"Pride Month All Year Long" - A Pride Reflection by Rev. Dr. Michael Kosik

In 1999, President Bill Clinton first officially recognized June as Pride Month. I, however, remember celebrating Pride much earlier. Back in the early ‘80s, Pride was celebrated on a weekend with a parade and festival and was almost exclusively attended by the LGBTQIA+ community. At that time, Pride was a reminder of our community’s worth in a world that was telling us that we needed to be ashamed of and hide who we were. Today, Pride is, of course, longer and more inclusive. Pride is celebrated and recognized by people of all walks of life. Today, Pride feels more like the country (at least the inclusive part of the country) is saying, “We see you, and we affirm you.”

My hope is that in the future, more and more church communities will take on a welcoming and affirming spirit regarding the Queer community. In my lifetime, I have seen such growth and change, but, of course, Christians as a whole have a long way to go. I am so happy to be a part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) denomination and its large number of open and affirming congregations. I am also proud to be a part of my home church, Church of the Valley and Little Brown Church. I have been a member of my congregation for almost 40 years, and we have always been a family that welcomes the LGBTQIA+ community. In the early ‘80s, our church formed an AIDS support group for those living with AIDS and those who love them. This was during a time when little was known about the disease and before the introduction of the cocktail. This type of support group, led by a church, was unheard of at the time. Over the years, Queer people have served on all of the boards and committees, served as Executive Board moderator, Elder moderator, and in every teaching and leadership position we have. I, myself, have served the church as Children’s Pastor, then Assistant Pastor, Associate Pastor, and then finally, in 2018, I was called as Senior Pastor by a congregation made up primarily of people who do not identify as LGBTQIA+ (except for maybe the ally part.) What they do identify with, however, is a community that loves Christ and truly understands how he has taught us to see one another and treat one another.

Church of the Valley and Little Brown Church continue to spread a message of inclusivity, affirmation, and love. We do it through the way that we worship, through spreading a welcoming theology, and through being a living example of the love of neighbor that Christ illustrates for us.

---

Rev. Dr. Michael Kosik is currently Senior Pastor at Church of the Valley and Little Brown Church; two campuses with one congregation. Rev. Dr. Kosik is a DSF graduate and received his Master of Divinity degree and his Doctor of Ministry degree from Claremont School of Theology, graduating in 2014 and 2017, and receiving the school’s highest award for preaching. Pastor Michael has a passion for building his church community and is focused on outreach and creating a diverse and welcoming community. Prior to his work in ministry, Rev. Dr. Kosik was an actor, working on stage, in television, and in films.