Broad Street Ministry ordains Phila.’s 1st openly gay minister

PHILADELPHIA When David Norse first stepped into the Broad Street Ministry on Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts and spotted the art installation of a dozen tilting metal windmills and glimpsed the flocks of origami birds suspended from the ceiling, he felt a connection.

"This is the place," he recalled thinking a few years ago when he first visited the church across the street from the Kimmel Center. "I'm home."

On Sunday, Norse, 27, was ordained at Broad Street Ministry as Philadelphia's first openly gay male minister in a Presbyterian church.

Norse's proud parents, Rachel and Richard, flew in from Portland, Ore., along with the Rev. Ken Evers-Hood, Norse's hometown minister and mentor. The joyful service featured an eclectic musical mix, with sing-alongs of "This Little Light of Mine," an anthem from the civil rights movement, and a rousing rendition of Sister Sledge's pop classic "We are Family."

The Rev. Bill Golderer, Broad Street's pastor, said the ordination of Norse, who recently earned a master's degree from the Princeton Theological Seminary, marked "an unleashing of David's gifts to the world."

In an earlier interview, Golderer said Norse's ordination reflected the Center City ministry's commitment to serving a diverse Christian community. The ministry has a large outreach program for the homeless and strong ties with the local arts community.

"While David's sexual orientation is an important part of his identity, he sees himself first and foremost as someone called to pastor God's people," said Golderer, who was tapped in 2005 to establish the alternative church. "He is very much into this being a dimension of who he is, but not the sum total."

"Broad Street has always been a place that welcomes people," said Norse, who worshipped at the church while at Princeton and who has been a pastoral associate since September.

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Broad Street Ministry ordains Phila.'s 1st openly gay minister