Navigating PRIDE Month
Happy June!
June is famously known as Pride Month, which is a month-long celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, and the history behind it. It is an opportunity for people to celebrate the pride they have in their identity or sexuality.
It can sometimes be a tricky month to navigate as a Church worker or youth worker. It can be hard to know how to respond when people bring it up or ask questions about the Church’s opinion on Pride.
I am going to write a few bits that could help you navigate this and bring some clarity to conversations you may have. It is good to be equipped in this topic, even if you don’t think those conversations will come up - it is better to be prepared if the occasion does arise!
So what is the overall theme? This is quite obvious…love. When facing any questions or challenges - we need to show overflowing love.
The Church may not agree with the decisions, or lifestyle choices - but it is not our place to judge.
Jesus says in John 8 “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Nobody hangs around to throw a stone, because nobody is free from sin apart from Jesus. In our Churches today - we are so quick to put ourselves above people, to make ourselves righteous and bring others down.
This is a theme I have seen consistently in Church, where we push people out who we believe are living in sinful ways.
Let me clarify, if someone identifies as LGBT, this done not mean they are living in sin. We should not assume, and should treat them as any other person.
We do not have the authority to judge or condemn, our job is to share God’s light - let’s leave the judging to Him…for He is much fairer than we are!
So how do we navigate it?
Well, with love!
What does the Church think of LGBTQ+ people? We love them and welcome them!
Do we celebrate Pride Month? No, but we can appreciate those who do and hope everyone knows how beautifully made they are in Christ’s image!
Are gay people going to Hell? We do not have the authority or knowledge to say who is going where! The most sinful people can go to Heaven, and those who appear to be the perfect Christian could be the furthest from it! God makes these decisions, and He is a just God so we can trust in Him.
Should we stop conversations about Pride in our groups? No not at all! Pushing it away and hushing people will only make the stigma worse! Let’s talk about it and have open conversations!
How do we welcome LGBTQ+ people into our Churches and help them feel welcome? This can be specific to each Church or person, but it is not too complicated! Just treat them like any other person, invite them to groups, to serve, to be a part of the community - what a joy it is to grow our congregations!
I hope that is helpful for you, avoiding the conversation can make it worse and make people feel less welcome! Pride month is not something to shy away from, and we should enjoy the amount of diversity that we have to explore within our congregations. Let’s spread the light of God and love one another! We are not sinless, and so we cannot throw stones, but we can be compassionate and kind. Let’s support our Church members and young people.
God Bless!
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” John 13:34 NLT