This Sunday, June 21, we celebrate LGBTQ Pride and God’s inclusive love in worship!

Covid-19 and the current historical movement for black lives have radically altered what Pride month looks like this June in our city and country. As trans health care was attacked last Friday by the current administration, the Supreme Court ruled just yesterday that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects LGBTQ rights and prohibits LGBTQ discrimination in the workplace. Pride is always celebrated amidst the long, hard fight for justice; to do so in worship is to proclaim God’s love and ongoing participation in the work of LGBTQ liberation.

In worship, we will hear a Gospel message from guest preacher Rev. John Russell Stanger, liturgy crafted by Highland member Lillian Glover, and LGBTQ pride woven throughout the service. We hope you will celebrate and worship with us!

The Rev. John Russell Stanger is a minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and a psychotherapist in private practice in Louisville, KY (https://www.johnrussellstanger.com). He has previously served as the pastor of United Presbyterian Church in Lebanon, KY, and the executive director of Parity, a faith-based LGBTQ advocacy organization in New York, NY. John Russell’s call story and the work of Parity are featured in the documentary Out of Order (http://www.outoforderdoc.com/out-of-order), which tells the story of LGBTQ people claiming their place in the pulpit. He takes part in the life of Highland Baptist Church alongside his husband and HBC deacon Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons.