LGBTQ+ Allyship
Love thy neighbor
Pride at St. Bart's
For many years, St. Bart’s has found in the words and actions of Jesus Christ a Gospel of extreme empathy and mercy for people forced to the margins of society, of frustration and confrontation with the wielders of power, of drawing in those whom others would exclude. One way our parish has modeled this Gospel message is through its allyship with LGBTQIA+ people and affirmation of their lives, relationships, and families. This congregation includes people belonging to most, if not all, of the communities that make up the LGBTQIA+ umbrella, as well as many parents, grandparents, siblings, and best friends of the people in these communities. St. Bart’s has proudly flown its “All Are Welcome, No Exceptions” banner on Pomerado Road for years and, in doing so, has offered itself as a spiritual home to countless people who never believed, or long ago stopped believing, that the Church could ever be such a place for them. Simply put, the message our banner carries attracts people seeking a community of allies. Many of our parishioners are here today for precisely this reason.
Annual San Diego Pride Parade
We have done good work, but as disciples of Christ our work is far from done. On Saturday, July 20, St. Bart’s will march in its TENTH San Diego Pride Parade with other parishes in the diocese. In doing so, we proclaim to the world—and especially to our LGBTQIA+ siblings—that the Church born of Jesus Christ is their church, too; that God’s tent is much larger than far too many Christians would have us believe. Pride Parade is a celebration, to be sure, but at the same time it remains the same movement of civil disobedience that gave it life at New York City’s Stonewall Inn in 1969—disobedience very much like that Jesus himself displayed repeatedly in Jerusalem.
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Encountering Christ through the Eucharist is at the heart of our spiritual life as Episcopalians. Too often in the Church Universal, LGBTQ+ people are denied equal dignity, equal respect, and equal access to the sacraments, including communion. At St. Bart's we believe that all humans, including and especially LGBTQ+ people, are made in the image of God and that LGBTQ+ people give us a unique and wonderful glimpse at the Divine through their witness, ministry, gifts, and presence among us. Our annual Pride Worship Services are a bright and shining example of what we mean by this.
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On the weekend of July 13-14, we will come together as Christians of many backgrounds, and as LGBTQ+ community members and allies to celebrate the Eucharist in honor and celebration of LGBTQ people—past, present, and future— with our Pride worship services. We hope you will come to worship with us. At God’s table, all are welcome and all are loved.
St. Bart's Pride Shirts
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St. Bart’s Pride shirts are back! Loving our God by loving our neighbor is at the heart of everything we do at St. Bart's; this year’s Pride shirt puts that message on full display. We will be selling the shirts throughout the year. The suggested donation is $15 but you are welcome to share what you can with us.
St. Bart's Pride Worship Services
