Presbytery asked minister to leave for her own safety
Listening to the conversations and stories today has surfaced memories I’ve not thought about for a long time… at least not in this way....
You were my dream church
Dear United Church, I want you to know that you were my dream church. I remember in 1998 I was a high school student overseas* and many...
Who do you think you are? A poem by Min-Goo K.
Who do you think you are When you think you can judge people by appearances? What do we mean when we say “I know so and so”? We, all of...
From Rev. Janet Walker
As the church worked on sexuality and faith, I was a Conference Staff person, helping many congregations wo understand and to study the...
The "Do Not Hire" list. Threats. And other memories of the 1988 period.
Background: This important story outlines the experiences of a minister newly ordained just before the 1988 period. This minister...
From 1988, Fear and Anger at the Institution and Its Representatives
I have resisted the invitation to participate in Iridesce. After 35 years of ministry and on the cusp of retirement, I am surprised at...
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,...
Her daughter came out, then she was asked to leave
My wife and I were married 31 December 1988 by the female minister of my wife’s United Church (just northwest of Toronto). The minister...
My year of pain
Sixteen years after 1988, in 2004, I was two years into my first pastoral charge — settled there by Transfer & Settlement Committee of...
Rev. Richard DeLorme's Story
I went back into the ministry in 1982 and was in Aylmer, Quebec. I was also president of Conference, and I went to the 1988 vote at...
