MLP June Newsletter!

IN THIS ISSUE * Happy Anniversary, Claudia! * Notes from the Staff *Virtual Pride Service registration and  Pride Sunday Liturgy * Word From Our Partners * Upcoming Events

Join us in celebrating  Claudia Aguilar Rubalcava, as she celebrates her 3rd anniversary as our Director of Engagement! We love you and are so thankful for you!

From our Director of Engagement

Pride month is here! Rainbows everywhere! Pride celebrations, full of music and glitter and feathers, will fill the streets. And every store and brand will become advocates for the LGBTQIA+ community. But is it all real? Sometimes, it feels to me that it is like Cinco de Mayo, when everybody loves Mexico and everything Mexican, and on May 6th, the raids and the discrimination go back to normal. So why is Pride still important? I doubt that mine is the definitive answer, but I think it is because it is practice for what is coming, for that which we are working toward. During Pride, we center and celebrate the lives and gifts of every LGBTQIA+ person. We remember the contributions of the LGBTQIA+ community to our lives. We listen to the concerns of the LGBTQIA+ community. But the goal is not to do it only during Pride month, but every day, every month, every year. We want our queer siblings to always feel loved and celebrated. So let’s practice together! The MLP board and staff have put together a beautiful Pride liturgy that is available HERE. You are welcome to use it in your congregations and campus ministries, not just on Pride month, but any time.  We are also gathering as a community on June 7th at 7pm Eastern time to worship the One who created us all. Register HERE to receive the Zoom link for this celebration of the joy and resilience of our queer siblings.   -Claudia

From our Director of Operations

Happy Pride, y'all!  And happy 3rd-year anniversary to our Director of Engagement, Claudia! We are better because of her gifts and witness in the world!  June is going to be busy in the best way, friends! From pulpit supply to presentations and conferences to the 227th General Assembly, MLP is shining bright in the world! Additionally, this month we will be debuting our brand new website! After a long journey, and in partnership with Worship Times, we are ready to go! We know that there will be bumps and beta testing in the beginning, so be patient with us as we roll things out. Additionally, as you explore the new site, if there are things that you wish were there or ways MLP can continue to support you and your ministry, please reach out to us! We are always looking to grow, and we want to walk alongside you in the most supportive ways we can. Not every request will be feasible, but we will do what we can! -Jesy

Join us THIS Sunday for our annual virtual More Light Presbyterians Pride service! Join MLP Board and Staff members as we explore the theme "We are the ones" inspired by the 1978 poem from June Jordan.  Use the button below to register!

Register for the MLP Virtual Pride Service

More Light Sunday Liturgy: We Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For

Today is May 1st, but we know Pride 2026 will be here before we all are fully prepared! As you plan for worship, and we hope, as you prepare to have a More Light/Pride Sunday service,  More Light Presbyterians is offering FREE liturgy for you to use.  The staff and board of MLP have prepared a complete order of worship for you to use, centered on the theme "We Are The Ones We've Been Waiting For," drawing inspiration from Psalm 121 and a phrase from June Jordan's 1978 poem.

Click Here to Download the 2026 Pride Liturgy

A Word From Our Partners

Our partners in ministry at Kin-dom Camp are looking for volunteers for their upcoming programming year! And if you’re searching for a joyful, LGBTQIA+-affirming camp experience for your youth, be sure to scan the QR code to learn more and register.

Upcoming Events!

Be sure to mark your calendars for these upcoming MLP events!

June 6: Join our Director of Engagement, Rev. Claudia Aguilar, at the Centro de Estudios Ecumenicos in Mexico City from 10 am until 6 pm in an interfaith gathering that will discuss decolonizing religion, gender, and sexuality. Food and drinks will be provided.   June 7: Pride worship service via Zoom. Details to register above. June 7: Join our Director of Operations, Jesy Littlejohn, at Indianola Presbyterian Church in Columbus, OH for an educational session and worship.  June 8: More Light Monday. This month, we are exploring General Assembly overtures through legal, theological, and polity lenses.  June 21-26: Join Director of Engagement Claudia Aguilar and board member Matt Webb at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, NM for youth week.  June 27-July 2: Join Jesy and Claudia at General Assembly for the BEST SWAG EVER and enriching conversations. We can’t wait to see you there!           More Light Monday: Preparing for General Assembly 227

Preparing for General Assembly Every two years, commissioners gather from across the denomination to for what some may call "the longest and most complicated Session meeting ever!" From amending the Book of Order, to adapting to new policies, to naming the harms that have been done in the name of God as well as our complicity in it, General Assembly is a time of hard and holy work.  There are overtures coming to the 227th assembly that will directly impact the LGBTQIA+ community, and we have prepared a space to talk about them and prepare for what is ahead. Join the MLP staff and board, as well as a few special guests as we talk about these overtures from theological, relational, and even legal perspectives.  Bring your questions and your curiosities and register below on June 8th at 7:00 PM (ET).

Click here to register

Register for the MLP Virtual Pride Service

Get Involved!

Our collective wisdom and knowledge can take us farther than what we can do on our own. You can help us this month in a few ways: *Has your congregation paid dues this year? If not, you may submit them here. Your dues help us do this work. *Donate! We educate individuals and congregations, offer pastoral care to queer people and the ones who love them, we guide congregations as they seek to discern best steps, we advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community in our denomination and in the public arena. We can’t do it without your help.  *In light of recent political developments, the number of LGBTQIA+ couples seeking to get married has increased. More Light Presbyterians is compiling a list of queer and queer-affirming clergy willing to officiate wedding ceremonies and preach at MLP congregations on short notice. Please spread the word widely within your networks. If you are in need of an officiant, please contact us at hello@mlp.org indicating your location and the date of the ceremony.  *Is your congregation supporting the LGBTQIA+ community in your context? If you have pictures, be sure to share so we can highlight your awesome and holy work!  Please email them to hello@mlp.org

Mail a Check: More Light Presbyterians, Inc. P.O. Box 735764 Chicago, IL 60673-5764   Contact Us: More Light Presbyterians 14301 Laurel Bowie Road Laurel, MD 20708 hello@mlp.org Website: www.mlp.org

WCC NEWS: WCC expresses solidarity with churches in Argentinian public witness

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed solidarity with the initiative, “Ayuno y Oración para Despertar las Conciencias” (Fasting and Prayer to Awaken Consciences), and with all those who are participating in fasting, prayer, reflection, and public witness.  Nobel Peace Prize laureate Adolfo Pérez Esquivel speaks during the opening of the campaign at Plaza de Mayo on June 2. Photo: Eugenio Albrecht 4 June 2026 “We have received your call at the WCC with deep appreciation and spiritual resonance,” wrote Pillay. “At a time when so many people experience hunger, poverty, exclusion, violence, and the erosion of social bonds, your initiative offers a powerful testimony that faith cannot remain indifferent to human suffering.” Pillay affirmed support or efforts to strengthen democracy, defend human rights, promote social and environmental justice, and build a culture of encounter capable of overcoming polarization, division, and fear.  “We are encouraged by your commitment to dialogue, mutual respect, and the search for unity amid diversity,” he wrote. “Such witness is urgently needed in our world today.” Pillay wrote: “During these days of fasting and prayer, we accompany you spiritually and pray for all who participate in the gatherings in Plaza de Mayo and in communities throughout the country. We pray especially for those who suffer hunger, unemployment, displacement, loneliness, and despair.” Read the full letter Ecumenical organizations launch “Fasting and Prayer to Awaken Consciences” campaign across Argentina (WCC news release, 2 June 2026) See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland

WCC NEWS: WCC, Caritas, World Vision issue open letter against hunger at webinar

For the first time, the leaders of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Caritas Internationalis, and World Vision International have cosigned a joint open letter calling on governments, multilateral institutions, and faith communities to act urgently on global hunger and malnutrition. The letter brings together three of the world’s largest faith-based organisations in a common public stand.  Harold Segura, World Vision's Regional Director of Faith & Development for Latin America and the Caribbean - and an artist - has provided a work of art from which this webinar takes its name. This piece shows open hands holding loaves and fish in a circle – not hoarding, not scarcity, but gift and possibility. 04 June 2026 “Hunger amid abundance is a moral failure,” the letter reads. “No one should suffer or die, especially children, because political decisions prioritise war, division, and short-term interests over human life and the common good.”  The letter is cosigned by Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, WCC general secretary; Alistair Dutton, secretary general of Caritas Internationalis; and Andrew Morley, president and CEO of World Vision International.  The joint statement comes ahead of a 90-minute online webinar marking World Hunger Day, titled “Give your loaves and fish,” the 2026 annual campaign of the Prayer and Action Against Hunger Coalition. It runs on 9 June from 14:30 to 16:00 CEST. The letter identifies conflict, displacement, economic instability, and climate shocks as the principal drivers of a crisis that has left approximately 318 million people facing crisis-level hunger in 2026 so far, according to the Global Report on Food Crises 2026. An estimated 673 million people – 8.2% of the global population – experienced hunger in 2024, according to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025.  The three organisations call on governments to protect humanitarian access and uphold international humanitarian law, safeguard child nutrition programmes, protect global food supply chains, and prioritise peacebuilding over militarisation.  Webinar registration  “Give your loaves and fish” campaign landing page  Campaign artwork by Harold Segura   WCC event page  State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 (FAO)  Global Report on Food Crises 2026 (GNFC) See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland

SojoMail - This queer Catholic archivist is on a mission

View this email in your browser By Betsy Shirley Editor in Chief, Sojourners Happy Thursday and happy Pride! This week we’re celebrating a queer archivist determined (and proud!) to let her church know that LGBTQ+ and trans Catholics exist. And there are signs that churches are cautiously moving forward after the pandemic’s gut-punch. But let’s start with the story the internet can’t stop talking about. Our basketball habit Something you may not know about the Sojourners editors: We take basketball pretty seriously, especially culture editor Jenna Barnett, a die-hard San Antonio Spurs fan. So when Jenna saw that a group of Salesian sisters had been watching the NBA semifinals in white habits and Spurs jerseys (“Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili—a holy trinity to Spurs fans,” writes Jenna), she wasted little time in contacting the sisters to talk God, basketball, and Victor Wembanyama. News of the sisters’ fandom went viral and Jenna’s interview has now been cited by The New York Times, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, People Magazine, and National Catholic Reporter. In it, Sr. Bernadette Mota tells Jenna they only watch games that appear on “regular tv” because, in Mota’s words: “We used to have cable but it was ridiculously expensive, so that wasn’t a good use of our funds.” The San Antonio Nuns Chanting ‘Go Spurs Go! And God Bless!’ “We pray for the other team too,” Sr. Bernadette Mota said. “But we really want our team to win.” By Jenna Barnett Read the full article Advertisement Out, proud, and Catholic These days, there are many churches that welcome LGBTQ+ and trans folks as full and beloved members. But not all traditions and denominations are there yet. And for people like our Catholic siblings, reconciling faith with queer identity can be lonely. Enter Emma Cieslik, a queer Catholic woman who decided to put her skills as a museum worker and researcher to good use by creating the Queer and Catholic Oral History Project. Through the project, Cieslik has “recorded over 100 interviews with LGBTQ+ clergy and laypeople who are proud to let the Catholic Church know that they exist, even if the church continues to bar them from being full members of the faith.” An Archive of Queer Catholic Histories Didn't Exist. So I Made One No one should feel alone being queer and Catholic. By Emma Cieslik Read the full article Church after COVID My church still prays every Sunday for all who have lost their lives to COVID-19. We know the grief and destruction wrought by the pandemic lingers, even as we move forward. And a new study suggests that churches are—gradually, slowly, modestly—finding those paths. Michael Woolf, a pastor of a “median-size” congregation outside Chicago, takes care not to sensationalize the study’s findings. He balances good news (more hopefulness among clergy!) with more mixed trends regarding church attendance. Churches Are Rebounding After COVID-19. Yes, Really For the first time since 2022, congregations are growing—and it goes beyond in-person attendance. By Michael Woolf Read the full article Advertisements Action Alert: No War With Iran! Contact Congress now to demand peace and an end to the war with Iran. As Christians, we know that each and every life is precious and every step must be taken to avoid bloodshed. Instead of recklessly pursuing a policy of escalation, we demand an end to violence and vigorous oversight from Congress in pursuit of peace. Action Alert: End the Blockade Against Cuba Join us now to contact Congress and demand an end to hostilities against Cuba. In this moment, we must follow the best traditions of our faith and extend our hand to Cuba in love and charity. Demand that we start true diplomatic talks paired with natural disaster aid for the island while respecting the Cuban people’s right to determine their own government. Donate Subscribe Copyright © 2026 Sojourners. All rights reserved. 611 Pennsylvania Ave SE #342, Washington, DC 20003 Email: sojourners@sojo.net | Tel.: 202.328.8842