Last month, our church hosted Fairness
for ALL Families, a celebration and rally for the nondiscrimination ordinance
in Billings. At the celebration I asked people what it meant for them to have
this event at a church. Here are some of the comments:
· It means
everything to me. I had evangelical Christian parents, so it means a lot that a
church hosted this.
· A reconciling
church brought me out of darkness.
· This is an
amazingly beautiful place with grass for children, and we can come indoors to
cool off.
· To know that
faith leaders are behind this means a lot.
· I love the
community garden.
· What a beautiful
sanctuary.
Many
people, young and old, thanked me. I didn’t do much except get newsprint to
cover tables and point where the bathroom was. People were respectful of the
church building. Sabrina Currie, who works at Tumbleweed, told me that about
half of the homeless kids the agency worked with have been kicked out of their
home for being LGBT. Joan Nye, at the suicide prevention training, said that
LGBT youth are at risk for dying by suicide. So for our church to provide a
space for LGBT people and their allies to come and paint faces, fly kits, hula
hoop, make signs, and simply be together, was life-giving.
A week later, an unchurched commuter to
Billings told me she was glad to see we had hosted the event. Another who came
to Art in Sacred Space, but hasn’t come to worship yet, told me “I was glad to
see my church reaching out and doing good.” I was surprised that she considered
this her church, but she does. A young newcomer told me how great it is that
this church isn’t fighting over LGBT Q issues. Another young newcomer was so
happy about it she brought her mother (visiting from out of state) to come to
our labyrinth. She said it was the best outdoor labyrinth she’d ever seen.
Our ministry isn’t just to people who
come to worship, but who drive by the building, come to the garden, walk the
labyrinth, and go by our sign.
Following Jesus and meeting the
challenge of the gospel isn’t always easy. So it’s nice to hear comments along
the way about the difference we are making.
