Click here to join this online CLGS Lavender Lunch via Zoom!

The Badè Museum is on the campus of Pacific School of Religion: 1798 Scenic Avenue in Berkeley, California

What does it sound like when a denomination founded by and for queer people sings its faith? In this CLGS Lavender Lunch, Rev. Jim Mitulski and Dr. Bernie Schlager invite you to join them (in person or online) for a pilgrimage through The MCC Hymnal (1989), a landmark inclusive-language hymnal that has served grassroots queer religious communities around the world.

Published at a pivotal time in the history of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC), the first denomination founded by and for LGBTQ+ people, this hymnal emerged at the height of the AIDS crisis. It is more than a collection of songs: it is a theological map, a survival guide, and a bold declaration of queer sacred identity. Structured by the Christian year and expanded with distinctive sections such as “Lesbian & Gay Freedom,” it charts a journey from Advent anticipation to Easter triumph and from personal lament to prophetic witness.

In this CLGS Lavender Lunch, we will sing our way through the hymnal by selecting a hymn from each of its sections. We will also discuss the history and theology behind these hymns as we experience firsthand how this music shaped an LGBTQ+ denomination and sustained its people.

Session Program Highlights (based on The MCC Hymnal sections)

1. Advent & Christmas: We begin with songs of longing and hope, exploring how queer communities re-appropriated waiting and incarnation.
2. Lent & Holy Week: We will sing a hymn of lament and solidarity, connecting the suffering of the cross to the lived experience of illness, grief, and rejection during the AIDS crisis.
3. Eastertide & Ascension: We move into the triumph of resurrection, celebrating survival and the promise of new life against all odds.
4. Lesbian & Gay Freedom: A unique and powerful section where faith and liberation intersect directly. We will sing a hymn of pride and prophetic declaration.
5. The Feminine Divine & Mary: We explore how the hymnal expands traditional imagery for God, recovering feminine and maternal metaphors.
6. General Hymns: We conclude with a beloved general hymn, reflecting on the ongoing work of justice and the enduring gift of queer sacred song.

No musical experience (or any level of singing ability!) is required. Please join us as we listen, learn, and lift up our voices in song!

Come join us – live or on Zoom – for this musical event!

Our Presenters

Rev. Dr. Jim Mitulski is Pastor of Congregational Church of the Peninsula in Belmont, CA, and a resident of Oakland. He has been a pastor in both the Metropolitan Community Churches (the historically queer/LGBTQ Church) and the United Church of Christ for over 40 years. He is a founding board member of both CLGS and the LGBTQ Religious Archives Network and he was instrumental in bringing the MCC Archives to CLGS. Jim is a former program coordinator at the Hormel LGBT Collection at the San Francisco Public Library, and he edited the MCC Hymnal (1989), an inclusive language resource used by grass roots queer religious communities around the world. His work has been profiled by historian Lynne Gerber at The Revealer.

Bernie Schlager

Bernard Schlager, PhD, is Associate Professor of Historical and Cultural Studies at Pacific School of Religion (PSR) and Executive Director of CLGS. Schlager received his PhD from Yale University in the history of medieval and Latin American Christianity. His research interests include the history of Christianity, LGBTQ pastoral care, queer studies, and medieval social and religious history. Dr. Schlager has published numerous articles on church history, medieval religion and society, and the history of sexuality. He is co-author with David Kundtz of Ministry Among God’s Queer Folk: LGBTQ Pastoral Care (Second Edition: Cascade Books, 2019). With an undergraduate degree in music, Bernie served for over 25 years as a liturgical musician in congregational settings.

A CLGS Fall 2026 Lavender Lunch