Forever Faithful Project Designed To Build Welcoming Congregations In Detroit Area Churches

DETROIT – It's definitely possible — marriage equality might become the law of the land in a matter of weeks. But many Metro Detroit churches still strongly oppose this and refuse to offer a welcoming environment for gays and lesbians.
"The Freedom To Marry campaign Michigan office thought that we could be a support to change the hearts and minds of people around this issue," said Curtis Lipscomb, executive director of LGBT Detroit.
"We were contracted by them and supported by them to target African-American clergy leaders and lay leaders to prepare them for what could be a positively impactful decision on our end and maybe, perhaps, a not so pleasant experience for people who oppose marriage equality."
To help with the campaign, LGBT Detroit brought on board Rev. Roland Stringfellow, pastor of Metropolitan Community Church Detroit. Stringfellow also wears a second hat. He is head of the Umoja Project, which is a program of the Pacific School of Religion designed to facilitate safe, non-threatening dialogue about the diversity of human sexuality and the tension that sometimes exists within African-American faith communities in relation to LGBT individuals.
LGBT Detroit is also working closely with the Michigan Roundtable and Kevin Hogan, who is in charge of the Roundtable's Faith & LGBT Equality Project. Through Hogan, LGBT Detroit was able to secure funding from the E. Rhodes & Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.
"They're one of the funders of the Faith and LGBT Equality Project," Hogan explained. "We got a grant from the Foundation and we took some of that money and gave it to LGBT Detroit to give them some seed money.
"What we did with this Forever Faith Project is focus on a true model of collaboration," Hogan continued. "We provide tools and resources to assist congregations in their LGBT welcome while engaging all faith traditions in a deeper dialogue of fairness and equality."
In addition to Lipscomb, Hogan and Stringfellow, two others are working on the project. They are Rhiannon Chester, program director for LGBT Detroit, and Andre Guilford, Jr., a graduate of LGBT Detroit's Leadership Academy who is planning to attend seminary school.
"I received a grant from the Forum for Theological Exploration to do LGBT inclusion work," said Guilford. "I've been using the goals that I have to achieve through that grant to help with the Forever Faithful Project. My grant is very much in line with the exact work that's being done through the Project." Guilford said that he would consider the Project a success if at least one congregation decided to move forward toward a fully inclusive and welcoming culture identified though a mission statement or some other public statement to the congregation.
"That would be the most ideal," he said. "But in the timespan in which the project is working, I don't know how practical it is. I'm ok for settling for something smaller, and that smaller picture looks like clergy leaders and lay leaders coming together to wrestle with scripture and theology to understand what those issues are that keep us from fully welcoming our LGBT brothers and sisters in faith communities."
Stringfellow said that opening a dialogue with African-American church leaders is essential, and that while it might not bear fruit immediately, it will at least plant a seed.
"It's crucial that we engage people of faith on issues of justice and equality," said Stringfellow. "Pastors and church leaders know and care about LGBT people. LGBT people are their neighbors, their friends, their family members. This project gives people the opportunity to speak up for their loved ones and actively live out their faith."