Gay Rector to Lead San Leandro Episcopal Church

When Father Justin Cannon begins his tenure as rector at San Leandro All Saints Episcopal Church this month, he will, at 31, be one of the youngest senior pastors in the Episcopal Church. And that's not the only distinction he bears. Cannon is gay, and, as rector, he will be one of just a handful of LGBT leaders in the Bay Area's Episcopal diocese.

For Cannon, the position comes with a mission: "Marginal populations haven't always been embraced by Christianity. I want them to know that they are welcome at this church," he said in an interview.

While Cannon describes himself as a "cradle Episcopalian," born into the faith, understanding how his sexuality and faith could live alongside each other came to a head in 2002 when a student at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, wrote a letter condemning homosexuality in the Earlham Press, the school's student newspaper. The letter cited Leviticus 18:22 as a reason to repudiate homosexual people. Cannon, then a freshman at Earlham College, responded to the letter and pointed out the contradiction of citing a specific Israelite law while ignoring the other edicts in the Bible like the prohibition on shellfish or mixing fabrics.

"While writing the letter to the editor, I admitted to myself that I wasn't just defending my gay friends, I was doing this because I was defending myself as a gay man," said Cannon.

Cannon said the admission scared him, but after two and a half years of solo Bible study, Cannon reconciled his sexuality and his religious beliefs.

Prior to coming out to his parents and Bishop Edwin Leidel, Cannon organized what he had learned during his Bible study into an essay about homosexuality and the Christian faith. Knowing that he eventually wanted to be a pastor, Cannon said he wanted his family and the church leadership to understand how he could come out as gay and maintain his Christian faith.

After reading the essay, Leidel suggested that he publish the text and arranged to assist with the cost of printing a book.

Published under the title The Bible, Christianity, and Homosexuality, Cannon's book was reviewed favorably by the Los Angeles Times and other media outlets.

In 2005, shortly before Cannon graduated from Earlham, he was recognized as a "Future Gay Hero" in an article in the Advocate and interviewed on the Michelangelo Signorile Show on SIRIUS OutQ. Out magazine recognized Cannon in 2006 in its annual Top 100 most influential gay people of the year.

Cannon has since edited two other books on the subject of homosexuality and the church, launched a website called Inclusive Orthodoxy, and, in 2010, founded a group called Holy Hikes.

Holy Hikes meets monthly in various Bay Area locations to celebrate the Holy Eucharist via a nature hike. Cannon has confirmed that Holy Hikes will continue while he is serving as rector at All Saints.

"I'm always looking for ways to bring us beyond the walls of the church. Trying to reach out to people who might be hungering for spiritual community and letting them know that they are welcome in the Episcopal Church just as they are," said Cannon.

At All Saints, Cannon's sexuality was not the driving force for his appointment as rector. Claire Burke, the rector's warden - the official head of the congregation that is not a priest or deacon - said that the search committee was attracted to Cannon's engaging personality, familiarity and expertise with social media, inclusiveness, and his knowledge of ecology and its relationship to Christian stewardship.

While All Saints does have members who identify as LGBT, Burke said that church leaders hope to expand their outreach to the queer community and believes that Cannon will be able to help them do so.

"We feel Justin will challenge us and take us in some new directions," said Burke.

Still, Cannon recognizes that growing the 150-member church has its hurdles.

"Christianity has, over the centuries, been used to hurt a lot of people. There is work we need to do to reach beyond our walls to welcome people. The burden now is on us. We need to go out into the community and find ways to restore those relationships," said Cannon.

Cannon's first service as the new rector will be Sunday, January 10 during a traditional service at 8 a.m. and a contemporary service at 10:15. The church is located at 911 Dowling Boulevard in San Leandro. For more information, visit www.saintsalive.net