Welcoming and Inclusive
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All are Welcome
Saint John’s Cathedral is a house of prayer for all people and the Episcopal Church in Colorado. For nearly four decades, Saint John’s has welcomed and celebrated the lives, loves, and sacred gifts of LGBTQI+ people. Our congregation is made of individuals and families from all different walks of life: race, sexuality, gender identity and expression, age, and nationality, and we believe all are made in God’s image and are called beloved. LGBTQI+ people in particular serve on staff, in lay leadership, and in a variety of ministries. Whoever you are, we invite you to step through our doors as your fullest self and experience the love of God in the person of Jesus Christ.
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Why Church?
We recognize and grieve the harm caused by the church and religious institutions against the LGBTQI+ community. We lament that this has caused many LGBTQI+ people to leave the church, or to feel as though they cannot live their lives as their fullest selves and have a relationship with God. We know also that there are LGBTQI+ people who seek a spiritual home where they are not asked to leave their identities at the door.
We believe that the Gospel is God’s Good News for all people, including the LGBTQI+ community, and that the LGBTQI+ community enlivens and enriches the life of the church.We also believe that the church’s work is to build communities rooted in the expansive, unconditional love of God, where all are seen, known, and loved. The people of Saint John’s Cathedral live into these beliefs through worship, formation, fellowship, and service. In doing so, we hope to make known to all people God’s reconciling love and mercy.
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Beloved
We are also proud to offer a new group, Beloved, specifically for LGBTQI+ folks. Through a regular rhythm of prayer, fellowship, and service, LGBTQI+ members and friends will grow in their identities, much like St. John our patron, as “the beloved disciple.”
In a time when the well-being of transgender children and their parents, same- sex couples, transgender adults, non-binary people, and other sexual minorities are threatened by discriminatory policies and practices, Beloved offers LGBTQI+ adults and youth the spaciousness to creatively explore life in Christ, life in crisis, and life in community.
Read more about Beloved here.