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News, events, updates, and tidbits from the Presbyterian Historical Society. Use tags to read related articles or sort by author for similar posts written by PHS staff members and volunteers.

November 14, 2023

The Ralph Carter Papers have been processed as Record Group 543 and as part of the Pam Byers Memorial Collection (PBMC), and the guide to the records is now available: https://www.history.pcusa.org/collections/research-tools/guides-archival-collections/rg-543

The collection, processed by Lincoln...

June 28, 2023

On Thursday, June 22 at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis MN, PHS board member and public historian Tim Hoogland gave an hour-long presentation on the life and legacy of the Rev. David Sindt. 

Sindt, who grew up in the Twin Cities and came out as an openly gay pastor in the early 1970s, is remembered today as a groundbreaking figure in the struggle for full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ Presbyterians. During the 1974 United Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly in Louisville, Sindt held up a sign reading, “Is Anyone Else Out There Gay?”—a “ministry of presence” that...

June 21, 2023

Most of us recognize the name Sally Ride (1951-2012). Her legacy precedes her: in 1983, as a member of the Challenger’s crew, Ride became the first American woman to go into space. But there are two other things about Sally that are both striking and memorable—she was raised in a Presbyterian family, and she was gay.

Ride was born in Encino, California, in late May 1951. As a young adult, she attended Stanford University, where she earned two degrees: a bachelor’s in physics, and another in English. After graduating in the class of ’73, Ride continued her...

April 24, 2023

In August 2022, PHS staff visited Alexander Library’s Special Collections and University Archives at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey to survey the records of More Light Presbyterians. Staff viewed around 10 cubic ft. of the 54 cubic ft. collection and...

October 14, 2022

This story contains content that may be distressing to readers including accounts of violence and the actions of hate groups against the LGBTQIA+ community.

“We are particularly saddened that some have used the language of religion to insult his family with suggestions that his life was somehow less valuable. The Lord we worship and proclaim made no mention at all of sexual orientation, and welcomes, calls, and redeems all people.”

These were the words of John Buchanan and Bob Bohl, the co-...

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