St. Michael’s Episcopal Church to celebrate Pride Sunday

BRATTLEBORO — St. Michael’s Episcopal Church will be celebrating Pride Sunday this weekend.

"During this service we will offer special prayers for our ongoing support and celebration of the LGBTQ + community at St. Michael’s and in the world, as well as hear from parishioner John Linscheid for the sermon," according to The Rev. Thaddeus Bennett, serving as St. Michael's Rector while The Rev. Mary Lindquist is on sabbatical.

Linscheid, along with his late partner of 41 years, Ken M. White, has been a writer, speaker and activist in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition, Evangelical Christian faith, and in queer spiritualities. Now in retirement, he continues to explore the art of creating nurturing space for queer and progressive individuals on a journey toward liberation for the world, the flesh, and the spirit. Through his article, "Our Story in God's Story: Reading the Bible through Gay Eyes" (The Other Side, July/August 1987), Linscheid was influential in moving gay biblical interpretation beyond apologetics to queer-experience-centered investigation of the texts, according to a news release. He and White challenged their own Mennonite and other denominations' official hostility toward LGBTQ people and also led workshops on gay-male spirituality at Kirkridge Retreat Center in Pennsylvania.

Linscheid served as a Mennonite pastor in Lawrence, Kansas, from 1980-1984. His regional Mennonite conference, the Western District, revoked his credentials in 1984 when he came out of the closet. On May 11, 2025, the Western District apologized for its actions and granted him honorary credentials as a retired pastor. Having retired to Brattleboro in 2018, Linscheid has been attending Saint Michael's since 2022. Many of his writings and articles may be found at www.gayoldsouls.com.

Linscheid will speak at both the 8 a.m. and the 10:15 a.m. services this Sunday, June 29.

Bennett adds, another "sign of St. Michael's support for the LGBTQ+ comunity," the church has a new "Pride Sticker" for people to wear, put on their water bottle, coffee cup, etc. so that they can witness to the Episcopal church's support.

St. Michael's Episcopal Church, at the corner of Bradley Ave. and Putney Road, welcomes all and is ADA compliant. For more information, visit https://www.stmichaels-vt.org/