Retired Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay priest to be ordained a bishop in the Episcopal Church (USA), delivered a call to action Sunday, urging  the congregation gathered at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church to remain vigilant in the fight for equality.

Robinson was the homilist at the Chestnut Hill church’s fourth annual “Pride Evensong,” an evening service that celebrates the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community to the church. 

With an engaging sense of humor, Robinson’s sermon looked back over the two decades since his controversial 2003 election. He shared his unwavering belief in a loving God who welcomes all his creatures into his holy church and argued that much has been accomplished when it comes to including the LBGTQ+ community into society and the church. But, he said, the ugly head of bigotry is never far from the surface. 

 In an amazing twist of  “local connection,” Robinson was consecrated as a coadjutor (assistant) bishop of New Hampshire in 2003 by Bishop Frank Griswold, then-leader of the national denomination. Griswold, who was born in Bryn Mawr, served as rector at St. Martin’s Church from 1976 until 1985 when he was elected a coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Chicago. 

Robinson’s consecration was so controversial that both Griswoald and Robinson were known to have worn bullet-proof vests. Robinson's elevation to bishop set off protests within the church and was a factor in some clergy departing the denomination and what became a schism in the church.

On Sunday, St. Martin’s Pride Evensong service followed the traditional format of Choral Evensong, but with all the music written by LBGTQ+ composers. Scores by musicians such as Audrey Snyder, James Paul Buonemani, David Hogan, Sarah MacDonald, Dorothy Stevens and John Ireland were chosen by parish Director of Music and Arts Tyrone Whiting as examples of the invaluable contribution of the LBGTQ+ community to the musical treasury of the Anglican Communion, in particular, and the Christian church as a whole.

Choral Evensong occupies a kind of middle ground all its own. When Thomas Cranmer, the first Protestant archbishop of Canterbury, oversaw the first Book of Common Prayer for the Church of England in 1549, he combined Roman Vespers and Compline to produce the Anglican Evening Service. Cranmer was one of the all-time greatest masters of the English language and his liturgy is a masterpiece of reassurance at the end of the day.

 With Gabriel Benton accompanying on the organ, Whiting led his choir with passion and precision. Diction was exceptionally admirable, tuning was excellent during unaccompanied passages, dynamics were broadly conceived and diligently focused, and a dramatic line of narrative was sustained throughout the service.

The congregation appeared to be one of the largest gathered for an Evensong service. Expressing optimism and concern, Robinson encouraged the congregation not to sit back and bask in what has been accomplished so far,  but to move forward so that no minority, in either the church or society, is left outside looking in.

“God is love and loves us because he made us as we are,” Robinson said.

And, as an enticing tidbit for Northwest Philadelphia residents, Robinson mentioned that he would be returning in October for the world premiere of choral works based on his writings to be performed by Dominick DiOrio and the Mendelssohn Choir at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Chestnut Hill.

You can contact Michael Caruso at Michael-caruso@comcast.net.