For 8 years, Gilead has built queer community to break bread, celebrate each other, and share true stories that save lives. And now, we're dying.
On Jan 12th Gilead's Congregation voted to close Gilead. Below is the letter our founders Vince and Rebecca sent out in advance of that vote.
There is a lot good living going on. Sunday night worship, story circles and The Balm, a banging Ash Wed service on March 5th, and an Easter vigil to end all Easter vigils (Sat, April 19th). Get in on any of that and/or throw some support our way for end-of-life costs and funeral expenses.
When we started Gilead (pastors Rebecca and Vince here), our goal was to help create a community that, in time, would have enough people, resources, and energy to pass on to another minister when it was time for us to leave. We were working toward a congregation that could sustain itself and have life beyond our leadership. We knew it was an uphill climb. At that time the statistics were something like 85% of new churches didn’t make it long term.
Over the last two years, we’ve started to suspect that we might be in that 85%. Since 2022, all our markers of health as a congregation have been on a downward trend: attendance, income, and maybe most significantly, energy. The decline in all three areas means that Gilead is not living sustainably and, maybe more importantly, we’re not living according to our values of being a playful, abundant, brave congregation.
We love this community. We love each of you. This work has been some of the most meaningful of our lives. It has been joyful, and life-saving, and faithful. We believe in Gilead. That it is the kind of community that should exist. That God called it into being.
And: looking at where we’re at, both as a congregation and as leaders, we think the time has come for Gilead to close. Not immediately, but in the coming months. We brought this proposal to Gilead Leadership (aka PDP, or Perpetual Dance Party) in December, and they ultimately agreed.
This, of course, makes us incredibly sad. We’ve shed a lot of tears about it and done a lot of work to try to turn things around. We don’t make this recommendation lightly, because we have poured our hearts and souls into this place, as so many of you have as well. We know this likely brings up all kinds of feelings: sadness, anger, fear, hope. We are feeling them all with you.
And we ultimately believe that closing Gilead is an act of hope and defiance. Another way for us to do church differently, as we always have. While so many congregations facing similar situations try to eke out an existence and cling to continuation at the expense of real ministry, we think this is an opportunity for Gilead to go out as we meant to go on: with joy and with faith that God has more for us beyond this present moment.
The reality is that this is not our decision to make alone. We are saying that we don’t have the energy to continue this work and would like to help Gilead have the best ending possible, but it is your church. It belongs to the congregation, and the decision of what to do with it ultimately belongs to the congregation.
This Sunday night, Jan 12th, after worship, we will hold a congregational meeting. Vince and Rebecca will share more deeply about where we’re at (as a congregation and pastors); what we’ve tried (ditto); and what we think is next. President Lucas Merchant and longtime treasurer Tammy Besser will share more information, including numbers and finances. There will be time for sharing what you’re thinking and feeling (and lots more time for that in the coming months).
All other decisions and plans come after that one. Whatever we decide, Gilead is not a failure. It is a beautiful reflection of the living God, a new translation of real good news. And it has saved lives. The impact, relationships, and creativity born here will go on.
In love and hope,
Vince and Rebecca