Dismantling Harm in Christianity: a Queerness & Spirituality Panel

Join us for a panel of Sapphic pastors and worship leaders as they share their experiences as Queer Christian leaders and unpack scripture passages that have been used by the Church to harm and exclude Queer folx.

This event is open to all, whether you identify as Christian, have been harmed by the Christian church and have left, have no experience in the Christian church and want to support your Queer Christian loved ones, or you are just curious to learn more about Queerness and spirituality!

Facililators:

• Rev. Jennifer Stephens (she/her) - United Methodist pastor
• Rev. Emily Heitzman (she/her) - Presbyterian Pastor, Campus Minister at Jesuit University

Panelists:

• Rev. Nicolette Peñaranda (she/her) - Lutheran pastor
• Rev. Shawna Bowman (they/them) - Presbyterian pastor
• Ashley Usher (she/her) - Lutheran worship leader
• Rev. Beth Guzman (she/her) - Presbyterian pastor, formerly employed in the Catholic Church

Doors at 6pm and our panel kicks off at 7pm. Stick around after for connection and community!

Dorothy is 21+ and requires physical ID for all to enter. Dorothy is also ADA accessible with elevator access on Campbell Avenue. If you are a guest who requires elevator access, please wait by the black doors on Campbell Ave and call our staff to assist: 773-770-3799

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ABOUT OUR FACILITATORS & PANELISTS

Rev. Jennifer Stephens received her Master of Divinity from Brite Divinity School. She entered ministry in 2016 in the Central Texas Conference. She became a queer refugee when she needed to leave Texas and move to Chicago after graduation so she could be free to be her fully true queer-self in life and in ministry. Jennifer began ministry in Chicago at Urban Village Church in 2019. She currently is the pastor of Holy Covenant UMC in the Lakeview East neighborhood of Chicago.

Rev. Emily Heitzman (she/her) is a queer/bisexual+ part-time pastor at Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church and full-time Campus Minister for Faith and Justice at Loyola University. Emily graduated from a United Methodist seminary, is an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian (USA) denomination, and has served in Evangelical Covenant, American Baptist, and Congregational churches. Her longest call was as the shared Pastor with Youth and Households at three Lutheran (ELCA) congregations in Edgewater,where she founded and led a multicultural/ecumenical youth ministry for 11+ years. For over a decade, Emily has partnered with interfaith and grassroots organizations that build community and collective power to eliminate bigotry and injustice.

Rev. Beth Guzman (she/her) is a queer pastor ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She was born and raised in the Catholic Church, and worked within the Archdiocese of Chicago for almost a decade before she left Catholicism behind in 2016. She is currently the Solo Pastor at Morton Grove Community Church, a small LGBTQ+ affirming "church without walls" in the near northwest suburbs. She presents as femme, but can install drywall. She will probably talk too much about growing plants if you let her.

Ashley Usher's (she/her) passion lies in creating inclusive spaces for all, particularly LGBTQ+ and marginalized youth, within the Christian faith. Raised by a seminarian and a pastor's kid, Ashley's upbringing fostered a deep connection to religion. Ashley has served as an ecumenical youth director in Edgebook, Chicago and currently serves as a worship leader and leads the Faith and Justice Action Team at Luther Memorial in Lincoln Square. Through this role, she has spearheaded initiatives that create safe spaces for queer youth, foster racial justice through anti-racist workshops, and celebrate diversity by founding Chicago's northside's largest Juneteenth celebration.

Rev. Nic Peñaranda (she/her) is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. She is the illustrator of God’s Holy Darkness and a featured artist in A Sanctified Art LLC’s Advent 2023 and Lent 2024 series. Pastor Nic holds a MBA in Management and MDiv in Black Church Studies. She is currently studying for her Doctorate in Ministry. Pastor Nic is invested in Queer Black Liberation and believes Palestine will be free in our lifetime.

Rev. Shawna Bowman (they/them/theirs) is an artist and pastor. They are the first called and installed pastor of Friendship Presbyterian Church and have been doing ministry with the creative and justice-seeking folks there since 2011. In 2019 Friendship launched a not for profit called Friendship Community Place to create a community center space and Shawna serves as the Executive Director. Shawna is a 2009 grad from McCormick Theological Seminary where they currently serve as Affiliate Faculty, they are an organizer and facilitator at Crossroads Antiracism and Training and serve on the Board of Directors at The Night Ministry in Chicago.