I was told I would go to hell for saying God loved us all
I was there in 1988 and I remember the anger, the challenges, the disrespect on both sides of the issue. I did not leave the United...
The reason for the Saturday morning visits
This story speaks to the homophobia that was part of church life in many places in 1988. In June of 1988 I moved to my settlement charge,...
I am gay. Please don’t judge me until you get to know me!
I want to thank the United Church for being there when I was searching for a Church. I know that I am a good person, and for the Catholic...
In 1988 I was horrified by the depth of homophobia
In 1988 I was horrified by the depth of homophobia and how personal some of the attacks became. A gay candidate in my class was targeted....
“We the United Church of Canada extend our sincerest apology to…”
I was there in McLeod-Stewarton United Church in downtown Ottawa when people congregated in the sanctuary to argue about the issue of gay...
I learned love and faith were always okay and beautiful
I wasn’t alive in the 1980s when the United Church went through the process of accepting the LGBTQ+ community, but I have felt the...
1988-1993
High School Confusion First Love Lesbianism Family Church The Bible says AIDS!!!! retreat trauma depression Education distance Growth...
Being an outsider makes me seek to include others
For me, it started with AIDS in the early 1980s. Although I had been raised in the United Church, I found my spiritual awakening in a...
human beings can hurt each other so
Dear g-d, I realize I may be rambling here, but… I wonder where you are when people hate people because they have sex differently or...
Apology and the Community of Concern
Dear United Church, The thing that hurt the most was the way our minister, in Ottawa, a member of the Community of Concern, manipulated...
