Jimmy Creech papers, 1972-2014 and undated

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Summary

Creator:
Creech, Jimmy, 1944- and Long, Patricia
Abstract:
James (Jimmy) Edward Creech (1944-) is a former United Methodist minister and activist. He was an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church from 1970 to 1999, serving as a minister in North Carolina and Omaha, Nebraska, and as the North Carolina Council of Churches' liaison with the North Carolina General Assembly. In 1999, The United Methodist Church revoked his credentials of ordination following two church trials for defying this prohibition by conducting covenant ceremonies for two same-sex couples in 1997 and 1999. Collection includes printed material, documentation of the church trials, and Creech's sermons and writings, including the original unedited manuscript of his memoir, Adam's Gift, initially entitled, The Church on Trial.
Extent:
16.8 Linear Feet
16 Megabytes
Language:
Materials in English
Collection ID:
RL.11114

Background

Scope and content:

Organized into three series, Church Life, Activist Work, and Writings, the Jimmy Creech papers (12,375 items) contain correspondence, notes, research files, printed material, ephemera, clippings and articles, and audio recordings from Creech's time as a United Methodist minister and LGBT rights activist. The papers span 1981-2014, with a bulk of the collection covering the 1990s during which time he was a United Methodist minister in North Carolina, the Program Associate for the North Carolina Council of Churches, and eventually became the senior pastor at First United Methodist Church in Omaha, Nebraska. A bulk of the Church Life series covers the two church trials brought against Creech in 1998 and 1999 by The United Methodist Church for his conducting covenant ceremonies for same-sex couples. Much of this series consists of correspondence received by Creech from his supporters and opponents during these trials. The Activist Work series holds files from Creech's advocacy for civil and human rights, especially for members of the LGBT community. Activist Work series documents Creech's speaking engagements and attendance at conferences across the country in support of LGBT rights. This series also contains files from Creech's work against the death penalty, including correspondence with death row inmates in the 1990s. A part of the Activist Work series, The RRNGLE (Raleigh Religious Network for Gay and Lesbian Equality) subseries contains materials created and given to Creech by RRNGLE member Patricia Long. Creech was co-founder and chairperson of RRNGLE, an ecumenical group designed to publicly challenge religious antigay rhetoric. Long's files include interviews with RRNGLE members and documents pertaining to her efforts to publish a book on the organization. Original audiovisual material and electronic records are also included in the collection.

Biographical / historical:

James (Jimmy) Edward Creech, born October 21, 1944, holds a master's of divinity from Duke University, granted in 1970. Following his ordination, he served as a minister at several churches in North Carolina, including Warsaw United Methodist Church and Fairmont United Methodist Church in Raleigh. He began to advocate for gay rights after a congregant came out to him in 1984. While at Fairmont between 1987 and 1990, he co-founded and was chairperson of the Raleigh Religious Network for Gay and Lesbian Equality, an ecumenical group designed to publicly challenge religious antigay rhetoric. Due to backlash following his outspoken advocacy for gay rights, including his decision to march in a gay pride parade, Creech was denied reappointment as minister of Fairmont in 1990. From 1991 to 1996, Creech was the Program Associate with the North Carolina Council of Churches. He was the council's legislative liaison with the North Carolina General assembly, and represented the council on issues including the abolition of the death penalty, farm workers, campaign finance reform, and the repeal of the Crimes Against Nature law. In 1996, he was appointed Senior Pastor at the First United Methodist Church in Omaha, Nebraska. In September, 1997, he joined two women in a "holy union" despite orders issued in 1996 by The United Methodist Church prohibiting such unions. After the union, he was suspended from ministry and was put on trial in March, 1998, by The United Methodist Church under the charge of violating the Order and Discipline of The United Methodist Church. The trial ended in Creech's acquittal, but he was not reappointed to First United Methodist Church, Omaha, as Senior Pastor. He took a voluntary leave of absence and returned to Raleigh. While in Raleigh, in 1999 Creech joined another same-sex couple in a holy union. He was again put on trial by the church, at which he was convicted and defrocked. Since the summer of 1998 and his defrocking in 1999, Creech has continued to advocate for LGBTQ rights, especially for gays and lesbians within faith communities. He has traveled around the country preaching in churches and speaking on college campuses about human and civil rights for members of the LGBT community. He has co-founded and guided several LGBTQ rights organizations, namely SoulForce and Faith in America. His memoir, Adam's Gift: A Memoir of a Pastor's Calling to Defy the Church's Persecution of Lesbians and Gays, published in 2011, details the church trials as well as his work as an ally for the gay community. Creech is retired and lives in Raleigh.

Acquisition information:
The Jimmy Creech Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift from Jimmy Creech from 2015-2023.
Processing information:

Processed by Katrina Martin, February 2016. Electronic records were processed by Matthew Farrell and Laurin Penland, July 2020.

Updated by Leah Tams, May 2023.

Accessions described in this collection guide: 2015-0167, 2016-0265, 2018-0151, 2019-0008, 2023-0053.

Arrangement:

Arranged into series: Church Life, Activist Work, and Writings. Arrangement and folder titles generated by creator.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

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Restrictions:

Access note. Collection contains electronic records that require special equipment. Contact Research Services with questions.

Access note. Collection contains fragile audiovisual/photographic formats that may need to be reformatted before use. Contact Research Services for access.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Jimmy Creech Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

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https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m10p52