I'm a member of the Episcopal Church. My home parish church is the Church of the Ascension in Cranston where I am a vestry member and a chalice bearer.
My priest is Father Greg Lisby. Today, Father Greg formally adopted two little children. Father Greg and his partner Tim are very proud new parents.
Father Greg Lisby holds a Masters Degree in Divinity and a Masters Degree in Social Work. He came to lead Church of the Ascension in Cranston, RI in February of 2008, and since that time has helped shape a time of spiritual exploration and awakening.
This is an interview he did with local blogger Kiersten Marek.
Kiersten Marek: My first question is: I recently read this article in The Atlantic called "The Velvet Reformation," about Bishop Rowan Williams and the question of whether the Anglican church can become open to gay marriage. The article referenced an essay by Rowan Williams called "The Body’s Grace" in which Williams talked about how intimate relationships are about experiencing grace and that this grace should be accepted as part of both gay and straight relationships. He wrote:
"Grace, for the Christian believer, is a transformation that depends in large part on knowing yourself to be seen in a certain way: as significant, as wanted."
I wonder if you can comment on how this idea strikes you, both as a church leader and as a partner in a gay relationship.
Fr. Greg Lisby: To know you are significant and wanted –isn’t that what we all desire? In the lore of creation, found in the book of Genesis, God said it is good for a human to have a partner (it isn’t until the second creation story that it specifically says male and female). God desires for us to be in relationship with another. It is in relationship, whether intimate or not, that we can glimpse the reality of God’s presence. So, whether it is an opposite-sex or same-sex relationship, all possess the potential for manifesting God’s presence. When that presence is realized, acknowledged, then the sense of worth and vulnerability that opens us to God’s grace is made possible. This, I believe, is what Archbishop Williams is getting at.
Kiersten Marek: This past summer you became a parent, along with your partner, Tim, to two infant sisters, Leah, 2, and Miriam, 10 months, and are now in the process of finalizing adoption of both girls. What has this been like for you? What are some of the joys and pains of being a parent for these two little bundles of glory?
Fr. Greg Lisby: Incredible! If I may, Rowan Williams is right, grace is to know you are significant and wanted. Children are a channel, an instrument of God’s grace. Nothing can prepare you for having children, you learn as you go, but nothing can ever prepare you for two children, all at once! And, they are only 11 months apart. That was the struggle, jumping into the deep end, with no family in the northeast, and having to rely on the generosity of our parishes for support.
The joys are too many to count. They have shown us another way of seeing God. They have shown us how to be more patient and relaxed. They have demonstrated the power of love, unconditional love. And, we’ve learned to laugh at ourselves more often.
The struggles are the same as any other family with two young children. We don’t sleep enough, daycare germs keep our pediatrician in business, we have to watch how we schedule outside meetings ... keeping a ‘family calendar’ is wise, and learning to say sorry helps smooth over rough moments. Oh, and kissing the booboos always makes it feel better.
People often wonder what two dad or two mom families are like, how are they different than a mom and dad family? They don’t differ at all. We have the same joys and challenges that they do.
I just wanted to post this and to say how proud I am of him.
If you want to read the rest of the interview and see some cool pics, follow this link...
http://kmareka.com/...