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Home / Profiles Gallery / Gerry Brague
Rev. Gerry Brague | Profile
Gerry Brague likes to say that he grew up Methodist, became a Presbyterian and as a Presbyterian attended a United Church of Christ/American Baptist seminary so that he could be ordained by the Disciples of Christ. With such a history he is more than open to ecumenism and believes strongly in the ecumenical movement.
Gerry was born in 1956 and raised outside the small northeastern Pennsylvania town of Dallas. He received his B.S.Ed. degree from Virginia Tech and worked for a time as a counselor for emotionally disturbed teenagers. His M.Div. came from Andover Newton Theological School in Massachusetts. It was at Andover Newton that Gerry came out and claimed himself as a gay man. Fortunately, he had been called to a field education placement at a wonderful More Light/Open and Affirming congregation in Boston, Church of the Covenant. It was there that Gerry began the process of integrating his sexuality with his call to ministry.
Upon moving to New York City to be with the love of his life, Allen Foster, he became involved with another wonderful congregation, Park Avenue Christian Church,a Disciples of Christ congregation. When Gerry decided to leave the Presbyterians it was a natural move for him to join the Disciples. Unfortunately, regional politics prevented him from being ordained in that region of the Disciples. So Gerry and Allen moved across country so he could pursue his call to ordination.
Once settled in San Francisco, Gerry was ordained by yet another wonderful congregation, First Christian Church of San Jose. Gerry worked at this time as an Associate Conference Minister for the Northern California Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ. He also began a long pastorate at another wonderful congregation (don't worry, this is the final one...at least for now), Chalice Christian Church in San Carlos, which is where he pastors still.
At Chalice, Gerry has been involved in LGBT issues and the congregation annually takes part in San Francisco LGBT Pride activities. The congregation actively protested the passage of California's Proposition 8 and the entire congregation attended Gerry & Allen's legal wedding in 2008. In 2001 he was honored by the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies at Pacific School of Religion as one of their "Leading Voices." Gerry is also active in the regional church of the Disciples in Northern California-Nevada and serves openly and proudly. In 2011 he was elected as the Moderator of the Regional Ministry Council.
(This biographical statement provided by Gerry Brague.)
Biography Date: May, 2011
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) | Ecumenical | Ordination/clergy
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