Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.
– Romans 15:7 NLT
Dear Cal-Pac UMC community,
With the PRIDE rainbow arcing gracefully through the sky, I want to express appreciation and gratitude to all our Cal-Pac churches as you embrace this opportunity to affirm safe, sacred space for our LGBTQ+ siblings.
We are in the streets in the PRIDE festivals of Orange County (OC Collective and Anaheim UMC), WeHo (Hollywood UMC), San Diego (Pacific Beach UMC, First UMC of San Diego, Normal Heights United, Mission Hills UMC, St. Mark’s UMC, Santee UMC, Foothills La Mesa and Chula Vista 1st) and Hawaii (where October is PRIDE month).
Sticking with tradition, the Church in Ocean Park hosted its 15th Queer Prom in partnership with the Santa Monica High School Gender and Sexuality Alliance and Queer Collective.
Temecula UMC built a community partnership with Temecula Valley Pride and Emily’s Space, a youth-led organization. Along with North Coast UMC and Vista UMC, they were present at PRIDE by the Beach in Oceanside. They hosted a Queer Prom in May and are planning their second annual Pride festival at the church in September.
Santee UMC received the Light of Pride award for hosting Santee’s PRIDE festival with San Carlos UMC and La Mesa 1st UMC. Like Temecula UMC in Riverside County, Santee UMC’s outreach is no small achievement in this more conservative area of San Diego County.
As we seek to live more fully into our inclusive UMC polity, we are also out and proud at First and Main in communities where no other church has raised its voice in welcome and affirmation. LGBTQ+ siblings in Christ can find a home at Bishop UMC in the Eastern Sierras and at El Centro UMC in the Imperial Valley, communities where it takes even more courage to reveal one’s true self to family, friends, and employers.
We have at least 65 confirmed Reconciling churches with inclusive statements on websites and rainbow flags on signage. This is not rainbow-washing. We know that each statement, each flag, bears witness to that church’s deep dive into scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. Our communities take on this work as they feel called and ready.
As many churches embrace the call to inclusivity, I can see you becoming more courageous and creative. You hosted community educational events like a Pronoun Usage Workshop (Claremont UMC) to help folks get caught up. Normal Heights United hosted a special all-queer-artist show, where their 100-year-old sanctuary was filled with the spirit and song of Pride. The Loft @ Westwood revisited scripture in a series called We Have Always Been Here, looking more closely through the interpretive lens of culture. Costa Mesa 1st hosted a Queer Youth Family Sunday, where speaker Ben Rausch encouraged LGBTQ people of faith to look out for each other on the journey, because “no one deserves to brave the wilderness alone.”
La Mirada UMC hosted its 4th PRIDE event: In Hope We Rise, an event made richer by the ecumenical partnerships of the area’s Mission Collaborative (including Whittier 1st). Poignant coming-out stories were interspersed with music from a transgender choral group and the church choir. Andrew Nguyen, the event’s MC, opened the event musing, “What is Pride? It’s not about exceptionalism. You don’t get a gold star for being gay — rather, you get recognized for your survival, your persistence, for daring to exist, to matter.”
When you express yourselves with such vulnerability, I and all who hear you remember and repent of the harm that church has done, and we re-commit to the deeper work of loving as God loves. The change to our denominational polity that finally created an open path to inclusive ministry was so long and painful and yet is still only that – an opening. Our churches walk the path with a solemn remembrance of harm, a courageous reclaiming of Christian identity and misused scripture passages, tender care for survivors, patient education for allies, and prophetic advocacy when LGBTQ+ siblings find themselves to be – again – at risk.
I am praying for you as you continue the good work.
Grace and peace,
Bishop Dottie Escobedo-Frank
If your church celebrated PRIDE and you want to tell me about it, please do so at this link.
If your church is looking for LGBTQ+ resources, send a note to us at this link.
