TW--LGBTQ Accepting Episcopal Church Near Me Has Received Bomb & Shooting Threats

[VickySGV]

The Episcopal Church Parish that is a neighbor of my own Parish has received threats of a bombing and a shooting for its nationally known ministry to the LGBTQ community.  The Church that has been threatened has a 40 year history of embracing first, the LGB community with blessings of same sex domestic commitments before The National Episcopal Church and our State validated same sex marriages.  More recently it has embraced Trans people and conducted one of the first Rite Of Renaming services in 2019, just after the approved service was authorized by the National Church. I have attended conferences there on ministry to the Trans Community on several occasions. I do not go to it regularly on Sundays since my own parish is in my closer neighborhood but I am a regular, known visitor and participant in its events for Trans people, including Trans Day Of Remembrance both from my denominational affiliation and from LGBTQ Community Center officership.  

 

The threatened church is in the City Of Pasadena, CA and is literally across the street from the City Hall and PD and diagonally across from a regional County Courthouse.  All of them are now part of a team to prevent violence on the site, and I just watched a message from the Rector there about church attendance this Sunday.  The matter is being taken seriously, but I am feeling an anger that is going to be upsetting me until I know there is an all clear.  Our current Hate Spate has come too close for comfort to me, even in a place that I know is one of the safest for me to be.  Please be on the alert, churches are not excluded from the hatred happening these days.

[Carolyn Marie]

Sorry to hear this news, @VickySGV.  It is a nasty sign of the times.  Hopefully, it is just a threat without any real danger associated with it.

 

HUGS

 

Carolyn Marie

[VickySGV]

17 minutes ago, Carolyn Marie said:

Hopefully, it is just a threat without any real danger associated with it.

 

The Pasadena PD and County Sheriff's Department are taking it VERY SERIOUSLY, and they will be having security monitored and limited access to the church and other buildings on its campus.

[Dillon]

I'm not surprised to hear something like this, but it's just sickening. And I know we are not immune anywhere.

[VickySGV]

No harm or damage was done to the church, nor any firearms detected among those entering the church.  Our Diocesan Bishop attended the service with a show of solidarity of the entire Diocese for all of it's LGBTQ members throughout our area.  Still, it was terrible for one ministry of a church to be targeted with such threats of hate.

[Dillon]

That's a relief for now. I hope the church continues to be safe.

[awkward-yet-sweet]

Wow.  Unfortunately, churches in general are a target these days...for all sorts of reasons.  My own faith community has had a security force for a long time, including armed personnel at services.  Can't be too careful. 

[lillyinmn]

Years ago, when we were all in an uproar over terrorism, I remember briefly worrying about being attacked in church by Islamic terrorists.  I now know know that our biggest threat in our places of worship is from our home grown religious fanatics, most of whom claim to be Christian.  It is a shame that our houses of worship are coming under threat merely because they take Jesus seriously and believe in "love your neighbor as yourself."