospel be the power of our life,
and the church be a people and place
of showing your love wherever we may be.

In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.

Church of the Redeemer, From Shaping Sanctuary: Proclaiming God’s Grace in an Inclusive Church, edited by Kelly Turney. Copyright 2000 by Reconciling Ministries Network. Reprinted by permission.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


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Donate now

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Welcoming church list

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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/prayer/






Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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About
 How to Begin
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 Get Involved




































































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Education









Frequently Asked Questions





Rituals & Blessings




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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Prayer
Our conversations with God are often times of healing and reminders of our growing edges. This prayer calls us to express love everywhere and to everyone.

O gracious and loving God,
who calls us to be your people in this age,
forgive us when we keep Christ in the past,
and the Gospel as letters on a page,
and the church as an organization
in which we may or may not participate.

Forgive us when fellowship and mission
is meant for and delivered to
those we already know and love
and we become a social club instead of your church.

Forgive us and have mercy upon us, O God.
Let your risen Christ reside here with us,
and the Gospel be the power of our life,
and the church be a people and place
of showing your love wherever we may be.

In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.

Church of the Redeemer, From Shaping Sanctuary: Proclaiming God’s Grace in an Inclusive Church, edited by Kelly Turney. Copyright 2000 by Reconciling Ministries Network. Reprinted by permission.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

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Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/prayer/




Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































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Current Search Terms
Prayers for Various Occasions
Refine Your Search
WorshipGreetings & Opening Prayers (1)
Sending Forth (1)
Church SeasonsChristmas & Epiphany (2)
Advent (1)
Transfiguration Sunday (1)

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



Resources in "Prayers for Various Occasions"

Prayer of Hope
Advent, Church Seasons, Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
Prayer affords us the opportunity to strengthen our hope and our resolve for health and wholeness.


We praise you God for you have made
Prayers for Various Occasions, Sending Forth, Worship
A prayer of appreciation for the creative intentions of God.



Prayer for Christmas Day
Christmas & Epiphany, Church Seasons, Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
May we see God's presence and strength among the vulnerable of our day.



Epiphany prayer
Christmas & Epiphany, Church Seasons, Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
In this Collect we invite wisdom inherent in Epiphany to sweep over us.



Prayer for Transfiguration Sunday
Church Seasons, Prayers for Various Occasions, Transfiguration Sunday, Worship
Our request for the light of God to shine in our lives brightly and in full force is heard and will be answered.



Prayer of commitment
Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
Expression of gratitude for the spirit and symbols of our common union. This prayer may be offered after communion.



Contemporary Lord’s Prayer
Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
Offering this prayer in unison brings us together and the words illustrate our common journey.



Prayer of confession
Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
May we be available and open to all in words and in deeds.



Prayer of petition
Greetings & Opening Prayers, Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
We pray for transformation in places of worship to be a better community.



Prayer for unity
Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
One in the Spirit and one in worship — we pray!



Consecration
Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
Inviting blessing upon the elements of bread and the cup offers us opportunity to reflect upon God's presence with us all in every place.



Prayer of Thanksgiving
Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
Rejoice in this offering of thanksgiving at the Communion Table for the gathering of all and the shared meal.


Closing prayer
Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
Jesus says, Come to me, and I will give you rest. A rest that is not passive, but is having the weight and concern of this life taken from you.


Prayer
Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
Our conversations with God are often times of healing and reminders of our growing edges. This prayer calls us to express love everywhere and to everyone.

   



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/resources/?/prayers-for-various-occasions/













Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































Facebook

Tumblr

Twitter

YouTube

Vimeo

Pinterest

RSS Feed

Email

Shopping Cart

Search for:
 
  
Join our mailing list
  
 

Resources
Current Search Terms
Prayers for Various Occasions
Refine Your Search
WorshipGreetings & Opening Prayers (1)
Sending Forth (1)
Church SeasonsChristmas & Epiphany (2)
Advent (1)
Transfiguration Sunday (1)

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



Resources in "Prayers for Various Occasions"

Prayer of Hope
Advent, Church Seasons, Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
Prayer affords us the opportunity to strengthen our hope and our resolve for health and wholeness.


We praise you God for you have made
Prayers for Various Occasions, Sending Forth, Worship
A prayer of appreciation for the creative intentions of God.



Prayer for Christmas Day
Christmas & Epiphany, Church Seasons, Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
May we see God's presence and strength among the vulnerable of our day.



Epiphany prayer
Christmas & Epiphany, Church Seasons, Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
In this Collect we invite wisdom inherent in Epiphany to sweep over us.



Prayer for Transfiguration Sunday
Church Seasons, Prayers for Various Occasions, Transfiguration Sunday, Worship
Our request for the light of God to shine in our lives brightly and in full force is heard and will be answered.



Prayer of commitment
Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
Expression of gratitude for the spirit and symbols of our common union. This prayer may be offered after communion.



Contemporary Lord’s Prayer
Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
Offering this prayer in unison brings us together and the words illustrate our common journey.



Prayer of confession
Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
May we be available and open to all in words and in deeds.



Prayer of petition
Greetings & Opening Prayers, Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
We pray for transformation in places of worship to be a better community.



Prayer for unity
Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
One in the Spirit and one in worship — we pray!



Consecration
Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
Inviting blessing upon the elements of bread and the cup offers us opportunity to reflect upon God's presence with us all in every place.



Prayer of Thanksgiving
Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
Rejoice in this offering of thanksgiving at the Communion Table for the gathering of all and the shared meal.


Closing prayer
Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
Jesus says, Come to me, and I will give you rest. A rest that is not passive, but is having the weight and concern of this life taken from you.


Prayer
Prayers for Various Occasions, Worship
Our conversations with God are often times of healing and reminders of our growing edges. This prayer calls us to express love everywhere and to everyone.

   



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/resources/?/prayers-for-various-occasions/











Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































Facebook

Tumblr

Twitter

YouTube

Vimeo

Pinterest

RSS Feed

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Shopping Cart

Search for:
 
  
Join our mailing list
  
 

Resources
Worship








Black Church Conversations









Biblical Themes





Education









Frequently Asked Questions





Rituals & Blessings




Music & Media




Church Seasons










Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Pastoral charge
The charge offers encouragement, inspiration and focus to those entering new journeys of ministry.
I charge you to be faithful to the liberating Gospel of Jesus Christ and to help others to be nourished in this understanding through the best of the Black religious traditions.
I charge you to take seriously the ravages of the corporate sins of racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, ageism, ethnocentrism, and all other forms of oppression and internalized oppression, helping the congregation to become aware of these and to develop skills of resistance to the oppressive forms.
I charge you to be active in community struggles, bearing witness to God’s love for the world and thereby being a sign and symbol of Emmanuel, God with us in times of trouble, standing with the least of these.
I charge you to take seriously the ministry of presence as expressed in visits to congregants in times of joy and in times of sorrow. Continue to develop a listening ear so you can be and effective pastoral counselor to those going through shadowy valleys and climbing mounts of transfiguration.
I further charge you to continue your education, reading materials which will sharpen your analyses of the world around us and the spirit within us. As you do so, share with others through formal Christian Education venues, blogs, and other forms of social media, being mindful that pictures of yourself are not necessary to get the messages across.
I charge you to take care of yourself, physically and emotionally, and to keep close those who love, nurture and support you in your career & personal development. Also, always find time to nurture and support others with whom you share your life, whether they be family, friends, spouse and/or children.
I also charge you to keep a healthy sense of humor.
I also charge you to preach in powerful and liberating ways, bringing to the pulpit strong spiritual power, immersed in social justice, contoured by sharp intellectual and hermeneutical insights, engaging cultural criticism, pointing always to Jesus, who wants us to be responsible agents of his love and promise to always keep our back.

Reverend Dr. Randall Bailey, Professor of Hebrew Bible, Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta, GA. Revised charge for Ordination and Installation service originally commended to Rev. Billy Michael Honor. Reprinted with permission.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/pastoral-charge/





















Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































Facebook

Tumblr

Twitter

YouTube

Vimeo

Pinterest

RSS Feed

Email

Shopping Cart

Search for:
 
  
Join our mailing list
  
 

Resources
Worship








Black Church Conversations









Biblical Themes





Education









Frequently Asked Questions





Rituals & Blessings




Music & Media




Church Seasons










Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Pastoral charge
The charge offers encouragement, inspiration and focus to those entering new journeys of ministry.
I charge you to be faithful to the liberating Gospel of Jesus Christ and to help others to be nourished in this understanding through the best of the Black religious traditions.
I charge you to take seriously the ravages of the corporate sins of racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, ageism, ethnocentrism, and all other forms of oppression and internalized oppression, helping the congregation to become aware of these and to develop skills of resistance to the oppressive forms.
I charge you to be active in community struggles, bearing witness to God’s love for the world and thereby being a sign and symbol of Emmanuel, God with us in times of trouble, standing with the least of these.
I charge you to take seriously the ministry of presence as expressed in visits to congregants in times of joy and in times of sorrow. Continue to develop a listening ear so you can be and effective pastoral counselor to those going through shadowy valleys and climbing mounts of transfiguration.
I further charge you to continue your education, reading materials which will sharpen your analyses of the world around us and the spirit within us. As you do so, share with others through formal Christian Education venues, blogs, and other forms of social media, being mindful that pictures of yourself are not necessary to get the messages across.
I charge you to take care of yourself, physically and emotionally, and to keep close those who love, nurture and support you in your career & personal development. Also, always find time to nurture and support others with whom you share your life, whether they be family, friends, spouse and/or children.
I also charge you to keep a healthy sense of humor.
I also charge you to preach in powerful and liberating ways, bringing to the pulpit strong spiritual power, immersed in social justice, contoured by sharp intellectual and hermeneutical insights, engaging cultural criticism, pointing always to Jesus, who wants us to be responsible agents of his love and promise to always keep our back.

Reverend Dr. Randall Bailey, Professor of Hebrew Bible, Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta, GA. Revised charge for Ordination and Installation service originally commended to Rev. Billy Michael Honor. Reprinted with permission.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/pastoral-charge/






Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved































































Facebook

Tumblr

Twitter

YouTube

Vimeo

Pinterest

RSS Feed

Email

Shopping Cart

Search for:
 
  
Join our mailing list
  
 

Resources
Worship








Black Church Conversations









Biblical Themes





Education









Frequently Asked Questions





Rituals & Blessings




Music & Media




Church Seasons










Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Remembering the young among us
We ask for greater tenderness in remembering young people as they come to know themselves, even as we too came to understand our identity.
Holy One-
You have completely loved us. We have too often forgotten to love one another.  In our adulthood we have been concerned about small things. Cause our vision to expand. Help us to see the larger picture. May our care, compassion and concern extend to young men and young women within our communities. Open our hearts to the harm caused to our children by careless actions, inappropriate conversations, blind neglect and stigmatizing blame.
You, who have given us gifts and abundant grace, ignite in us a fire for hospitality. Let all who enter our sanctuaries, houses of worship, homes and neighborhoods find comfort and safety there. Grant that in our families, from the youngest to the oldest, all will experience respect and loving care. We ask this with unfailing hope and unwavering expectation.
Amen.




Contributed by Rev. Cedric A. Harmon


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
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Remembering the young among us
We ask for greater tenderness in remembering young people as they come to know themselves, even as we too came to understand our identity.
Holy One-
You have completely loved us. We have too often forgotten to love one another.  In our adulthood we have been concerned about small things. Cause our vision to expand. Help us to see the larger picture. May our care, compassion and concern extend to young men and young women within our communities. Open our hearts to the harm caused to our children by careless actions, inappropriate conversations, blind neglect and stigmatizing blame.
You, who have given us gifts and abundant grace, ignite in us a fire for hospitality. Let all who enter our sanctuaries, houses of worship, homes and neighborhoods find comfort and safety there. Grant that in our families, from the youngest to the oldest, all will experience respect and loving care. We ask this with unfailing hope and unwavering expectation.
Amen.




Contributed by Rev. Cedric A. Harmon


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
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Blessing of God’s Care
Growth and flourishing is God's desire for our lives.
May you let the Spirit of God tend you. May the seed of Jesus grow within you strong and true.
May God the Father bring your fruit to maturity and may the love of God multiply, forty, sixty, one hundredfold through all that you do.
Amen.

From Harvest for the World compiled by Geoffrey Duncan and published by Canterbury Press. Used with permission.
Contributed by Duncan L. Tuck


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
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Blessing of God’s Care
Growth and flourishing is God's desire for our lives.
May you let the Spirit of God tend you. May the seed of Jesus grow within you strong and true.
May God the Father bring your fruit to maturity and may the love of God multiply, forty, sixty, one hundredfold through all that you do.
Amen.

From Harvest for the World compiled by Geoffrey Duncan and published by Canterbury Press. Used with permission.
Contributed by Duncan L. Tuck


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
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The blessing of diversity (Genesis 9:16)
Truly seeing the beauty and gift of each person is profoundly spiritual. May our faith increase to have clear sight.

Gracious and merciful God, Creator and Author of Life:
you see people as persons,
beautiful in their diversity
whether it be cultural, age, gender,
sexuality, nationality, race, creed, or other.
We pray that these realities may be lifted up
and made holy
that they will become channels of blessings
peace and understanding.
A positive spirit to respect others for who they are
and to be forbearing towards others
and their self-expressions
will bring us closer to the dawning
of the new covenant symbolized by God’s
setting a rainbow in the heavens after the flood.
We pray this in the name of Jesus the Christ.
Amen.
Contributed by Paul Louie


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
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The blessing of diversity (Genesis 9:16)
Truly seeing the beauty and gift of each person is profoundly spiritual. May our faith increase to have clear sight.

Gracious and merciful God, Creator and Author of Life:
you see people as persons,
beautiful in their diversity
whether it be cultural, age, gender,
sexuality, nationality, race, creed, or other.
We pray that these realities may be lifted up
and made holy
that they will become channels of blessings
peace and understanding.
A positive spirit to respect others for who they are
and to be forbearing towards others
and their self-expressions
will bring us closer to the dawning
of the new covenant symbolized by God’s
setting a rainbow in the heavens after the flood.
We pray this in the name of Jesus the Christ.
Amen.
Contributed by Paul Louie


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
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Blessings for Persons
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Resources in "Blessings for Persons"

Pastoral charge
Black Church Conversations, Blessings for Persons, How to Think about the Bible, Life Transitions, Preaching, Rituals & Blessings, Worship
The charge offers encouragement, inspiration and focus to those entering new journeys of ministry.


Remembering the young among us
Blessings for Persons, Life Transitions, Rituals & Blessings, Worship
We ask for greater tenderness in remembering young people as they come to know themselves, even as we too came to understand our identity.



Blessing of God’s Care
Blessings for Persons, Worship
Growth and flourishing is God's desire for our lives.



The blessing of diversity (Genesis 9:16)
Blessings for Persons, Worship
Truly seeing the beauty and gift of each person is profoundly spiritual. May our faith increase to have clear sight.

   



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http://www.manyvoices.org/resources/?/blessings-for-persons/













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Resources in "Blessings for Persons"

Pastoral charge
Black Church Conversations, Blessings for Persons, How to Think about the Bible, Life Transitions, Preaching, Rituals & Blessings, Worship
The charge offers encouragement, inspiration and focus to those entering new journeys of ministry.


Remembering the young among us
Blessings for Persons, Life Transitions, Rituals & Blessings, Worship
We ask for greater tenderness in remembering young people as they come to know themselves, even as we too came to understand our identity.



Blessing of God’s Care
Blessings for Persons, Worship
Growth and flourishing is God's desire for our lives.



The blessing of diversity (Genesis 9:16)
Blessings for Persons, Worship
Truly seeing the beauty and gift of each person is profoundly spiritual. May our faith increase to have clear sight.

   



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Litany for World AIDS Day
We join voices at this moment of boldness, empowerment and remembrance on World AIDS Day.
LEADER: As we gather to worship on this World AIDS Day, we are reminded that, as members of the Body of Christ, we are called to boldly proclaim the human rights of people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.
PEOPLE: We take this moment to pray for a cure, even as we remember the millions who have died from this disease.
LEADER: We take this moment to lift up the millions of infected women, men and children who suffer the misguided judgments of a world that would shun them and shame them.
PEOPLE: We take this moment to give thanks for the transformative power of God’s Spirit.
LEADER: God’s Spirit empowers us to break the shackles of apathy, ignorance, and condemnation so that we are able to provide healing for the sick, comfort for the troubled, and hope for the forsaken.
ALL: God’s Spirit emboldens us to love unflinchingly, to share unconditionally, and to serve unreservedly.

Developed by the Los Angeles Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse and Strength for the Journey – Los Angeles


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
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Litany for World AIDS Day
We join voices at this moment of boldness, empowerment and remembrance on World AIDS Day.
LEADER: As we gather to worship on this World AIDS Day, we are reminded that, as members of the Body of Christ, we are called to boldly proclaim the human rights of people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.
PEOPLE: We take this moment to pray for a cure, even as we remember the millions who have died from this disease.
LEADER: We take this moment to lift up the millions of infected women, men and children who suffer the misguided judgments of a world that would shun them and shame them.
PEOPLE: We take this moment to give thanks for the transformative power of God’s Spirit.
LEADER: God’s Spirit empowers us to break the shackles of apathy, ignorance, and condemnation so that we are able to provide healing for the sick, comfort for the troubled, and hope for the forsaken.
ALL: God’s Spirit emboldens us to love unflinchingly, to share unconditionally, and to serve unreservedly.

Developed by the Los Angeles Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse and Strength for the Journey – Los Angeles


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
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Litany for healing and hope
Created on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the March On Washington for Jobs and Freedom this litany calls forth waters of healing.
One: We have heard it said, “Let justice roll down like the waters and peace like an ever-flowing stream.”
All: Sometimes the waters are like a dripping faucet instead of a flowing river.
One: We look around and there is poverty, hunger, mass incarcerations, low-wage jobs, inaccessible health care, and violence.
All: Drip! Drip Drip!
One: Those who have gone before us have worked diligently for freedom, equality, and justice.
All: And still we cry out, “How long, oh Lord?! How long?!”
One: Racism is masked with polite niceties, opportunity is given to a select few, and forward movement is met with blockades.
All: Send the rain of your justice, Holy One. Help us to be washed in your grace which moves us   from fear to hope; from paralysis to action; from chaos to community.
One: Instill in us, Giver of Life, the desire to work across boundaries of race, culture, and class; to reach beyond the walls of education, religion, and sexual orientation; to blow a trumpet in Zion – or Southside Chicago – or Washington, DC.
All: Healing River, send down your waters!
One: Help those of us with privilege to open our eyes. Help those of us who have been silenced to find our voices. Help those of us who have been hurt by systems and institutions become open to healing, and help those who have stood idly by learn to stand in solidarity.
All: Healing River, send down your waters!

*Notes on Music: Before each stanza of the litany, and after the last stanza, you may wish to include verses of a chorus. The author prefers the song “O Healing River.” If your congregation doesn’t have license for use, we suggest not using this song. Other songs with three of four verses (reprise the first verse if only three verses) for use: “There is a Balm in Gilead,” “I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me,” and “Guide My Feet.”

Created by Chett Pritchett, Interim Executive Director Methodist Federation for Social Action.


Contributed by Chett Pritchett


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
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Litany for healing and hope
Created on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the March On Washington for Jobs and Freedom this litany calls forth waters of healing.
One: We have heard it said, “Let justice roll down like the waters and peace like an ever-flowing stream.”
All: Sometimes the waters are like a dripping faucet instead of a flowing river.
One: We look around and there is poverty, hunger, mass incarcerations, low-wage jobs, inaccessible health care, and violence.
All: Drip! Drip Drip!
One: Those who have gone before us have worked diligently for freedom, equality, and justice.
All: And still we cry out, “How long, oh Lord?! How long?!”
One: Racism is masked with polite niceties, opportunity is given to a select few, and forward movement is met with blockades.
All: Send the rain of your justice, Holy One. Help us to be washed in your grace which moves us   from fear to hope; from paralysis to action; from chaos to community.
One: Instill in us, Giver of Life, the desire to work across boundaries of race, culture, and class; to reach beyond the walls of education, religion, and sexual orientation; to blow a trumpet in Zion – or Southside Chicago – or Washington, DC.
All: Healing River, send down your waters!
One: Help those of us with privilege to open our eyes. Help those of us who have been silenced to find our voices. Help those of us who have been hurt by systems and institutions become open to healing, and help those who have stood idly by learn to stand in solidarity.
All: Healing River, send down your waters!

*Notes on Music: Before each stanza of the litany, and after the last stanza, you may wish to include verses of a chorus. The author prefers the song “O Healing River.” If your congregation doesn’t have license for use, we suggest not using this song. Other songs with three of four verses (reprise the first verse if only three verses) for use: “There is a Balm in Gilead,” “I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me,” and “Guide My Feet.”

Created by Chett Pritchett, Interim Executive Director Methodist Federation for Social Action.


Contributed by Chett Pritchett


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
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Liturgy of God’s Welcome
The welcome of God extends beyond our wildest imaginings and then surprises us once again.

God has shown us what is good, and what then is required of us?
To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.
Jesus says: Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”
Let each one who hears them say, “Come, ” for all are welcome here.
Black and White, Indian and Hispanic, Middle Eastern and Asian.
It matters not to us, whether you are gay or straight, single, married or divorced.
You are welcome here.
We want this to be perfectly clear: All people are welcome here.
Women, men, and children are welcome here.
No one will be harassed or abused here.
You can bring children to worship here. And even if they cry during the entire service, they are welcome here.
All are welcome here.
Even if others have judged and labeled you as irresponsible and wicked, you are welcome here.
If you are a single parent, struggling to care for your children, or a parent who has not taken responsibility for your children,
You are welcome here. All are welcome here;
Even gossips, cheats, liars, their families and persons disobedient to parents. All are welcome here.
Let it be public knowledge that we take seriously God’s welcome, God’s invitation, to come, be forgiven, fed and renewed, in and by the waters of life.
Welcome stranger, young, old, rich and poor,
ALL ARE WELCOME HERE.
Let the thirsty ones come — anyone who wants to, let them come and drink the water of life.

From More Light Presbyterians.  Used with permission.
Contributed by Rev. Jay Wallace


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
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Liturgy of God’s Welcome
The welcome of God extends beyond our wildest imaginings and then surprises us once again.

God has shown us what is good, and what then is required of us?
To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.
Jesus says: Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”
Let each one who hears them say, “Come, ” for all are welcome here.
Black and White, Indian and Hispanic, Middle Eastern and Asian.
It matters not to us, whether you are gay or straight, single, married or divorced.
You are welcome here.
We want this to be perfectly clear: All people are welcome here.
Women, men, and children are welcome here.
No one will be harassed or abused here.
You can bring children to worship here. And even if they cry during the entire service, they are welcome here.
All are welcome here.
Even if others have judged and labeled you as irresponsible and wicked, you are welcome here.
If you are a single parent, struggling to care for your children, or a parent who has not taken responsibility for your children,
You are welcome here. All are welcome here;
Even gossips, cheats, liars, their families and persons disobedient to parents. All are welcome here.
Let it be public knowledge that we take seriously God’s welcome, God’s invitation, to come, be forgiven, fed and renewed, in and by the waters of life.
Welcome stranger, young, old, rich and poor,
ALL ARE WELCOME HERE.
Let the thirsty ones come — anyone who wants to, let them come and drink the water of life.

From More Light Presbyterians.  Used with permission.
Contributed by Rev. Jay Wallace


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



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God’s Generosity
Open hands  readily give and receive. May we remain open to God's in-breaking.

God you heap your love upon us like a mother providing for her family’s need,
embracing her child with tenderness.
Forgive us when, like spoiled children, we treat your generosity as our right,
or hug it possessively to ourselves.
Give us enough trust to live securely in your love and to share it with others
in open-handed confidence that your grace will never run out.
Amen.

From Harvest for the World compiled by Geoffrey Duncan published by Canterbury Press. Used with permission.
Contributed by Rev. Jan Berry


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
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God’s Generosity
Open hands  readily give and receive. May we remain open to God's in-breaking.

God you heap your love upon us like a mother providing for her family’s need,
embracing her child with tenderness.
Forgive us when, like spoiled children, we treat your generosity as our right,
or hug it possessively to ourselves.
Give us enough trust to live securely in your love and to share it with others
in open-handed confidence that your grace will never run out.
Amen.

From Harvest for the World compiled by Geoffrey Duncan published by Canterbury Press. Used with permission.
Contributed by Rev. Jan Berry


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



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©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/gods-generosity/











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Liturgy for the Claiming of a New Name
Embracing our true identity is cause for ceremony and celebration. Naming ritual is a wonderful way to honor truth.
Collect for the Changing of a Name
Celebrant:  God be with you.
People: And also with you.
Celebrant: Let us pray.
Holy One of Blessing, in baptism you bring us to new life in Jesus Christ and you name us Beloved.  We give you thanks for the renewal of that life and love in ______, who now fully claims _____ name.  Strengthen and uphold ______ as ____ grows into the power, and authority, and meaning of this name; we pray in the Name above all names, Jesus your Son, whom with you and the Holy Spirit, the Triune God, we adore.  Amen.
Readings
If the service is not bound by lectionary rubrics, readings might include some of the following:
•from Justin Tannis’s Trans-gendered: Theology, Ministry, and Communities of Faith (Cleveland: The Pilgrim Press, 2003): Gen 32:24-30; Song of Solomon 1:2b-3; Isaiah 45:3-4; Luke 10:20b
•from Changes: Prayers and Services Honoring Rites of Passage (New York: Church Publishing, 2007), 47-49: the Proper for the Feast of the Holy Name (Jan. 1): Exodus 34:1-8; Psalm 8; Romans1:1-7 or Philippians 2:9-13; Luke 2:15-21.
•From Rev. Karen Schaefer’s : Gen 1:27; Proverbs 3:13-20; John 1:1-5
Homily
The Candidate might be invited to give the homily, which might include some sharing about the Candidate’s journey to this point
At this point, prior to the start of the Prayers of the People, a congregation might renew its Baptismal Covenant (Book of Common Prayer, pp. 304-305) or do a similar process that reaffirms the empowerment of the ministry of the laity.
Prayers of the People
The prayers that follow draw upon scripture readings from the Great Vigil of Easter, calling upon us to join our voices with the voices of Scripture, that we might see in our own lives and in the world around us, the “stories of salvation history.”  The refrain is an ancient baptismal hymn from which the Apostle Paul quotes in his letter to the Galatians (3:28).  During the pause between the prayers, all are invited to offer prayers silently or aloud, and to come forward and light a candle (e.g. tea candles that surround a single large candle, or several large candles, set up on a table in front of the altar, near where the candidate will stand).
Leader: As many of you as have been baptized have clothed yourselves with Christ.
People:  There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female, for all of us are one in Christ Jesus.
Leader: “The prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand and sang,” ‘Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously.’”  We pray for the renewal of God’s church in all its forms.
Pause
Leader:  As many of you as have been baptized have clothed yourselves with Christ.
People: There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female, for all of us are one in Christ Jesus.
Leader:  “God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.’” We pray for the health and welfare of the earth and all its peoples.
Pause
Leader: As many of you as have been baptized have clothed yourselves with Christ.
People:  There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female, for all of us are one in Christ Jesus.
Leader: “I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.” We pray for all who struggle against oppression, sickness, or any kind of trouble.
Pause
Leader: As many of you as have been baptized have clothed yourselves with Christ.
People:  There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female, for all of us are one in Christ Jesus.
Leader: “‘And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act,’ says the Lord”.  We pray in love and joy for all who have died.
Pause
Leader:  As many of you as have been baptized have clothed yourselves with Christ.
People: There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female, for all of us are one in Christ Jesus.
Leader: “For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”  We give thanks for all the blessings of this life.
Pause
Leader: As many of you as have been baptized have clothed yourselves with Christ.
People: There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female, for all of us are one in Christ Jesus.
The Giving of the Name
The Candidate for renaming comes forward.  The Celebrant then continues:
Celebrant: Hear the promises and commandments of God:
Thus says our God: Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come, and me deliverance be revealed.  “Happy is the mortal who does this, the one who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and refrains from doing any evil.  Do not let the foreigner joined to God say, ‘God will surely separate me from the people’; and do not let the eunuch say, ‘I am just a dry tree.’  For thus says God: to the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast to my covenant, I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.”
Turning to the person claiming the new name, the Celebrant asks:
Celebrant: How do you respond to God’s calling?
Candidate: I will seek God’s presence in all things.
Celebrant: We are here to affirm the name of ___________.  This name symbolizes all that _____ is and all that ______ is becoming, through the grace of God.  We honor the name given to _____ by ______ parents and acknowledge that the time has come to declare a new name.  This name is the culmination of a journey of discovery and, at the same time, its beginning.
Turning to the gathered community:
Will you do al in your power to assist ____________ to maintain justice, to do what is right, to honor God and hold fast to God’s covenant?
All: We will.
Celebrant: Will you honor __________ in name and in spirit as ____ continues on his path?
All: We will.
Celebrant: Dynamic and holy God, we remember how you changed the names of Abraham and Sarah, as they set out to follow you.  We know that you changed the name of Jacob, after a long night of wrestling with you.  We now declare publicly and affirm the name you have bestowed upon _____________.
All come forward and lay hands upon the candidate’s head, or upon the shoulders of those around the candidate.
______________, receive the blessings of God, Creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.
Walk in the Spirit, this day and always, knowing that God has made an everlasting covenant with you that shall never be cut off.
Candidate: Holy Creator, you make us and you change us.  I come before you today, surrounded by community, with awe and humility to put on the mantle of a new name.  May your Holy Spirit surround us and transform me in all truth, that with the name of  _________ I might grow ever more surely into the full stature of Christ.
Celebrant: Jesus said, ‘Rejoice that your names are written in heaven!”
All: Amen!
Celebrant: O God, in renaming your servants Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Peter, and Paul, you gave them new lives and new tasks, new love and new hope.  We now hold before you our friend _________.  Bless ____ with a new measure of grace as _____ takes this new name.  Write ______ again in your heart and on your palm.  And grant that we all may be worthy to call ourselves Christian, for the sake of your Christ whose name is Love, and in whom, with you and the Spirit we pray. Amen.
Prior to the Peace, the service might continue with the Renewal of the Baptismal Covenant, Book of Common Prayer pp. 292-294
Peace
Celebrant: The peace of the risen Christ be always with you.
People: And also with you.
The people are invited to share God’s peace with one another.
Holy Communion
If the service continues with Holy Communion, the Candidate might be invited to serve at the altar and/or offer the cup.
An especially appropriate Communion hymn would be “One Bread, One Body.”
Post Communion Prayer
All: Gracious God, you have fed us heavenly food in the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ.  Grant that with ______, we may share in this mystery and may, with ____, ever turn to the One whose Name is above all names.  Amen.
Blessing
In the words of Bishop Barbara Harris, May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, of Jesus, born of our Sister Mary, and of the Holy Spirit who broods over her people like a mother over her children, bless you and remain with you always.  Amen.


Sources
• The opening collect is from Changes: Prayers and Services Honoring Rites of Passage (New York: Church Publishing, 2007), 47.
• The Prayers of the People are adapted from the Easter liturgical booklet of St. Luke’s and St. Margaret’s in Allston/Brighton, MA for the context of the name change of a transgender parishioner.  They were written by Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge, drawing on the suggested themes for the Prayers of the People, and the Great Vigil of Easter in the Book of Common Prayer (New York: Church Publishing, 1979).
• “The Giving of the Name” title comes from Changes (p. 48)
• The text from “Hear the promises and commandments of God” up until “that shall never be cut off” is from Justin Tanis, Trans-gendered: Theology, Ministry, and Communities of Faith (Cleveland: The Pilgrim Press, 2003), 189-191
• The prayer by the Candidate was adapted by Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge from a prayer written by parishioner Sam T.
• “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven!” and response is from Tanis, (quoting Luke 10:20b) p. 191
• The prayer “O God, in renaming your servants Abraham and Sarah,” is from Changes (p. 48)
• The Post Communion Prayer is also from Changes (p. 49)
• Bishop Barbara C. Harris (now retired, from the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts) always uses her signature blessing!
Contributed by Reverend Dr. Cameron Partridge


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/liturgy-for-the-claiming-of-a-new-name/










Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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About
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Liturgy for the Claiming of a New Name
Embracing our true identity is cause for ceremony and celebration. Naming ritual is a wonderful way to honor truth.
Collect for the Changing of a Name
Celebrant:  God be with you.
People: And also with you.
Celebrant: Let us pray.
Holy One of Blessing, in baptism you bring us to new life in Jesus Christ and you name us Beloved.  We give you thanks for the renewal of that life and love in ______, who now fully claims _____ name.  Strengthen and uphold ______ as ____ grows into the power, and authority, and meaning of this name; we pray in the Name above all names, Jesus your Son, whom with you and the Holy Spirit, the Triune God, we adore.  Amen.
Readings
If the service is not bound by lectionary rubrics, readings might include some of the following:
•from Justin Tannis’s Trans-gendered: Theology, Ministry, and Communities of Faith (Cleveland: The Pilgrim Press, 2003): Gen 32:24-30; Song of Solomon 1:2b-3; Isaiah 45:3-4; Luke 10:20b
•from Changes: Prayers and Services Honoring Rites of Passage (New York: Church Publishing, 2007), 47-49: the Proper for the Feast of the Holy Name (Jan. 1): Exodus 34:1-8; Psalm 8; Romans1:1-7 or Philippians 2:9-13; Luke 2:15-21.
•From Rev. Karen Schaefer’s : Gen 1:27; Proverbs 3:13-20; John 1:1-5
Homily
The Candidate might be invited to give the homily, which might include some sharing about the Candidate’s journey to this point
At this point, prior to the start of the Prayers of the People, a congregation might renew its Baptismal Covenant (Book of Common Prayer, pp. 304-305) or do a similar process that reaffirms the empowerment of the ministry of the laity.
Prayers of the People
The prayers that follow draw upon scripture readings from the Great Vigil of Easter, calling upon us to join our voices with the voices of Scripture, that we might see in our own lives and in the world around us, the “stories of salvation history.”  The refrain is an ancient baptismal hymn from which the Apostle Paul quotes in his letter to the Galatians (3:28).  During the pause between the prayers, all are invited to offer prayers silently or aloud, and to come forward and light a candle (e.g. tea candles that surround a single large candle, or several large candles, set up on a table in front of the altar, near where the candidate will stand).
Leader: As many of you as have been baptized have clothed yourselves with Christ.
People:  There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female, for all of us are one in Christ Jesus.
Leader: “The prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand and sang,” ‘Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously.’”  We pray for the renewal of God’s church in all its forms.
Pause
Leader:  As many of you as have been baptized have clothed yourselves with Christ.
People: There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female, for all of us are one in Christ Jesus.
Leader:  “God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.’” We pray for the health and welfare of the earth and all its peoples.
Pause
Leader: As many of you as have been baptized have clothed yourselves with Christ.
People:  There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female, for all of us are one in Christ Jesus.
Leader: “I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.” We pray for all who struggle against oppression, sickness, or any kind of trouble.
Pause
Leader: As many of you as have been baptized have clothed yourselves with Christ.
People:  There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female, for all of us are one in Christ Jesus.
Leader: “‘And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act,’ says the Lord”.  We pray in love and joy for all who have died.
Pause
Leader:  As many of you as have been baptized have clothed yourselves with Christ.
People: There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female, for all of us are one in Christ Jesus.
Leader: “For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”  We give thanks for all the blessings of this life.
Pause
Leader: As many of you as have been baptized have clothed yourselves with Christ.
People: There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female, for all of us are one in Christ Jesus.
The Giving of the Name
The Candidate for renaming comes forward.  The Celebrant then continues:
Celebrant: Hear the promises and commandments of God:
Thus says our God: Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come, and me deliverance be revealed.  “Happy is the mortal who does this, the one who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and refrains from doing any evil.  Do not let the foreigner joined to God say, ‘God will surely separate me from the people’; and do not let the eunuch say, ‘I am just a dry tree.’  For thus says God: to the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast to my covenant, I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.”
Turning to the person claiming the new name, the Celebrant asks:
Celebrant: How do you respond to God’s calling?
Candidate: I will seek God’s presence in all things.
Celebrant: We are here to affirm the name of ___________.  This name symbolizes all that _____ is and all that ______ is becoming, through the grace of God.  We honor the name given to _____ by ______ parents and acknowledge that the time has come to declare a new name.  This name is the culmination of a journey of discovery and, at the same time, its beginning.
Turning to the gathered community:
Will you do al in your power to assist ____________ to maintain justice, to do what is right, to honor God and hold fast to God’s covenant?
All: We will.
Celebrant: Will you honor __________ in name and in spirit as ____ continues on his path?
All: We will.
Celebrant: Dynamic and holy God, we remember how you changed the names of Abraham and Sarah, as they set out to follow you.  We know that you changed the name of Jacob, after a long night of wrestling with you.  We now declare publicly and affirm the name you have bestowed upon _____________.
All come forward and lay hands upon the candidate’s head, or upon the shoulders of those around the candidate.
______________, receive the blessings of God, Creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.
Walk in the Spirit, this day and always, knowing that God has made an everlasting covenant with you that shall never be cut off.
Candidate: Holy Creator, you make us and you change us.  I come before you today, surrounded by community, with awe and humility to put on the mantle of a new name.  May your Holy Spirit surround us and transform me in all truth, that with the name of  _________ I might grow ever more surely into the full stature of Christ.
Celebrant: Jesus said, ‘Rejoice that your names are written in heaven!”
All: Amen!
Celebrant: O God, in renaming your servants Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Peter, and Paul, you gave them new lives and new tasks, new love and new hope.  We now hold before you our friend _________.  Bless ____ with a new measure of grace as _____ takes this new name.  Write ______ again in your heart and on your palm.  And grant that we all may be worthy to call ourselves Christian, for the sake of your Christ whose name is Love, and in whom, with you and the Spirit we pray. Amen.
Prior to the Peace, the service might continue with the Renewal of the Baptismal Covenant, Book of Common Prayer pp. 292-294
Peace
Celebrant: The peace of the risen Christ be always with you.
People: And also with you.
The people are invited to share God’s peace with one another.
Holy Communion
If the service continues with Holy Communion, the Candidate might be invited to serve at the altar and/or offer the cup.
An especially appropriate Communion hymn would be “One Bread, One Body.”
Post Communion Prayer
All: Gracious God, you have fed us heavenly food in the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ.  Grant that with ______, we may share in this mystery and may, with ____, ever turn to the One whose Name is above all names.  Amen.
Blessing
In the words of Bishop Barbara Harris, May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, of Jesus, born of our Sister Mary, and of the Holy Spirit who broods over her people like a mother over her children, bless you and remain with you always.  Amen.


Sources
• The opening collect is from Changes: Prayers and Services Honoring Rites of Passage (New York: Church Publishing, 2007), 47.
• The Prayers of the People are adapted from the Easter liturgical booklet of St. Luke’s and St. Margaret’s in Allston/Brighton, MA for the context of the name change of a transgender parishioner.  They were written by Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge, drawing on the suggested themes for the Prayers of the People, and the Great Vigil of Easter in the Book of Common Prayer (New York: Church Publishing, 1979).
• “The Giving of the Name” title comes from Changes (p. 48)
• The text from “Hear the promises and commandments of God” up until “that shall never be cut off” is from Justin Tanis, Trans-gendered: Theology, Ministry, and Communities of Faith (Cleveland: The Pilgrim Press, 2003), 189-191
• The prayer by the Candidate was adapted by Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge from a prayer written by parishioner Sam T.
• “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven!” and response is from Tanis, (quoting Luke 10:20b) p. 191
• The prayer “O God, in renaming your servants Abraham and Sarah,” is from Changes (p. 48)
• The Post Communion Prayer is also from Changes (p. 49)
• Bishop Barbara C. Harris (now retired, from the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts) always uses her signature blessing!
Contributed by Reverend Dr. Cameron Partridge


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Changed by God’s Love
Greater acceptance, broader love, and wider welcome illuminates our reflection of God to the world (based on Acts 10:9-15 and Matthew 15:21-28).
One: How quickly we humans condemn, how easily hurtful words are spoken, acts of hate and injury accomplished.
Many: If I am different, there is no welcome; if you don’t belong, there is no love.
One: The disciple Peter refused to accept that which he thought unclean, to receive those who were impure.
Many: God taught him that nothing God has made is unclean and must not be called profane.
One: Sometimes the good news of God’s love is thought to be only for some people and not for others.
Many: Even Jesus had his eyes opened to the depth of God’s inclusive love.
One: Those who are called by the name Christian are called to be changed by God’s love,
All: so that none may be excluded, and all may be welcomed in.

From Shaping Sanctuary: Proclaiming God’s Grace in an Inclusive Church, edited by Kelly Turney. Copyright 2000 by Reconciling Ministries Network. Reprinted by permission.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
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Changed by God’s Love
Greater acceptance, broader love, and wider welcome illuminates our reflection of God to the world (based on Acts 10:9-15 and Matthew 15:21-28).
One: How quickly we humans condemn, how easily hurtful words are spoken, acts of hate and injury accomplished.
Many: If I am different, there is no welcome; if you don’t belong, there is no love.
One: The disciple Peter refused to accept that which he thought unclean, to receive those who were impure.
Many: God taught him that nothing God has made is unclean and must not be called profane.
One: Sometimes the good news of God’s love is thought to be only for some people and not for others.
Many: Even Jesus had his eyes opened to the depth of God’s inclusive love.
One: Those who are called by the name Christian are called to be changed by God’s love,
All: so that none may be excluded, and all may be welcomed in.

From Shaping Sanctuary: Proclaiming God’s Grace in an Inclusive Church, edited by Kelly Turney. Copyright 2000 by Reconciling Ministries Network. Reprinted by permission.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
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A Litany of Coming Out
Join the celebration of God's marvelous creation in its full expression.
One: As God created the heavens and the earth and called them good,
Many: God created each and every one of us, and calls us good!
One: As God’s creation includes and exhibits diversity and unity alike,
Many: God created us as diverse persons, yet with the desire that we live together with all of creation in peace and unity!
One: As a multicolored rainbow reflect the spectrum of light,
Many: We reflect the spectrum of human sexuality!
One: As straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons,
Many: We strive to affirm and be who we have been created to be!
One: As we encounter attitudes and acts of prejudice and injustice,
Many: We remain assured that God is always with us and for us, and that God wills for our lives wholeness and well-being!
One: As we discern the next step of our coming out, whether it be to our families or origin, families of choice, friends, coworkers, whomever,
Many: We recognize that to live life fully we must take the next step, even though we cannot guarantee the reactions of others.
All: We give thanks that we are never completely alone, that there are others whom we find along the path of our life’s journey who can provide love and support and genuine acceptance – including God!

From Bethany Presbyterian Church, Dallas, 2002. More Light Presbyterians. Used with permission.
Contributed by Rev. Todd Freeman


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A Litany of Coming Out
Join the celebration of God's marvelous creation in its full expression.
One: As God created the heavens and the earth and called them good,
Many: God created each and every one of us, and calls us good!
One: As God’s creation includes and exhibits diversity and unity alike,
Many: God created us as diverse persons, yet with the desire that we live together with all of creation in peace and unity!
One: As a multicolored rainbow reflect the spectrum of light,
Many: We reflect the spectrum of human sexuality!
One: As straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons,
Many: We strive to affirm and be who we have been created to be!
One: As we encounter attitudes and acts of prejudice and injustice,
Many: We remain assured that God is always with us and for us, and that God wills for our lives wholeness and well-being!
One: As we discern the next step of our coming out, whether it be to our families or origin, families of choice, friends, coworkers, whomever,
Many: We recognize that to live life fully we must take the next step, even though we cannot guarantee the reactions of others.
All: We give thanks that we are never completely alone, that there are others whom we find along the path of our life’s journey who can provide love and support and genuine acceptance – including God!

From Bethany Presbyterian Church, Dallas, 2002. More Light Presbyterians. Used with permission.
Contributed by Rev. Todd Freeman


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
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Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
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Litany of A Grateful People (Based on Mark 12:29-31)
Worship God with heart, soul, mind, and experience joy.
One: For the joy of this moment, a wonderful moment,
Many: Our hearts, soul and mind fills with love for You, God.
One: For drawing us near to be co-creators with You,
Many: Our hearts, soul and mind fills with love for You, God.
One: For the richness of our heritage in faith,
Many: Our hearts, soul and mind fills with love for You, God.
One: For our collective learning, re-learning and un-learning,
Many: Our hearts, soul and mind fills with love for You, God.
One: Let the vision and unfolding vision direct our path to the future,
Many: Our trust in You deepens.
One: Aid us in increasing our ties to one another, our work with community partners and our love toward one another,
Many: Our trust in You, deepens.
One: Receive our worship and praise of You, as we celebrate this ministry of inclusion,
All: Our worship and praise rises to You, God!
Contributed by Rev. Cedric A. Harmon


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
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Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Litany of A Grateful People (Based on Mark 12:29-31)
Worship God with heart, soul, mind, and experience joy.
One: For the joy of this moment, a wonderful moment,
Many: Our hearts, soul and mind fills with love for You, God.
One: For drawing us near to be co-creators with You,
Many: Our hearts, soul and mind fills with love for You, God.
One: For the richness of our heritage in faith,
Many: Our hearts, soul and mind fills with love for You, God.
One: For our collective learning, re-learning and un-learning,
Many: Our hearts, soul and mind fills with love for You, God.
One: Let the vision and unfolding vision direct our path to the future,
Many: Our trust in You deepens.
One: Aid us in increasing our ties to one another, our work with community partners and our love toward one another,
Many: Our trust in You, deepens.
One: Receive our worship and praise of You, as we celebrate this ministry of inclusion,
All: Our worship and praise rises to You, God!
Contributed by Rev. Cedric A. Harmon


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



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Litany of Community Celebration and Solidarity
May the Spirit of God prompt us to live, love and act in ways that more completely embraces the gift of each other.

One: God of Creation, let your light shine on all the inhabitants of this earth that we may know and celebrate that you have formed and created us in life-giving and life-receiving oneness and harmony;
Many: Source of our being, hear our prayer and bless us with your gift of creation.
One: God of Grace, grant us the gift of inward joy and the serenity that comes from being in relationship with you and your creation;
Many: Source of our being, hear our prayer and bless us with your gift of grace.
One: God of Life, open our eyes that we may see the handiwork of your hands and good things in unexpected places that inspire us to celebrate our lives and the sacred ties of kindred, friendship, and love;
Many: Source of our being, hear our prayer and bless us with your gift of life.
One: God of Love, fill our hearts with light and grace and hope that cast out the spirits of fear, anxiety, and division and inspire in each of us a spirit of community, compassion, and selflessness;
Many: Source of our being, hear our prayer and bless us with your gift of love.
One:  God of Justice, endow each of us with a spirit that recognizes the worth, dignity, and equality of all human beings and inspires us to always stand on the side of the poor, the hungry, and the oppressed;
Many: Source of our being, hear our prayer and bless us with your gift of justice.
One: God of Peace, prompt us always to pursue community and reconciliation as we affirm one another in our different religious, cultural, and social beliefs and expressions;
Many: Source of our being, hear our prayer and bless us with the gift of peace.
One: God of mercy, rescue and restore your creation from neglect, violence, and persecution and bring healing and wholeness wherever there is pain and darkness;
Many: Source of our being, hear our prayer and bless us with the gift of mercy.
One: God of Hope, bless us with brave hearts and steady nerves as we speak truth to power and challenge the scourge of hatred, prejudice, and discrimination, and give us the strength to meet the days to come with steadfastness and patience;
All: Source of our being, hear our prayer and bless us with your gift of hope. May we seek always to be united as one family under God committed to being reconciled and standing together in the belief that love and compassion have greater power than hatred and division. In all of your many and holy names we pray.
Amen.

From The One World Book of Prayer: A Treasury of Prayers from Around the World, compiled by Juliet Mabey, Oneworld Publications, 1999.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



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3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/litany-of-community-celebration-and-solidarity/











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A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Litany of Community Celebration and Solidarity
May the Spirit of God prompt us to live, love and act in ways that more completely embraces the gift of each other.

One: God of Creation, let your light shine on all the inhabitants of this earth that we may know and celebrate that you have formed and created us in life-giving and life-receiving oneness and harmony;
Many: Source of our being, hear our prayer and bless us with your gift of creation.
One: God of Grace, grant us the gift of inward joy and the serenity that comes from being in relationship with you and your creation;
Many: Source of our being, hear our prayer and bless us with your gift of grace.
One: God of Life, open our eyes that we may see the handiwork of your hands and good things in unexpected places that inspire us to celebrate our lives and the sacred ties of kindred, friendship, and love;
Many: Source of our being, hear our prayer and bless us with your gift of life.
One: God of Love, fill our hearts with light and grace and hope that cast out the spirits of fear, anxiety, and division and inspire in each of us a spirit of community, compassion, and selflessness;
Many: Source of our being, hear our prayer and bless us with your gift of love.
One:  God of Justice, endow each of us with a spirit that recognizes the worth, dignity, and equality of all human beings and inspires us to always stand on the side of the poor, the hungry, and the oppressed;
Many: Source of our being, hear our prayer and bless us with your gift of justice.
One: God of Peace, prompt us always to pursue community and reconciliation as we affirm one another in our different religious, cultural, and social beliefs and expressions;
Many: Source of our being, hear our prayer and bless us with the gift of peace.
One: God of mercy, rescue and restore your creation from neglect, violence, and persecution and bring healing and wholeness wherever there is pain and darkness;
Many: Source of our being, hear our prayer and bless us with the gift of mercy.
One: God of Hope, bless us with brave hearts and steady nerves as we speak truth to power and challenge the scourge of hatred, prejudice, and discrimination, and give us the strength to meet the days to come with steadfastness and patience;
All: Source of our being, hear our prayer and bless us with your gift of hope. May we seek always to be united as one family under God committed to being reconciled and standing together in the belief that love and compassion have greater power than hatred and division. In all of your many and holy names we pray.
Amen.

From The One World Book of Prayer: A Treasury of Prayers from Around the World, compiled by Juliet Mabey, Oneworld Publications, 1999.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/litany-of-community-celebration-and-solidarity/










Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Majestic worship (Adapted from Psalm 111)
Enter into the embrace of God's awe-inspiring presence as you recite this call to worship.

One: Great are the works of our God,
Many: All the people of earth see them and delight in them!
One: Glorious and majestic are God’s deeds,
Many: And God’s righteousness is celebrated forever!
One: God has worked wonders among the people,
Many: For God is gracious and compassionate.
One: God has not forgotten the covenant made with us,
Many: And God’s Spirit still calls us to joy and freedom.
One: The works of our God are just and faithful
Many: God’s precepts are trustworthy!
One: Come, celebrate with us!
Many: Come, rejoice in God’s welcoming and affirming presence!


By the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. Used with permission.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/majestic-worship-adapted-from-psalm-111/



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A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Majestic worship (Adapted from Psalm 111)
Enter into the embrace of God's awe-inspiring presence as you recite this call to worship.

One: Great are the works of our God,
Many: All the people of earth see them and delight in them!
One: Glorious and majestic are God’s deeds,
Many: And God’s righteousness is celebrated forever!
One: God has worked wonders among the people,
Many: For God is gracious and compassionate.
One: God has not forgotten the covenant made with us,
Many: And God’s Spirit still calls us to joy and freedom.
One: The works of our God are just and faithful
Many: God’s precepts are trustworthy!
One: Come, celebrate with us!
Many: Come, rejoice in God’s welcoming and affirming presence!


By the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. Used with permission.


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

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Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/majestic-worship-adapted-from-psalm-111/













Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

My creed – My beatitude
Stating our central aspirations and beliefs creates space for deep connection. This litany or reading rings with such openness.

I believe in the precious nature of each individual.
Peace to the people who respect their challenging and exciting neighbours.
I believe in Justice for all people.
Peace to the people who promote just and equal opportunities for humankind.
I believe in Human Rights for everyone.
Peace to the people who support the right for people to be accepted for who they are.
I believe in the acceptance of women and men of whatever sexual orientation and persuasion.
Peace to the people who speak out against persecution, bullying, verbal and physical abuse of individuals and groups of people.
I believe in an Inclusive Church.
Peace to people who, with their love and desire for the wholeness of humankind, create communities and churches where we are enabled to worship in the spirit of diversity, honesty and love.

From Courage To Love: Liturgies for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community, Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd. © 2002 Geoffrey Duncan
Contributed by Geoffrey Duncan


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/my-creed-my-beatitude/













Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

My creed – My beatitude
Stating our central aspirations and beliefs creates space for deep connection. This litany or reading rings with such openness.

I believe in the precious nature of each individual.
Peace to the people who respect their challenging and exciting neighbours.
I believe in Justice for all people.
Peace to the people who promote just and equal opportunities for humankind.
I believe in Human Rights for everyone.
Peace to the people who support the right for people to be accepted for who they are.
I believe in the acceptance of women and men of whatever sexual orientation and persuasion.
Peace to the people who speak out against persecution, bullying, verbal and physical abuse of individuals and groups of people.
I believe in an Inclusive Church.
Peace to people who, with their love and desire for the wholeness of humankind, create communities and churches where we are enabled to worship in the spirit of diversity, honesty and love.

From Courage To Love: Liturgies for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community, Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd. © 2002 Geoffrey Duncan
Contributed by Geoffrey Duncan


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

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Employment

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Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


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Like ManyVoices
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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/my-creed-my-beatitude/












Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Weekly affirmation
Affirming our African heritage, our vision...

Affirming our African heritage, our vision is to build an inclusive body of biblical believers who continue to grow in Christ as we love, serve, and fellowship with the community and each other.

Affirmation Statement read aloud each Sunday at Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ, Washington, DC


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

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Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/weekly-affirmation/











Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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About
 How to Begin
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 Get Involved




































































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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Weekly affirmation
Affirming our African heritage, our vision...

Affirming our African heritage, our vision is to build an inclusive body of biblical believers who continue to grow in Christ as we love, serve, and fellowship with the community and each other.

Affirmation Statement read aloud each Sunday at Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ, Washington, DC


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

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Like ManyVoices
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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/weekly-affirmation/











Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
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 Get Involved




































































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Resources
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Biblical Themes





Education









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Music & Media




Church Seasons










Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

We sow: A litany
Holy God, we sow; poor in spirit. We harvest eternal security. Holy God, we sow; with repentant minds. We reap your comfort....

Holy God, we sow; poor in spirit.
We harvest eternal security.
Holy God, we sow; with repentant minds.
We reap your comfort.
Holy God, we sow; with a gentle spirit.
We gather your provision.
Holy God, we sow; seeking righteousness.
We glean your happiness.
Holy God, we sow; to become merciful.
We receive your mercy.
Holy God, we sow; to purify our attitudes.
We yield your presence.
Holy God, we sow; to draw us toward peace.
We grow to be known as your children.

By the Reverend Elise Elrod, Out In Season: A Transgender Encounter with the Church Year . Published by the Human Rights Campaign Religion & Faith Program to access the full resource visit: www.hrc.org/issues/religion


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

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Like ManyVoices
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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/we-sow-a-litany/









Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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About
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 Get Involved




































































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Resources
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Black Church Conversations









Biblical Themes





Education









Frequently Asked Questions





Rituals & Blessings




Music & Media




Church Seasons










Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

We sow: A litany
Holy God, we sow; poor in spirit. We harvest eternal security. Holy God, we sow; with repentant minds. We reap your comfort....

Holy God, we sow; poor in spirit.
We harvest eternal security.
Holy God, we sow; with repentant minds.
We reap your comfort.
Holy God, we sow; with a gentle spirit.
We gather your provision.
Holy God, we sow; seeking righteousness.
We glean your happiness.
Holy God, we sow; to become merciful.
We receive your mercy.
Holy God, we sow; to purify our attitudes.
We yield your presence.
Holy God, we sow; to draw us toward peace.
We grow to be known as your children.

By the Reverend Elise Elrod, Out In Season: A Transgender Encounter with the Church Year . Published by the Human Rights Campaign Religion & Faith Program to access the full resource visit: www.hrc.org/issues/religion


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



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http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/we-sow-a-litany/








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I believe
Declaring the persistent, healing, creative and forgiving love of God invites us to truly worship.

I believe God’s love will find a way to heal our wounded world,
and I believe somehow that hatred and poverty will end.
For I believe in the persistent love of God.

I believe that God is loving and healing through our tears
and I believe God can make us whole again.
For I believe in the great healing love of God.

I believe that God has made me who I am.
and I believe that God rejoices when we are able to live honest lives.
For I believe in the creative love of God.

I believe it’s not too late for us to learn to live to love.
and I believe God’s love can teach us to forgive and start anew.
For I believe in the forgiving love of God.

By Tim Mc Ginley From Shaping Sanctuary: Proclaiming God’s Grace in an Inclusive Church, edited by Kelly Turney. Copyright © 2000 by Reconciling Ministries Network. Reprinted by permission.
Contributed by Tim McGinley


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/i-believe/












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A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

I believe
Declaring the persistent, healing, creative and forgiving love of God invites us to truly worship.

I believe God’s love will find a way to heal our wounded world,
and I believe somehow that hatred and poverty will end.
For I believe in the persistent love of God.

I believe that God is loving and healing through our tears
and I believe God can make us whole again.
For I believe in the great healing love of God.

I believe that God has made me who I am.
and I believe that God rejoices when we are able to live honest lives.
For I believe in the creative love of God.

I believe it’s not too late for us to learn to live to love.
and I believe God’s love can teach us to forgive and start anew.
For I believe in the forgiving love of God.

By Tim Mc Ginley From Shaping Sanctuary: Proclaiming God’s Grace in an Inclusive Church, edited by Kelly Turney. Copyright © 2000 by Reconciling Ministries Network. Reprinted by permission.
Contributed by Tim McGinley


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/i-believe/











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Current Search Terms
Litanies & Liturgies
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Rituals & BlessingsNaming/Transitioning (1)
Biblical ThemesLove/Relationships (1)

Support Many Voices
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And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



Resources in "Litanies & Liturgies"

Litany for World AIDS Day
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
We join voices at this moment of boldness, empowerment and remembrance on World AIDS Day.


Litany for healing and hope
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
Created on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the March On Washington for Jobs and Freedom this litany calls forth waters of healing.



Liturgy of God’s Welcome
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
The welcome of God extends beyond our wildest imaginings and then surprises us once again.



God’s Generosity
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
Open hands  readily give and receive. May we remain open to God's in-breaking.


Liturgy for the Claiming of a New Name
Litanies & Liturgies, Naming/Transitioning, Rituals & Blessings, Worship
Embracing our true identity is cause for ceremony and celebration. Naming ritual is a wonderful way to honor truth.



Changed by God’s Love
Biblical Themes, Litanies & Liturgies, Love/Relationships, Worship
Greater acceptance, broader love, and wider welcome illuminates our reflection of God to the world (based on Acts 10:9-15 and Matthew 15:21-28).



A Litany of Coming Out
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
Join the celebration of God's marvelous creation in its full expression.


Litany of A Grateful People (Based on Mark 12:29-31)
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
Worship God with heart, soul, mind, and experience joy.



Litany of Community Celebration and Solidarity
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
May the Spirit of God prompt us to live, love and act in ways that more completely embraces the gift of each other.



Majestic worship (Adapted from Psalm 111)
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
Enter into the embrace of God's awe-inspiring presence as you recite this call to worship.


My creed – My beatitude
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
Stating our central aspirations and beliefs creates space for deep connection. This litany or reading rings with such openness.


Weekly affirmation
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
Affirming our African heritage, our vision...


We sow: A litany
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
Holy God, we sow; poor in spirit. We harvest eternal security. Holy God, we sow; with repentant minds. We reap your comfort....



I believe
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
Declaring the persistent, healing, creative and forgiving love of God invites us to truly worship.

   



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/resources/?/litanies-liturgies/












Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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About
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Resources
Current Search Terms
Litanies & Liturgies
Refine Your Search
Rituals & BlessingsNaming/Transitioning (1)
Biblical ThemesLove/Relationships (1)

Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now



Resources in "Litanies & Liturgies"

Litany for World AIDS Day
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
We join voices at this moment of boldness, empowerment and remembrance on World AIDS Day.


Litany for healing and hope
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
Created on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the March On Washington for Jobs and Freedom this litany calls forth waters of healing.



Liturgy of God’s Welcome
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
The welcome of God extends beyond our wildest imaginings and then surprises us once again.



God’s Generosity
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
Open hands  readily give and receive. May we remain open to God's in-breaking.


Liturgy for the Claiming of a New Name
Litanies & Liturgies, Naming/Transitioning, Rituals & Blessings, Worship
Embracing our true identity is cause for ceremony and celebration. Naming ritual is a wonderful way to honor truth.



Changed by God’s Love
Biblical Themes, Litanies & Liturgies, Love/Relationships, Worship
Greater acceptance, broader love, and wider welcome illuminates our reflection of God to the world (based on Acts 10:9-15 and Matthew 15:21-28).



A Litany of Coming Out
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
Join the celebration of God's marvelous creation in its full expression.


Litany of A Grateful People (Based on Mark 12:29-31)
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
Worship God with heart, soul, mind, and experience joy.



Litany of Community Celebration and Solidarity
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
May the Spirit of God prompt us to live, love and act in ways that more completely embraces the gift of each other.



Majestic worship (Adapted from Psalm 111)
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
Enter into the embrace of God's awe-inspiring presence as you recite this call to worship.


My creed – My beatitude
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
Stating our central aspirations and beliefs creates space for deep connection. This litany or reading rings with such openness.


Weekly affirmation
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
Affirming our African heritage, our vision...


We sow: A litany
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
Holy God, we sow; poor in spirit. We harvest eternal security. Holy God, we sow; with repentant minds. We reap your comfort....



I believe
Litanies & Liturgies, Worship
Declaring the persistent, healing, creative and forgiving love of God invites us to truly worship.

   



About
Media

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Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/resources/?/litanies-liturgies/














Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Education









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Rituals & Blessings




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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Come all who are blessed
An invitation to worship and acts of justice in the world.

ONE: Come, all who are blessed with restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships.
ALL: We come to seek boldly and love deeply.
ONE: Come, all who are blessed with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and the exploitation of people.
ALL: We come to seek justice, freedom, and peace among all people.
ONE: Come, all who are blessed with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain of rejection, starvation, or the loss of all they cherish.
ALL: We come to reach out our hands to comfort them and to transform their pain into joy.
ONE: Come, all who are blessed with audacity to believe that you really can make a difference in this world.
ALL : We come seeking God’s grace and inspiration to do what others claim cannot be done.
ONE: Come, all who seek to be a blessing in service to God and humanity.


Adapted from Franciscan Blessing
Contributed by Rev. Cedric A. Harmon


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
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Employment

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Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/come-all-who-are-blessed/












Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Come all who are blessed
An invitation to worship and acts of justice in the world.

ONE: Come, all who are blessed with restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships.
ALL: We come to seek boldly and love deeply.
ONE: Come, all who are blessed with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and the exploitation of people.
ALL: We come to seek justice, freedom, and peace among all people.
ONE: Come, all who are blessed with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain of rejection, starvation, or the loss of all they cherish.
ALL: We come to reach out our hands to comfort them and to transform their pain into joy.
ONE: Come, all who are blessed with audacity to believe that you really can make a difference in this world.
ALL : We come seeking God’s grace and inspiration to do what others claim cannot be done.
ONE: Come, all who seek to be a blessing in service to God and humanity.


Adapted from Franciscan Blessing
Contributed by Rev. Cedric A. Harmon


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

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Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


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Donate now

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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/come-all-who-are-blessed/



Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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Education









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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Light of Epiphany
Our light shines even brighter as we work for justice in the world.

Holy One,
you have called us to be a light for the nations;
give us the strength and courage to shine with love,
embodying justice, mercy, and humility,
that all the world might be drawn to you
through Jesus Christ, the Light of the World.
Amen.

From Gay, Lesbian Affirming Disciples (GLAD) Alliance. Used with permission.
Contributed by Rev. Wes Jamison


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

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Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


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Donate now

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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/light-of-epiphany/











Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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About
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 Get Involved




































































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Resources
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Education









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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Light of Epiphany
Our light shines even brighter as we work for justice in the world.

Holy One,
you have called us to be a light for the nations;
give us the strength and courage to shine with love,
embodying justice, mercy, and humility,
that all the world might be drawn to you
through Jesus Christ, the Light of the World.
Amen.

From Gay, Lesbian Affirming Disciples (GLAD) Alliance. Used with permission.
Contributed by Rev. Wes Jamison


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/light-of-epiphany/





Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
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About
 How to Begin
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 Get Involved




































































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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Celebration and Praise
We celebrate and praise God out of the richness of our experience with God.

One:
We celebrate the goodness of God this day
Many:
We offer grateful praise
One:
For every opportunity to express the radically inclusive love of Jesus Christ
Many:
We say, “Great is God’s mercy”
One:
For ministry that builds community and serves the community
Many:
We say, “Great is God’s grace”
One:
For vision to create a safe space in which all persons may flourish spiritually
Many:
We say, “Great is God’s love”
One:
For days yet to be and dreams yet to be realized
Many:
We say, “Great is God’s faithfulness”
All:
We celebrate the goodness of God this day and offer grateful praise!
Contributed by Rev. Cedric A. Harmon


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

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Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  

http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/celebration-and-praise/











Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
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Resources
Worship








Black Church Conversations









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Education









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Rituals & Blessings




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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Celebration and Praise
We celebrate and praise God out of the richness of our experience with God.

One:
We celebrate the goodness of God this day
Many:
We offer grateful praise
One:
For every opportunity to express the radically inclusive love of Jesus Christ
Many:
We say, “Great is God’s mercy”
One:
For ministry that builds community and serves the community
Many:
We say, “Great is God’s grace”
One:
For vision to create a safe space in which all persons may flourish spiritually
Many:
We say, “Great is God’s love”
One:
For days yet to be and dreams yet to be realized
Many:
We say, “Great is God’s faithfulness”
All:
We celebrate the goodness of God this day and offer grateful praise!
Contributed by Rev. Cedric A. Harmon


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



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3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/celebration-and-praise/














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Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

In-betweens too
Come as you are and welcome others as they are.

Welcome One and All to this time and place of worship.
Know that in this space you are welcome as you are, for who you are.
Together we celebrate all of God’s children – young, old and in-between; male, female and in-between; gay, lesbian, straight and in-between; the assured, the doubting, and the in-between; the optimistic, the cynics, and the in-between; the foolish, the wise, and the in-between.
Let us together center our spirits, our minds, our hearts on this time of worship.
Contributed by Rev. Mary Kay Totty


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

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Employment

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Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
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Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/in-betweens-too/










Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
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 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































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Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

In-betweens too
Come as you are and welcome others as they are.

Welcome One and All to this time and place of worship.
Know that in this space you are welcome as you are, for who you are.
Together we celebrate all of God’s children – young, old and in-between; male, female and in-between; gay, lesbian, straight and in-between; the assured, the doubting, and the in-between; the optimistic, the cynics, and the in-between; the foolish, the wise, and the in-between.
Let us together center our spirits, our minds, our hearts on this time of worship.
Contributed by Rev. Mary Kay Totty


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  

http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/in-betweens-too/




Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































Facebook

Tumblr

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Search for:
 
  
Join our mailing list
  
 

Resources
Worship








Black Church Conversations









Biblical Themes





Education









Frequently Asked Questions





Rituals & Blessings




Music & Media




Church Seasons










Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Opening sentences
These beautiful opening sentences remind us to embrace the freedom granted to us in faith. You may wish to use this resource as a Call to worship or a recited prayer.

Sisters and brothers, open your hearts,
For faith has,
And in faith you are set free.
Free, not to mind your words,
But to speak the truth in love.
Free, not to look up at some,
And down at others,
But to look kindly eye-to-eye.
Free, not to close your senses,
But to feel clearly the pain of others,
And to take it to yourself.
So clothe yourself in Christ-
The fashion of the heirs
Of promise.
And praise God.

From Courage To Love: Liturgies for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community, Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd. © 2002 Geoffrey Duncan. Used with permission.
Contributed by Duncan L. Tuck


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/opening-sentences/









Many Voices
A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
Donate Now
About
 How to Begin
 Resources
 Blog
 Events
 Get Involved




































































Facebook

Tumblr

Twitter

YouTube

Vimeo

Pinterest

RSS Feed

Email

Shopping Cart

Search for:
 
  
Join our mailing list
  
 

Resources
Worship








Black Church Conversations









Biblical Themes





Education









Frequently Asked Questions





Rituals & Blessings




Music & Media




Church Seasons










Support Many Voices
Please spread the word about Many Voices.
And donate today, at whatever level you can.
Together, we can achieve the justice and liberation that we so long for, affirm the lives of our gay and transgender brothers and sisters, and call the Black church into the full expression of God’s unconditional love.
Donate Now





  

Opening sentences
These beautiful opening sentences remind us to embrace the freedom granted to us in faith. You may wish to use this resource as a Call to worship or a recited prayer.

Sisters and brothers, open your hearts,
For faith has,
And in faith you are set free.
Free, not to mind your words,
But to speak the truth in love.
Free, not to look up at some,
And down at others,
But to look kindly eye-to-eye.
Free, not to close your senses,
But to feel clearly the pain of others,
And to take it to yourself.
So clothe yourself in Christ-
The fashion of the heirs
Of promise.
And praise God.

From Courage To Love: Liturgies for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community, Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd. © 2002 Geoffrey Duncan. Used with permission.
Contributed by Duncan L. Tuck


Please give credit: The person or organization who contributed this resource has made it available for you to download free for use for worship or education in your congregation or faith community. Whenever you use it, please attribute to the contributors as they are named, adding the words, "downloaded at ManyVoices.org." Use of this resource for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Please give feedback: To share anything about your experience using this resource, enter your comments below. Your feedback helps build a vibrant community.
Please give a donation: If you appreciate the opportunity for free downloads, please consider a donation so we can continue offering guidance to all who seek to broaden their welcome.
    



About
Media

Our team

Employment

Contact us


Encourage learning
Share resources on sexuality & gender


Get involved
Donate now

Sign up

Welcoming church list

Other justice-seeking organizations

RSS Feed

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Like ManyVoices
on Facebook



Questions? Comments? Participate in the conversation!
3133 Dumbarton Street, NW  |  Washington, DC 20007  |  info@manyvoices.org
©2010 Many Voices, All Rights Reserved  |  Terms of Use
  
http://www.manyvoices.org/blog/resource/opening-sentences/









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