— Nancy R.
This past Sunday, Ben, Joe, David and I represented the Reconciling Committee and Trinity as we joined over 40 other churches to walk with the Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches in Chicago’s Pride Parade. It was my first Pride Parade and the experience was amazing! I’ve been a participant in parades before, usually marching with a band, so I’ve seen joy on people’s faces as the band has played and marched by them. But this experience, although also filled with so much joy, felt completely different.
As I walked with our group, people were cheering, smiling andwaving at us, but if you watched carefully, you could see their faces change when they realized what our group represented – churches who affirm God’s love and acceptance of everyone. Their heartfelt reactions as they saw sign after sign naming welcoming churches in the Chicagoland area were overwhelming. Many people made a heart-shape sign with their hands, sending love to our group. I saw one man seated and eating at an outdoor restaurant while watching the parade, actually stop, stand and applaud us as we all walked by. I saw one woman say “thank you” over and over to our group. You could feel the power of our group’s presence and commitment and the impact it had on so many people.
All of this showed me just how important having a safe place to worship is, and it made me all the more empowered to keep shouting “Happy Pride” and smile and wave to as many people as I could while we walked, to let them know they are seen, they are beautiful and loved. We all chose to walk with the Coalition in the Pride Parade because we wanted to represent Trinity UMC – a place where everyone is fully welcomed, accepted and celebrated.
