On Saturday, August 18th, the OASIS will take part in the Hudson Pride Festival, a community event located in Jersey City's Exchange Place, from noon to 7pm.
This event, celebrating its 12th anniversary, provides an opportunity for members of the LGBT population in New Jersey's Hudson waterfront communities to network and celebrate who we are. Organizations, merchants and food and drink vendors will line Montgomery Street between Washington & Hudson streets, and the main stage is located at Exchange Place & Hudson Street.
The OASIS will share the Episcopal presence at the event with Integrity NYC-Metro. We will have an information table and celebrate a Street Eucharist.
TRANSIT:
NJ Transit to Hoboken Station, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail to Exchange Place
OR
PATH World Trade Center-Newark line to Exchange Place
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
PRIDE SERMONS: Stacy Graffam at St. Mark's: Teaneck
Stacy Graffam, a member of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Teaneck, N.J., gave a reflection at the parish's Pride Service on Sunday, June 24th. Stacy blogs about her life with wife Donna and their two kids at Out In Suburbia and has also written for Gay Parent magazine.
PRIDE SERMONS: Michael Petti at St. Peter's: Clifton
Mr. Michael Petti, a long-time advocate of LGBT inclusion and former commission member of The OASIS, the LGBT Ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, has shared with us the text of a reflection he gave at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Clifton on Sunday June 24th, when the parish observed its patronal festival and celebrated Pride Sunday using the readings for the Feast of St. Peter & St. Paul, which fell later in the week.
Michael compares Jesus' seemingly nagging Peter by repeatedly asking "do you love me?" to the distrust many LGBT people have for the institutional church, in light of how religious institutions have historically treated them. This is a distrust we, the church, have earned, and Michael urges us all to strive towards a place of welcome upon which our brothers and sisters can count.
Michael compares Jesus' seemingly nagging Peter by repeatedly asking "do you love me?" to the distrust many LGBT people have for the institutional church, in light of how religious institutions have historically treated them. This is a distrust we, the church, have earned, and Michael urges us all to strive towards a place of welcome upon which our brothers and sisters can count.
Newark Teen Deputy Gibson Oakley Cites LGBT Inclusion as Convention Priority
Gibson Oakley made no bones about what will be on his mind as he heads to General Convention this week. One of two teenagers who will be part of the lay deputation representing the Diocese of Newark, Gibson told those who would be voting for him that the church needs to be a welcoming haven for LGBT youth who encounter hostility on a daily basis.
"Over eighty-five percent of LGBT students have experienced some form of harassment at school," Gibson told those at an elections meeting at Newark's Diocesan Convention in January of 2011, when he was just 16. "Many of these teens feel that they have nowhere to turn and some, unfortunately, kill themselves. I believe that our own churches should be places where gay teens may turn in times of trouble."
Oakley also thinks the church should proceed with blessing same-sex relationships as marriages. “As a gay man,” he added, “I would like to walk down the aisle in a church and hear the celebrant utter the words 'I now pronounce you husbands'.”
Oakley's comments were met with a resounding cheer. And then, after several rounds of voting, he won. “When they put the results on the screen, I looked up but it didn't register. Then my friend said, 'You got it'. But it really struck me when Kai (Alston, diocesan Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministries) came over and gave me a big hug. I realized that what I had worked for was really coming true.”
Hardly a one-issue candidate, Oakley also cites domestic violence, volunteerism, and the environment as areas of personal focus. He and fellow deputy Caroline Christie worked with Integrity founder Dr. Louie Crew in advance of the election. As a long-time member of the Executive Committee and fixture at General Convention, Dr. Crew helped prepare the young candidates for the election and what will follow. Read more about Gibson & Caroline's election at the Diocese of Newark's special convention coverage site:
"Over eighty-five percent of LGBT students have experienced some form of harassment at school," Gibson told those at an elections meeting at Newark's Diocesan Convention in January of 2011, when he was just 16. "Many of these teens feel that they have nowhere to turn and some, unfortunately, kill themselves. I believe that our own churches should be places where gay teens may turn in times of trouble."
Oakley also thinks the church should proceed with blessing same-sex relationships as marriages. “As a gay man,” he added, “I would like to walk down the aisle in a church and hear the celebrant utter the words 'I now pronounce you husbands'.”
Oakley's comments were met with a resounding cheer. And then, after several rounds of voting, he won. “When they put the results on the screen, I looked up but it didn't register. Then my friend said, 'You got it'. But it really struck me when Kai (Alston, diocesan Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministries) came over and gave me a big hug. I realized that what I had worked for was really coming true.”
Hardly a one-issue candidate, Oakley also cites domestic violence, volunteerism, and the environment as areas of personal focus. He and fellow deputy Caroline Christie worked with Integrity founder Dr. Louie Crew in advance of the election. As a long-time member of the Executive Committee and fixture at General Convention, Dr. Crew helped prepare the young candidates for the election and what will follow. Read more about Gibson & Caroline's election at the Diocese of Newark's special convention coverage site:
- Youth Comes Knocking - Two Teens Elected General Convention Deputies
Virginia Citrano for the Diocese of Newark
Monday, June 4, 2012
Love Free or Die Screening at St. James': Hackettstown
The screening will be free. A freewill offering will be taken to support further promotion of the film. A discussion will follow the screening and refreshments will be available.
Winner of a special jury prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, Love Free or Die is "compelling storytelling, even for those familiar with the outlines of Robinson’s story: his 2003 consecration as a bishop, the backlash from conservatives within the U.S. and global church, and the Episcopal Church’s decision at its 2009 general convention to continue to ordain gay bishops and to develop blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples," as reviewed by Peter Montgomery in Religion Dispatch.
Others in the church - both for and against Bishop Robinson's ordination - are interviewed, including the Right Rev. Otis Charles, who came out and married his partner after retiring as bishop of Utah; the Right Rev. Barbara Harris, the first female bishop in the Anglican Communion; and a Ugandan woman living with HIV.
Footage from some of the major public events in Bishop Robinson's episcopacy are featured, including a dramatic confrontation with a heckler while preaching in England.
St. James' Church is located at 214 Washington Street, Hackettstown.
PLEASE SHARE THE ATTACHED POSTER FOR THIS EVENT.
The OASIS honors Louie Crew , Awards Grant & Scholarship
The OASIS,
the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of
Newark, honored Dr. Louie Crew for a lifetime of justice ministry at a
reception Friday, and presented its first annual scholarship and grant awards.
The Right Rev. Mark
Beckwith, Bishop of Newark, and OASIS Commission Chair John Simonelli presented
Dr. Crew with a hand-illumined certificate of appreciation and announced the
first recipients of the scholarship and grant created in his honor.
Dr. Crew founded Integrity,
the national organization for LGBT Episcopalians, in 1974. A retired professor
of English (most recently at Rutgers University) he served on the Executive
Council of the Episcopal Church from 2000-2006 and represented the Diocese of
Newark as a member of the House of Deputies
from 1993-2011, among many other acts of service to the church. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Alabama,
Doctorates of Divinity from the Episcopal Divinity School and General
Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate of Human Letters from the Divinity School of the Pacific. Dr. Crew is extensively published,
on matters of English composition, social justice, faith, and poetry. Dr. Crew is a three-time recipient of the National
Endowment for Humanities, was honored by the Ragdale Foundation and the
Wurlitzer Foundation, and received the Bishop’s Cross from the Diocese of
Newark.
The first Louie Crew scholarship was presented to Darnell L.
Moore, a writer and activist who is currently the Associate Director of the Newark Schools Research
Collaborative (NSRC) and an Affiliate of the Institute on Education Law and
Policy (IELP) both at Rutgers, The State
University of New Jersey-Newark. He holds a BA in Social & Behavioral
Sciences (Seton
Hall University),
MA in Counseling (Eastern
University) and MA in
Theological Studies (Princeton Theological Seminary).
Moore also serves as the Chair of Mayor Cory Booker of
Newark’s Advisory Commission on LGBTQ Concerns and Education, Chair of the Newark Pride Alliance,
and has served appointments as a Visiting Fellow at Yale Divinity School and
Lecturer in the Women & Gender Studies Department at Rutgers-New Brunswick,
as well as Visiting Scholar at the Center for
the Study of Gender and Sexuality at New York University. Moore plans to use
the scholarship money to participate in two writing retreats to further his
first book, tentatively titled To be Black, Queer and Christian: Essays on
the Black church and Sexuality.
The first OASIS Grant was awarded to the Montclair
Protestant Chaplaincy, an ecumenical collaborative, to support the work of the
Rev. Deacon Diana Wilcox as chaplain at Montclair State
University. A recent graduate of Drew Theological School
in Madison, Wilcox provides a progressive Christian presence at the university
with weekly prayer services, spiritual counseling and other programming. Wilcox studied at Montclair State University
and Fairleigh Dickinson University before pursuing her Master of Divinity at
Drew. Her campus group, the Web of Life Christian Community, became a Believe Out Loud Congregation in 2011,
and took part in the response to bias incidents on campus this fall and winter.
The OASIS, founded in 1989, is a justice ministry of the
Episcopal Diocese of Newark. Once providing “safe space” worship and spiritual
counseling, the organization has evolved into an educational and advocacy role. The Louie Crew Scholarship and Oasis Grant, which
were first announced at the 2012 Diocesan Convention, will be awarded annually at
the Oasis anniversary in June to individuals and groups working “at the
intersection of sexuality and faith.”
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Pride Events at St. George's: Maplewood
As a courtesy to a longtime Sponsoring Congregation of the OASIS, we are sharing word of the following events to take place at St. George's Episcopal Church in Maplewood to commemorate LGBT Pride Month:
St. George's is located at 550 Ridgewood Road, Maplewood, NJ., a very short walk from the Maplewood train station.
View Larger Map
- On Sunday, June 3rd at 12:00 p.m. (following the 10:30 Eucharist service), noted civil rights leader Joan M. Garry will lead a forum entitled LGBT People, Bullying, and the Deeply Held
Religious Belief Card.
Ms. Garry is former Executive Director of GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) and came to prominence in 1993 by successfully challenging New Jersey's second-parent adoption law to become the first lesbian in the state to adopt her partner's biological children. She is currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School of Communications and writes a blog for The Huffington Post. - On Saturday, June 9th, members of St. George's will host a table at SOMA Pride at Memorial Park in Maplewood.
- On Sunday, June 10th, IntegrityUSA Founder Dr. Louie Crew will be the guest preacher at both the 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Eucharist services. In addition to a lifetime of advocacy for LGBT people, Dr. Crew is a retired Professor of English, most recently of Rutgers University, an accomplished writer and poet, and a longtime member of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church.
- On Sunday, June 24th, members of St. George's will be joining us marching in the annual Heritage of Pride in New York City.
St. George's is located at 550 Ridgewood Road, Maplewood, NJ., a very short walk from the Maplewood train station.
View Larger Map
Episcopal Presence at NYC Pride 2012
Please see details below regarding the Episcopal presence in the Heritage of Pride March, which is organized by the LGBT Concerns Committee of the Diocese of New York. Your congregation or group can march as part of the Episcopal group without registering separately or sending someone to the marshal training. You may bring your own banners, t-shirts, etc. and walk together.
In a year that has had a lot of anti-LGBT messaging from the pulpit, it is more important than ever that we have a strong progressive presence at this very visible parade. If your congregation has not marched in some years, please consider retuning... we'd love to see you there! Details will be posted here as they arrive.
In a year that has had a lot of anti-LGBT messaging from the pulpit, it is more important than ever that we have a strong progressive presence at this very visible parade. If your congregation has not marched in some years, please consider retuning... we'd love to see you there! Details will be posted here as they arrive.
Dear Fellow Episcopalians,
For the past several
years, the Committee on LGBT Concerns has organized a float in the
annual LGBT Pride March, to be held this year on Sunday, June 24th,
2012. Several hundred Episcopalians,
from parishes large and small, from Staten Island to Sullivan County,
march down Fifth Avenue with the float under the slogan “The Episcopal
Church Welcomes You”.
For the past two years we have been by far the largest religious contingent in the entire March!
The Episcopal Church
has, for years, been in the forefront of the full inclusion of LGBT
persons in all of the sacraments. While we may not yet have attained
all of our goals, we are well on
our way. The annual LGBT Pride March is one of the most visual and
important ways that we have of reaching out to the LGBT Community, many
of whom have given up on or been driven away from any organized
religion.
In order to do this
again in 2012, we need your help. The LGBT Pride March is not a
budgeted item. We rely on donations from individuals, parishes and
groups in order to make it possible. The
cost is between $5000.00 and $6000.00 and our suppliers (float, music,
registration) require payment in advance.
The Church of St. Luke
in the Fields has agreed to act as our treasurer again this year.
Please make your checks payable to The Church of St. Luke in the Fields,
note Pride March in the memo
field and mail to:
Paul J. Lane
c/o The Church of St. Luke in the Fields
487 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
The March takes place on Sunday, June 24, 2012. It will proceed down Fifth Avenue from the lower 30s to its usual end point on Christopher and Greenwich Streets in the West Village. Our exact meeting time and location won’t be known until about two weeks prior to the actual March, but you are welcome to join us at 11 a.m. for Eucharist at the Church of the Transfiguration, 1 E 29 Street, and proceeding to the muster location from there.
Anyone is welcome to join us. You will not need to register your group separately. We will take care of registration and marshals. All you need to do to participate is show up. We will post the information on the LGBT Concerns web-page: and Facebook page: as soon as the March organizers let us know.
If you have any questions, please contact Paul Lane at 646-456-8705 or
LGBTConcerns@dioceseny.org
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you there,
Paul J. Lane - LGBT Pride March Coordinator
The Committee on LGBT Concerns of the Episcopal Diocese of New York
Screening of "Love Free or Die" in Morristown Jun. 3
On Sunday, June 10 at 3 p.m., there will be a screening of Love Free or Die, the award-winning biography of Bishop Gene Robinson, at the Church of the Redeemer in Morristown, N.J., an Integrity Proud Parish Partner.The screening will be free. A freewill offering will be taken to support further promotion of the film. A discussion will follow the screening and refreshments will be available. Redeemer is an easy walk from the Morristown train station (see map below).
Winner of a special jury prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, Love Free or Die is "compelling storytelling, even for those familiar with the outlines of Robinson’s story: his 2003 consecration as a bishop, the backlash from conservatives within the U.S. and global church, and the Episcopal Church’s decision at its 2009 general convention to continue to ordain gay bishops and to develop blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples," as reviewed by Peter Montgomery in Religion Dispatch.
Others in the church - both for and against Bishop Robinson's ordination - are interviewed, including the Right Rev. Otis Charles, who came out and married his partner after retiring as bishop of Utah; the Right Rev. Barbara Harris, the first female bishop in the Anglican Communion; and a Ugandan woman living with HIV.
Footage from some of the major public events in Bishop Robinson's episcopacy are featured, including a dramatic confrontation with a heckler while preaching in England.
The first of a series of screenings around the Diocese of Newark, this event is co-sponsored by the Church of the Redeemer and St. Gregory's Episcopal Church in Parsippany, with assistance from The OASIS and Integrity NYC-Metro.
PLEASE HELP US spread the word about this event by sharing this flyer. Facebook users please RSVP and invite your friends here.
Reviews of Love Free or Die:
- First Gay Bishop? Give Me a Break - Religion Dispatches
- Doers of the Word: Bishop Gene Robinson in Love Free or Die - HRC
- New film chronicles gay Episcopal bishop - Bay Area Reporter.
- WHAT: Screening of Love Free or Die
- WHEN: Sun., Jun 10 at 3pm
- WHERE: Church of the Redeemer, 36 South Street, Morristown, NJ
- COST: Free (contributions welcome)
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Cyndi Lauper to be Grand Marshall at 2012 Heritage of Pride
The Huffington Post has reported that award-winning pop diva and long-time LGBT-ally Cyndi Lauper will be the Grand Marshall of the 2012 Heritage of Pride March in New York on Sunday, June 24th.
The OASIS will once again be part of the Episcopal presence at the March, which is organized by the LGBT Concerns Committee of the Diocese of New York. Area individuals, congregations and groups are invited to march with us or under their own banners as part of the church's representation. The Committee will be announcing details in the coming weeks.
Lauper, a native of Queens, won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1985 and has been recognized repeatedly by MTV, VHI, Rolling Stone and others. She has been a staunch ally of the LGBT population. In September, she opened the True Colors Residence, a supportive housing facility in Harlem specifically for young LGBT adults with a history of homelessness. She also created the Give A Damn Campaign to educate heterosexual people about youth homelessness and how it disproportionately affects the LGBT population.
Joining Lauper on the reviewing stand will be Chris Salgardo, president of the Kiehl's body care company which was recently recognized in AdWeek for its social responsibility, as well as Phyllis Siege and Connie Kopelov, the first residents of New York City to be legally married in the state. The couple was wed on July 24, 2011 after 23 years together.
"Our choices for this year's Grand Marshals embody everything we look for in representatives that give back to the LGBT community and have made a huge impact on the overall movement," state Mike Dunlap, March Director, said in a press release.
The OASIS will once again be part of the Episcopal presence at the March, which is organized by the LGBT Concerns Committee of the Diocese of New York. Area individuals, congregations and groups are invited to march with us or under their own banners as part of the church's representation. The Committee will be announcing details in the coming weeks.
Lauper, a native of Queens, won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1985 and has been recognized repeatedly by MTV, VHI, Rolling Stone and others. She has been a staunch ally of the LGBT population. In September, she opened the True Colors Residence, a supportive housing facility in Harlem specifically for young LGBT adults with a history of homelessness. She also created the Give A Damn Campaign to educate heterosexual people about youth homelessness and how it disproportionately affects the LGBT population.
Joining Lauper on the reviewing stand will be Chris Salgardo, president of the Kiehl's body care company which was recently recognized in AdWeek for its social responsibility, as well as Phyllis Siege and Connie Kopelov, the first residents of New York City to be legally married in the state. The couple was wed on July 24, 2011 after 23 years together.
"Our choices for this year's Grand Marshals embody everything we look for in representatives that give back to the LGBT community and have made a huge impact on the overall movement," state Mike Dunlap, March Director, said in a press release.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Film Screening: Love Free or Die
The screening will be free. A freewill offering will be taken to support further promotion of the film. Grace Church is an easy walk from the Grove Street PATH station.
Winner of a special jury prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, Love Free or Die is "compelling storytelling, even for those familiar with the outlines of Robinson’s story: his 2003 consecration as a bishop, the backlash from conservatives within the U.S. and global church, and the Episcopal Church’s decision at its 2009 general convention to continue to ordain gay bishops and to develop blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples," as reviewed by Peter Montgomery in Religion Dispatch.
Others in the church - both for and against Bishop Robinson's ordination - are interviewed, including the Right Rev. Otis Charles, who came out and married his partner after retiring as bishop of Utah; the Right Rev. Barbara Harris, the first female bishop in the Anglican Communion; and a Ugandan woman living with HIV.
Footage from some of the major public events in Bishop Robinson's episcopacy are featured, including a dramatic confrontation with a heckler while preaching in England.
PLEASE HELP US spread the word about this event by sharing this flyer. Facebook users please RSVP and invite your friends here.
Reviews of Love Free or Die:
- First Gay Bishop? Give Me a Break - Religion Dispatches
- Doers of the Word: Bishop Gene Robinson in Love Free or Die - HRC
- New film chronicles gay Episcopal bishop - Bay Area Reporter
- WHAT: Screening of Love Free or Die
- WHEN: Fri. Apr. 13 @ 7 p.m.
- WHERE: Grace Church Van Vorst, 39 Erie Street, Jersey City, NJ
(Transit: PATH to Grove Street) - COST: Free (contributions welcome)
Monday, January 9, 2012
Marriage Equality "A Top Priority" for NJ Legislature
The leadership of both houses of New Jersey's legislature announced this afternoon in Trenton that marriage-quality bills will be introduced in both houses and considered "a top priority" for this session. Senate President Steve Sweeney, who calls abstaining from the vote in 2010 the "biggest mistake" of his legislative career, is now championing the bill. Episcopal Bishop of Newark, the Right Rev. Mark Beckwith, has campaigned actively in favor of marriage equality in New Jersey. On Saturday, the OASIS is co-sponsor of an event organized by Lambda Legal called Marriage Equality: Take the Power.
More from Freedom to Marry
More from Freedom to Marry
Monday, January 2, 2012
Parish Spotlight: St. Andrew & Holy Communion, South Orange N.J.
The Episcopal Church of St. Andrew & Holy Communion in South Orange, N.J., and its rector, the Rev. Canon Dr. Sandye Wilson, were profiled in today's Newark Star-Ledger.
Read all about it:
Read all about it:
Flinging the doors open wide, South Orange rector welcomes everyone into her lively and diverse community
Newark Star-Ledger
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