Purpose of the Coalition
The Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches is a collaboration of more than 100 churches and other ministries in the Chicago metropolitan area which welcome and affirm people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. We have two goals:
- To spread the message of our members' LGBTQ-inclusion across the Chicago metropolitan area, mindful that a positive message about sexual and family diversity is a gift to all people.
- To connect the leaders, members, and guests of our partner churches for fellowship and education, enabling support and resource-sharing for the practices of faithful welcome.
Coalition Programs
Year-Round Programs
We work throughout the year to spread the message of inclusion and to connect our members to one another and to resources of interest to welcoming faith communities.
Weekly Advertisement in the Windy City Times
Justice Witness on behalf of the Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches, Planning Team members author relevant press releases and letters, and also sign petitions (for example, on marriage equality). In addition, we may encourage attendance in area protests, vigils and other gatherings for social change.
Subscribe to Coalition Bulletins
The Coalition's calendar lists The Coalition's meetings and activities, important events in LGBTQ+ history, events related to LGBTQ+ inclusion, and our partner congregations and affiliates public LGBTQ+ relevant events.
Our partners and other allies may email us at chicagowelcomingchurches
Occasional Gatherings are held three or four times a year. These are usually a blend of fellowship, worship and work.
Pride-Month Programs
Coalition Worship Service(s) feature ecumenical and LGBTQ+ pride themes during the month of June.
Other worship and educational events are hosted by our partner congregations and/or cosponsored by the Coalition.
Chicago's Annual Pride Parade
Each year, we turn out in force for an impressive witness of welcome in the Annual Chicago Pride Parade. For the last several years, as many as 400 members of our partner congregations and affiliates have marched together representing our Coalition and the welcoming churches of the Chicago metropolitan area. We were by far the largest unit in the parade.
However, in 2024 the city and the parade organizers limited the number of people who could walk in our unit. For the first time in pride parade history we had to turn away churches that wished to join us. We were limited to 150 members of our partner congregations.
Consequently, we have had to limit each congregation to four participants in the Pride Parade, and we have required that each congregation register before the parade
Co-Sponsored Programs
Co-sponsored programs include:
- Pride worship services during June
- Events that Coalition volunteer leaders envision, and for which they reach out for co-sponsorship for logistical and/or outreach support from one or more local partner congregations
- Events that Coalition partner congregations or affiliates envision, and for which they seek Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Church's name for co-sponsorship
Co-sponsorship will be considered for approval by the Coalition's Planning Team.
Coalition History
The Chicago Coalition of Welcming Churches was born in August 2000 following the WOW2000 conference, the first nationwide conference of the ecumenical Welcoming Churches Movement. The conference, held in DeKalb, Illinois, was planned by a number of Chicago-area LGBTQ+ people and their allies who committed to nurturing further local collaboration.
Since its founding, the Coalition has grown from those first few member congregations to over 100 churches and affiliates today.
Coalition Bylaws
The Bylaws of the Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches in pdf form
