(704) 599-9810 | Worship Sundays @ 10:55 a.m.
(704) 599-9810 | Worship Sundays @ 10:55 a.m.
Jun 27, 2025
When a play ignited a city—and helped awaken a congregation to its calling.
In 1996, Charlotte found itself at the center of a national firestorm over art, identity, and public funding. The Charlotte Repertory Theatre dared to stage Angels in America, Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer-winning, AIDS-era epic—a story of heartbreak, faith, and the unyielding cry for LGBTQ+ dignity.
Supporters of the Charlotte Rep production counterprotest on the night of the show’s first performance, March 20, 1996
But the play’s bold portrayal of gay love, grief, and prophecy didn’t sit well with some. Evangelical voices protested its nudity, its themes, and its place in the publicly funded arts scene. In response, the Mecklenburg County Commission slashed $2.5 million in funding from the Arts & Science Council.
“Soft power does not dominate; it persuades. It invites. It empathizes.”
—Rev. Traci Blackmon, UCC
The backlash was fierce—and faithful. Artists, clergy, and citizens united in protest. And justice had the last word: four of the five commissioners who voted to defund the arts lost their seats in the next election. ASC funding was not only restored—it grew.
Set of Angels in America: Charlotte Repertory Theatre 1996
For Holy Covenant, this moment was more than a headline. It was a wake-up call.
The outcry surrounding Angels in America stirred deep reflection within our congregation. If stories like this could be silenced, whose voices were we lifting up? Who was being left out of the circle of welcome? The controversy became a turning point in our spiritual discernment, and just a few years later, in 2000, Holy Covenant boldly claimed its identity as an Open and Affirming (ONA) congregation—a church committed to the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in the life and leadership of the Church.
In the 1996 “Angels in America” by Charlotte Rep, the Angel (Barbi Van Schaick) holds Prior Walter (Alan Poindexter). Observer file photo by L.MUELLER
In the fire of controversy, something sacred was forged: a deeper commitment to love, truth, and justice.
🌈 Join us for worship on Sunday, June 29 at 10:55 AM as we celebrate 25 years of being an Open and Affirming (ONA) congregation.
This special service will include a presentation of heartfelt member stories, reflections, and testimonies gathered from across the years of our O&A journey. All are welcome.
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