Description:
Dan Smith was a Presbyterian and Congregationalist minister, longtime pastor
of West Hollywood United Church of Christ. He was born 2 February 1953 in
Buffalo, N.Y., and educated at SUNY Fredonia and Princeton Theological
Seminary. He was a conscientious objector during the American war in Vietnam.
He was ordained in 1978 and spent six years installed at First Presbyterian
Church (Geneva, N.Y.) before moving to Los Angeles. He took the pastorate of
West Hollywood Presbyterian Church (Los Angeles, Calif.) in 1984, becoming
the first openly gay minister installed in a PC(USA) congregation. During his
tenure the congregation would spearhead AIDS ministry in West Hollywood, and
build the Lazarus Project, dedicated to reconciling the church with its LGBTQ
community. Smith retired in 2020. He died 12 June 2023.
Creator:
Smith, Daniel Edmund, 1953-2023. (dedicatee), West Hollywood United Church of Christ (Los Angeles, Calif.) (creator)
Subject names:
West Hollywood Presbyterian Church (Los Angeles, Calif.), Smith, Daniel Edmund, 1953-2023.
Topics:
LGBTQ+ Presbyterians., Gay clergy.
URL:
https://digital.history.pcusa.org/islandora/object/islandora:345470
