TLC + PBO Pride
On Sunday, June 11, worship is moving to the Plant in Pittsboro for a special Pride Celebration Service.
👇 Read on for a little background and why it matters.
It’s who we are because it’s who Jesus is.
In 2017, when The Local Church was just a dream and a launch team began to gather, we were given a mandate: To co-create new places for new people to gather into communion with Jesus.
In our earliest conversations as a team, praying about who God is and thus who we're called to be, the words Bold, Inclusive, With, and For rose in our hearts and stirred our souls. The Spirit was forming us into a risk-taking community that would disrupt the status quo — just as Jesus did — and create places of belonging where all of God's beloved could experience affirmation, belonging, and love with no strings attached.
Six years later, those core values haven't changed, and so many people have come to experience healing, hope, and home at The Local Church.
And yet, along the way, our hearts have continued to break as we've heard stories from LGBTQ+ siblings who've experienced religious trauma, who've been driven out of their churches and lost those they counted friends, who've been unable to offer their gifts in service to God and community, and who've had their complex, beautiful identities made in the image of God reduced to their sexual orientation or gender identity. The reality we confess is that many LGBTQ+ persons have experienced harm from churches in particular and, often, the Church as an institution.
It's why each Sunday, we're intentional about saying, "You're more than welcome; you belong." It’s why we hope that our time together each week is affirming — because we believe that Jesus lives again in and through the church just as he lived and died — with outstretched arms for all of creation.
So here’s our hope for the service…
All of this leads to our next step as a faith community. We're excited to announce that on Sunday, June 11, in connection with Pittsboro's first-ever Pride Festival that afternoon and evening, we're hosting a special Pride Celebration Service at The Plant in Pittsboro at 10 a.m. This is a way to live out God's mission of belonging and healing, embody our core values, and continue to create new places for new people.
For queer persons, this service will be a time of affirmation, celebration, healing, and reclamation — with gratitude for who God has created you to be. LGBTQ+ persons have been part of the planning and will be a part of the service's leadership, too. In addition, should you need extra care and support, Michelle F. Moseley, LCMHC, a licensed mental health counselor specializing in religious trauma, will be on hand.
For allies, it's an opportunity to actively demonstrate solidarity, love, and appreciation for God's presence in and through LGBTQ+ persons. It's a way to proclaim that we're better together and that we have a more complete understanding of who God is because each and every person carries a piece of the divine.
And for those whose faith is evolving and who may be questioning the intersections of faith and human sexuality, we echo the invitation of Jesus to simply come and see with curiosity, generosity, and love.
Join us to celebrate on Sunday, June 11, at 10 a.m. at The Plant!
👉 The Local Church will also have a table set up for the PBO Pride festivities later in the day! We’re seeking volunteers to be present at the table to meet amazing new people, share giveaways, and offer info about TLC. Can you help? Sign up for a slot here.
Interested in learning more about LGBTQ+ and the Bible? Check out Pastor Brent’s sermon from last summer here.
