The Queer Narrative Archive hosts personal stories that capture the lived reality of individuals in faith communities. Â See the projects on the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa, Dutch Reformed Church, and the Methodist Church of Southern Africa below.
 Watch the overview film of the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa and view the individual narratives below.
“I Belong Here”
This latest addition to the Queer Narrative Archive is a collection of video testimonies by LGBTQIA+ members of the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa, Cape Regional Synod. In them, congregants share their own stories and realities with courage and vulnerability.
The archive is a gift to the church from Inclusive and Affirming Ministries, a longstanding partner of the Support Ministry for Doctrine and Current Affairs (SMDCA) in the Synod’s mandated dialogues on embodied human sexuality.
We call this project “I Belong Here” because that is what these stories say. LGBTQIA+ people belong right here in URCSA: the church of their parents and grandparents, the church of their birth. Guided by Matthew 22:34-40, we offer these voices as an invitation to build faith communities that embrace every person fully.
In the body of Christ there is a place for every-body, and every-body is welcome. Welcome home.
The Videos can be viewed at the bottom of this page.Â
Credits:
Videography and editing: Daniela Zontagh www.danielazontagh.com
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 Watch the overview film of the Dutch Reformed Church, Ons kom tot verhaal, and view the individual narratives below.
The DRC has come a long way since its 1986 resolution on homosexuality that considered it to be a deviant form of sexuality and its condemnation of LGBTIQ+ practices and relationships. The DRC has been in an ongoing process, grappling not only with its justification of Apartheid by appropriating the Biblical text but also with the ways in which it has dealt with and treated LGBTIQ+ people.
In 2022, for the first time in this long history, a convening was held for LGBTIQ+ people with a calling to church ministry. A group of twenty people gathered for three days at the Andrew Murray Centre for Spirituality in Wellington, South Africa, to reflect, learn, lament, and celebrate.
These are their stories.
These videos capture embodied stories of vocation, the integration of sexuality and spirituality, and processes of ‘coming out’. They also capture the imagination of what an inclusive faith community could be.
They speak to the collective organizing and change-making that has taken place over decades.
The project is a collaborative partnership between the Dutch Reformed Church, the University of Kwazulu-Natal, and Inclusive & Affirming Ministries (IAM).
Credits:
Research and Artistic collaboration: Louis van der Riet, Charlene van der Walt, Alexa Sedge
For more information, comments, or questions, or to collaborate on the expansion of this archive, please contact Louis van der Riet – louis@iam.org.za
Thank you to the donors and partners who made this project possible:
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These individual narratives were captured during the first Proudly Conference of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA). It marked a historic moment as LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies from different regions and generations gathered for recognition, solidarity, and shared stories.
This three-day event, held in Bryanston, Johannesburg, from 24-26Â October 2024, highlighted the journey and struggles toward inclusivity within the MCSA. Participants shared personal narratives and collective experiences, emphasizing the embodied realities of queer people in the church. These video interviews capture some of these powerful stories, contributing to a living history of LGBTQIA+ individuals within the denomination.
This gathering was organized by the LGBTQIA Connexional Task Team in partnership with IAM. Established in 2019, the Task Team partners with MCSA structures to raise awareness about LGBTQIA+ inclusivity and pastoral care for queer individuals.
Credits: Videography, photography and editing: Oupa Nkosi.Â
For more information, comments, or questions, or to collaborate on the expansion of this archive, please contact Louis van der Riet – louis@iam.org.zaÂ
Click on the image below to play the video
