The pastor of the New Hope Community Church in Palatine, Illinois, says that he isn’t backing down from preaching the truth after LGBTQ+ activists showed up to protest.
The protesters are angry at messages the church has posted on its digital sign that refer to Pride Month, and they want the church to stop.
‘That gives us the chance to share God’s truth. I wish they’d come every day so we can have conversations.’
One of the messages reads, “We love you enough to tell you the truth,” while another reads, “Ditch Pride, embrace humility.”
“Our goal was to let other residents of Palatine know what this church preaches and that Palatine is better than that,” said Paul Dombrowski of the Northwest Suburban Pride Network to WLS-TV.
“It is important to stand up for those in our community who are being marginalized and who are being ostracized clearly in this way,” said Chelsea Laliberte Barnes, a member of a group named Liberal Moms of the Northwest Suburbs.
Some said they were concerned about the messages because the church is near a school.
The WLS news video report showed that one protester held up a sign reading, “Hate has no home here,” while a report from LGBTQ Nation called the messages “hateful.”
Members of the church came out to defend the innocuous messages and discuss the issue with the protesters.
James Pittman Jr., the pastor of the church, said they would not change their messaging and added that he welcomed the protests.
“That gives us the chance to share God’s truth. I wish they’d come every day so we can have conversations,” Pittman told WLS.
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The pastor explained that the church’s digital messages would often reflect the season, such as Christmas or Easter, but in June they refer to Pride Month.
WLS noted that LGBTQ activists had also tried to get Palatine city officials to fly a Pride flag outside of city hall but had been rebuffed.
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