Pride week is coming up and New Vision, as usual, is fully invested. We’ll be at the Pride in the Park festival in Gage Park on the afternoon of Sunday June 17 – joined there by St. Andrew’s United Church. St. Andrew’s wanted to be present to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the United Church’s decision that all members of the United Church of Canada, regardless of sexual orientation, were eligible for ordination and commissioning by the United Church. We’re glad for the company!
A new feature this year at our booth will be some kind of “The Minister is In” concept, in which I’ll be specifically available for an identified hour to engage in conversation about anything to do with Christianity, New Vision, and the LGBTQ2S community. I’m going to work a Bible into the set-up. Hope to see you there.
Many of you will know of the disruptive agitators who have been turning up at Pride festivities in rural and small municipalities in Southern Ontario these past few weeks. If you read this CBC Hamilton article, you’ll learn how Pride Hamilton plans to attend to any of these agitators if they show up at Gage Park. I believe you can be confident of your safety and well-being at the festival and the morning rally, if you choose to go there rather than come to New Vision’s Pride Service.
Sunday morning is our annual Pride Service at our regular hour in our regular place. We offered to hold our service at Gage Park but were strongly encouraged by the organizers to carry on in our usual spot, so that the diversity of Pride could be witnessed to. Our theme on Sunday will be Two Spirit people and traditional indigenous understandings of Two Spirit.
See you Sunday ~ Happy Pride!
Rev Ian