Integrity Eucharist - from Lee Shaw

 

Each General Convention, Integrity sponsors a worship service.  It is always the highlight of Convention for me and for many others.  This year it was held in Trinity church, packed to standing room only with a television feed to the parish hall downstairs.  In her welcoming remarks, the Rev. Susan Russell, president of Integrity, noted that General Convention is one great family reunion.  "We have wonderful worship, church legislation, and shopping, all under one roof!"

 

It is also the tradition of this service that the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered (glbt) clergy vest as a witness to the church of who we are and how we serve the church.

 

This year Bishop Gene Robinson was the preacher.  He gave a powerful and very personal sermon of his awakening to Jesus and to himself as a gay person.  At the end of the sermon he noted that this is where his sermon "should" end.  But he asked our indulgence to share a bit more personally.   He said that he is asked over and over, "How can you keep going on with all that people say about you?"  "How can you stay centered."  He then noted that early on he read the book "Embracing the Exile" by John Fortunato.  He then read from the end of the book a "dialogue" between the author and God.  The ultimate message of that dialogue was God saying that you must  "love them anyway."  "Love them anyway." 

 

I must say that there were few dry eyes in the church by the time +Gene reached the end of the quote, including his own.  I had read this same book years ago and found it to be very helpful for me.

 

The service was wonderful with music and what the Episcopalians do best: liturgy.  But given the size of the congregation and layout of the church, communion took quite a while.  We finished the communion hymn and the organist was meandering around the keyboard with soft liturgical background music.  At which point Bishop Barbara Harris, who was sitting toward the front, stood up, motioned folks to stand and then started "Amazing Grace."  It was amazing watching this small woman getting the congregation to stand.  And we sang the hymn from memory.  I saw no hymnals being opened up.  When we finished they were still adminstering communion in the parish hall, so Louie Crew, founder of Integrity, started "Jesus Loves Me This I Know."  As we sang that hymn Bp. Robinson and the bishop of Southern Ohio came down the nave from downstairs.  It was incredibly moving.

 

Once every three years, the church gathers and there is the outward and visible support of the glbt clergy who serve the church.  Men and women who serve a church that regularly debates their fitness for ministry, questions their faith, and too often wonders about their very place in the church.  This is an evening where we all remind ourselves on so many levels and in so many ways that yes, Jesus loves me this I know.