This Thursday, congregations, faith leaders, and religious organizations will join millions of people to go purple for Spirit Day.
The Naming Project, a faith-based camp program for LGBTQ youth, has turned its logo purple on Facebook and encouraged its campers to go purple as well. Already several campers have turned their Facebook profile purple using the Spirit Day app.
The Religious Institute, who already has a great purple logo, is reaching out on social media, encouraging everyone who uses their resources to go purple for Spirit Day.
Catholic organizations are definitely getting into the spirit of Spirit Day! New Ways Ministry has turned its logo purple and added the Spirit Day Banner to the top of its Facebook page. Dignity USA has posted to its Facebook page, encouraging LGBT Catholics and their allies to go purple. Fortunate Families posted about Spirit Day on its Facebook page.
SOJOURN: Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender and Sexual Diversity is showing its spirit on Facebook page. We are also sending out a letter to schools to let them know of our experience as bully prevention facilitators and sharing the resource we have to make school a safer place and teaching students to become allies.
The Metropolitan Community Church, the country's oldest LGBT denomination, has placed a link to Spirit Day on the denomination's web site, encouraging all of its members to wear purple.
More Light Presbyterians created a graphic on their Facebook page, which reads, "This person supports LGBTQ youth and will speak out against homophobia, transphobia, and bullying." They also published a thoughtful post on their blog, entitled "Spirit Day 2013: Bring All You Are to the Table."
God is breaking down categories and barriers between people and creating a new humanity in which all the particularities of how we identify ourselves—racial, e
thnic, gender, class—are accepted and blessed as they contribute to the expanding wonder and diversity of a human race created in God’s image. The new humanity that gathers with Jesus at his table come together as we are, secure in the knowledge that it is good and right to be who we are and to celebrate our identity in its myriad fullness. It is not only just OK to be gay, straight, bisexual, or transgender. It is good to be that way, because that is the way God has made you. And the Christian community, the world community, needs you to bring the totality of your being—including and maybe especially your sexual and gender identity—to the table.
Another Presbyterian organization, Presbyterian Welcome, has sent staff members to work with two congregational youth groups in New Jersey, talk about Spirit Day and how youth groups can be safer places for LGBTQ teens.
ReconcilingWorks: Lutherans for Full Participation posted graphics on their website, wishing everyone a "Happy Spirit Month," noting that October contains four major holidays central to the LGBT Lutheran movement: National Coming Out Day on October 11, Spirit Day on October 17, Ally Week from October 22-25 and Reformation Sunday on October 27.
There's still time to sign your congregation or faith-based organization up for Spirit Day. Click here to join millions of people going purple to stand against bullying and to support LGBT youth.
