Recent Articles
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Houston Chronicle: LGBTQ students at the University of Houston lost their safe space. Affirming faith leaders want to help.
“Caring for and protecting and looking after queer students is part of each of our respective obligations as religious people and religious leaders,” said Rev. Charles Graves IV, an openly gay Episcopalian pastor. “This is our religious call, and we're willing to step up to the plate.”
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ENS: Executive Council adopts statement on Holy Land war after debating use of term ‘potential genocide’
The Rev. Charles Graves IV, a priest in the Diocese of Texas who helped draft Executive Council’s resolution, urged its passage now – his voice breaking with emotion as he underscored the urgency and severity of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. “Two months is a long time in the middle of a war. Two months is a long time when children are dying every day,” Graves said. “Is it the judgment of this body that we should wait and be silent for two more months while children are dying every day?”
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ENS: Executive Council wraps meeting where divided COO vote intensified ongoing dismantling racism discussion
Executive Council also approved a resolution voicing concerns about efforts by some state and local political leaders, most notably in Florida, to limit how Black history is taught in public schools. The resolution was proposed by the Rev. Charles Graves IV, a priest in the Diocese of Texas, who noted that this Executive Council meeting occurred during Black History Month. Graves’ fellow Executive Council members offered enthusiastic support for the measure. (Photo Credit: ENS)
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A Queer-Affirming Spiritual Home for Houston StudentsHouston Chronicle: LGBTQ students at the University of Houston lost their safe space. Affirming faith leaders want to help.
“Graves routinely interacts with students who are disillusioned by the church… or who didn’t grow up in a faith tradition and are curious about religion. Graves welcomes engagement from all these groups…“There’s this whole perception in the church that people are leaving the church because they don’t understand God. I think [sometimes those people] understand God better than we do, [and they also] understand that we, as a whole, as Christians, have not always lived into who we are called to be.”
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Texas Observer: UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON’S LGBTQ+ STUDENTS BUILD NEW COMMUNITY AFTER RESOURCE CENTER CLOSURE
“That’s not what Christianity has to look like,” Graves told us. “The way that my theology works is I believe more than anything that the Jesus I love represents love and care. Loving your neighbor means loving all your neighbors, full stop.” As Graves spoke passionately about campus ministry, he gestured to the various rainbows decorating the corners of his office. While the space was decorated with dozens of crosses, the multitude of pride flags made it look like anything but a typical church.
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ENS: Newly formed House of Deputies caucus takes up the mantle of LGBTQ+ advocacy
The Rev. Charles Graves IV, another member of the planning team who is … a member of Executive Council, hatched the idea for the caucus last summer after being interviewed by ENS for a story about the next phase in the campaign for LGBTQ+ inclusion. With General Convention approaching, Graves asked himself, “Is there anybody who’s organizing around policy?”