Mark in OHio

[Mark5643]

Hi I'm 23 from Southern Ohio... looking for a Gay friendly congregation in the area... I came out when I was 17 and wasn't too well received by my (Lutheran) church at the time I am deeply spiritual and I love God with all my heart. I'm looking for a rather high church atmosphere... any suggestions

mark5643@yahoo.com

[u-dog]

Hi I'm 23 from Southern Ohio... looking for a Gay friendly congregation in the area... I came out when I was 17 and wasn't too well received by my (Lutheran) church at the time I am deeply spiritual and I love God with all my heart. I'm looking for a rather high church atmosphere... any suggestions

mark5643@yahoo.com

Mark,

Welcome. If you are looking for a liturgical congregation that is gay friendly then your best bet is an Episcopal congregation. Not all Episcopal churches are gay friendly but some are. check out http://www.integrityusa.org and see if they have a church finder feature or a list of open/affirming congregations in Southern Ohio.

Is your home congregation Missouri Synod? Or ELCA? An ELCA congregation might be more likely to be open and affirming. But again not every congregation will be. The movement in the ELCA for full inclusion is called "Reconciling in Christ" and they do have a church finder at http:///www.lcna.org/riclist.shtm

Good luck and many blessings!

U-dog

[Matt Algren]

I have no idea how accurate the it is, but here's a list (http://www.gaychurch.org/Find_a_Church/united_states/us_ohio.htm) from gaychurch.org.

Southern Ohio is a big area. Obviously, it gets easier to find one as you get closer to cities. Good luck!

[Pablo Rafael]

Nice to meet you. I used to work as a teacher at a Lutheran congregation (LCMS). I lost my job upon "coming out" this spring. Though almost everyone was nice to me, they were quite quick to show me the door while they were saying how much they would miss me.

If you are interested in staying in the Lutheran church, I would recommend the link U-dog mentioned for LCNA. The ELCA is generally gay-affirming. Personally I would avoid the LCMS at all cost.

I am now a musician at an Episcopal church. I have found the Episcopalians unfailingly gay affirming. My boyfriend attends an Episcopal church in South Carolina. Even down in the Bible Belt (spooky music) he has found the Episcopal church welcoming.

Many congregations are not associated with Integrity or LCNA but are still quite gay affirming. I would recommend calling or emailing any church you are interested in and talking to the priest. That should let you know what the church's position is.

I also like a "high church atmosphere". I love formality and ceremony. I find it adds much to my worship. I like the Catholic, Episcopal and Lutheran churches for that reason.

I would like to learn a little more about you. Please share some more with us if you feel so inclined.

Tu Amigo, Pablo

[BrianB]

Welcome to Soulforce, Mark. My name is Brian and I live in Dayton, Ohio. Christ Episcopal church in Dayton was disappointing IMO. I would discribe the service as catholic-lite. They do host the dignity meeting in the basement of the church. Dignity in Dayton was also disappointing. It was more of a meet-market than a church service. My personal choice is Holy Trinity catholic church. It isn't particularly high church but the people are friendly. The leadership is tolerant but they would have a problem with someone dressed in a rainbow sash, for example. The UCC church in Dayton is not wheelchair accesible which is a must for me. I did go to a gay friendly pentecostal church in Dayton but it only has about ten members. I would be interested to hear if you find an accepting church with high liturgy atmosphere anywhere near Dayton.