Clergy from a number of religious institutions in the Santa Cruz area have received hate mail after confirming they will be participating in a June conference on integrating gays, lesbians and transgender people into their congregations.
An article about the interfaith conference — which is being held at Temple Beth El in Aptos — ran in the Santa Cruz Sentinel in March.
Every clergy member mentioned in the article received a similar letter, unsigned, with no return address.
“What kind of Bible do you read?” it asked. “What kind of God do you worship?” Other statements were far worse.
Paula Marcus, the cantor of Temple Beth El, was one of the recipients. She called the letter “disturbing but not shocking.”
“My convictions are strong enough so that it’s not intimidating in any way,” she said.
The weekend conference, which will be held June 4 to 6, has been in the planning stages for more than a year. It is being funded in part by a grant from the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz.
While some may think that members of the LGBT community are fully welcome in houses of worship, that is not always the case, said Kathy Goldenkranz, the vice president of worship and justice at the synagogue.
“We want everyone to know there is a place for them at a church or a synagogue,” she said.
The conference, which is aimed at both clergy and laypeople, is meant to educate others about making their houses of worship as welcoming as possible.
There are two Catholic churches participating, she said, as well as Episcopalians, Unitarians, Methodists, Lutherans, Quakers and others, totaling more than 20 congregations.
Both Marcus and Goldenkranz believe that this is the first gathering of its kind.
“This work of inclusion in the interfaith community is so profound, and I’m hoping that people will contact us from other places and use it in their communities,” said Marcus.
The weekend will begin with Caryn Aviv and David Schneer, co-authors of the anthology “Queer Jews” speaking at Shabbat services Friday, June 4. On Saturday, June 5, workshops will focus on such topics as the teaching and parenting young children and adolescents about inclusiveness; creating a safe environment in faith communities; how to be an agent for change; and how to counsel those coming out. Gay marriage will be another topic, though not all clergy participating endorse it. And one panel will feature gay and lesbian clergy who will talk about their own journeys.
The two keynote speakers are state Assemblyman John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) and the Rev. Mel White, who used to be an evangelical minister working for the Rev. Pat Robertson, until he came out.
On Sunday, June 6, conference members will march together in the Pride Parade in downtown Santa Cruz, where White will be the grand marshal.
Goldenkranz has been sending invitations to all the Conservative synagogues in the South Bay. Shalom Bochner, the Conservative rabbi at Santa Cruz Hillel, is participating as well.
“To me,” said Marcus, who will be an ordained rabbi by the time the conference takes place, “the whole issue with halachah [Jewish law] has to be how creative can you be. The Talmud is not fixed, and if there’s a will, there’s going to be a way to make it work.”
Goldenkranz said simply of the conference, “It’s the right thing to do.”
“Out in Our Faiths: Beyond Tolerance to Full Inclusion” will be taking place from June 4 to 6 in Aptos. Information: (831) 479-3444, or www.templebethelaptos.org.