The Shower of Stoles is a collection of over a thousand liturgical stoles and other sacred items representing the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of faith. These religious leaders have served in thirty-two denominations and faith traditions, in six countries, and on three continents. Each stole contains the story of a LGBT person who is active in the life and leadership of their faith community in some way: minister, elder, deacon, teacher, missionary, musician, administrator, or active layperson.

This extraordinary collection celebrates the gifts of LGBT persons who serve God in countless ways, while also lifting up those who have been excluded from service because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The collection bears witness to the huge loss of leadership that the church has brought upon itself because of its own unjust policies.

Last month the stoles were on display at University Presbyterian Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and were featured in Baton Rouge's The Advocate:

This will be the seventh year that University Presbyterian has brought the display here, said the Rev. Patti Snyder, senior pastor.

“We’ve had a lot of support for doing this,” Snyder said of her congregation.

“It’s an important reminder, not just for the Presbyterian Church but for the broader church” of those who feel a call by God to serve but are not allowed to do so, she said.

“This particular congregation is very welcoming and open,” Snyder said.

The church’s Web site, at http://www.upcbr.org/, welcomes people “of every generation, of varied religious and cultural backgrounds, of varied theological and political views, and of different races and sexual orientations.”

While the Presbyterian denomination is welcoming in general regarding its congregations, such issues regarding its pastors are more complicated, Snyder said.

The denomination regulations regarding ordination have have been interpreted in various ways, she said.

“We have a longtime struggle over the ordination of people who are openly gay or lesbian,” Snyder said.

The Presbyterians are not alone. Among the other major Christian denominations represented are the United Methodist Church, the Roman Catholic Church, Southern Baptist Convention and the Episcopal Church.

To read the full article, visit The Advocate.

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Ref: http://www.mlp.org/article.php/ShowerOfStolesLouisiana