Community mourns the passing of the Rev. Bradley Wishon

Friends are remembering the Rev. Bradley Wishon as a minister dedicated to serving the Valley's LGBT community.

Wishon died on June 14. He was 50.

Wishon was a force for LGBT activism, a constant presence at rallies and demonstrations on the issues of our time, from promoting marriage equality to protesting conversion therapy.

In an interview when he was named to Echo Magazine's Hall of Fame in 2012, Wishon said his faith led him to activism.

"It's very clear to me that the gospel calls for justice," he said. "My faith is what pushes me to act."

Wishon was also named Echo's Man of the Year in 2004.

He came to Phoenix in 1997 to be pastor of Gentle Shepherd, now known as Metropolitan Community Church Phoenix, and also did consulting work.

In 2004, as Massachusetts became the first state to offer same-sex marriage, Wishon was part of a local effort by clergy to help couples to try to obtain marriage licenses. When they were denied, he and others performed weddings for about 40 couples.

Wishon was involved with No Longer Silent: Clergy for Justice, a Valley group with the mission of sharing an alternative religious perspective on homosexuality. He promoted the Phoenix Declaration, which calls for the end of LGBT discrimination.

He also worked with Human and Equal Rights Organizers (HERO) and served in a support role for the annual Equality Walk organized by the grassroots political action group.

In 2012, Wishon joined the board of the 1 Voice Community Center, an organization he supported since the first fundraising event for the center in 2005. He served as the board's last chair before the center was acquired by Phoenix Pride earlier this year.

Wishon was born Oct. 7, 1963, a native of St. Louis, where he started his ministry with the Assemblies of God, then the Metropolitan Community Church. In St. Louis, he helped start Doorways, a program that provides housing for those with HIV/AIDS.

Wishon also worked with the disabled, which he said he was motivated to do by helping his sister, who is blind and deaf.

Asked about his philosophy in the 2012 Echo interview, Wishon said, "The opportunity I've had to help other people live more fully is what's most satisfying because then I feel like I'm living more fully."

From Metropolitan Community Church Phoenix:  Brad leaves behind his spouse,

Andrew T. Hollingsworth ... his sisters, Sandra Winters, Wanda L. Wishon,  close family friend Char Lobit, and his family here in Arizona and Missouri.

The  Worship team of MCCP ,and it's Board Of Directors.