Glitter+Ash Wednesday claims and transforms a historically Lenten ritual as God’s holy affirmation of Queer existence.
By wearing Glitter+Ash today, you are part of a public Christian witness taking place throughout the US, the UK, and Canada. Ashes are an in-your-face statement that death and suffering are real. Ashes are a sign that we repent of our role in the violence that pervades our world, especially violence against queer and trans people and LGBTQ asylum seekers.
The glitter is a sign of our hope and fierce relentless love. Glitter+Ash is a powerful reminder of St. Augustine’s teaching that we cannot despair, because despair paralyzes.
Glitter signals our promise to repent, to show up, to witness, to work. Glitter never gives up – and neither do we.
Glitter+Ash is a joint venture of Middle Church, St. Lydia’s Dinner Church, Parity and the Stone Catcher Project.
Love God. Love Neighbor. Love Self. Love. Period.
Due to fire, we are worshipping at Judson Memorial:
55 Washington Square South, New York, NY
©2025 Middle Church. All Rights Reserved
Through Love, we are each created in God’s image and filled with the Divine Spark. No matter whom we love, no matter how we look, no matter where we are on our journey, God’s imprint is in every person of every race/ethnicity, every gender, and every sexual orientation. We believe God speaks many languages and is calling us on many paths to peace—Shalom. We believe that Love put on flesh—brown, poor, Jewish baby flesh—and came to live among us. We believe God lives among us still; we are the living body of Christ. We are the hands, feet, and heartbeat of God. We believe the Spirit of God calls us to freedom, and we are not free until all of us are free.