our family

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Thank you to everyone who attended our conversation on Sexuality, Relationships, and the Church. It was a time of holy listening, and sacred sharing around a topic that is quite personal to all of us because our understanding comes from our life experiences and people we know and love.

There are gay (lesbian, homosexual...) people in my family. I love them. (There are straight people in my family, too, of course, and I love them, too.) I'm thinking here, first of my biological family, but also my extended friend-family and my church family.  Right now we are working together as a church family to understand how can we best support one another on this Christian journey and share the agape-love of Christ, and not argue over our ideological and theological differences. No matter what your perspective on this issue, Trinity by the Sea is where we come to meet God, receive and become the Body of Christ, and go out in to the community to be spiritual and charitable resource of God's love.

That was what the conversation was about: celebrating our diversity of perspectives, and remembering the Love of Christ is more important than anything else. This truth of our tradition came back to me, one that I have grown up knowing to be true as an Episcopalian: we all kneel down together, next to people we agree with and next to people we disagree with, but we all kneel down before God to receive the Body of Christ.

All Saints' Episcopal Church, Corpus Christi has been given permission to bless what we are currently calling "The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant in a same-sex relationship." There are two other churches in San Antonio that have also been given that permission as well. With the ruling from the Supreme Court this summer, and The Episcopal Church's General Convention approval of a marriage liturgy for same sex couples, we chose to have this conversation here at Trinity by the Sea, in an intentional way, so that we can remember that we do have a variety of complex perspectives, and to consider how to reach out to those we disagree with; especially those who feel disconnected or excluded. This is a church where we focus on the Love of Christ for all of us.

In our diocese, the case still remains, and will remain until the Bishops announce otherwise, that only those three churches can bless the unions of couples who are current members of their parishs.


For those of you who were unable to make it (October 1) please say a prayer for the church: Trinity by the Sea, the Diocese, and the Episcopal Church. Here is our Bishop's Letter, to give you his perspective (written in April, before the Supreme Court Ruling or General Convention.)  His broad use of scripture will be helpful as we continue the conversation. As we have these conversations, we will continue to welcome all people into our church, as we always have, and nurture them with word and sacrament, and be a spiritual and charitable resource in our community.

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