Gay activists disrupt Sunday service at Michigan church

Lansing, Mich., Nov 12, 2008 / 23:20 pm

A homosexual activist group on Sunday disrupted services at a Michigan Assemblies of God-affiliated church, throwing fliers, shouting slogans at churchgoers, and kissing each other.

David Williams, communications director at the church and son of its pastor Dave Williams, said their slogans included phrases like “It's OK to be gay” and claims that Jesus was homosexual, the Lansing State Journal reports.

During the disruption, another group of protestors demonstrated outside the church. The outside protesters left peacefully when someone on the pastoral team told them they were not welcome on church property.

Williams said in a statement that churchgoers were unclear what the purpose of the demonstration was.

The church reportedly teaches that homosexuality is a sin, but Williams stressed “Mount Hope Church strives to follow Jesus' example of loving the sinner but not the sin."

According to the Lansing State Journal, a Lansing group affiliated with a radical homosexual organization called Bash Back issued a call on October 7 for activists to join a “radical queer convergence” in Lansing between November 7 and November 9.

A report on the Bash Back group’s web site claimed credit for the protest. It described the outside protesters as a small group dressed in pink and black equipped “with a megaphone, black flags, picket signs and an upside-down pink cross.”

“The group was extremely loud and wildly offensive,” the web site said, describing the outside protest as meant to distract the church’s guards.

According to the web site, a fire alarm was pulled and protesters of the same sex “began making out in front of the pastor.”

The Eaton County Sheriff’s Department reportedly received a call concerning the protest at about noon on Sunday. Deputies did not handle the protests inside the church and made no arrests.

Jessica Larkin, an employee with the Eaton County Sheriff’s Department, told CNA on Wednesday that no charges were filed.

“The church didn’t file any complaint. When we arrived there, they [the protesters] left on their own accord when they were told to leave. There was no incident as they were leaving,” she said.

Officials at the Eaton County Prosecutor's Office told CNA that an investigation would not be conducted into the incident if charges were not filed with the sheriff.

The Lansing State Journal reports that Williams said the church had received 80 to 85 e-mails and phone calls by Tuesday, "from churches and individuals around the country to express their concern and general disgust for what happened on Sunday."