In 1976, at the 65th General Convention in Minneapolis, The Episcopal Church adopted a resolution affirming that homosexual people are children of God with a full and equal claim upon the church’s love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care.
Fifty years later, we return to Minneapolis to commemorate that milestone and reflect on the church’s ongoing journey toward LGBTQ+ inclusion.
Join us Sept. 3–5 for “Full & Equal: 50 Years in Pursuit of a Promise,” a three-day gathering of worship, learning, storytelling, and fellowship. Together, we will celebrate the progress of the last half-century and renew our commitment to the work that remains, taking back to our dioceses tools for advocacy and archiving.
The venue for the event is Sheraton Minneapolis Downtown Convention Center, and the working agenda is below. Information will be added as additional details are confirmed.
AGENDA
Thursday, Sept. 3
7:30–8:30 a.m.: Breakfast on your own
9 a.m.: Welcome
9:15–11:15 a.m.: A plenary introduction to the Peabody Award-winning storytelling techniques of The Moth, which will be known to many participants through The Moth Storytelling Hour radio broadcasts.
Opportunities for participants to work on their own Moth-style stories in a small-group format with a Moth facilitator will be offered in two-hour workshops at 11:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Workshops on other topics will be offered concurrently with The Moth workshops at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. A schedule of these workshops will be available soon, on topics that include How and Why to Record the Story of Us; Legislative Strategy, Past and Future; But We DID Do the Theology; Global Anglican Context and Advocacy in the Parish and Diocese; and Organizing for Trans Goals.
Lunch and dinner are on your own.
Friday, Sept. 4
What led The Episcopal Church, 50 years ago, to acknowledge that LGBTQ+ people had “a full and equal claim upon the church’s love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care?” How faithfully has the church lived into that promise? What lies ahead? In a series of plenary panels, participants will explore The Story of Then, The Story of Now, and The Story of Next. Additional workshops will be offered throughout the day. The day concludes with a dinner featuring the premier of a documentary history of The Episcopal Church’s journey toward fuller equality for its LGBTQ+ members as well as a series of brief historical reflections. (Breakfast and lunch are on your own.)
9–10 a.m.: Plenary: The Story of Then: Anecdotes from the Edges
The Rev. Susan Russell, Kim Byham, the Rev. Cynthia Black
10:15–11:15 a.m.: Workshops
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.: The Story of Now: A Plenary Conversation with Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe
Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe in conversation with Katie Sherrod and the Rev. Ryan Hawthorne
12:30–2 p.m.: Lunch on your own
2–3 p.m.: Workshops
3:30–4:30 p.m.: Plenary: The Story of Next: Bishops Discuss the Church and Change
Bishops Bonnie Perry, Gene Robinson, Jeffrey Mello, and Antonio Gallardo
6–6:30 p.m.: Reception
6:30–9 p.m.: Dinner with Documentary: The Story of Us: Our History, Our Lives
Featuring the debut of a documentary film written and produced by Katie Sherrod, and reflections from the Rev. Michael Hopkins, the Very Rev. Winnie Varghese, the Rev. Miguel Escobar, and the Rev. Tory Moir.
Saturday, Sept 5
7:30–8:30 a.m.: Breakfast on your own
9–10 a.m.: Workshops: The Story of Next #TakingItHome
11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.: Eucharist: Pursuit of the Promise
Location: St. Mark’s Cathedral
Preacher: The Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson
Presider: The Most Rev. Sean Rowe
RESOURCES
Download “Full and Equal” logos here (downloads a zip file of logos).
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