Join LAMP

Membership in LAMP is open to all Christian individuals and all Christian ministries in the greater Pittsburgh area who pay annual dues and make a one-time endorsement of LAMP’s mission statement as follows:

“We share a vision of a Pittsburgh where LGBTQIA+ people are nurtured, connected, and know they are loved by God.  We will work together to do ministry at the intersection of LGBTQIA+ and Christian identities through connecting folks to God, each other, and resources inside and outside of faith communities.”

The greatest benefits are in the networking and cooperation opportunities that LAMP members share with each other.  Ministry members share news, volunteers, resources, and finances, increasing the overall impact of their queer ministry efforts beyond what they could do individually.  Ministries may also publicize that they belong to LAMP, which may help them attract queer Christians seeking congregations or mission organizations to participate in.

Individual members are able to join LAMP’s Discord server and enjoy the community there, and they have the benefit of being eligible to serve on LAMP’s volunteer Board and help steer the organization. 

To join as an individual, look over the mission statement above and if you agree with it simply pay the individual dues.  To assist a ministry in joining, bring this FAQ sheet to your ministry’s decision making team and use whatever formal process you have in place to endorse LAMP’s mission statement.  Once your ministry has done that, mail your dues and identify the ministry’s contact for future communications (e.g. a clerk of session, pastor, committee chair).  In either case, when LAMP receives the money we will update our records and you will get a communication back that you have joined!  We suggest that ministries encourage one or two of their personnel to join as individual members to participate in LAMP’s decision making.

LAMP has no employees or contractors and is run entirely by unpaid volunteers.  Dues are used toward receipt-reimbursable costs pre-approved by LAMP’s Volunteer Board.  Historically that has included registration fees at Pride, small giveaways like temporary glitter tattoos, and our website and teleconference account subscriptions.

Dues are accepted when first joining and annually thereafter in January. They are priced at $5 for individuals and we have suggested dues of $100 - $400 per ministry, based on ministry size:

• < 25 people $100

• 25-100 people $200

• 100-200 people $300

• 200 people + $400

Additional gifts beyond dues are also very welcome!

There are two ways: If you wait for your annual membership to lapse, your status will move from “active” to “historical” until dues are paid again.  If you wish to remove yourself early, you may contact LAMP to ask that the volunteer leadership change your status to “withdrawn”.  LAMP may also choose to discontinue partnerships with a member if the individual or ministry is interfering with LAMP’s mission.

LAMP considers payment of dues to reflect continued endorsement of LAMP’s mission statement.  Since the statement may evolve over time, members will be apprised so that they can continue to make that endorsement with full consent.

Mail it please!  LAMP only accepts payments of cash or check.  Please make checks out to “Waverly Presbyterian Church” with the word LAMP in the memo line.  Mail cash or checks to:

LAMP c/o Waverly Presbyterian Church
590 S BRADDOCK AVE
PITTSBURGH, PA 15221

Unfortunately not.  The work LAMP does is cooperative among many organizations and individuals, and is not a program of any one entity.  The collaborators do not have an independent 501(c)(3) status, which means your donation is not tax deductible.