"I knew I was different. And I knew I was a Christian. Over time, those
two aspects of my identity merged, sometimes. At other times, they
clashed. But they were always present, dancing in some strange kind of
way across the years and then decades of my life. I had people tell me I
had no right to be gay if I was a Christian, or conversely to call
myself a Christian if I was gay. I have had people try to “convert” me
or “heal” me, and people who have been downright hostile toward me. Some
have even tried to deny me my calling as a minister and prevent me from
collecting my pension. I have fought for my rights and for the rights
of others and have been kicked to the proverbial curb many times for my
efforts. Yet through it all, two constants remain. First, I am gay. That
is a reality that has been true since before I was born and is never
going to change – no matter what someone else might want, or how
fervently they might want it. Second, I have a passionate love affair
with my Creator, and with Jesus Christ, and believe that God loves me
and calls me to work for justice and goodness in the world. Again, this
will not change for me…" Successful author and pastor Donald Schmidt
shares his life journey as a gay man deeply committed to his Christian
faith and ministry – no matter what. Because it wasn’t easy. Although
many denominations today welcome gay candidates into ministry, it wasn’t
like that in the early 1980s when Schmidt entered seminary at McGill
University in Montreal. Homophobia was prevalent in the church and made
even worse as the terror of a new illness, AIDS, gripped society. With
amazing honesty, Schmidt tells about it all – the questioning, the fear,
the stigma, the anger, the defiance, the heartbreak, the struggle to
live his life and ministry with integrity. If the church has come a long
way since the 1980s, if it has grown and matured and evolved to value
its lgbtq+ members and ministers, it must surely be due to the faith and
extraordinary perseverance of those who were the first to come out and
lay claim to their inheritance as beloved children of God.
Whenever he can choose what to do, Donald Schmidt likes to spin wool,
knit, and weave. In his spare time, he also works in ministry in a
variety of settings. He has served parishes in Quebec, New York,
Vermont, Washington, and Hawai‘i. He has also worked as an Associate
Conference Minister with the United Church of Christ, and is a retired
United Methodist minister. Perhaps his favorite ministry has been as an
editor and writer of church resources, for worship, education, and
church revitalization. He has published 3 books, and has had a few
pieces of music appear in various collections around the world. He also
loves to travel, finding that visiting anywhere new and different can
open us up to learn new things about others and, in the process,
ourselves. More recently Donald has served with the United Church of
Canada, and was Minister for Worship and Leadership Development at First
United Church in Kelowna, British Columbia. He lives in the Okanagan
Valley of BC. He is a grandfather of 8, and father of 3.