January 21, 2022

CITP Forms Task Force to Become a “More Light” Church

At Chapel in the Pines, a group of members are leading an initiative to educate and engage the congregation about becoming a More Light Presbyterian church. More Light churches publicly and intentionally welcome members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and make a place for them in all aspects of church life. 

The More Light Task Force came together in November, 2021, and is planning events and activities for spring 2022, with the goal of bringing an official motion to the Session in April or May. We’ll be discussing the book Transforming, by Austen Hartke, in two discussion groups starting in February. Austen will be visiting the church as a guest preacher in April. Other educational events are being planned as well, including activities led by youth high-school aged and younger, who’ll share gender-fluid perspectives of the younger generations. 

As Christians, we strive to care for all people, especially those in the greatest need. Many in the LGBTQIA+ community, living their lives as God created them, feel outcast, derided and worse. They may be abandoned by their churches, and by their own families. 

At CITP, “welcome” comes in our mission statement, and becoming a More Light church amplifies that statement, and will help teach us how to become purposefully inclusive, and how to avoid hurting others with words and deeds. In becoming a More Light church, CITP will become fully visible to the community and the world as a welcoming place, a safe place and a caring place.

The members of the task force are Sarah MacCormack, Lee Strange, Keith Glidewell, Marcia Ladd, Katie Moorehead, Brett Stegall, and Ruth Rick from West Raleigh Presbyterian Church. Reach out to them with questions if you’re interested in joining the task force.

More information: http://mlp.org 

Join the Zoom discussion Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. (link here)

Join the Zoom discussion Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. (link here)