Who We Are
We are a faith-based community resource center grounded in the Anglican tradition, fully LGBTQ+ affirming, and committed to building individual and community resilience.
Our mission is to provide holistic support to LGBTQ+ people and those affected by poverty through social/emotional, material, and spiritual support as well as education and advocacy programs, serving those in the AuSable River Valley and surrounding counties.
Our vision is a world in which people marginalized by their gender, sexuality, or socioeconomic status are able to flourish.
What We Believe
As a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan, we are committed to the Baptismal Covenant of The Episcopal Church. This means we affirm all the statements from the Nicene Creed as laid out in 381 CE. The Baptismal Covenant of The Episcopal Church reads, in part:
Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers?
I will, with God's help.
Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?
I will, with God's help.
Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?
I will, with God's help.
Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
I will, with God's help.
Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
I will, with God's help.
As people of faith committed to seeking and serving Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves, striving for justice and peace among all people, and respecting the dignity of every human being, we believe there is not a single person on this Earth who God does not love, who is not an expression of the image of God, or who does not deserve dignity. We recognize and mourn the harm inflicted by the Church on LGBTQ+ people, women, and other marginalized people. We also believe that the Good News of Jesus Christ is good news particularly for the poor, the marginalized, and the suffering, and seek to offer that Good News in tangible ways.
Commitment to our Baptismal Covenant is in no way a requirement to access our community, nor is it a requirement in order to collaborate with us or access services we offer. We do not require participation in any of our worship services or Bible Study in order to access services or other programs. We welcome people of all faiths or none at all under our roof, with no strings attached. Our only condition is that those participating in our programs respect the dignity of all people, treating others as they wish to be treated.
What We Do
We provide holistic care and safe community for those traditionally marginalized in our communities. Our growing offerings are based around four program pillars:
Social & Emotional Support
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Peer Support Groups
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Community Events
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Directories of LGBTQ+ safe and affirming local resources
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Arts and Music Events
Material Support
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Transition Closet
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Coordination with local food pantries
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Personal Needs Closet
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STI Testing Clinics
Spiritual Support
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Bible Study
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Devotional Prayer
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Seasonal Observances
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Moments of celebration and lament for events close to the LGBTQ+ Community
Education & Advocacy
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Community Education Programs
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Legal Name Change Workshops
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Community Organizing Workshops
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Speaker and visitor availability
Our Leadership
Beyond the leadership of the Episcopal diocese, the AuSable Inclusion Center is served by a ministry developer and a discernment team and is in the process of developing an Advisory Board.
Current Leadership:
Discernment Committee
In 2023, a team began gathering to consider the possibility of establishing a community resource center in the building that formerly housed the now-closed St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in Mio, Michigan.
This team includes:
The Rev. Jen Adams, Priest serving Grace Episcopal Church in Holland, MI and founding member of Out on the Lakeshore
Scott Ellis, Executive Director of Great Lakes Bay Pride
Canon Katie Forsyth, Canon for Evangelism and Networking for the Episcopal Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan
Greg Gwaltney, Founding member of Great Lakes Bay Pride
Chris Lauckner, Founding member and Chair Emeritus of Great Lakes Bay Pride
The Rev. Beckett Leclaire, Deacon and Ministry Developer
These leaders recognized how under-served the LGBTQ+ community was in north-central and north-eastern lower Michigan, along with the overlap in needs between the LGBTQ+ community, women, and people in poverty. This team has been overseeing the process of developing a mission and vision, identifying sources of funding, conducting an independent professional needs assessment, and preparing for program launching.
Ministry Developer
The Rev. Beckett Leclaire
The Rev. Beckett Leclaire spent his childhood in Glennie and Tawas City, MI and a village in Michigan's thumb before attending the University of Mississippi, where he studied history, religious studies, and Spanish. In 2019, he graduated from the Academy for Vocational Leadership, a program associated with the Episcopal Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan with the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, TX.
As a Northern Michigan native and as a trans man, Deacon Beck has been aware of the lack of community support and resources for LGBTQ+ folks "up north." With experience developing another new ministry, Holy Hikes Great Lakes, and having supported diocesan education work around LGBTQ+ inclusion, he began to feel a call to serve that part of the state that has always been his spiritual home.
Coming Soon:
Advisory Board
An advisory board to oversee governance and program development and implementation is being identified. It will be composed of 4-6 individuals, at least half of which will be members of our target populations, and at least one of which will be a lay or clergy leader from a religious tradition other than The Episcopal Church.