Today in the Mission Yearbook - Commemorating an LGBTQIA+ advocate in the PC(USA)

David Sindt’s contributions remembered

July 8, 2024

David Sindt Pearl 153434

Fifty years ago, at the 1974 General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (UPCUSA), David Sindt rose from his seat and bravely and hopefully held up a sign with a single question: “Is Anyone Else Out There Gay?”

Sindt, whose call to Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church in Chicago is believed to be the first issued to an openly gay man by a Presbyterian church, helped form and lead the Presbyterian Gay Caucus (PGC). While Sindt’s call was rejected by the Presbytery of Chicago, his impact lives on through the movement he helped bring attention to and through the work of More Light Presbyterians — a successor of PGC.

The Presbyterian Historical Society (PHS) honored Sindt’s courageous act at the 1974 General Assembly, which served as a turning point in the movement for LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the PC(USA), in this year’s Heritage Sunday bulletin insert.

Each year, Presbyterians across the globe acknowledge Heritage Sunday, a day to reflect on and celebrate their rich history of the faith. Heritage Sunday always falls on the Sunday closest to May 21 — the opening date of the inaugural General Assembly in the United States in 1789. This year, Heritage Sunday fell on May 19.

PHS assembles bulletin inserts to commemorate Heritage Sunday, with a new topic or theme for each year. In 2023, PHS looked back at Presbyterian Reunion in 1983. The year before, the society shared the Rev. Fahed Abu-Akel, Moderator of the 214th General Assembly.

Visitors to history.pcusa.org/hs can access this year’s free insert commemorating David Sindt’s actions, along with related blogs and webinars. Included on the list of related materials is the digitized sermon Sindt delivered to Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church in 1972 — a historic recording PHS archivists recovered from the congregation as part of their effort to document LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the church.

Kristen Gaydos, Presbyterian Historical Society

Today’s Focus: Heritage Sunday – Commemorating David Sindt, an LGBTQIA+ advocate

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Sandy Lucas, Receptionist, Presbyterian Foundation 
Kathy Lueckert, President, Administrative Services Group (A Corp) 

Let us pray

Loving God, we are mindful that you have called your people to sit together in the kingdom of God. We are thankful for the new ministries within our midst that give witness to that calling. Amen.

Minute for Mission: Heritage Sunday

May 22, 2022

Rev. Dr. Fahed Abu-Akel

Twenty years ago, the Rev. Dr. Fahed Abu-Akel was elected as Moderator of the 214th General Assembly, making him the first Arab American to lead a major U.S. denomination.

Abu-Akel was elected moderator in 2002, after gleaning 269 votes from his peers. Upon taking the podium, he outlined three priorities for the denomination: spiritual renewal, a focus on local and global missions, and a commitment to cultivate unity in diversity. Abu-Akel shared stories of his childhood, his parents’ faith, his witnessing of the 1948 war in Palestine, and how these things affected his relationship with Christ.

Born to Christian parents in Kuffer-Yassif, Palestine, Abu-Akel was 4 years old when his family was forced from their village during the 1948 Palestine war. Several months after the initial exodus that saw over 700,000 Palestinian Arabs displaced from their homes, Abu-Akel and his family returned to Kuffer-Yassif to find that their home had been saved. However, five neighboring villages had been decimated. The following year, over 500 villages were destroyed by Israeli forces, creating nearly a million Palestinian refugees.

Abu-Akel arrived in the U.S. in 1966 to begin his schooling. In 1978, he became an ordained Presbyterian minister. That same year, he founded the Atlanta Ministry with International Students and became a U.S. citizen.

On the stage in Columbus, Ohio, Abu-Akel continued his speech. “You may be afraid,” he began, as he transitioned to the topic of faith, saying that Presbyterians face many challenges. “It’s OK to be afraid,” he went on. “I remember that 4-year-old boy who discovered, and is still discovering, that Jesus Christ is the only hope for a broken world.”

Heritage Sunday is a day of celebration set aside by the General Assembly of the PC(USA). To celebrate and learn more about the history of Presbyterianism in America, visit history.pcusa.org/hs.

McKenna Britton, Communications Associate, Presbyterian Historical Society

Let us join in prayer for:Today’s Focus: Heritage Sunday

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Manuel Silva-Esterrich, Manager, Call Process Support, Ordered Ministry & Certification, Office of the General Assembly
T. Clark Simmons, Senior Church Consultant, Atlanta GA, Church Engagement, Board of Pensions

Let us pray

Gracious God, we thank you for lifting up a multitude of voices testifying to the power of your presence in our strife-filled world. Guide us as we listen and as we act. Help us to embrace fully your hope for this broken world. Amen.