When Gay Activists Came to Calvary
I preached on same-sex marriage and the protesters came out.
Ray Pritchard
January 1, 2005
When pastor Ray Pritchard decided to address the contentious issue of same-sex marriage, he didn't keep it a secret. Through a direct mail campaign, Pritchard's church, Calvary Memorial in Oak Park, Illinois, publicized the sermon topic for its morning services and announced that Stephen Bennett, a former homosexual, would speak at the evening service.
How the controversial topic was handled, or mishandled, would have a lasting impact on the church's standing in the community.
Oak Park has a large gay population and prides itself on its "open and affirming" attitudes. The village president is a lesbian, and several members of the school board are openly gay. Into this setting, with same-sex marriage on the national agenda and tensions rising because of it, Pritchard felt compelled to bring a biblical perspective to the ongoing public debate.
In addition to the 40,000-piece mailing, the church advertised in local newspapers and on the web and posted a giant banner over the building's entrance reading "God Speaks Today." And the community took notice.
"We were informed a week in advance that there would be protesters at our services," Pritchard said. "The Sunday beforehand, I informed the congregation, asked them to pray, told them that their church needed them to be present, and I encouraged them to reach out and welcome anyone and everyone who might be a visitor.
"But," as Pritchard noted, "in 26 years of being a pastor, I can't recall a Sunday where the emotional pressure seemed as great."
That Sunday in September began peacefully, but soon it escalated into a media event unprecedented in the church's 90-year history.
This moment-by-moment account of that turbulent day is a compilation of the excerpts from Pritchard's online ...
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