ELM Blog-Love in Action: Rev. Carla Christopher

My work with and for the church largely consists of training rostered leaders in areas relating to DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging). It started as a starry-eyed and grateful seminarian joining our synod’s Racial Justice Task Force because Black Lutherans with a history in curriculum development are a rare unicorn in central Pennsylvania. That work branched out in just a few years to include LGBTQIA2S+ trainings and then supporting unhoused and formerly unhoused people and Mental Health/Trauma/Survivor support ministry. It turns out I have a lot of marginalizations many of us experience in ourselves or our families, but very few people feel safe talking or teaching about in congregational spaces.

I get it. I exist AS an intersection. A multi-ethnic Black woman (Black, Romani, Spanish, English, Jewish and Creole). Gendered female at birth with a condition eventually diagnosed as severe Polycystic Ovarian Disorder that flooded my system at puberty with Testosterone and Androgen, virilizing (generally considered masc) hormones. Doctors were mystified when a waifish dancer developed bulked-out shoulders, a shy mustache and shot up 6 inches in height. That traumatic gauntlet known as middle school dances became the burning sands of raised eyebrows and mocking smirks. In virtually every space I still enter, I am the Black woman not dark enough to look safe to other Black people, the brown woman too swarthy to belong at the covered dish potluck. I was born Jewish and raised Episcopalian, not Lutheran or “catch the Spirit Pentecostal”. Explaining my attraction to nontoxic masculinity that most frequently manifests in those gendered female at birth is a tough explanation even in most queer spaces. I still twitch answering unknown phone numbers or being in a space where I can’t easily locate an exit, thanks to my status as a survivor. Sticking out is hard. It makes me a complicated person to quantify with checkboxes. It also makes me an empathetic, compassionate, tender pastor and listener for countless people who don’t feel safe or welcome in certain spaces.

In Romans 12:4-5 we read that there are many members of the body of Christ, each with their own function. A thousand hearts without minds, without hands, without a nice cleaning liver to take out the trash, cannot survive. A straight, cis, white Lutheran denomination filled with very “nice” people was a culture and a lifestyle…and an utterly unsustainable model for church in a changing world. A cis, white, Lutheran community of LGBTQIA2S+ people had only slightly more staying power. This internet-driven society of instant access to other countries, cultures, ways of life and language makes almost immediately obvious those spaces equipped to carry a global message, and those woefully underprepared. 

When I first began to dream and ponder this blog, it was a call-out of the racism that exists even in queer groups, the socio-economic barriers and lack of trauma-informed care that characterize too many of our dubbed inclusive spaces. I bless and release that dwelling in anything less than my own necessary and splendid divinity. One of the most powerful spirits in the Creole tradition is Papa Legba, Lord of the Crossroads. He is often associated with St. Peter, the rock upon which the church is built. At his belt jingle a set of keys, symbols of the pastoral order and access to the many gateways towards spiritual evolution and life progress. Without honoring the crossroads there is no travel, no growth. You. Need. Me. Church. You need us, all of us who rest against our canes and crutches, dressed in rags, and possess deep magic of guidance and understanding from having journeyed on roads not traveled by most now realizing they require passage. “Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself. I am large. I contain multitudes.”  The words of earthy saint, Walt Whitman. I claim space with my siblings at the intersections as gifts and guides, outsiders no more.

For the record, I have scrapped most of my former trainings and elaborate curriculums. I teach about the principles of trauma-informed care first and how to apply them to different groups last. 1) Safety. 2) Trustworthiness and Transparency. 3) Peer Support. 4) Collaboration and Mutuality. 5) Empowerment, Voice and Choice. 6) Cultural History and Issues Specific to Marginalized Groups. There is room for boxes that overlap in caring and respectful spaces honoring an individual’s experience as pilgrim beyond a single affinity group. May the new church that emerges from the ash Jesus shakes from their feet hold space for meaningful collaboration and empowerment of the other parts of Jesus’ body. We will ALL be stronger for it.
 
Rev. Carla Christopher (she/hers) is a Proclaim Chaplain, pastor of an Open and Affirming UCC congregation, and also serves as Assistant to the Bishop in Charge of Justice Ministries in Lower Susquehanna Synod/Central Pennsylvania (land of the Susquehannock).

ELM Blog- Love in Action: John M. Brett

A ministry of intersections

We begin at the intersection of 18th & Castro. We gather on that most sacred corner, an epicenter of memory, of protest, of witness, of love. Sometimes called Hibernia Beach, sometimes called the community shrine, generations of queer community members have been memorialized there; there we recognize individual deaths & community losses, whether during the height of the AIDS epidemic or more recently with actions honoring those fallen at Pulse & other massacres. We begin each Drag Eucharist with these ancestors, & we return each Ash Wednesday too. Across the street, we gathered to close Harvey’s, the site of the raid of the Elephant Walk bar, along with elders present for the White Night Riots & the retaliatory aftermath. At 20th & South Van Ness, the Fiesta Laundromat’s lights beckon 24 hours a day. On the last Wednesday of each month, I help feed quarters into the machines for Free Laundry Day, a day of mutual aid coordinated by Rad Mission Neighbors. Organized with a special emphasis on solidarity with sex workers, we wash clothes for all who show up each month. From our unhoused & marginally housed neighbors to those simply needing to stretch their dollars before their next check, together we wait out the cycles of wash & dry with snacks. The machines purr & whirl, their clicks & buzzers a mechanical meditation on socio-economic inequality. I say hello to returning & new faces as I continue becoming part of the community fabric.

At 16th & Mission, at Manny’s, an event space it seems every Democratic hopeful in the country has visited, I tip the drag queens at the Indigiqueer Two Spirit Drag Show. The collared minister in the front row is conspicuous, jokes are made, & a black lacy thong is flung my way by a drag queen I know but haven’t yet seen perform. My dollar bills & Starbucks cards serve insufficiently as reparations from church members who know the spiritual & religious trauma the church has caused. Earlier in the week I met a black trans elder here to share & vision together.

Intersections farther flung across the city remain unnamed. A different mix of people gather & pass through each of them. Some I have visited, & the textures & realities of others remain unknown to me. The City landscape distills, often visibly, ways in which political & social forces, environmental & economic realities, create resonance & dissonance within & between individuals & collectives. Those forces inescapably impact our bodies & the bodies of those we love, our lived realities, the spiritual lives we lead. Redlining. Redevelopment. Relocation. Gentrification. Environmental pollution. These phenomena & others inform how the queer community & intersecting communities may receive accompaniment.

At night, during the day, I leave the confines of the church & I walk. I explore. I remain curious. Sometimes, I stop. I show up in both expected & unexpected places.
 
John M. Brett (he/hym/hys), ELCA seminarian & street chaplain, serves the SF Night Ministry as Minister of Faithful&Fabulous! & Director of Community Programs, where he offers queer-centric ministry & multifaith programming & accompaniment. Christened IrReverend & High Priest of Fabulous by parishioners, his first on-the-job pastoral care lesson was to remember to tip the drag queens. He leads Drag Street Eucharists around the country & serve on the organizing committee for the now annual Spiritual DragCon.

ELM Blog-Love in Action: Sharei Green

Love at the intersection

Trigger warning: racism, fatphobia, pregnancy complications 

I’m not afraid of death, but I am afraid of dying needlessly. I’m afraid of dying from medical professionals not listening to me, of a “routine” traffic stop, some random hate crime just for existing in my body. 

I exist at the intersection of Black, femme, fat, and queer. I love all these things about myself but the world doesn’t always love me back. The dehumanizing of my various identities can be a heavy burden sometimes. Often being reminded of how little the world values my humanity via the media and the stories within community that aren’t televised. 

Last December, my friend, soulmate, and chosen family member, almost died. Almost died because she reported an issue while pregnant and the only thing the medical professionals could focus on was how much weight she’d gained. She was sent away with the instruction not to gain any more weight for the remaining two months of her pregnancy. Within weeks, she was having a hypertensive crisis, diagnosed with preeclampsia, and induced months early. Fatphobia almost killed my friend. Had she not been diligent in listening to her body, researching symptoms, etc. She could have lost her baby. Lost her life. And maybe the outcome would have been the same had they listened. But maybe, just maybe, there would have been better monitoring of the situation, maybe she wouldn’t have had to suffer as long, and maybe she wouldn’t have felt so dehumanized, traumatized. 

In John 12, Mary breaks open an expensive oil at Jesus’ feet and anoints them. The disciples thought she was crazy to “waste” the oil in that way but Jesus basically told them to mind their business.

A variation of this text exists in all 4 Gospels. The consistent thread through all of them is a woman, anointing Jesus’ feet. There is debate on whether it was the same woman in all the text, particularly with the Luke text as the woman was described as sinful when Mary of Bethany was seen as loving/ beloved. Whether it was the same woman or not, sinful or not, named or not. Whether with oil or tears, in all the accounts a woman anointed Jesus… and someone (particularly of the male variety) was upset about it. Whether they considered it a waste of resources because the oil could have been sold or a waste of time because the woman was a sinner and deemed by those present unworthy of Jesus’ time. But what is also consistent through them all is Jesus defending the woman’s actions. Speaking truth to power in honor of the woman who had offered what she had to Christ.

Friends, are we making decisions on behalf of “the poor” to serve our own interests? Are we building a hierarchy of God’s beloveds? Are we stealing from the common purse? Are we stealing from the body of Christ? Or are we anointing Jesus’ feet with our treasures, our time, our talents. Are we speaking against powers that would exclude our neighbor? Ignore her pain?

Jesus told Judas, told his disciples, told those gathered, and told the Pharisees, to leave her alone. Jesus made space for the woman, in a time when it would have been unconventional for a woman to be among men, Jesus said, leave her alone. 

So what does this have to do with love? 

Love in action is more than educating congregations on how to be more friendly to queer folks. It’s bigger than any congregation or the institution of the church. Love in action is caring about our neighbors. Acknowledging their intersections and advocating for them. Advocating for them when no one is looking. When it’s not “sexy” to do so. When it’s not “safe” to do so.
 
Sharei Green (she/her) is a Womanist theologian currently pursuing her MDiv at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.  Sharei has a strong commitment to community healing and sabbath, especially in BIPOC communities and all their intersections. She is the co-author of God’s Holy Darkness, a children’s book that deconstructs anti-Blackness in Christian theology by celebrating instances in the story of God’s people when darkness, blackness, and night are beautiful, good, and holy. She serves on staff with ELM as the operations support person.

ELM Epiphany Haiku: Deacon Lewis Eggleston

 
Atmosphere of fear
Its gravity pulls me in
A star points the way

-Deacon Lewis Eggleston

*image description: a desert night with a bright star in the distance with the words: Atmosphere of fear, Its gravity pulls me in, A star points the way.  

 
Deacon Lewis Eggleston (he/him) is the Associate Director of Communications & Generosity for Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries. He lives in Kaiserslautern, Germany with his husband, Mitchell, and their pup, Carla. He recently had the honor to play Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat- and had the most incredible time of his life dancing in Joseph’s Pride Coat! He and his family will soon be moving to Washington D.C. in April/May!

ELM Advent Haiku: Rev. Carla Christopher

 
Tenderly reveal
The child who loves without fear
Heal this broken star


-Carla Christopher

*image description: a baby holds tenderly to a parent’s finger with the words: Tenderly reveal, The child who loves without fear, Heal this broken star. 

 
 
Rev. Carla Christopher (she/hers) is a Proclaim Chaplain, pastor of an Open and Affirming UCC congregation, and also serves as Assistant to the Bishop in Charge of Justice Ministries in Lower Susquehanna Synod/Central Pennsylvania (land of the Susquehannock).

ELM Advent Haiku: Sharei Green

 
Darkness is sacred
A place for great wondering
Enfleshed in God’s Love


-Sharei Green

*image description: hues of purple lights with the words: Darkness is sacred, a place for great wondering, enfleshed in God’s Love. 

 
 
Sharei Green (she/her) is a Womanist theologian currently pursuing her MDiv at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Sharei has a strong commitment to community healing and sabbath, especially in BIPOC communities and all their intersections. She is the co-author of God’s Holy Darkness, a children’s book that deconstructs anti-Blackness in Christian theology by celebrating instances in the story of God’s people when darkness, blackness, and night are beautiful, good, and holy. She serves on staff with ELM as the operations support person. 

ELM Advent Haiku: John Brett

 
Grieving travelers
Listen: the motor humming
Beauty in the world


-John Brett
*image description: photo of a donkey standing in red desert sand with the words: Grieving travelers, Listen: the motor humming, beauty in the world. 
 
 
John M. Brett (he/hym/hys), ELCA seminarian & street chaplain, serves the SF Night Ministry as Minister of Faithful&Fabulous! & Director of Community Programs, where he offers queer-centric ministry & multifaith programming & accompaniment. Christened IrReverend & High Priest of Fabulous by parishioners, his first on-the-job pastoral care lesson was to remember to tip the drag queens. He leads Drag Street Eucharists around the country & serve on the organizing committee for the now annual Spiritual DragCon.

Queer Scripture Reflection: “Fabulous Joseph” by Deacon Lewis Eggleston

 

Recently, I had the extreme honor of being cast as Joseph in the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It’s been an absolute joy to tell this story while singing some of the most tremendously campy & heartfelt songs. I must admit, I never really took the time to take a deep dive into Joseph’s story. In my studies, Joseph’s story was generally glanced over between the multiple creation stories, Noah & Abraham, and then I was in a gallant rush to study Exodus. For as many chapters in Genesis that Joseph’s life story entails, you could imagine it would have a more considerable demand for study or intrigue. Yet, unlike Joseph’s dreams which are jam-packed with interpretative opportunities, the rest of the story is seemingly cut and dry.

Seemingly…

As queer people all know, historians love to explain away the queer bits in history. 

Joseph’s coat, for example, the specific Hebrew phrase is k’tonet passim seen only in one other place in the Bible, which describes King David’s daughter, Princess Tamar’s striped tunic dress. So after having been given this lavish garment (dress?) by his father, Jacob, we can begin to see the familial cracks growing between Joseph and his eleven brothers. Most queer people, raised to act masculine, could easily imagine what would happen if their eleven brothers watched on while you fabulously pranced around the living room in your colorfully ornate princess garment. Tragically, this becomes a mixed bag for Joseph, as Rabbi Greg Kanter put it: 

“Chosen to wear fabulous clothing. Rejected by his family. Kicked out. Sent to prison for refusing sexual advances. Succeeds despite society’s attempts to bring him down. Dramatic coming out scene. Beloved by his family when they realize he has something to offer (always had, but).”

Queer people know this story. It is familiar and intimately felt today, despite us being separated from this story by 3700 years. Another beautiful part of Joseph’s story is that God seems to encourage & reward interpretation. Seeing & interpreting a small part of myself alongside Joseph’s story is a beautiful and faith-uplifting experience- whether or not Joseph is or was part of the “queer family”- (which I believe he is), I still sense & comprehend similar experiences (albeit with a mere fraction of his hardships) while believing that God is there in the pit with Joseph- with me- with you.

Joseph’s story is a reminder that people cause significant harm, yet God is there making new possibilities for Joseph- in the pit, in prison, and even in reuniting a broken family. Hope remains, and may we always look & remain as fabulous as Joseph. 

Deacon Lewis Eggleston (he/him) is the Associate Director of Communications & Generosity for Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries. He lives with his husband and pup in Kaiserslautern, Germany and will soon move to Washington D.C. in May of 2023. He is excited to spend the entirety of this weekend preparing the house for Christmas! 

ELM Blog: Queer Scripture Reflection- Love & Loss by Margarette Ouji

Ruth 1:16-19
I attended college at a small conservative Lutheran school. Ironically, I stepped into my queer identity in that place. I also learned too much about death too quickly. At least it felt that way at the time. I lost a friend after my first year of college and in the wake of his death, I saw queer love evolve and become a life-giving force that would sustain me, to this day. 

Ruth and Naomi’s journey together is one filled with grief, vulnerability, and palpable queerness. They have both lost people they love dearly. *insert the Les Misérables lyrics: there’s a grief that can’t be spoken…there’s a pain goes on and on.” Naomi could go the journey to Bethlehem alone. She had already traveled from there to Moab. Ruth wouldn’t have it that way. 

As queer people, we are often forced to navigate our losses alone. In a world, and in a church, that remains on the fence about how it “feels” about us, the grief we experience can be complicated…and one loss is never only one loss. It flings wide the gate of every loss we have ever known and invites it to come rushing in. I think many of us would be just fine as Naomi. Journeying back to a place we’re familiar with, comforted by the illusion of safety, and carrying our grief alone. Sometimes it takes persistence from someone like Ruth who says, “I swear to you: Where you go, I will go.” Queer friends, we’re worthy of that kind of accompaniment, though it is easy to forget. 

Since my friend died seventeen years ago, I’ve been Naomi, and I’ve been Ruth, depending on the season. Queerness makes space for that: for becoming, shifting, and evolving. 

My small conservative Lutheran school gave me the queerest gift: relationships like the one of Naomi and Ruth. They were people that redefined for me what family and home can be. We made similar promises to one another of not dying alone. My friends’ parents’ homes became my home. “I Will Follow You into the Dark” by Death Cab For Cutie became our love letter to each other. 

I pray that everyone who reads this knows a queer love like that of Naomi and Ruth. May those around you help hold the grief and the love, together. May you be blessed by the expansiveness of being held in the queerest of ways. If you are more like Naomi, may you be open to not going the journey alone. If you are more like Ruth, may you be open to the same love you give. If you are somewhere in between, as I imagine many of us are, may all of your journeys be filled with love that is ever widening, hearts that are ever softening, a sense of belonging that is as persistent as Ruth, and a willingness to receive it all, like Naomi.



Rev. Margarette Ouji (she/they) serves as pastor at First Lutheran Church of Montclair, NJ, and serves as co-chair of the ELM Board of Directors. They are the first Iranian-American pastor ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Margarette loves spending time with her family and exchanging queer love letters in the form of playlists.