Mission
Integrity’s mission is to be the witness of the lesbian and gay community in the Episcopal Church. At the national level and in local chapters and diocesan networks throughout the country, Integrity engages in a ministry of worship, fellowship, education, communication, outreach, and service to the church.
Officers:
Co-conveners: Bruce Kellam, St. James Episcopal Church, Pullman
Linda Heidenreich, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Pullman
Ministry
The Spokane Chapter of Integrity meets the second Saturday of every month in All Saints Chapel in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist to celebrate the Eucharist. Following the Eucharist, a potluck lunch is enjoyed by members. Fellowship and any business of the organization take place during lunch. Clergy of the Spokane Diocese volunteer to celebrate the Eucharist with Integrity members. A small newsletter is published monthly by the co-conveners and sent electronically to a list of members and interested people.
Nationally, Integrity is a nonprofit organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender [LGBT] Episcopalians and our straight friends which was founded in rural Georgia in 1974. Integrity has been the leading grassroots voice for the full inclusion of LGBT persons in the Episcopal Church and equal access to its rites. At the national level and in local chapters and diocesan networks throughout the country, the primary activities are:
- worship
- fellowship
- education
- communication
- outreach, and
- service to the church
On a national level, although the Episcopal Church has made tremendous strides toward inclusiveness, it still has a long way to go to providing full participation of all persons of God across the US.
The Spokane Diocese group is very small. Three of our members have left the Episcopal Church in the past year; two of them no longer attend Integrity. The current people who attend are from various denominations – Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopal, etc.
Our major challenge is to expand membership in order to engage in more than worship and fellowship. We have in the past staffed an information booth at the diocesan convention, but our current membership is so small that it has not been possible to staff a booth during the last two conventions.