It is time for us to be crystal clear about our Christian beliefs:

- Anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and policy is completely antithetical to Jesus Christ's life and ministry.

- Demonizing and terrorizing LGBTQ+ people, and especially, now, trans people, as a political tactic is Unholy in the deepest conceivable way.

- The resurrection of Jesus Christ assures us that hate will not prevail, not in Virginia or anywhere that people of goodwill are willing to reclaim the Church for love.

The Apostle Paul correctly saw the Church as an alternative community built on unconditional love (Romans 13:8-10), existing in sharp contrast to the Roman Empire's brutal society of violence and domination. We have arrived at a time and place in history where we must fully enact that vision, by growing Christian communities where LGBTQ+ folks, immigrants, those discriminated against due to race, status, gender identity as well as gender expression*, or sexuality, and those who enjoy privileges, are joined together in truly unconditional love and care..

*Gender identity and expression can vary and can be innately male or female as well as non-binary that can be neither or both. Everyone has a gender identity.

If you are interested in collaborating and strategizing to make this vision a reality, please contact office@wesleymumc.org. While this statement is mostly written to fellow Christians (because it is largely Christian faith that is being used to justify anti-LGBTQ+ hate in politics), we invite people of all faiths or no faith for whom this resonates to reach out as well.