Dear Friends in the Synod of the Northeast,
Like many of your churches, the congregation that I serve in Providence participated in our local Pride Festival. We had a booth and handed out rainbow stickers that say, “God Welcomes All”. We also handed out books provided by Presbyterian Promise, to spread the good news of the gospel for all people. For Pride, I like to wear my shirt that says, “This Pastor Loves You”. But a young friend told me it was “lame”, so I wore my t-shirt featuring an image of Nibbles the Big Blue Bug. Nibbles is a Rhode Island Icon. He is a 58-foot fiberglass replica of an Eastern Subterranean Termite located on the side of route 95. Every morning, commuters listen to the news to hear if traffic is heavy by the Big Blue Bug. The shirt says, “Nibbles for President.” It didn’t get nearly as many compliments as my pastor shirt. I think I’ll go back to being lame next year. Dan, an elder from our congregation was there wearing a t-shirt that said, “Presbyterians do it decently and in order,” and I was immediately jealous.
This year marked the 50th Anniversary of Providence Pride. Dan is one of the long-time board members of Presbyterian Promise. The crew from Presbyterian Promise has been setting up the Presbyterian booth at Providence Pride since some time in the early 1990s. They were inspired by the ministry of the Rev. Dr. Jane “Janie” Adams Spahr and an organization called, “That All May Freely Serve”, which encouraged regional advocacy organizations to form and work to reform the PC(USA). This work was supported by a congregation in our Synod, Downtown United Presbyterian Church in Rochester, NY.
For our region, Dan is the organizer and carrier of the gear. Another board member, June, has been knitting rainbow stoles to hand out to passersby. In the past, we had a list of books that people could buy elsewhere. But now, Presbyterian Promise provides free books. People who stopped by this year were especially interested in the book The Widening of God’s Mercy: Sexuality Within the Biblical Story. It’s written by Christopher Hays and Richard Hays. They are father and son and both theologians. The father, Richard, had a change of heart and mind about questions related to homosexuality partly through the influence of his son. With our books and stickers, my thirteen-year-old daughter pointed that booth is far less interesting than the others. She feels that we need more “swag”. But Blake, a retired pastor who attends our church, has a strong voice and a welcoming smile. Both are hard to resist. He draws hundreds of people to our humble table.
Today, Pride is a beloved part of our culture in Providence. But it wasn’t always that way here. I remember growing up in Rhode Island and hearing people criticize the Pride Festival. Fundamentalists damned them to hell. Others said, “I don’t like their sexuality in my face.” The fight to pass legislation for gay rights in our state in the 1990s was not easily won.
I know that many of us like to stand on our soap boxes and preach about the evils of our day. That kind of protest has its place. But we shouldn’t forget the impact quietly made through groups like Presbyterian Promise. Thirty years later, no one would have believed the change that would eventually take place here. Nor could anyone have predicted the community that has formed as a result. The friendships built through Presbyterian Promise have lasted a lifetime. As we work to make a difference in other areas, it can feel like we are never making progress. But through diligence and patience, we can look back over many years of ministry and recognize that God has used us in a special way to change our toxic system. We can’t aways see the difference that we have made. And maybe no one will notice until we’re long gone. But maybe one day, as Mary the mother of Jesus prayed, the poor will be lifted and the rich sent away empty. Even if we don’t see the change in our lifetimes, maybe we’ll make some good friends along the way. I know that many of you are discouraged these days. It seems like the bad guys keep winning. But let’s look to the changes we have seen in our own lifetimes and trust that God, in God’s grace, will work through us to bring the liberating message of Jesus to our communities.
Peace,
Rev. T. J. DeMarco, Temporary Stated Clerk
Synod of the Northeast
