“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Jesus gives us the commandment to love and honor God, and to love ourselves and one another. While sometimes in the modern day it can be hard for people to see others adhering to the latter than the former, there is still hope for the church and the wider world. Especially for the LGBTQ+ community, this love has been absent from the community’s life for a time, but it is never too late to rectify that.
The mission of AllianceQ is to build a network of ministries and people that work towards the inclusion of all people of gender expression and sexual identities.The history of AllianceQ dates back 40 years with its beginning as GLAD: Gay, Lesbian and Affirming Disciples. The organization continues to expand and is renewing its commitment to intersectional justice to include and address the lived experiences of other minority groups
Celebrating the Supreme Court’s decision to protect LGBTQ+ individuals’ employment rights on June 15 was a huge victory not only for AllianceQ but for the LGBTQ+ community as a whole. And during these unprecedented times of COVID-19, AllianceQ has found that queer people have been drawn more to the church now more than ever. Because of the virtualization of church, queer people are feeling more comfortable attending a service from their screens. They are hosting a Pride service on June 28th titled Riot. Information can be found on the website here, and AllianceQ hopes that through this event more voices will continue to come together for LGBTQ+ and racial justice.
If you would like to join in on the work for a more inclusive church, please visit and learn about:
To become a member and contribute financially or time-wise, http://disciplesallianceq.org/main/contribute/
To join their mailing list, http://disciplesallianceq.org/mailing-list/
Also, Like them on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllianceQ/
Learn about the Equality Act
Widen the table through conversation, trainings with AllianceQ, and incorporation of resources (see conversation opportunity below!)
And to start conversations in your own personal circles and churches.
“From the tables in our churches to the Supreme Court benches,” Thursday, June 25, at 12 p.m. CDT
As part of the #DOCjustsummer series, AllianceQ hosts this Facebook Live event to share info about its 40 years of ministry alongside the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and how individuals can join in the work of setting a place at the table for persons of all gender expressions and sexual identities. As Disciples, we share a radically wide table. We know we’re in different places. Join us as we explore the table’s wide welcome. A question-and-answer period will be facilitated by Rev. Brian Frederick-Gray (Disciples Peace Fellowship) and DPF interns. Bring your lunch (or a mid-morning snack if you’re on the west coast); after all, the focus of the conversation is the table. Join the live event at this link.