Ministry works to bring LGBTQ people into the church. 'It really is all about love'

Preaching love and acceptance in a turbulent time, Louisiana Episcopalians are working to rally support for the LGBTQ+ community.

Their latest effort, a fundraising concert, stems from Inclusive Louisiana, an organization of LGBTQ+ Episcopalians and their allies. Inclusive Louisiana’s mission, as described on the website of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, is to help the church "to proclaim and embody God’s all-inclusive love for LGBTQ persons and those who love them."

Clergy within the organization stress the importance of their work.

The Rev. Tommy Dillon, who became the first openly gay priest ordained in the Diocese of Louisiana in 2003, helped form the first version of the group, then called Integrity.

Dillon, now rector of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge, said