"God Is Still With You"

Rev. David North was a successful pastor at a church in Washington DC when he was outed as a gay man. He was no longer welcome at that church , but he was still welcomed by God and also had other options in finding a new home to worship in, and that's the point he makes in this essay he contributed to the Washington Blade.

When a person joins a faith community, they do it for many reasons: to be with family and friends, to enjoy the particular flavor and style of music, preaching and worship and to find sanctuary. The Baptist church I grew up in was emotionally like a big extended family. We sang and shouted together, prayed and served together and experienced the love of God and love of family together.

However, when they “found out” what I was, I became a pariah. By their misinformed and misinterpreted biblical beliefs, I was judged to be an abomination. The familiar environment that had been my source of hope, joy, fellowship and inspiration suddenly became hostile and demeaning.

What do you do when your safe place isn’t safe anymore? What do you do when family and extended family judge, condemn and sentence you? The GLBT sisters and brothers in Greater Mt. Calvary Church are hurting. They have been betrayed on a visceral level. The pain from being ostracized is a lingering festering heartache that often takes years to overcome. I know. It took me about 10 years to reclaim wholeness in my ministry and spirituality.

MANY PEOPLE IN the GLBT community have given up on church, religion and spirituality altogether because of these kinds of horrific experiences. Fortunately, through the years, many GLBT people of faith have been reclaiming their faith.

That’s how and why MCC, Faith Temple, Inner Light, etc., and the whole affirming church movement came into being. We all understand that it’s hard to let go; it’s difficult to say goodbye; it’s tough to change. The abused seem to linger in futile hope that abuser will stop abusing. I say to all those GLBT brothers and sisters continuing to be in abusive churches, you have viable wholesome options, you have choices and alternatives to have fellowship and faith within safe and accepting contexts.

But whether you leave or stay, be true to yourself. God is still with you, just like God was and still is with me.

Click here to read the rest of Rev. North's essay.

BTW, he is once again behind the pulpit at the Holy Redeemer MCC in College Park, Maryland.