David Sindt Pearl 153434
David Sindt Pearl 153434
Fifty years ago, at the 1974 General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (UPCUSA), David Sindt rose from his seat and bravely and hopefully held up a sign with a single question: Is Anyone Else Out There Gay?
Sindt, whose call to Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church in Chicago is believed to be the first issued to an openly gay man by a Presbyterian church, helped form and lead the Presbyterian Gay Caucus (PGC). While Sindt’s call was rejected by the Presbytery of Chicago, his impact lives on through the movement he helped bring attention to and through the work of More Light Presbyterians — a successor of PGC.
The Presbyterian Historical Society (PHS) is honoring Sindt’s courageous act at the 1974 General Assembly, which served as a turning point in the movement for LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the PC(USA), in this year’s Heritage Sunday bulletin insert.
Each year, Presbyterians across the globe acknowledge Heritage Sunday, a day to reflect on and celebrate their rich history of the faith. Heritage Sunday always falls on the Sunday closest to May 21 — the opening date of the inaugural General Assembly in the United States in 1789. This year, Heritage Sunday will fall on May 19.
PHS assembles bulletin inserts to commemorate Heritage Sunday, with a new topic or theme for each year. In 2023, PHS looked back at Presbyterian Reunion in 1983. The year before, the society shared the Rev. Fahed Abu-Akel, Moderator of the 214th General Assembly.
Visitors to www.history.pcusa.org/hs can access this year’s free insert commemorating David Sindt’s actions, along with related blogs and webinars. Included on the list of related materials is the digitized sermon Sindt delivered to Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church in 1972 — a historic recording PHS archivists recovered from the congregation as part of their effort to document LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the church.