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: