CIOP

What happened

The Church in Ocean Park works to help create a more equitable world. We work for Racial Justice, Ability Justice, Gender Justice, Elder Justice, Climate Justice, Queer Justice and more. We work against Immigrant Discrimination, Islamophobia, Antisemitism and White Christian Nationalism. We have flown banners that proclaim “Black Lives Matter,” “ Transgender Remembrance,” “Science is Real,” and more. Some banners were ripped down, but nobody defaced the building. Until now.

 

In 2025 we painted the front entrance walls in inclusive colors. We received several emails thanking us for making them feel safe in the neighborhood. But someone had a problem with that. They wrote homophobic condemnations and misquoted scripture. Emotions ran high as we discovered the hate crime and read the words that had been spoken aloud to so many of our siblings. They wrote on top of the rainbow colors on the front, and they wrote on the side of our building as well. Many in the Queer Collective had been condemned by those same scriptures before. But they had never heard that language at The Church in Ocean Park.

 

Our Response - Bring the Community Together

 

The Church in Ocean Park is a part of the community. What happens here affects the whole community. So we are bringing the community together in discerning a response to this hateful act which has targeted the LGBTQIA+ community and affected us all. Last month we invited the community to a day of painting over the hateful words and brainstorming possible responses. And this community showed up! You came together as you always do and we thank you! 

 

 

~~~The Next Step!~~~

 

 

Decision-Making Workshop - Monday, June 22, at 5pm

 

Now that we have had a community brainstorming session and let it settle for a bit, new ideas may come forward and then decisions will be made about what our response will be. A team from Confluence Rising (https://www.confluencerising.org) will facilitate our decision making process. We will hear from everyone and at the end of the workshop we will be clear about which responses will be brought to fruition and how that will happen.

 

YOU are invited to join us Monday, June 22nd at The Church in Ocean Park

5pm Potluck    5:30 Workshop