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Leesburg Presbyterian Church

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JOINED

June 16, 2025


INDUSTRY

Faith




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DESCRIPTION


Leesburg Presbyterian Church is a community of faith, sharing in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit. As God’s people in an ever-changing world, we believe God is calling us to be a vibrant congregation of children, youth, and adults where we, foster a sense of deep belonging to God and to each other, embrace people at different stages of their faith journey and together we seek to deepen our understanding of the Christian faith and invite and embrace ALL to experience God’s transforming presence in our midst.


General Survey

Question: How many of your employees or volunteers are members of the LGBTQ+ community?

Answer: unknown


Question: Are your leadership, human resources, employees, or volunteers provided or required to utilize LGBTQ-specific training or educational content each year?

Answer: Some are required to have LGBTQ-specific training, but not all.


Question: How often do you believe your leadership, human resources, employees, or volunteers utilize LGBTQ-specific training or educational content each year?

Answer: We have year-round shows of support that are specifically affirming or positive for the LGBTQ+ community.


Question: Do you feel that your policies and procedures cover LGBTQ-specific needs for all of your employees, staff, and volunteers?

Answer: We have used references from LGBTQ+ organizations to build our policies and procedures.


Question: Do you feel that your policies and procedures cover LGBTQ-specific needs for your those who rely on your service?

Answer: We prohibit anti-queer messaging or scripture to be taught., We accept queer individuals as members of our place of worship., We have intervened in support of a queer individual on behalf of our faith., We perform same-sex marriages., We allow queer people to serve in leadership in our place of worship., We perform marriages involving transgender individuals., We accept queer people to serve as mentors or godparents., We accept and support queer parents (whether through adoption or biological means)., We accept and support queer youth and affirm their place in our place of worship., We support transgender children seeking transition-related healthcare.


Question: How well do you feel that you and your staff are doing at creating an accepting and affirming presence for the LGBTQ+ community?

Answer: Discuss families other than hetero normative make-ups., Allows LGBTQ+ youth or young adults to serve in leadership.


Place of Worship Survey

Question: Please list the title or denomination that best suits your place of worship.

Answer: Presbyterian Church (USA)


Question: How long has your congregation been LGBTQ+ friendly?

Answer: In 2014, the General Assembly passed a measure that permits ministers and sessions (local church government), “to use their own discernment to conduct same-sex marriage ceremonies where allowed by law.” In addition, the General Assembly recommended an amendment to update the description of marriage in the denomination’s Book of Order so that it would no longer exclude same-sex couples. Effective June 2015, the amendment to the Book of Order updates the description of marriage as “a unique commitment between two people, traditionally a man and a woman.” The latter was added during debate of the amendment on the floor of the General Assembly out of respect to the denomination’s more conservative members. In 2018, “the 223rd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) voted to affirm its commitment to the full welcome, acceptance, and inclusion of transgender people, people who identify as gender non-binary, and people of all gender identities within the full life of the church and the world. The added that “The assembly affirms the church’s obligation to stand for the right of people of all gender identities to live free from discrimination, violence, and every form of injustice.” It went further to lament "the ways that the policies and actions of the PC(USA) have caused gifted, faithful, LGBTQIA+ Christians to leave the Presbyterian church so that they could find a more welcoming place to serve, as they have been gifted and called by the Spirit. https://pcusa.org/ and https://www.hrc.org/resources/stances-of-faiths-on-lgbt-issues-presbyterian-church-usa


Question: Please describe ways in which you ensure that queer individuals, couples, and families are made to feel welcomed in your space.

Answer: We prohibit anti-queer messaging or scripture to be taught., We accept queer individuals as members of our place of worship., We have intervened in support of a queer individual on behalf of our faith., We perform same-sex marriages., We allow queer people to serve in leadership in our place of worship., We perform marriages involving transgender individuals., We accept queer people to serve as mentors or godparents., We accept and support queer parents (whether through adoption or biological means)., We accept and support queer youth and affirm their place in our place of worship., We support transgender children seeking transition-related healthcare.


Question: Please indicate which of the following are TRUE for your place of worship:

Answer: We prohibit anti-queer messaging or scripture to be taught., We accept queer individuals as members of our place of worship., We have intervened in support of a queer individual on behalf of our faith., We perform same-sex marriages. We allow queer people to serve in leadership in our place of worship. We perform marriages involving transgender individuals. We accept queer people to serve as mentors or godparents., We accept and support queer parents (whether through adoption or biological means)., We accept and support queer youth and affirm their place in our place of worship., We support transgender children seeking transition-related healthcare.



Question: Which queer organizations have you worked with, donated to, or supported- now or in the past?

Answer: Trevor Project, Loudoun Pride, More Light Presbyterians


Question: Please describe your faith’s view of same-sex relationships:

Answer: We are human beings created to love and be loved. We have been created in the image of God to live in community and connection with God and  each other, as we love God with all our hearts, minds and souls. We understand that the way of Jesus is to love kindly, exercise mercy and walk humbly with God.  A relationship is a commitment to support unconditionally to trust, to care, to build up the other and to always love the way God loves us which is without limitations.


Question: Does your congregation believe that being queer is an immutable characteristic imbued by God or are they influenced, changed, or chosen based on man-made behaviors, decisions, and beliefs? Please explain:

Answer: We believe that God is a God of an unlimited welcome and love. We long to love others the way God loves us. Our priority is  to get out of the way and let the love of Jesus transform us as individuals, so that our local community and the world can experience how wide, long and deep is the unconditional  love of Jesus.




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