Steve and Mike live north of Boston. They both work in the health care industry are also motorcycle enthusiasts. They were married at Old South in 2008.
Old South was the site of a pretty important day in your relationship—your marriage. How did you find your way here?
Steve: I was raised Catholic, but, as a gay man, I felt alienated in the Catholic church and had stopped attending Mass. When Mike and I first started dating, we lived in separate states. Mike introduced me to Protestantism and when I would visit him in New York, we attended a gay-friendly church.
Mike: After I moved to Boston to be with Steve, we began looking for a new church home. Finding a gay-friendly church that was centered on preaching and worship of the triune God was really important to me.
What do you guys appreciate about being part of this faith community?
Mike: I love that this church is both progressive and Christ-centered, and that it’s both historic and innovative at the same time. The preaching is powerful, beautiful and challenging. You feel comforted that God loves you but you’ll also be challenged to do something with that knowledge. I love the music at the 9AM service—it’s uplifting, free-spirited and moving.
Steve: I share Mike’s feelings. Old South is genuinely open, warm, and inviting. And the ministers here really help me understand how the words of the Bible translate into real life, into actionable things I can do to make a difference every day.
Like what?
Steve: Well, for example, Mike and I have gotten involved with Sunday’s Bread, a meal service program at the Church of St. John the Evangelist where Old South members regularly go to serve. Opportunities like this give me a chance to put my faith into action.
Mike, you’ve recently made a big decision regarding your future—do you care to share that with us?
Mike: You mean ordination? Yes, I’m hoping to become a minister! I grew up going to church but didn’t become serious about my faith until my freshman year of college where I really started to develop a personal relationship with Jesus. Over the past few years I have felt an increasing calling to ordained ministry. I’m enrolled part-time at Andover Newton. Though I attended Presbyterian churches my whole life, my experience at Old South has led me to seek ordination in the United Church of Christ.
Steve, it seems like the past few years have been a time of renewed faith for you. Tell us about that.
Steve: Ah, where to begin. As I mentioned previously, I was born and raised Catholic. I attended Catholic school and never missed Mass. My mom had an incredible faith in God and she tried to instill that in each of her children. As I became more self aware and eventually came out, I grew away from the church and convinced myself that I didn’t need organized religion. When Mike came into my life, he introduced me to communities of faith that welcomed me with all of the gifts and uniqueness that God has bestowed upon me. During this same period, my mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Faced with losing the single most important woman in my life, I realized that the one thing carrying me through the pain and devastation was my faith in God. Old South has given me a place to reconnect with God and strengthen that faith.
You guys seem to have a strong sense of God’s presence in your lives.
Mike: I think that’s true. On my good days, I see God working through the actions of other people to make this world more just and hopeful. On my bad days, when I want to give up hope that things can get better, I can feel the Spirit nudging me to be more forgiving, more hopeful and more honest about my own shortcomings.
Steve: God has blessed me with a wonderful husband, home, and amazingly supportive family and group of friends. Without God, none of these treasures would be possible.
