Joburg Christians are planning to stand along the PRIDE route on Saturday… to offer hugs and love and apologies for the way Churches have treated the LGBTIQ+ community.
Johannesburg, South Africa (29 October 2019) – Graeme Codrington – a South African author, futurist and strategy consultant – put out a call from his Church for Christians to stand along the Johannesburg PRIDE route on Saturday to offer love, support and apologies for the way Churches have treated the LGBTIQ+ community.
Graeme & Jane Codrington initiated the “love protest” and will be wearing t-shirts offering mom & dad hugs for kids who have lost contact with their parents after coming out.
The inspirational South African is an amateur theologian but he only calls himself “amateur” in the sense that he doesn’t get paid to be a theologian; he does, however, have three theological degrees, as well as two commercial ones.
“I was top of my class in all three of my years of undergraduate and one year of Honours studies and won Greek and Hebrew prizes while majoring in Systematic Theology, Old and New Testament studies and Youth Ministry (Practical Theology). My Master’s degree is in Diaconology – a combination of theology and sociology. I also have a Bachelor of Commerce and a Doctorate of Business Administration.”
The passionate South African was ordained as a minister in the Baptist Union of South Africa but has since left the denomination. He has been a youth pastor at two churches and was the official preacher at another. He even took on the role as publisher and editor of a Christian magazine, The Edge, which looked at issues of applying a Christian worldview to contemporary issues.
“I have been a regular contributor, including some with my own monthly column, to many Christian magazines and publications, and have had papers published in several peer-reviewed academic journals. I still preach and teach at churches whenever I get the opportunity and am fairly well known for work I do on understanding different generations in faith-based settings. But, this is just a hobby for me – at the moment. My wife is a pastor in the Methodist church, where we both attend.”
Codrington took to Facebook to put a call out to all Christians to stand along the Johannesburg PRIDE route on Saturday to offer love, support and apologies for the way Churches have treated the LGBTIQ+ community.
Read his full post below:
If you live in Johannesburg and want to join our church this coming Saturday afternoon, we will be standing along the route of the Johannesburg Pride Parade holding banners and signs of support.
We’ll start at 2 pm at the corner of West and Maude near the Garden Court hotel. At about 3:30 pm we’ll move up to corner of Rivonia and West at the Gautrain station. Secure parking is available at Sandton City, the Gautrain station or in the complex on the corner of 5th and Alice.
My wife and I will be wearing “Free Dad/Mom hugs” t-shirts. Make your own poster or use one of the ones we’re having printed. We’re saying things like:
- God loves you just as you are.
- God made you who you are.
- God loves you, and so do we.
- We are Christians. And we are sorry for the way the church has treated you. We love you.
For more info or contact on the day, please contact our church administrator, Jane, on 0827587577 or jane@melrosechurch.co.za.
We rise by lifting others, and we lift others with love and kindness.
And on Saturday, October 29, they did just what they said they were going to do and supported the Johannesburg Pride Parade by wearing t-shirts with the words “free dad hugs” and “free mom hugs” printed on them.
“Last Saturday, I joined a group of Christians who attended the Johannesburg Pride Parade. We didn’t protest against it – in fact, we did the opposite. We held signs showing our support of the LGBTQI community, and apologising for the way the church has treated them in the past.
The responses we received were overwhelming and amazing. Many people were in tears as they saw us, and understood that we were bringing a message of love and grace. For those are into signs and wonders, there was a beautiful double rainbow over the whole event.
We believe that God created LGBTQI people in His image, that God loves them as they are, and that it is our responsibility to show love to them too.”
Check out some of the photos below: