The Holy Spirit Arrives (from The Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision) by Douglas Blanchard.
JUNE is Pride Month, dedicated to celebrating LGBTQIA+ communities around the world.
It marks the anniversary of the Stonewall riots, a protest that sparked a movement for equality for LGBTQIA+ people in the USA and across the world.
The first Pride march was in New York on 28th June 1970. 2022 is the 50th anniversary of the first Pride march in the UK, on 1st July 1972.
Today it is a celebration of the relative freedoms LGBTQIA+ people have won in the last 50+ years, but it also remains a protest against the prejudice which still holds us back, especially for our siblings in countries where they may risk their liberty or even their lives to live authentically and openly as LGBTQIA+.
OTN’s online service for Pride Month will feature a reflection by our Co-Chair Revd Alex Clare-Young, on the relationship between Pride and Pentecost, the 50th day after Easter, on which Christians commemorate the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and other disciples following the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus (Acts of the Apostles Chapter 2).
Alex is a theologian, writer, campaigner and United Reformed Church pioneer minister. As a trans-masculine non-binary person, Alex is passionate about advocating for the inclusion of, and social justice for, trans people. Their first book, Transgender. Christian. Human. was published in 2019. WATCH Alex’s intro video [2.5 mins].
This Pride Month celebration also includes a beautiful time of prayer led by Revd Tracey Byrne, former Chief Executive of the Lesbian & Gay Christian Movement, now OneBodyOneFaith.
Join us on our YouTube channel for a live Premiere of this special time of reflection to mark this significant moment in our community’s shared story and struggle for justice.
If you would like to join a Zoom call from 6.15pm to watch together with others, followed by a time for mutual support, please contact us to request the Zoom link.
Download our celebration booklet so you can follow / join in.