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Stoles pay quiet tribute to gay clergy
By WAVENEY ANN MOORE, Times Staff Writer
ST. PETERSBURG -- Scarves of Christian ministry, the often colorful stoles worn by pastors, deacons, elders and other religious leaders, hang forlornly from white wire hangers in Lakewood United Church of Christ. Each carries a message. "Christian, nurse, deacon, lesbian, AIDS "buddy,' daughter, sister, aunt, partner, friend. Mary L., Burlington, Vt." says one. "From an anonymous gay married man," says the note attached to a stole of somber navy blue. "There is more love in God than sin in us," reads one whose former owner described herself as a lesbian pastor. "Why can't my gifts be used?" another asks. They are just a few of the hundreds of liturgical stoles -- symbols of Christian clergy -- either from gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people who have since been barred from serving in their churches or from those wanting to honor them. The collection, begun in the Presbyterian Church in 1995, is known as the Shower of Stoles Project. Today it has grown to include stoles from 18 denominations, including United Methodist, United Church of Christ, Lutheran, Free Will Baptist, Assembly of God and the Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). Today and Monday, Lakewood United Church of Christ, 2601 54th Ave. S, displays 100 of these stoles. "I think our purpose is simply bringing an awareness to people in our own congregation and to whoever may come from the community," the Rev. Kim Wells said of her church's decision to hold the exhibit. "Also, for our church that is open and welcoming of sexual minority people, it kind of reaffirms for us what we are doing. And hopefully, for people who have not felt welcome at their church, there is a strength in knowing that you are not alone and hopefully knowing that there are people who are working for change." Homosexuality is controversial in mainline denominations. The United Church of Christ does not ban the ordination or service of gay or lesbian clergy, Wells said. However, she said, geographic church bodies can withhold permission for ordination and individual churches can refuse to call a gay or lesbian pastor. The Rev. Ken Hamilton knows what it is like to be a gay minister. "I served three different congregations over the past 15 years, and I had not been out at any of them, and had since moved to Florida and decided not to serve any church unless I could be open," said Hamilton, 44, who lives with Tim Lewis, his partner of 15 years. A former pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA), he learned Thursday that he had been accepted as a minister in the United Church of Christ. "I am now able to serve openly, and I am very, very happy about it," said Hamilton, who now holds the unpaid position of pastoral associate at Lakewood United Church of Christ. For Harry Knox, 41, who has attended Lakewood United Church of Christ since he moved to St. Petersburg earlier this year, the Shower of Stoles is particularly poignant. In 1989, he was denied ordination by the United Church of Christ jurisdiction that covered Georgia and South Carolina. "Since then, though, that association has ordained at least two lesbians," said Knox, director of development for Equality Florida, a gay and lesbian advocacy group. "I think I helped to start that conversation." Calling the Shower of Stoles display "powerful," he said the exhibit is important "because it really gives a personal connection to the larger issues, theologically and politically. It's easy to talk about these issues in ways that depersonalize them, and the stoles bring home very poignantly that these conversations are about the individual lives of gay men and lesbians." Friday morning, retired Presbyterian pastor Jay S. Johnson; his wife, Jean; and Roger Godson, a member of Lakewood United Church of Christ's pastor advisory committee, accorded the stoles great reverence as they prepared to display them around the sanctuary. At times, they read aloud the notes attached to the long, colorful strips of cloth. "I hope it will help people think of people as individuals rather than stereotypes," Godson said of the display. "I just feel that we in our churches have been very close-minded about this whole issue," Mrs. Johnson said, "and the pain of these people is really felt as you read about their stories." If you goShower of Stoles Project, 1 to 8 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday at Lakewood United Church of Christ, 2601 54th Ave. S, St. Petersburg. The display also will be shown at Good Samaritan Church, 6085 Park Blvd., Pinellas Park, at 10:30 a.m. during morning worship on Nov. 10 and during a community service 7 p.m. Nov. 14, when the Rev. Janie Spahr, a Presbyterian minister, will visit.
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