Every year when June comes around at some point, as I prepare for Pride Booths for the Church, someone asks “why.” Why do Churches need to be at Pride? Why is this a community we need to reach out to particularly?
This year at the Diocesan Booth I got the best story answer I’ve gotten in a very long time. A gentleman with quite the entourage and recording set up walked up to our Diocesan Booth. He and started by asking, “Are you here to save souls or affirm people?” I responded by asking why exactly he thought that was a contradictory statement.
What continued is not really worth sharing here. But the confidence with which he asked that question is why, for many of us, Pride is a good thing for the church to be at. So many people have been told so often that God doesn’t love us as They created us. Taking the time to share that God loves everyone, and that there is a church that is teaching about God’s unconditional love, is life-affirming to so many.
Joy at Pride events
That was the joy of both Pride events: witnessing people begin healing from so much pain caused by past negative interactions with churches. Every year the Diocese uses a sign that says, “For the hurt the church has caused, we are sorry. With love, the Episcopal Church.” And every year we get so many “thank yous” for bringing it out. This year was no different.
Holy water blessings
We also share glitter holy water blessings. This year we also had it in glitter free after many requests from last year. The Holy Water for Kenmore Pride and the Diocesan Pride Event was blessed at Redeemer’s service on June 21.
In Kenmore, we offered free cold-water bottles and cookies out of our booth. Both of which was very well received by the local Kenmore community.
Results of attending Pride events
Only time will tell if the seeds we planted leads to God bringing us new congregants. I, of course, pray that it does. But sometimes, in times like this, I am reminded of the importance of being the faithful remnant and showing people God loves them, that we know that, and that there are absolutely no exceptions.
Thanks
On a final personal note, I want to thank you all at Redeemer. I’m truly grateful as I went through this month to have such an accepting and beautiful faith community to worship with. I look forward to getting to know all of you better, but I’m already so impressed with all of you as a congregation.
—Vic Johnson, vjohnson@redeemer-kenmore.org
Church of the Redeemer
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
The Episcopal Church welcomes you.