The Right Reverend Mark Lattime, Episcopal Bishop of Alaska, will ordain Sara Gavit to the Sacred Order of Deacons at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Anchorage this Saturday.

Sara Gavit is the Pastoral Minister at St. Mary’s. Her work involves providing a spiritual presence to those in need, both within the church and in the broader community. At the core of her outreach ministry are the issues of homelessness, domestic violence, environmental stewardship, and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality .

She is the president of the Interfaith Council of Anchorage, a member of the Anchorage Coalition on Homelessness, and a member of a local ecumenical group of Christian leaders working together to create more shared ministry and fellowship opportunities. She is the convener of the Alaska chapter of  Integrity, an advocacy/support organization for GLBT members within the national Episcopal Church, and is on the Board of Directors of New Life Alaska, which serves homeless GLBT teens.  Sara is an adjunct professor at University of Alaska Anchorage and is completing a Master of Divinity degree at St. John’s University School of Theology. Sara has two amazing adult daughters and two beautiful grandchildren. She and her wife Patricia were married in Vancouver, B.C. Canada in 2009.

Deacons within the Episcopal Church — a mainline Christian church of the Anglican Communion — are members of one of three distinct orders of ordained ministry, along with with bishops and priests. In the Episcopal Church, a deacon exercises a special ministry of servanthood directly under the deacon’s bishop, serving all people and especially those in need. The Episcopal Church is one of four mainline Christian denominations — the others being the United Church of Christ, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Presbyterian Church (USA) — which have opened opportunities for full membership, leadership, and service to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons. The Episcopal Church’s 2009 General Convention affirmed that “gays and lesbians (that are) in lifelong committed relationships,” may be ordained, saying that “God has called and may call such individuals to any ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church.”

Join St. Mary’s and the Anchorage community she serves in celebrating Sara’s ordination this Saturday. Congratulations, Sara!

• Date/time: Saturday, June 4, 4:00 PM
• Location: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 2222 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, AK 99507 (see map)
• Special note: A potluck reception will follow in Waldron Hall (next to the church); please bring a light dish to share.
• Further info: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church website