The Rev. Kyle Ann Lovett, one of the few openly gay ministers in Hawaii, is leaving the Church of the Crossroads by mutual agreement after four years as its pastor.
An invitation-only farewell party will be held July 11, and her last Sunday at the University Avenue church pulpit will be July 13. Crossroads, part of the United Church of Christ denomination, describes itself as an "open and affirming" church and has long been a front-runner in social justice movements in Hawaii.
Linda Rich, moderator of Crossroads, said Lovett "was not terminated; she did not resign. We reached a mutual agreement to part ways at this point," adding that "disagreements in faith communities are very common."
Crossroads will hire an interim minister for a period before the formal search for a new pastor begins.
Lovett, who moved to the islands from California four years ago, said she has been gratified by the connections she developed with people of various ethnic and religious backgrounds and with those who have lived in Hawaii a long time.
"They have taught me a lot," she said. "I have a much deeper investment in the aloha of Hawaii, and to be able to stay (in the state) would be great. But again, we make plans and God laughs."
During her tenure at Crossroads, Lovett worked to improve the infrastructure of the church and to install environmentally sustainable renovations. Other accomplishments were in the realm of progressive theological inquiry, personal spiritual development, creative worship experiences and increasing church membership and leadership development among members.
"We’re very proud of the leadership that she took and her tremendous skills of advocacy and activism," Rich said. "She’s been a real gift to the community in terms of her being able to so very positively represent the LGBT community, especially during the marriage equality" legislative session held last fall.
In November, Hawaii became the 15th state plus the District of Columbia to allow gay marriage. The special session that began Oct. 28 came after the U.S. Supreme Court in June struck down parts of the Defense of Marriage Act and allowed married same-sex couples to receive federal benefits.
Lovett said disagreements that prompted her departure were caused by a variety of reasons tied to "different expectations about what a minister is" and communication issues.
"It was a mutual decision that the best thing to do for the health and vitality of the church is for us to part company," Lovett said. She added, "Church of the Crossroads has been on the forefront of social justice action and witness in the community, and we continued and improved that over the last couple of years."
