Click here to join this online CLGS event via Zoom!

Lent is perhaps the queerest season of the liturgical year. The richness and complications of this liturgical season make it a fertile ground for exploring queer exegetical opportunities and community discussion. A queering of Lent can offer us many new ways to explore our faith in church communities.

In this CLGS Queering the Word preaching workshop we will look at the lectionary texts for Year A – from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday, and we will offer supplemental materials that highlight queer icons and heroes who can enrich our Lenten journey and the hope of resurrection.

Our presenters are Rev. Dr. Tijuana Gray and Rev. Jakob Hero-Shaw, pastors of MCC (Metropolitan Community Churches) congregations.

Rev. Dr. Tijuana Gray studies the implications and applications of womanist thought for the queer church. She has pastored two MCC churches and has served the denomination in several roles. In addition to her scholarly and ministerial pursuits, Tijuana is an actor/singer/dancer, movement specialist, and bodyworker. She loves to travel, eat, and cook, and is grateful for a spouse who supports all of her activities and participates in a few.

Rev. Jakob Hero-Shaw

Rev. Jakob Hero-Shaw is the Senior Pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa. Jakob received his MDiv and Certificate in Sexuality and Religion from the Pacific School of Religion and his MA in Ethics and Social Theory from the Graduate Theological Union. He holds a Graduate Diploma in Christian Theology and Spiritual Direction from Cardiff University in Wales, and a BA in Religious Studies with an emphasis on Christianity and Islam, from the University of South Florida. Jakob has led trainings on human rights and participated transgender advocacy throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Central and Eastern Europe. Jakob’s favorite thing in life is being a dad! He lives in Tampa, Florida, with his husband and their two children.

Our CLGS Queering the Word preaching workshops are designed for Christian preachers, seminarians, and anyone else interested in the art of preaching from a queer perspective!

Click here to see a list of other workshops in this series.