About
The Diocese of West Missouri seeks to create an environment where LGBTQ+ individuals and their families are fully embraced, celebrated, and supported throughout their faith journeys. By advocating for inclusion through a loving theology, ensuring justice, and offering compassionate service, the church strives to be a beacon of God’s love to empower LGBTQ+ people to live out their faith as integral members of the body of Christ. Through outreach to isolated LGBTQ+ communities and educating congregations on LGBTQ+ theology, we strive to create a welcoming space where all can worship, heal, and thrive.
How can I help?
We believe that all people are worthy of respect and honor because all are created in the image of God, and all can respond to the love of God.
However, we see in our churches and in society, LGBT+ people are not always counted among those for whom the Church seeks justice, or grants due respect, as loving and beloved members of the household of God. We recognize that fear of, and discrimination against LGBT+ people is part of an oppressive history within the Church and society, which distorts our relationship with God and with other people and diminishes the humanity of us all.
Therefore, we feel compelled to make explicit our welcome of LGBT+ people into the ministries and life of The Episcopal church, incarnating the message, “The Episcopal Church Welcomes You.” We welcome the ministry and witness of all persons to serve as leaders and participants, fully participating in our life, worship and governance. Adapted from the Oasis Missouri Ministry’s Affirmation of Welcome.
If you or your church wish to join The Diocese of West Missouri in helping us welcome those who identify as LGBT+, then see below the different ways you can get involved with pride this year, and future pride events.
A Word from our Bishop
I look forward to the annual celebrations of PRIDE each year! Last year we inaugurated the tradition of celebrating the Eucharist before the PRIDE parade, and we will continue that tradition both here in Kansas City and in Springfield.
Bishop Cathy Bascom will be the celebrant at the Kansas City PRIDE Eucharist at St. Paul’s at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 8th. I will be the celebrant at the PRIDE Eucharist at Christ Church in Springfield at 9:30 a.m.
I invite you to join these celebrations!
I firmly believe that Missourians of all genders and sexual orientations are beloved children of God. I grieve that persons who are transgender and non-binary, and their families, currently face harassment and discrimination throughout Missouri, in our Diocese and beyond. I affirm my support for all these persons, and ask you to join me in being the loving face of Christ to them. I recognize that they are under attack and I join the Bishops of The Episcopal Church and decry the legislative initiatives and governmental actions targeting them, especially those actions that intend to limit or prohibit access to medical treatment and would erase them from sports, education, and other areas of civic participation.
Our Diocese strives to walk in the Way of Love as our Presiding Bishop has asked us to do. We are all called to proclaim and build up God’s Kingdom of justice and peace by being the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in West Missouri and in the world. Therefore, I ask you to join me in prayer for those who face such harsh discrimination. I encourage all members of our Diocese – lay and clergy – to welcome all, create safe spaces, and shield all people from any form of hate, discrimination, oppression, and harassment based on gender identity.
I am here to answer any questions you may have and to support every member of this diocese in any way I can. Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions or concerns you may have on this important issue.
Blessings and love,
FAQ’s
Isn’t being gay a sin? Will a church really accept me for who I am? These are all questions that most of us have asked ourselves at one point or another. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of common questions for you to look through and how we, as The Episcopal Church, respond and welcome those in LGBT+ spaces.
Is being gay a sin?
No. Sins are acts that separate us from God and keep us from loving our neighbors as ourselves. Being gay is not a sin. Bullying is a sin. Being hateful to other people is a sin. Putting yourself in the place of God to judge others is a sin. Being gay is not.
What did Jesus say about gay people?
Jesus said the same thing about gay people that he said about all people: God loves you beyond your wildest imagining and calls you to walk in love with God and with each other. He also said a whole lot about welcoming the stranger, embracing the outcast, ministering to the marginalized and loving – not judging – your neighbor.
Does the Bible really condemn homosexuality?
The short answer is no, it does not. The handful of passages in the Old and New Testaments that talk about God condemning specific sexual acts have nothing whatsoever to do with sexual orientation and everything to do with contexts such as cultic prostitution or gang rape. To put it another way, using the Bible as a handbook on human sexuality makes as much sense in the 21st century as using it as a handbook on astronomy did in the 16th. The church got it wrong when it misused the Bible to condemn Galileo and it gets it wrong when it misuses the Bible to condemn LGBTQ+ people.
How do I respond when people say “God hates f-s”?
First of all, God’s nature is to love, not to hate. We believe that what God cares about is not our sexual orientation but our theological orientation – and that the question that matters is not “who do you love?” but “do you love?” Recognizing that homophobia causes some folks to project onto God their own fears, prejudices, and biases against LGBTQ+ people, sometimes the best response is simply no response. It can be a challenge but getting triggered by hate-mongers prevents us from being the change we want to see.
How about transgender and non-binary people? Where do they fit in?
The same place all God’s beloved children fit in: smack dab in the center of God’s care, love and desire for health and wholeness for every single human being.
What do I tell people when they say being gay is a sin and a choice?
Tell them that Jesus said absolutely nothing about being gay, but he said a lot of things about judging other people. Then tell them that while there is no consensus among scientists about the exact reasons that an individual develops a heterosexual, bisexual, gay, or lesbian orientation, there is consensus that sexuality is a continuum. So the “choice” is not to be gay, straight or somewhere in between; the “choice” is to build our own healthy relationships – and give other people the grace to build theirs.
How do I respond when politicians condemn my sexuality, citing their belief in the Bible?
Remind them that the First Amendment protects them in believing whatever they want to about what God does or does not bless, but it also prohibits them from using those beliefs to decide who the Constitution protects or doesn’t protect. Tell them to stop confusing their theology with our democracy. And then campaign for and donate to their opponent in the next election cycle.
What about those who say they need “religious freedom laws” to protect their right to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people because of their religion?
They are wrong. The Constitution already protects their right to exercise their religion. It does not protect their right to impose their religion. Just as using the Bible to justify racial segregation was wrong in the 1960’s, using it to justify LGBTQ+ discrimination is wrong today.
So I get LGBT – but I don’t understand the Q. I’ve heard it stands for “questioning” and I’ve also heard it stands for “queer.” So which one is it?
Both. Questioning means someone who is figuring out their gender identity and/ or figuring out how they want to identify their sexual orientation. Queer is not specific to sexual orientation or to gender identity but is more of an umbrella term for anything that exists outside of the dominant hetero-centric narrative. Originally pejorative for gay, it is now being reclaimed by some gay men, lesbians, bisexual, and transgender persons as self-affirming language.
You may also see the acronym LGBTQIA. The additional “IA” is added to include those who identify as intersex/ intergender and asexual. Some iterations of the acronym also add a “+” sign at the end, symbolizing the inclusion of all other identities.
Yes, it’s complicated. It is also not at all surprising that as we grow in both our understanding and experience of the complicated continuum of sexual orientation and fluidity of gender identity/expression our language will grow and change as well.
Find a Church Near You
Leadership
Members
- Jami Blakeley
- The Rev. Jennifer Blevins
- Matthew Briggs
- Cassie Brown
- The Rev. Alisa Carmichael
- Zachary Phillips
- The Rev. Robin Rusconi
- Brandon Smee
