“Well, welcome home, babies!”

That was the greeting Rev. Tim Burger received the first time he and his friends nervously entered a gay bar in early adulthood. The Orlando shooting brought the image of not just the first time one ever went to a gay bar, but also the importance of the gay bar to our collective pasts – either coming to terms with being in the LGBT community or a new area. One of the ways this columnist’s family decided Worcester was a safe community was the rainbow flag on top of what we later found out was a gay bar. Now, the bar has better signage, but at the time, it was easy to find the flag but difficult to distinguish it from the butcher shop and auto mechanic shop that it abuts. We saw the symbol as potent.

The day of the shooting, I helped organize a vigil at the same bar – the MB Lounge. I felt it was a necessary show of community. I was so pleased to see our entire community come together, not just LGBT people, but also our activist allies. It really felt like a wake, but it was so necessary. I was invited by the mayor to attend the prayer vigils at the Islamic Society of Worcester, so I went and was genuinely touched by the welcoming of the members.

Later, the faith community organized an interfaith prayer vigil at City Hall. It was quite a sight to see the more-than 30 representatives from various faith organizations there! There were two people of faith that stood out for me. One I had seen that Sunday night at the Islamic Society, and the other was an Episcopal priest named Tim Burger.

Tim’s talk riveted the audience and moved so many people; even the other priests offered to have him speak to their congregations because his talk was so poignant. He spoke of the gay bar as sanctuary. The gar bar, not just as a safe zone and a gathering spot, but also as a genuinely sacred place. The hair rose on the back of my neck; it was so true and touching. It was something I had certainly thought, but never expressed. I was so moved by his talk of the first night of dancing and communing with friends as a baptismal that I had to meet him.

Tim is the priest-in-charge at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Turns out Tim and I have similar pasts. He is also from the south, a small town near Athens, Ga. He was also raised in a conservative church. He also came here to Worcester with his husband and their two children. His husband, Greg Lisby, is the rector at All Saints Episcopal Church.

I spoke to Tim about the tragedy and how it was doubly heartbreaking because the shooter targeted both LGBT people and people of color. This part of our community still struggles for acceptance in their own homes.

We also talked about a way forward, not just in Worcester, but in our increasingly divided country. What he said resonated with me and echoed what I heard some of our local elected officials, such as Mayor Petty and Congressman McGovern, say about our need for multiple points of view.

Tim said, “We need to hold people in reverence for who they are, even while we disagree with them.”

Although my husband and I didn’t stay in the Episcopal church, I hold a special affinity for it, and who knows – maybe we will end up there to hear Tim again!

Have an idea for a new column topic? Email John@JohnArt.com.

By John Trobaugh