As a member of the LGBTQ community and a churchgoer, I am responding to a letter published last month from Karl Holmes of Surry. In his letter, Mr. Holmes asserted that rainbow flags should not be displayed outside churches because religion is the element of society that has caused the most problems for LGBTQ people. He alleged that when a church puts up a rainbow flag, that church is signaling to us that we are welcome to worship there, when in fact the belief in that church is that we are an abomination deserving of an eternity in hell. He called this a “sick form of bait and switch marketing” that ALL churches that hang up rainbow flags are participating in.
I don’t know what he has experienced to come to this conclusion, but it certainly seems that Karl Holmes, like many LGBTQ people, has had damaging experiences in some Christian churches. I don’t question this whatsoever. I do take issue with his statement that there are NO churches that truly welcome us. This is false.
The Union Congregational Church of Hancock is an Open and Affirming United Church of Christ Church. An Open and Affirming congregation is one that has made a public covenant of welcome into their full life and ministry to persons of all sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions. LGBTQ people are not only among our membership but serve on committees and in leadership positions. When I first began attending and eventually joined, I was warmly welcomed, and I have never experienced anything other than love and friendship. I encourage anyone looking for a church home to come and visit us.
There are several other United Church of Christ Churches that are Open and Affirming in our area. During Pride Month we will be displaying our rainbow banners proudly!
