Deadline for National Queer Presbyterian Gathering extended to Oct. 18
Facilitators center liberation, worship and embodied justice
LOUISVILLE — The National Queer Presbyterian Gathering (NQPG), scheduled for Nov. 18–20 in Louisville, Kentucky, will offer a week of worship, workshops and community under the theme “Abiding in Love.” The deadline to register has been extended to Oct. 18.
“This gathering is intended to be a safe space for Presbyterians who identify as queer,” said Samantha Davis, associate for the Office of Gender and Racial Justice in Racial Equity and Women’s Intercultural Ministries, part of the Interim Unified Agency. REWIM is partnering with the Advocacy Committee for LGBTQIA+Equity, More Light Presbyterians and Covenant Network of Presbyterians to organize the gathering. The event starts at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Nov. 18 and ends at 2 p.m. Eastern time on Nov. 20.
Among the highlights are four workshops led by five presenters whose ministries and lived experiences reflect the diversity and depth of LGBTQIA+ leadership in the church.
The workshops will explore themes of worship, intersectionality, spiritual direction and somatic justice, offering participants tools for reflection, healing and collective liberation.
The Rev. Omar Rouchon, associate pastor at St. Philip Presbyterian Church in Houston, will lead a workshop titled Queering Worship: Expanding Our Vision of Worship for the Beloved Community. Rouchon’s workshop will invite participants to reflect on how dominant ideologies shape worship and how queerness can enrich spiritual expression.
“We all deserve to worship in ways that embrace the fullness of our identities and culture,” Rouchon said. “Where have you felt most seen or celebrated in worship? How can queerness edify your experience of worship?”
Rouchon holds degrees from Yale, the University of Houston and Harvard Divinity School. His workshop will encourage attendees to share hopes for the future of worship that celebrates the expansive image of God.
Jesy Littlejohn, Director of Operations at More Light Presbyterians, and the Rev. Brooke Scott, a therapist and board member of More Light, will co-lead None of Us Are Free Until…, a workshop on intersectionality and collective liberation.
“Loving our neighbor isn’t just a suggestion — it’s a commandment,” Littlejohn said. “Our flourishing and liberation are intersectional and interdependent. None of us are free until all of us are free.”
Scott, who works part-time for Melanated Women’s Health, added that the workshop will challenge participants to recognize overlapping systems of oppression and envision solidarity rooted in love.
Littlejohn currently serves as the first openly LGBTQIA+ Moderator of National Capital Presbytery and co-hosts the podcast "Embracing Race: Conversations with Truth and Intention." Scott, an ordained PC(USA) pastor and licensed social worker, supports women of color and queer/trans individuals navigating identity-related stress and trauma.
Mx. Kate Davoli, a spiritual director and lay preacher, will lead Spiritual Direction for Queer Christians: Navigating in the Middle of the Storm. The workshop will explore contemplative practices for queer Christians facing existential and systemic crises.
“Who cares about the contemplative practices of spiritual direction when you’re drowning in the flood?” Davoli asked. “Things are changing drastically from moment to moment. How can we navigate what we’re called to while coping with a crisis that threatens to erase us?”
Davoli, who was dismissed from the PC(USA) ordination process for being openly polyamorous, continues to minister to queer and ex-vangelical communities. They serve on the board of More Light Presbyterians and are the author of two books on discernment and organizational leadership.
Deacon Samantha Paige Davis, associate for Gender, Racial and Intercultural Justice for the Interim Unified Agency of the PC(USA), will lead Somatic Justice: Honoring All of Us, a workshop on embodied liberation. “Our bodies are our first line of defense; we must honor and care for them, especially during these heightened times of bigotry,” Davis said. “Somatic justice teaches how we unlock the benefits of interdependence between our mind, body, spirit and actions.”
Davis is the founder of Black Swan Academy in Washington, D.C., and a lead organizer with Free DC. They have served on multiple national PC(USA) committees and were recognized by Essence Magazine’s 2019 Woke 100 list.
Registration for the National Queer Presbyterian Gathering is now open here. Attendees can find information about travel, lodging and scholarship opportunities on the event website.
You may freely reuse and distribute this article in its entirety for non-commercial purposes in any medium. Please include author attribution, photography credits, and a link to the original article. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDeratives 4.0 International License.
