Together at the Table

 “Bishop Oliveto’s story touches on one of today’s deepest fault lines in church and society. Hers is a deeply personal, revealing memoir about love and unity in a denomination wrestling with division. In an engaging, even gripping, style, she brings the reader to the table where issues are no longer abstract but fully human. This book has the power to change hearts and minds.”

—Jim Winkler, President and General Secretary, National Council of Churches

“Bishop Oliveto reveals a pastor’s passion, theologian’s rigor, servant’s heart, pioneer’s courage, and disciple’s extraordinary capacity to articulate hard truths with clarity and love. This book is a blessing in multiple ways. It speaks to pastors, laity, leaders, and pilgrims on a faith journey with deeply moving stories and respect for persons of all persuasions.”   

—Jane Allen Middleton, retired Bishop, Northeastern Jurisdiction, The United Methodist Church

“If you are concerned with healing the many wounds of our spiritual and secular communities today, you will want to read this book. In writing that is at once authentic and powerful, Bishop Oliveto challenges every one of us to do the hard—and yet deeply rewarding—work of building community, especially with those whom we see as ‘the other.’”

 —Bernard Schlager, Executive Director, Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion, Pacific School of Religion

“I encourage people who are unable to accept LGBTQ persons in the leadership of the church, such as my colleague Bishop Karen Oliveto, to read her story. As she says, all of us—including her—need to scale an empathy wall because there is always someone we are ‘othering.’ Her story and reflections help us put on our climbing gear!”
—Sally Dyck, Bishop, Northern Illinois Conference, The United Methodist Church

“In disarming personal stories and profound biblical reflections, Bishop Oliveto invites us to encounter one another at the table across a divide that is threatening our ability to bear witness to a world in need. She challenges us to imagine ‘How do we tell our own truth, while not denying the truth of another?’ In the rich Christian tradition of personal witness, Bishop Oliveto beautifully weaves her story and the church’s story in a way that embodies an invitation to grace.”

—David Vasquez-Levy, President, Pacific School of Religion

“Karen Oliveto’s story of faith, compassion, and love gathers us with our great diversity to meet one another face-to-face over a sacred meal. Her clarity and commitment to stay and welcome all to the table give us hope amid profound angst, fracture, and violence in our faith communities, country, and global village. Her faith is undergirded by Christ’s welcome to break through unjust policies and oppressive systems that label anyone as ‘less than’ or participate in making anyone ‘the other.’ As pastor, preacher, prophet, and bishop, she lives into and means all are welcome and all are invited equally.”

—Janie Adams Spahr, Honorably Retired Presbyterian lesbian minister and former minister director of That All May Freely Serve