Faces of Pride
In celebration of Pride Month, we are featuring stories from members of a newly-formed ministry, Queer Community of St. Paul’s.
Vicky Harrod
“St. Paul’s has felt like home for me from day one. When I was struggling with identity, acceptance, and a strong personal faith, these all felt in conflict until I found the Episcopal Church, specifically St. Paul’s. This church is home and it is filled with family.” — Vicky Harrod
AK Harrod
“I’ve always wanted a place to worship that loves Jesus first, and it shows at St. Paul’s. It doesn’t matter if you wear bow ties or shorts; you will be loved. That’s what matters to me—having a safe place to be me and share my love with everyone.” — AK Harrod
Aaron Hill
“I grew up in a fundamentalist Christian church. There, I was taught that pride is the greatest sin of them all because it promotes the self before God and all else. Gay Pride Month was thus lambasted as a time when pride runs rampant. LGBTQIA+ persons were told to humble themselves and submit to God’s “original design.” I have since come to understand that Pride Month is not about self-promotion but rather understanding that queer people have intrinsic dignity and worth—a departure from past oppressive narratives. Taking our pattern from Jesus’s ministry on earth, St. Paul’s is a place where these old scripts get flipped and where Pride is celebrated because we know queer dignity and worth come straight from God our creator—no matter whom we love or how we identify.” — Aaron Hill
Jason Sneed
“As a young child, religion was not something that was common in my household. It wasn't until I was a teen that I was first introduced to any form of organized religion. My first experience was when I was twelve and baptized into the Southern Baptist Church. During the next six years, I was involved in the youth choir, Vacation Bible School, youth conferences, youth bible study, and worship services every Wednesday and Sunday. I would sit there during the sermon, or bible study and listen to these elderly men talking about sin and the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman. As I sat there listening, I would think to myself, what they were saying didn't sound right to me. It didn't feel right to me. If God loved all of us and made us all in his image, then wouldn't he love everyone?
The more I listened to the reverend preach about homosexuality being a sin and that those who “practiced it” were going to Hell, the more fearful and resentful of God I became. Over the next few years, I would just go through the motions of attending and participating in the church with my family. Once I was eighteen, I left the Baptist Church and the idea of “organized religion” would make me cringe.
Things changed when I came to St. Paul’s in 2013. After a lot of convincing from Justin, I attended a Sunday morning service. He knew my experience with religion and said that this would be different. I remember walking through those doors and feeling the warm and welcoming atmosphere that St. Paul’s is known for. As I sat through the service and just listened, I felt that the message being conveyed was more one of love, compassion, and caring for ourselves and our neighbors. When Lowell said, “Whoever you are and where ever you are on your pilgrimage of faith, you are welcome in this place, you are welcome at God’s table,” I finally felt that there was a place for me in religion and in God’s Plan. I eventually started to attend regularly, became a member of the church, was confirmed in The Episcopal Church, and, in 2018, was even married at St. Paul’s by Suzanne.
Over the past ten years of attending St. Paul’s, there has never been a time that I didn’t feel welcomed, loved or accepted by any member of the clergy or congregation. St. Paul’s is truly welcoming to all, not just in words but in actions. I consider myself blessed by this place and by this family of believers.” — Jason Sneed
Taylor & Ciara
Taylor and Ciara found St. Paul’s shortly after finding each other—a chance visit one spring morning led brought them into this community to stay. Having recently moved to NWA, Taylor found comfort in the familiarity of the Episcopalian tradition she began exploring before the pandemic. In that first visit, Ciara found a loving church home after being excommunicated from her prior church due to her sexual orientation. Both look forward to deepening their relationship with Christ and St. Paul’s as they prepare for marriage and build a life together.