Social and political issues and activism

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About this Collection

Church involvement in social and political issues and activism, including civil rights, protests, and war work. Also, social and political reformers connected to the church. See the following related collections: Civil rights, protests, and social reformers; Wars. Featured image: Religious with Rosa Parks, 1963.

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Title:
James S. Evinger and Pamela P. Pritchard at the 216th General Assembly, 2004.
Description:
James S. Evinger (left) and Pamela P. Pritchard (right) staffing a booth at the 216th General Assembly in Richmond, Va. The booth provided information about 11 proposed amendments to the Book of Order coming before that assembly concerning how the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) deals with charges of sexual abuse. The 11 amendments were recommended by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Independent Committee of Inquiry.
Creator:
Evinger, James S. (donor)
Subject names:
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). General Assembly (216th : 2004 : Richmond, Va.), Evinger, James S., Pritchard, Pamela P.
Topics:
Presbyterian Church--Congresses., Church and social problems--Presbyterian Church.
Geographic subjects:
Richmond (Va.)
URL:
https://digital.history.pcusa.org/islandora/object/islandora:348008
Title:
Dan Smith memorial service, 2023.
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
Title:
Holly and KC Clark-Porter oral history, 2023.
Description:
Reverend Holly Clark-Porter and Reverend KC Clark-Porter discuss growing up in Texas; attendance of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary; their joint ordination service at First & Central Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware (Newcastle Presbytery); the pastoral capacities in which they've served the Church; and the barriers they faced during their ordinations and ministerial work. They reflect on the fight for marriage and ordination rights of LGBTQIA+ Presbyterians within the Church. Additionally, KC reflects on coming out as trans and life as a transgender man.
Creator:
Clark-Porter, Holly. (interviewee), Clark-Porter, KC. (interviewee), Shilstut, Natalie. (interviewer)
Subject names:
Clark-Porter, Holly., Clark-Porter, KC., Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary., Presbyterian Welcome (Organization), First & Central Presbyterian Church (Wilmington, Del.)
Topics:
Ordination of gays--Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Ordination of lesbians--Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Homophobia., Same-sex marriage--Religious aspects--Presbyterians., Transgender men.
Geographic subjects:
El Paso (Tex.), Wilmington (Del.), Fredonia (N.Y.)
URL:
https://digital.history.pcusa.org/islandora/object/islandora:345294
Title:
Babs Miller oral history, 2023.
Description:
Oral history with Babs Miller, parish associate at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church (Austin, Tex.), on her career in ministry, including with Metropolitan Community Church (Austin, Tex.) during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, and as an evangelist with That All May Freely Serve (TAMFS) in the 2000s. Babs Miller is a Presbyterian minister, ordained by Mission Presbytery in 2014. Born in Victoria, Texas in 1942, she attended the Presbyterian School for Christian Education (Richmond, Va.) in the 1960s, and worked as a Christian educator, a social worker, and a high school teacher in Texas. She went to Austin Theological Seminary from 1987 to 1990, came out as a lesbian, and began work with Metropolitan Community Church (Austin, Tex.). From about 2004 to 2012 she was an evangelist with That All May Freely Serve (TAMFS). She has served as parish associate at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church (Austin, Tex.) since 2014, and continues advocacy for GLBTQ+ rights, in particular protection of trans youth and their families threatened by Texas state law codifying trans health therapies as child abuse. Starting in 2015, Miller was part of the group at St. Andrew's, as part of the Austin Sanctuary Network, declaring public sanctuary for migrants, and helped a mother and child, Hilda and Ivan, seek asylum.
Creator:
Miller, Babs Ann, 1942- (interviewee), Staniunas, David. (interviewer)
Subject names:
Metropolitan Community Church (Austin, Tex.), That All May Freely Serve (Association), St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church (Austin, Tex.)
Topics:
Ordination of lesbians--Presbyterians., Sanctuary movement., Homosexuality--Religious aspects--Presbyterians., Church work with immigrants.
URL:
https://digital.history.pcusa.org/islandora/object/islandora:344175
Title:
Restorative Actions.
Description:
Web site of Restorative Actions, a grass roots voluntary initiative for churches, individuals, mid-councils, and agencies of the Presbyterian Church (USA) as well as other ecumenical partners and interested organizations, to take a leadership stance in opposition to racism and racial privilege. Its premise is that it would be right and fair for predominantly white churches and affiliated organizations to return benefits that have accrued to them directly or indirectly from systemic inequities.
Topics:
Race relations--Religious aspects--Presbyterian Church.
URL:
https://digital.history.pcusa.org/islandora/object/islandora:288194
Title:
Chris Glaser oral history transcript, 2022.
Description:
Transcript of oral history interview with Chris Glaser. He was raised as an American Baptist in North Hollywood, California. He joined the Presbyterian Church in 1970 while in college at California State University, Northridge. He was an ordained elder at First Presbyterian Church of Van Nuys. From 1976 to 1978, he served as the only openly gay member of the UPCUSA Task Force to Study Homosexuality. From 1977 to 1987, he served as the founding director of the Lazarus Project, a ministry of reconciliation between the church and the LGBTQ community in Los Angeles, located at West Hollywood Presbyterian Church. He also served as the second national coordinator and treasurer of Presbyterians for Lesbian and Gay Concerns (PLGC) and as editor of its newsletters (More Light). Interview covers the 1978 General Assembly, the UPCUSA Task Force to Study Homosexuality, the Lazarus Project, and Presbyterians for Lesbian and Gay Concerns (PLGC). Transcript was extensively revised for clarity purposes by interviewee, Chris Glaser.
Creator:
Skaggs, Nicholas A. (interviewer), Glaser, Chris. (interviewee)
Subject names:
United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Task Force to Study Homosexuality., United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. General Assembly (190th : 1978 : San Diego, Calif.), Lazarus Project., Presbyterians for Lesbian/Gay Concerns., West Hollywood Presbyterian Church (Los Angeles, Calif.), Glaser, Chris.
Topics:
Homosexuality--Religious aspects--Presbyterian Church., Ordination of gays., Ordination of lesbians.
URL:
https://digital.history.pcusa.org/islandora/object/islandora:287989
Title:
Chris Glaser oral history, 2022.
Description:
Chris Glaser was raised as an American Baptist in North Hollywood, California. He joined the Presbyterian Church in 1970 while in college at California State University, Northridge. He was an ordained elder at First Presbyterian Church of Van Nuys. From 1976 to 1978, he served as the only openly gay member of the UPCUSA Task Force to Study Homosexuality. From 1977 to 1987, he served as the founding director of the Lazarus Project, a ministry of reconciliation between the church and the LGBTQ community in Los Angeles, located at West Hollywood Presbyterian Church. He also served as the second national coordinator and treasurer of Presbyterians for Lesbian and Gay Concerns (PLGC) and as editor of its newsletters (More Light). Interview covers the 1978 General Assembly, the UPCUSA Task Force to Study Homosexuality, the Lazarus Project, and Presbyterians for Lesbian and Gay Concerns (PLGC).
Creator:
Glaser, Chris. (interviewee), Skaggs, Nicholas A. (interviewer)
Subject names:
United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Task Force to Study Homosexuality., United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. General Assembly (190th : 1978 : San Diego, Calif.), Lazarus Project., Presbyterians for Lesbian/Gay Concerns., West Hollywood Presbyterian Church (Los Angeles, Calif.), Glaser, Chris.
Topics:
Homosexuality--Religious aspects--Presbyterian Church., Ordination of gays., Ordination of lesbians.
URL:
https://digital.history.pcusa.org/islandora/object/islandora:287983
Title:
Joanna Adams oral history, 2017.
Description:
Joanna Moseley Adams, Presbyterian minister, was born October 17, 1944 in Atlanta, Georgia. She attended Columbia Theological Seminary and was ordained in 1979. She served Central Presbyterian Church (Atlanta, Ga.), North Decatur Presbyterian Church (Decatur, Ga.), and Trinity Presbyterian Church (Atlanta, Ga.), before spending two years as co-pastor alongside John Buchanan at Fourth Presbyterian Church (Chicago, Ill.). From 1996 on she was an organizer for and moderator of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians. She retired in 2010.
Creator:
Hessel, Beth Shalom. (interviewer), Adams, Joanna. (interviewee)
Subject names:
Adams, Joanna., Covenant Network of Presbyterians., Trinity Presbyterian Church (Atlanta, Ga.), North Decatur Presbyterian Church (Decatur, Ga.), Central Presbyterian Church (Atlanta, Ga.)
Topics:
Homosexuality--Religious aspects--Presbyterian Church., Ordination of gays., Ordination of lesbians., Presbyterian women., Ecumenical movement., Social justice--Religious aspects--Presbyterian Church., Interfaith worship.
URL:
https://digital.history.pcusa.org/islandora/object/islandora:286239
Title:
Annanda Barclay oral history, 2021.
Description:
Annanda Barclay is an advocate for intersectional justice in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). She has worked for LGBTQIA+ rights and served as Co-Moderator of More Light Presbyterians, a board member of the Spahr Reconciliation Initiative, and has helped plan pastoral candidate retreats with Parity (formerly Presbyterian Welcome). Barclay graduated with her M.Div. from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 2014. She is currently working as a pastor at Mission Bay Community Church (San Francisco, CA) and as interim chaplain at the University of the Redlands, while pursuing a full-time career in chaplaincy.
Creator:
Barclay, Annanda. (interviewee), Wittrig, Elizabeth L. (interviewer)
Subject names:
More Light Presbyterians., Presbyterian Welcome (Organization), Barclay, Annanda.
Topics:
Homosexuality--Religious aspects--Presbyterian Church., Ordination of gays., Ordination of lesbians., African American Presbyterians., Presbyterian women.
URL:
https://digital.history.pcusa.org/islandora/object/islandora:286179
Title:
Ray Bagnuolo oral history, 2021.
Description:
Raymond Bagnuolo was born in November of 1951 and grew up in a Roman Catholic family in the Bronx, New York. Ray spent seventeen years teaching K-12 in the Ossining Public Schools in Ossining, New York. In 1995, he was introduced to That All May Freely Serve and began attending South Presbyterian Church in Dobbs Ferry, New York. In 2005, he was ordained as Minister of Word and Sacrament in the PC(USA), as an openly gay man. Ray accepted a leadership role at That All May Freely Serve in 2013 and spent several years traveling the country and advocating for a fully inclusive church.
Creator:
Bagnuolo, Raymond. (interviewee), Wittrig, Elizabeth L. (interviewer)
Subject names:
That All May Freely Serve (Association), Bagnuolo, Raymond., Spahr, Jane Adams.
Topics:
Homosexuality--Religious aspects--Presbyterian Church., Homosexuality--Religious aspects--Catholic Church., Ordination of lesbians., Ordination of gays.
URL:
https://digital.history.pcusa.org/islandora/object/islandora:286178
Title:
Michael Adee oral history, 2021.
Description:
Michael Adee was a member and ordained Elder of Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church (Cincinnati, Ohio). He also served as the first Field Organizer (later called Executive Director) for More Light Presbyterians from 1999 to 2013.
Creator:
Adee, Michael. (interviewee), Wittrig, Elizabeth L. (interviewer)
Subject names:
More Light Presbyterians., That All May Freely Serve (Association), Spahr, Jane Adams., Adee, Michael.
Topics:
Homosexuality--Religious aspects--Presbyterian Church., Ordination of gays., Ordination of lesbians.
URL:
https://digital.history.pcusa.org/islandora/object/islandora:286177
Title:
Gail Ricciuti, Anthony Ricciuti, Ed Saphar, and Chuck Lundeen oral history, 2019.
Description:
Gail Ricciuti and Anthony Ricciuti co-pastored Downtown United Presbyterian Church (Rochester, NY) from 1983 to 1998. Chuck Lundeen was part of the pastor nominating committee which chose Rev. Jane Adams Spahr, a lesbian minister, as pastor of Downtown Church. That All May Freely Serve (TAMFS) began in 1993 after Spahr was banned by the Permanent Judicial Commission from accepting a call to serve as a pastor of Downtown Church. Downtown Church formed TAMFS ministry in response, electing Spahr to serve as a "lesbian evangelist" to the PC(USA), and advocating for the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ Presbyterians. Ed Saphar worked with Virginia West Davidson to establish Spahr as Downtown Church's "lesbian evangelist."
Creator:
Ricciuti, Gail Anderson. (interviewee), Ricciuti, Anthony. (interviewee), Saphar, Ed. (interviewee), Lundeen, Chuck. (interviewee)
Subject names:
That All May Freely Serve (Association), Spahr, Jane Adams., Downtown United Presbyterian Church (Rochester, N.Y.)
Topics:
Ordination of gays., Ordination of lesbians., Presbyterian women.
URL:
https://digital.history.pcusa.org/islandora/object/islandora:285212
Title:
Peter Oddleifson oral history, 2019.
Description:
Peter Oddleifson was an elder at Third Presbyterian Church (Rochester, NY), an attorney who contributed to the national LGBTQ movement for equal ordination rights in the PC(USA), and an early member of That All May Freely Serve (TAMFS). TAMFS began in 1993 after Rev. Jane Adams Spahr, a lesbian minister, was banned by the Permanent Judicial Commission from accepting a call to serve as a pastor of Downtown United Presbyterian Church (Rochester, NY). Downtown Church formed TAMFS ministry in response, electing Spahr to serve as a "lesbian evangelist" to the PC(USA), and advocating for the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ Presbyterians.
Creator:
Oddleifson, Peter. (interviewee), Wittrig, Elizabeth L. (interviewer)
Subject names:
That All May Freely Serve (Association), Spahr, Jane Adams., Oddleifson, Peter.
Topics:
Ordination of gays., Ordination of lesbians.
URL:
https://digital.history.pcusa.org/islandora/object/islandora:285211
Title:
Doris VanVechten, Connie Rochelle-Woodley, and Leigh Rochelle-Woodley oral history, 2019.
Description:
Doris VanVechten, Connie Rochelle-Woodley, and Leigh Rochelle-Woodley were active members of That All May Freely Serve (TAMFS). TAMFS began in 1993 after Rev. Jane Adams Spahr, a lesbian minister, was banned by the Permanent Judicial Commission from accepting a call to serve as a pastor of Downtown United Presbyterian Church (Rochester, NY). Downtown Church formed TAMFS ministry in response, electing Spahr to serve as a "lesbian evangelist" to the PC(USA), and advocating for the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ Presbyterians.
Creator:
VanVechten, Doris. (interviewee), Rochelle-Woodley, Leigh. (interviewee), Rochelle-Woodley, Connie. (interviewee), Wittrig, Elizabeth L. (interviewer)
Subject names:
That All May Freely Serve (Association), Spahr, Jane Adams., Downtown United Presbyterian Church (Rochester, N.Y.)
Topics:
Ordination of gays., Ordination of lesbians., Presbyterian women.
URL:
https://digital.history.pcusa.org/islandora/object/islandora:285210
Title:
Mary Ann Lundy oral history, 2022.
Description:
Lundy interviewed by David Staniunas, on her involvement in the Sanctuary movement.
Creator:
Lundy, Mary Ann. (interviewee), Staniunas, David. (interviewer)
Subject names:
St. Luke Presbyterian Church (Wayzata, Minn.), Riverside Church (New York, N.Y.), Lundy, Mary Ann.
Topics:
Sanctuary movement.
URL:
https://digital.history.pcusa.org/islandora/object/islandora:284911
Title:
Liberation Community Presbyterian Church (Memphis, Tenn.) worship, July 5, 2020.
Description:
Rev. Oscar Sueing preaching.
Creator:
Liberation Community Presbyterian Church (Memphis, Tenn.) (creator)
Subject names:
Sueing, Oscar., Liberation Community Presbyterian Church (Memphis, Tenn.)
Topics:
Police brutality--United States., Police-community relations--United States., Racism--United States--21st century.
URL:
https://digital.history.pcusa.org/islandora/object/islandora:182032
Title:
Liberation Community Presbyterian Church (Memphis, Tenn.) worship, June 7, 2020.
Description:
Rev. Oscar Sueing preaching.
Creator:
Liberation Community Presbyterian Church (Memphis, Tenn.) (creator)
Subject names:
Sueing, Oscar, Liberation Community Presbyterian Church (Memphis, Tenn.)
Topics:
Police brutality--United States., Police-community relations--United States., Racism--United States--21st century.
URL:
https://digital.history.pcusa.org/islandora/object/islandora:182031
Title:
Hope Presbyterian Church (Wheaton, Ill.) news coverage, 2020.
Creator:
WLS-TV (Television station : Chicago, Ill.) (creator)
Subject names:
Hope Presbyterian Church (Wheaton, Ill.)
Topics:
Police brutality--United States., Police-community relations--United States., Racism--United States--21st century.
Geographic subjects:
Wheaton (Ill.)
URL:
https://digital.history.pcusa.org/islandora/object/islandora:181727
Title:
Covenant Presbyterian Church (Greensboro, N.C.) sermon, 2020.
Description:
"The Fierce Urgency of Now," by Rev. Mark Sandlin.
Creator:
Covenant Presbyterian Church (Greensboro, N.C.) (creator), Sandlin, Mark. (speaker)
Subject names:
Covenant Presbyterian Church (Greensboro, N.C.)
Topics:
Police brutality--United States., Police-community relations--United States., Racism--United States--21st century.
Geographic subjects:
Greensboro (N.C.)
URL:
https://digital.history.pcusa.org/islandora/object/islandora:181726
Title:
Memorial Presbyterian Church (Charlotte, N.C.) worship, 2021.
Description:
"Peace, Peace, Where There Is No Peace," by Rev. Rodney Sadler Jr.
Creator:
Memorial Presbyterian Church (Charlotte, N.C.) (creator), Sadler, Rodney, Jr. (speaker)
Subject names:
Memorial Presbyterian Church (Charlotte, N.C.)
Topics:
Police brutality--United States., Police-community relations--United States., Racism--United States--21st century.
Geographic subjects:
Charlotte (N.C.)
URL:
https://digital.history.pcusa.org/islandora/object/islandora:181725

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