A Rich Tapestry

Monday, June 16, 2025

Happy Pride and Happy Monday, my friends! Last week we celebrated the Second Annual Interfaith Pride Service. Having already outgrown space at Stonewall Columbus, we held the service at the new Fran Ryan Center in east Columbus. This decidedly “secular” space was the perfect environment to bring together Christians, Jews, Muslims, Druids, practitioners of Stregheria[1], Buddhists, Humanists, people of other faith backgrounds, spiritual seekers, skeptics, and people still making sense of what it means to be LGBTQIA+ and a person of faith. While many of the people in that space had experienced varying degrees of religious trauma, many had also reclaimed their religious and spiritual practices or had found new, more affirming practices.

One of our speakers, the Rev. Jan Avende, a Druid priest from Three Cranes Grove ADF in Columbus, OH, and the ArchDruid of ADF[2], wore a coat[3] in a rainbow quilt of colors. That garment became for me a metaphor for the service and what I hope to see in the world. Bishop John Shelby Spong said, “I honor my tradition, I walk through my tradition, but I don't think my tradition defines God, I think it only points me to God.” Christianity is my tradition and though I explored other traditions, I continually have come back to Christianity. I find truth in other traditions. My vision of the kin-dom of God includes people of different faiths and traditions because, ultimately, I believe that all of our traditions point to the same God, regardless of what we call that divinity or ultimate reality.

In her closing remarks, LOVEboldly’s board chair, Siobhan Boyd-Nelson, spoke about the need for prayer, in all its forms, at this moment of our history. She reflected how the service demonstrated that there are many ways to pray. However you pray, reflect, put intentions and energy into the world, even if it only makes you feel more grounded, prayer is important.

How do you pray? How has prayer changed for you?

Let us pray: God of many names, source of love, in this season of Pride, we celebrate the beautiful diversity of creation and the courage of those who live authentically. We ask for your protective embrace around our beautiful LGBTQIA+ family. Wrap us in safety. Shield us from harm. Surround us with communities that cherish our wholeness. May we find refuge in love when the world feels hostile. Bless the allies who stand alongside us, using their voices to create more loving, affirming spaces. Help us all be instruments of your love. We give thanks for those who have dared to live openly: those who paved difficult paths and those just now discovering their authentic selves. May each person know they are beloved exactly as they are. Grant us strength to create a world where every person can live freely, love openly, and celebrate the unique gifts they bring to our human family. We pray in your many names, our liberator. Amen.

Blessings on your weeks, my friends! Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you.

Faithfully,

Ben +

[1] Stregheria is a form of Paganism with roots in Southern Italy and among people with Southern Italian heritage.

[2] ADF is a Druid organization similar to a denomination.

[3] I admit my ignorance in calling their outfit a “coat.” The garment may have a special name in the Druid tradition, and I apologize for not knowing that name. This would be like someone calling a cassock a “robe” or, much worse, someone calling a chasuble a “poncho.”