by Sylene Argent
Shortly after St. Paul’s Anglican Church provided a post on Facebook and a Letter to the Editor in the Essex Free Press describing why it was flying a Pride Flag with the Canadian Flag, the Pride Flag went missing last week.
“As much as it is upsetting to the Church, it is a day-to-day reality for those in the LGBTQ2+ Community,” Reverend Chris Brouillard-Coyle said, adding those in this community never know when they will be confronted.
She said the situation was not about the Church, but a reminder of the people the church community is called to love.
The missing flag has been reported to the police as it was suspected to be stolen, she said, and the Church plans to replace it.
The original Facebook post explaining the reasons why the Church was flying the flag, Brouillard-Coyle said, reached 20,000 people and had 8,000 engagements. It also received a lot of positive feedback. The support, she added, speaks volumes of the community.
The Facebook post and Letter to the Editor noted the decision to fly the Pride Flag, along with the Canadian flag, was made by the leadership because the church community felt blessed by the many ways it has experienced the wonder and diversity of God’s Creation, especially the many individuals God has placed in their lives.
Some individuals, Brouillard-Coyle said, have strong, negative feelings regarding the LGBTQ2+ community, but she said, alternatively, there were many in the community that offered to buy the Church a new pride flag and offered words of support.
She thanked those who have expressed support.
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