Spirit of Grace showed up with full hearts once again for PRIDE this year. Drag Church kicked things off in the morning, setting a joyful, worshipful tone for everything that followed. From there, we moved into marching in PRIDE Beaverton and staffing our booth at Pride in the Park.
We’ve participated in Beaverton Pride since 2019, when we first marched in the parade. Before that we marched for several years in the Portland Pride parade. Every year builds on the last, and this year was no exception.
A Booth That Never Slowed Down
Our button-making table was a hit all day. Organizer Kaitlin Pabo-Eulberg shared that button making often had a line, and volunteers stayed busy at the table the whole time. She heard from person after person who loved getting to interact with each other and meet our faith community at PRIDE. She said, “our presence makes a huge difference.”
Ribbon Flags, Mustaches, and a Pink Fuzzy Eyebrow
Guest pastor Lazarus Jameson, who preached and rode with us to the parade, was delighted by our members. He was delighted by the intensity of Ratna waving her ribbon flag, the kids who joined in, and how popular the mustaches were with folks at the event. He also shared a story from the middle of his sermon, when he spotted a member standing nearby with one bright pink fuzzy eyebrow and had to work hard not to laugh out loud in joy. He rode to and from the parade with Brittany and Karen and got to hand out glitter blessings along the way, including to the mayor. He said we are a beautiful community and was grateful to have spent the day with us.
Pastor Robyn Hartwig celebrated the leadership shown this year (thanks to Kaitlin P-E, Kate BH, Intern Pax Stewart, and team!) and called the day a beautiful celebration of God's love for everybody. She noticed several newer members marching in the parade for the first time, which felt like a real sign of growth.
Thank You
To everyone who woke up early for Drag Church, marched in the heat, staffed the booth, made buttons, waved flags, or simply showed up in whatever way you could, thank you. Days like this remind us what it means to live out our faith in public, with joy, with each other, and with our wider community.
