Members of the LGBTIQ+ community attending Pride festivities in Manila, the Philippines, were moved to tears last week, with congregants from a local church coming together in a stunning display of love and solidarity.
Church-goers carried signs bearing messages including “Jesus didn’t turn people away, neither do we,” as well as "Can we hug you?" and "“God loves you. So do we."
The placards were being carried by members of the Church of Freedom in Christ Ministries, a local church which prides itself on being “inclusive, LGBT affirming and welcoming.”
Some members of the church even admitted to being homophobic in the past, with one sign reading: “I used to be a bible-banging homophobe. Sorry!”
Pride attendees were visibly touched by the gesture, taking to social media to share photos of the group.
Local Jamilah Salvador, whose tweet has been retweeted over 45,000 times, wrote: “I literally cried when I saw this kanina. Imagine living in a society with nothing but love and respect for each other.”
Speaking to , Salvador said: “A video from my friend showed that they were actually roaming around the venue so everyone may see and read their messages.”
She continued: “On my way there, I was already feeling so giddy and nervous at the same time."
“But when I entered the venue, seeing all those rainbow flags made me feel I’m home."
“The first thing that came to my mind was: ‘Finally, I belong.’”
Speaking to , the Church's pastor, Val Paminiano, said: “We are apologising for the way Christians have hurt the LGBT community, especially by using the Bible in condemning and judging them."
He added: “I used to believe that God condemns homosexuals, but when I studied the scriptures, especially the ones that we call ‘clobber scriptures’ that are being cherry-picked from the Bible to condemn LGBT people, I realised that there’s a lot to discover, including the truth that God is not against anyone."
Saying that the Pride signs were part of a four-year campaign, Paminiano concluded: "God does not discriminate against people based on gender."
“We pray that more and more Christians will act, speak, and love the LGBT people like Jesus would."
