"We were doing what we thought was just and right"
Dollar for dollar matched until $30,000 goal reached for Allen V. Harris Open & Affirming Ministries Fund — Give now!
Donate: Give online using this secure link. Help us reach –- and exceed! –- our fundraising goal.
Retired Disciples minister Rev. John Payne says, “Thirty years ago we had to take risks but we didn’t see it as that; we were doing what we thought was just and right.” John is describing the hard work to get Allen’s ordination through. Allen’s journey to be ordained was one of both profound pain and exquisite beauty.
While Allen was not the “first” in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) to be ordained openly LGBTQ, nor was he the “first” to be hired in a parish setting as openly LGBTQ, he does appear to be the first to do both, and has been out as a fully-embodied queer man in all of his ministerial settings since graduating seminary. Allen has been dedicated to local, regional and general expressions of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
In order to reach our $30,000 fundraising goal to honor the 30th anniversary of Allen’s ordination, John and Jensene Payne are prepared to match all gifts to the endowment fund until we reach our goal.
Give Now
Mail gifts to Disciples LGBTQ+ Alliance, Allen V. Harris Fund, P.O. Box 44400, Indianapolis, IN 46244 or give online. That secure link directs gifts to the Allen V. Harris Open & Affirming Ministries Endowment Fund. The fundraising campaign ends May 19. Your gifts will honor Allen and they will enable the growth and deepening of open & affirming ministries. Give now.
The best 10 years
John Payne was the Senior Minister at Park Avenue Christian Church when Allen was ordained; they engaged Allen before he was ordained.
“He wasn’t even allowed to put his name out; fortunately we learned of him and he was the best candidate for Associate Minister. We worked together for 10 years before I retired. It was the best 10 years of my ministry.”
John laughs and adds: “It wasn’t that the other years weren’t good; they were all very good. I was fortunate in my ministry. Working with Allen was certainly a distinct part of my ministry.”
Just a piece of John’s involvement with this movement, he was the Open & Affirming Coordinator for GLAD, the organization’s name at its founding. Acknowledging the transformation of churches over the years, John emphasized the necessity of Open & Affirming ministry today: “If churches don’t say it out loud or live it in a way that anyone knows it, they may as well not be there.”
About Allen V. Harris and the Allen V. Harris Open & Affirming Ministries Endowment Fund
The Allen V. Harris Open & Affirming Ministries Endowment Fund is invested through the Bostick Select Fund with the Christian Church Foundation, restricted and designated to benefit the ongoing work and operations of the Open & Affirming Ministries program.
Allen became an early leader in the Gay, Lesbian, and Affirming Disciples Alliance; now the Disciples LGBTQ+ Alliance – AllianceQ. He served on the Council for several terms and was founding co-editor of the Crossbeams newsletter with the Rev. Michael Schloff (later serving in that role with the Rev. Jon Lacey). Along with the Rev. Laurie Rudel of Seattle, Washington, Allen was one of the founding “Developers” of the Open & Affirming Ministries program of the Alliance.
With gifts and graces in many areas, Allen is especially experienced in leading congregations and individuals through Anti-Racism/Pro-Reconciliation, Open & Affirming, and Accessible Congregational processes. Full details about the endowment fund and Allen can be found here: https://disciplesallianceq.org/allenvharris/
Join us for a Pentecost Sunday Virtual Celebration
You are formally invited to a Pentecost Sunday Virtual Celebration Honoring the 30th Ordination Anniversary of the Rev. Allen V. Harris. During this celebration we will honor Allen’s life-giving ministry and recommit ourselves to the work of inclusion and justice; we will bless and dedicate gifts to the Allen V. Harris Open & Affirming Ministries Endowment Fund. Thank you for your gift to the endowment fund!
Join us on Sunday, May 23, 2021
4:30 p.m. PT | 5:30 p.m. MT | 6:30 p.m. CT | 7:30 p.m. ET
Expect a short worship service followed by a time of fellowship
Wear red for Pentecost and/or Pride stoles or representation
Worship Leaders: Rev. Luther Young, Revs. Sara Nave Fisher and Jonathan Fisher and The Fisher Family, Dann Bain, Rev. Nathan Russell, William DeShay Jackson, Rev. John Payne, María Perez, Rev. Stephanie Kendell, Rev. Chaim (C.J.) Rodriguez, Rev. Melissa Guthrie Loy, and Rev. Terri Hord Owens
RSVP here for the Pentecost Sunday Virtual Celebration!
News Stories about the Celebration + Campaign
An Invitation to Celebrate from General Minister + President Rev. Terri Hord Owens: Pentecost Sunday (published April 2021)
Love and care not hatred and shame: a video interview about the magic of relationship in the O&A journey (April 2021)
Behind the scenes: years and years of love and support (March 2021)
Birthday blessings: Allen Harris opts for birthday gifts to build up Open & Affirming Ministries Endowment Fund (February 2021)
Celebrating the ministry of Allen V. Harris: Exquisite beauty and profound pain (January 2021)
Thank you
We are deeply grateful for the generosity of John and Jensene Payne to propel us toward our goal. We give thanks for each gift to the endowment fund and for the varied gifts each of us bring to this movement for wholeness.
