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More Money = More Ministry

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More Money = More Ministry

From Dan Adolphson, GLAD Alliance Council Vice Moderator & Finance Team Leader

This past Sunday I wrapped up our sermon series on Ruth, and to close out the message on hospitality and welcome, I used the shirt that I and many others wore on the Assembly floor last summer in Orlando during the run-up to the vote on GA1327. You know the one: All Means All on the front and the red chalice on the back. Using the shirt gave me some time to reflect on the past year and what has happened at GLAD.

Fourteen months ago, the GLAD Council took a bold step and hired Dr. Mark Johnston as its first Executive Director. A lot of exciting things have happened! In the area of relationship building:

  • We’ve added 20 O&A Ministries in the last year, double the rate of the previous two years!!
  • Our Disciple colleges, universities, and seminaries are working on declaring themselves O&A. Brite Divinity School is the first one on the list, with others to follow.
  • Vital relationships have been built with our ethnic and women’s communities through exhibit booths at National Convocation, Women’s Quadrennial, and NAPAD Convocation. Mark also has attended many regional assemblies in this past year, building relationships with regional staffs and a variety of local congregations.

We are seeing growth and empowerment in the work of our various Open & Affirming Ministries, living out the true meaning of All Means All:

  • Several O&A congregations have set up safe space for local students who are being bullied.
  • One O&A congregation began an outreach to their local shelter, teaching knitting classes to connect with the residents.
  • Many O&A congregations are learning to reach out to all of their neighbors in new ways.

As Executive Director, Mark serves as our point person for local congregations and regions on the O&A Journey, providing guidance and resources each step of the way. He also represents GLAD and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) as part of the Welcoming Church movement, interfacing with other denominations and bringing knowledge gained back to our movement for wholeness in a fragmented world.

Friends, for a moment, I’m going to be very honest with you. When the council took the step of faith last year and hired Mark, it was a major step forward for GLAD and its membership. We took that step of faith knowing that we had a membership that has supported us through both the good times and the bad.

Since the early summer, GLAD has been in the midst of a membership drive, working on increasing our membership. Membership support helps finance GLAD’s ministry work, including paying our Executive Director a fair and just salary. Mark is GLAD’s “front line” in living out our mission of transforming the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) into a just and inclusive church that welcomes persons of all gender expressions and sexual identities into the full life and leadership of the church.

Last year, you were so gracious and believed in us so much that you contributed enough to cover Mark’s reduced starting salary and expenses, and for that, we thank you. Your initial gifts helped send Mark out to do vitally important work, especially on the heels of the passage of GA1327.

There is much more work to be done. We’ve only just begun! As part of that work, the GLAD Council would like to pay Mark his full salary. Many of you may not be aware that Mark gave up a successful psychology practice in the Boston area to do this work, because he believes so passionately in the transformative work of GLAD. In order to achieve this financial goal and fund GLAD’s other activities such as our General Assembly presence next year, we need to more than double our average monthly income to $10,000/month. In the past year, our average monthly income has been $4166/month. Hence, the reason for our membership drive, because more money = more ministry.

You can help us meet this goal in one of three ways:

  • Go to contribution.gladalliance.org and join GLAD. While there, consider setting up a regular monthly or quarterly contribution. For example, $10/month = $120/year. $25/month = $500/year.
  • Participate in our congregation membership challenge by encouraging your friends at church to join GLAD. Find more information at on GLAD’s Membership Drive page.
  • Speak with your pastor or outreach team about making a congregational contribution to GLAD. Some congregations send money from their mission and outreach budget, while others take up a Sunday morning offering designated for GLAD. GLAD Council members are available to visit with church leadership via phone or email.

Thank you for supporting GLAD – it is because of your support that we are able to spread the message contained on that t-shirt . . . All Means All.