wfn.org | Stoles Witness to Role of Gays and Lesbians

[PCUSA.NEWS@pcusa.org]

15-June-1997 
GA97018 
 
           Stoles Witness to Role of Gays and Lesbians in the Church 
 
SYRACUSE--A collection of nearly 400 liturgical stoles circled the ballroom 
in the Hotel Syracuse during Saturday night's "Celebration of 
Reconciliation" sponsored by Presbyterians for Lesbian and Gay Concerns. 
Each stole was contributed by a lesbian, gay, bisexual or  transgendered 
person of  faith in witness to the desire that the church will someday 
fully recognize and accept all of its members. 
 
    Most of the individuals represented by the stoles are active leaders 
(ministers, elders, deacons, seminarians, church musicians, and 
missionaries) in their own congregations who have been barred from serving 
within their faith communities because of their sexual orientation.  The 
"Shower of Stoles" project was created to give voice to these people, many 
of whom have chosen to live in silence, hiding their sexual orientation or 
living with their calls to ministry unfulfilled. 
 
    The "Shower of Stoles" was first displayed in full at the 1996 General 
Assembly in Albuquerque, N. M. and has become a symbol of solidarity and 
hope for those who seek equal opportunities for all members of the 
Presbyterian Church. The collection has grown to the point that a board of 
directors has been established to  manage policy and administration. 
Martha Juillerat of Minneapolis, Minn., has been chosen as the project's 
executive director. 
 
    While  the majority of the stoles currently displayed has been 
contributed  by gay and lesbian persons themselves, others have been 
contributed in honor of beloved friends or family members.  Nearly one 
third of the stoles have been contributed anonymously.  All stoles, named 
or anonymous, carry a printed message, story, or prayer shared by its 
donor.  Approximately  12 of the stoles are known as "signature stoles" and 
have been contributed by heterosexual allies of gays and lesbians, who have 
signed their names in groups on individual  stoles.  At present, the 
collection contains over 1,000 signatures. 
 
    General Assembly participants will see the stoles being worn by gay, 
lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered  Presbyterians and their allies 
throughout the Syracuse Assembly.  Following the close of the Assembly, the 
stoles will resume  their normal course of  shipped travel throughout the 
country where they are displayed for special events in local churches, more 
inclusive governing bodies, seminaries, and the gay and lesbian community.  

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