Arch Street Feeding
PHILADELPHIA – Members of the Equally Blessed Coalition, a Roman Catholic organization for LGBT inclusion, and members of Arch Street United Methodist Church dish up chicken chili for all comers. (Photo Courtesy of Arch Street UMC and Equally Blessed Coalition)
A United Methodist Insight Exclusive (c) 2015
When the Roman Catholic World Meeting of Families refused entry to an LGBT group during Pope Francis' recent U.S. visit, the people at Arch Street United Methodist Church in Philadelphia knew what to do. They opened their doors to the Equally Blessed Coalition, and the group's name proved to be a prophetic description of the experience.
Prior to the pope's visit, his congregation had wanted to make a public witness to its theology of including all people, especially gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, the Rev. Robin Hynicka, Arch Street UMC's senior pastor, told United Methodist Insight in a telephone interview.
"In our networking around issues of social justice and full inclusion LGBTQ, I was introduced to a local organizer by mutual friends," Rev. Hynicka explained. "He asked me, 'What if there was a problem with the Equally Blessed Coalition's conference being housed at St. John's Roman Catholic Church (where the families meeting was held)?' He asked if Arch Street would be willing to be an alternative site.
"The answer of course was yes."
Rev. Hynicka said that Arch Street leaders didn't know until about two weeks before the Catholic event that they might be needed. Equally Blessed Coalition leaders got in touch with Hynicka after Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput said he didn't want the group at St. John's.
Photos Courtesy of Arch Street UMC and Equally Blessed Coalition
Equally Blessed
PHILADELPHIA – Leaders of the Equally Blessed Coalition, a Catholic organization devoted to LGBT inclusion, hold a press conference at Arch Street United Methodist Church, which hosted its gathering after the coalition was refused entry to the Catholic World Meeting of Families visited by Pope Francis.
"In reality, the archbishop did Equally Blessed a favor [by forcing it to change venues]," Rev. Hynicka noted. "By moving to Arch Street, the Equally Blessed conference ended up closer to the site of the papal mass and got better publicity."
Rev. Hynicka said he assured Equally Blessed leaders and participants that Arch Street's welcome didn't mean that The United Methodist Church, as a denomination, is any more welcoming officially of LGBT people than the Roman Catholic Church.
"I explained that the United Methodist Church has our own struggle right now with accepting LGBT people," the senior pastor said. "Officially we United Methodists weren't better than the Roman Catholics, but I told them that our congregation is a kindred spirit to those within the Catholic Church who are working for full inclusion."
Hosting Equally Blessed gave Arch Street an opportunity to show visible support for LGBT inclusion, Rev. Hynicka added.
Arch Street Rainbow
PHILADELPHIA – Arch Street United Methodist Church welcomes the Equally Blessed Coalition, a Roman Catholic organization for LGBT inclusion that was refused entry to the World Meeting of Families visited by Pope Francis. (Photos Courtesy of Arch Street UMC and Equally Blessed Coalition)
"We wanted to show publicly that we're a Reconciling Congregation," he said. "So we decided that we'd put rainbow banners on our spire if we could do it inexpensively, without renting a crane or getting a permit.
"So the Sunday before the World Meeting of Families began, we had two rainbow banners erected on our spire. It was sign of welcome and a source of comfort to Equally Blessed members who attended the families' meeting as individuals. One of them told us, 'It was so nice to be able to look out the window and see that rainbow banner.'"
Overall, hosting the Equally Blessed conference proved to be "really gratifying and moving," according to Rev. Hynicka, who has been Arch Street's senior pastor for 11 years.
"The papal mass was scheduled for 4 p.m. that Sunday (Sept. 27), and all the papal events ran like clockwork. We hold two morning services on Sunday, and then an evening devotional service at 5:30. Afterward we serve a common meal to anyone who comes – hungry, homeless, in need of fellowship – where we usually serve 150 to 250 folks.
"This Sunday we set up big screens to watch the simulcast of the papal mass, and about 40 of the Equally Blessed folks came to watch, because they felt welcomed and could see everything better than at the event itself. Then they stayed on to help serve the meal," the pastor said.
When the dinner was over, about 200 servings of chicken chili were left, so Arch Street members and Equally Blessed participants took the food out to Broad Street in front of the Philadelphia City Hall, giving the servings to people walking past after the papal mass.
"I think altogether, at church and on the street, we fed about 450 people," Rev. Hynicka estimated.
"Arch Street providing hospitality was magnified by Equally Blessed Coalition's gracious acceptance of hospitality and our desire to be inclusive across denominational lines," the pastor said. "It was a wonderful exchange of emotion, spirit and love."
A veteran religion journalist and certified spiritual director, Cynthia B. Astle serves as coordinator of United Methodist Insight.