Following our Easter celebrations of resurrection, new life, and new beginnings, it is natural to begin to explore new opportunities for invitation and mission in our communities. Without a doubt, this is the desire of Jesus Christ who calls us to establish communities of joy, hope, love, and peace around the world. As we explore these opportunities, we’d like to take this moment to share with our allies – particularly those in positions of power and influence – a reminder that it is dangerous to exclude Queer/2SLGBTQIA+ (Queer) voices when discussing their fates as part of congregational, mission center, field, or global church efforts.​

Harmony has put into place several mechanisms to help us ensure Queer representation remains at the forefront of every aspect of our programming. We share this for your awareness and to perhaps even assist your expression of ministry with naming and claiming some key boundaries in this holy work.
​

• Harmony’s Welcoming & Affirming Program is built in such a way that ensures those impacted by the work oversee the work. Doing the work without Queer involvement is dangerous, and remaining unaccountable to the marginalized while claiming to be affirming and inclusive is sinful. Harmony trains and assigns facilitators to work with congregations. While some mission centers and congregations may wish to appoint individuals to do this work, Harmony retains the right to properly vet and train them before approving these requests.
• Harmony’s advocacy efforts are centered on the notion that Queer voices should be at decision making tables…especially when those seated at these tables have historically harmed us and in some cases continue to harm us. We will be “good intentioned” to death if we do not have a say in our own future.
• Harmony continues to operate as a completely separate non-profit from Community of Christ. Our organizational structure is a reflection of the church’s views in the 1980s when Harmony (formerly GALA) was founded. Church leaders at the time would not allow GALA to organize as an official church affiliate. Instead, we needed to form our own organization, fundraise, and support our own programs without church assistance. What was once a sad reminder of our rejection from the church, has since proven to be a helpful tool, providing us with more freedom to challenge the church’s position on Queer inclusion when necessary.
• Welcoming & Affirming status is not forever. Harmony continuously checks in with its member congregations to provide further support, continuing education opportunities, and assessments. This is to ensure Queer individuals remain safe, respected, and leave Welcoming & Affirming congregations with their dignity intact.

Nothing about us without us is for us.

Navigating Christian spaces as a Queer/2SLGBTQIA+ (Queer) person takes a great deal of courage!

Taking this year's Community of Christ 2023 World Conference theme ("Courage") to heart, Harmony has designed a compelling and thought-provoking shirt that seeks to refocus the conversation away from what it means to be a courageous church and instead highlight the admirable courage exhibited by the most vulnerable among us for simply existing.

Orders can be placed at the link below and will ship on a batch basis (this brings costs down). The first batch will ship March 15.

Despite improvements in recent years throughout Community of Christ, members of the Queer Community remain subjected to mistreatment, micro-aggressions, ignorance, and bad theology. As such, it takes a great deal of courage for Queer individuals to walk through our doors, navigate our policies, experience our worship services and programs, attend our conferences and events, and walk alongside us as believers.

Christian churches - including Community of Christ - have caused (and continue to cause) a great deal of harm to members of the Queer Community and their families. This campaign reminds us that it is imperative that our inclusive efforts remain rooted in the reality that reconciliation is necessary and deserved. Without reconciliation, Queer people will remain marginalized by those in power who stand by while mistreatment continues.

Shirts are available only in black this year as a symbol of bold strength.

We have priced these shirts with a small mark-up to help recover the cost of design; however, in most cases this is less than $2.00 USD. As such, if you are in a position to add a donation at check-out, all funds will go to support Harmony's ongoing mission to provide advocacy, education, and resources for Queer voices in Community of Christ.

Whether you're attending World Conference in-person or not this year, purchasing a shirt will help raise awareness about our cause, the work we've already accomplished, and the work still yet to be done.

If you aren't interested in purchasing a shirt, but would like to make a donation to ensure this work can continue, you may do so at www.harmony.lgbt/donate.

Yesterday’s news release by The Associated Press following an interview with Pope Francis is worthy of cautious celebration. Sitting down with AP News, the Pope publicly criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality around the world, stating quite clearly “being homosexual isn’t a crime.” The article goes on to say: 

“Francis acknowledged that Catholic bishops in some parts of the world support laws that criminalize homosexuality or discriminate against LGBTQ people, and he himself referred to the issue in terms of ‘sin.’ But he attributed such attitudes to cultural backgrounds, and said bishops in particular need to undergo a process of change to recognize the dignity of everyone. ‘These bishops have to have a process of conversion,’ he said, adding that they should apply ‘tenderness, please, as God has for each one of us.’”

Harmony celebrates and acknowledges this critical milestone in which a prominent, international Christian leader publicly, intentionally, and explicitly chose to use their influence to save Queer/2SLGBTQIA+ (Queer) lives. While the Pope unfortunately continues to clearly define homosexuality as “sin,” he simultaneously creates a clear distinction between criminal acts (civil code) and sin (scriptural interpretation).

We understand that these comments by Pope Francis remain deeply problematic for members of the Queer Community, and we continue to pray for wisdom and change within the Catholic Church in order that more welcoming and affirming position statements continue to be released. However, we also note that even this seemingly simple statement is incredibly significant in its own right. For far too long, criminalization and sin have been viewed by Christians as synonymous when it comes to Queer issues. Having the leader of a major Christian denomination using their power, privilege, and influence to unequivocally condemn the criminalization of homosexuality worldwide is disarming to religious conservatives claiming to be carrying out God’s work through violence, physical harm, conversion therapy, and murder against members of the Queer Community. This statement has the ability to save lives and change hearts on a global scale.

Today, we call on Community of Christ leaders to publicly, intentionally, and explicitly call for an immediate end to the criminalization of and violence toward Queer persons around the world. 

Holy work is often nonlinear. It requires cyclical revisions grounded in restorative justice. We recognize that our own unique institutional histories are anything but simple. Regardless, we continue to offer our support to prioritize this life-saving, holy work in order that we never miss an opportunity to offer sacred specificity: that God loves their Queer children just as they were created to be and that the Church has often made misguided decisions concerning the care of some of the Creator’s most vulnerable in the name of compliance and conformity. 

Let us continue to courageously appeal for the very best for one another. If we don’t - who will? As the hands and feet of Jesus - we must.

Your Harmony Board of Directors​

We are thrilled to share that the USA Interim Policy authorizing Queer/2SLGBTQIA+ (Queer) participation is interim no more! In collaboration with the USA Team of Apostles, the preexisting interim policy has been reviewed and revised and has now been officially replaced by the December 22, 2022 version.

While there is no change in practice, the policy now has updated language, streamlined structure and associated links, and utilizes universal same-sex marriage legalization in the USA as a simplifying factor. (As a reminder, the 2014 interim policy pre-dated the Supreme Court decision that made same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states. This has further been solidified by the Respect for Marriage Act passed in 2022.)

This revision - and the intentional and collaborative resources required to make it a reality - fulfills a commitment made to USA church members in the policy’s first iteration. This commitment read, “The church in the USA will follow these interim policies for two years. At the end of this time the interim policies will be evaluated and revised as needed.” We are grateful for a new precedent in which marginalized communities impacted by church policy are included in the process of their own inclusion.
Notable changes include:

• The removal of the term interim in the policy titles.
• The removal of Policy Number 70.03. (“INTERIM POLICY FOR AUTHORIZING AND PERFORMING SAME-GENDER COVENANT COMMITMENT SERVICES ONLY IN THE USA”)
  • Same-sex marriage is now legal and available in all 50 states and territories. Consequently, covenant commitment ceremonies are no longer the highest level of recognition available to same-sex couples and are not recognized by the church.
• The removal of harmful and unnecessary immigration requirements.
  • The previous interim policy required that individuals in same-sex marriages first meet immigration criteria prior to consideration for ordination. The interim policy stipulated that in order to be considered for priesthood, individuals in same-sex marriages must be citizens or permanent residents of the nation in question, reside in that nation, and be registered as a church member there.
• The use of accurate language to describe members of the Queer Community.
  • In the interim policy, incorrect language was used to describe Queer church members as experiencing “same gender orientation.”
• A departure from more legalistic language and an adoption of more affirming language intended to promote possibilities as opposed to restrictions and/or uncertainty.
• The inclusion of links to Community of Christ’s new Our Ministry Tools site ensures ongoing relevancy and added functionality as new resources become available. (i.e. new resources can be easily added to Our Ministry Tools and corresponding links can be added to the policy document without major disruptions or lengthy revision processes)
• The policy document is now 12 pages in length as opposed to 18 in its previous interim form.
• The overall tone of the policy document opens up possibilities for the document to be used more invitationally.

While this newly revised document improves upon its predecessor, Harmony looks forward to continued collaboration with church leaders as we work together to promote public, intentional, and explicit support of the Queer experience in Community of Christ - both in the USA and around the world.
As this policy is specific to a single nation (USA), cofchrist.org will not be hosting this document or information related to it. As a denominational hub of administrative and resource-related content, OurMinistryTools.org will be updated to reflect this new policy. In an effort to make this document as accessible as possible, Harmony will proudly host all Community of Christ Queer/2SLGBTQIA+ policies currently in effect on our website as a resource to you. You can expect updates to our website in the coming weeks to reflect this commitment to you. In the meantime, we have provided links to the updated policy as well as the now replaced 2014 interim policy for your information.

​Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@harmony.lgbt. 

In service,

​Your Harmony Board of Directors

To our members and supporters -

We are thrilled to introduce your 2023 Harmony Board of Directors! We had unanimous support (and one abstention) for this slate of fantastic individuals. Each brings a wealth of unique skills, experiences, and intersections to the board. We are grateful to each board member for committing to give of their time and skills to further the mission of Harmony. 

We also wish to extend our gratitude to Saundra Merth (outgoing VP) for her support, institutional memory, and passion for inclusion in Community of Christ. Saundra was instrumental in our successful launch of merchandise fundraising and served as GALA President in previous years. Thank you, Saundra! We will miss you, but we know you will continue to bring about positive change wherever you go!

Please hold the board in your prayers as we begin onboarding new members while continuing to lead the organization. 

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at info@harmony.lgbt.

Onward!

Your Harmony Board of Directors

To our members and supporters -

Harmony’s Board of Directors is pleased to share the following update concerning policy update efforts in the United States.

We have reached the final step in the year-long revision process (“Final Review & Approval”), and the draft policy updates are now with the First Presidency for final review. We will keep you updated once we receive word of any approvals.

The USA Team of Apostles consulted with members and leaders representing diverse locations and roles across the United States. Harmony has been honored to contribute as part of this approach. 

On behalf of the Harmony Board of Directors, I’d like to extend my gratitude to Apostles Barbara Carter, Janné Grover, Ron Harmon, Robin Linkhart, Lachlan Mackay, Dave Nii, and Art Smith for their support and willingness to engage in this holy work within their respective fields. We look forward to collaborating in an effort to ensure the future of Community of Christ in the United States is a fully affirming one.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at info@harmony.lgbt.

With excitement and anticipation,

Parker Johnson (he/him)
Harmony President

Harmony’s Board of Directors is pleased to share the following update concerning policy revision efforts in the United States and Canada.
 
As a reminder, in partnership with the USA Team of Apostles and the Apostle to Canada, we are working to review, revise, and formalize the interim national conference policies for the United States and Canada with a tentative completion date of December 31, 2022.
 
Please note the above project milestones graphic as a point of reference. We will share updates as new information becomes available.

Harmony is acting as consultant to provide guidance on inclusive language and the Queer/2SLGBTQIA+ experience in Community of Christ.
 
In the following days, Harmony will finalize its feedback to the USA Team of Apostles and Canada’s Apostle (Art Smith), and the draft policy will move into a review phase with various stakeholders. We are honored to contribute as part of this approach.
 
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at info@harmony.lgbt.