COLLINS LECTURE – A Call to Justice: How Faith Communities Can Support LGBTQIA2S+ Rights

At Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon’s 2025 Collins Lecture, we will explore the duty and responsibility of faith leaders to protect the human rights of all people and what that looks like specifically for our LGBTQIA2S+ neighbors. Our guest speakers from the faith community will share their unique perspectives on LGBTQIA2S+ rights (see speakers below). Following a brief presentation from each speaker, they will engage in a facilitated question and answer session.

LOCATION
For the first time ever, the Collins Lecture will be held outside of the Portland metro area at the Pearson Auditorium at the Pendleton Center for the Arts in Pendleton, Ore. This reflects EMO’s commitment to be a statewide organization, reaching beyond the Willamette Valley and focusing further on rural-urban equity in Oregon. A virtual option to watch a live stream of the event will also be available. 

RESERVATIONS
Tickets for the May 29 event are $25 for in person and virtual options. To reserve tickets, please use the form below.

GUEST SPEAKERS

• • Christopher Craun (she/her) joined the Episcopal Church of Western Oregon’s staff in December of 2021 as the Canon to the Ordinary. Previously, she served at St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church as the first woman and openly gay rector of the parish.
  • Ari Grubner (he/him) is the pastor of Grant Park Church in northeast Portland. As an openly gay minister in the American Baptist community, Ari is determined to amplify, honor, and celebrate the voices of those traditionally excluded from participating in the full life and community of the Church.
  • Brad Harper (he/him) is a retired professor and assistant dean of the School of Biblical and Theological Studies at Multnomah University. He is the co-author with his son Drew of “Space at the Table: Conversations between an Evangelical Theologian and His Gay Son,”
  • Aaron Ridings (he/they) is a nonprofit executive and subject matter expert on K-12 education, LGBTQIA2S+ and Indigenous issues. He will share how faith communities can learn about and use the policies in Oregon to support the LGBTQIA2S+ community.

ABOUT THE COLLINS LECTURES
Funded by The Collins Foundation, the annual Collins Lecture began under the Portland Council of Churches in 1967 and has been a pillar of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon’s education and dialogue programming since our founding in 1974. This event explores issues related to religion and social ethics and bravely takes on subjects at the center of current events. 

This event is not sponsored by the Pendleton Center for the Arts. PCA invites private groups to rent the facility for a wide range of functions.