The OASIS is a part of our response as a community of faith to our own baptismal vows:

“To seek Christ in all persons and respect the dignity of every human being.”

It is designed to make honest the universality of the publicly stated invitation: "The Episcopal Church Welcomes You." The Oasis is charged with the task of fighting the prejudice that diminishes the humanity of a single child of God. It is created and designed to raise the consciousness of the whole church so that the life-giving love of God may be seen as embracing all that God has created.

We have so much to learn about the mystery of human sexuality. The long and oppressive history of homophobia still exerts its killing power on us all. Public role models of gay and lesbian people, living whole and beautiful lives, need to be held up before the church and the world."

- the Rt. Rev. John Shelby Spong, Bishop of Newark (now retired)