July 21, 2007

Shower of Stoles on display in Chicago during ELCA Churchwide Assembly

From the Shower of Stoles webpage.

The Shower of Stoles Project is having two major exhibits this summer. Most of the collection will be on display in Nashville, and the ENTIRE COLLECTION WILL BE ON DISPLAY in Chicago! This is the first time that all of the Stoles have been exhibited in four years, and the collection has grown quite a bit since then. Don't miss this rare opportunity!

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Churchwide Assembly
Exhibit sponsored by Lutherans Concerned / North America
Hyatt Regency Chicago
Grand Ballroom
151 East Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois

Wednesday, August 8 and Thursday, August 9: 3:00–8:00 pm

The Shower of Stoles is a collection of over a thousand liturgical stoles and other sacred items representing the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people of faith. These religious leaders have served in twenty-six denominations and faith traditions, in six countries, and on three continents. Each stole contains the story of a GLBT person who is active in the life and leadership of their faith community in some way: minister, elder, deacon, teacher, missionary, musician, administrator, or active layperson.

This extraordinary collection celebrates the gifts of GLBT persons who serve God in countless ways, while also lifting up those who have been excluded from service because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The collection bears witness to the huge loss of leadership that the church has brought upon itself because of its own unjust policies. The vast majority of the stoles have been sent in by gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people themselves. Some have been sent by family or friends to honor a GLBT loved one. About one third of all the stoles are donated anonymously; in fact over three-quarters of the stoles donated specifically by clergy and other full-time church professionals are done so anonymously.

In some cases, a church has sent a stole inscribed only with the church's name, or with the names of both gay and straight members, to honor those in that particular congregation who must remain anonymous. All of the stoles, named or anonymous, contain stories, prayers, or other messages.

With very few exceptions, the Project does not accept individual stoles from straight allies. Instead, straight allies are represented by "signature stoles," which are easily distinguished from the main body of the collection. Signature stoles are covered with the signatures of supportive members of congregations, regional governing bodies, or other organizations. The collection currently contains signature stoles with the signatures of over three thousand straight allies.