Rev. Dr. Griff Martin
By Rev. Dr. Griff Martin
“What’s the First Baptist Church of Austin doing in the Austin Pride Parade?”
It’s a more than fair question. After all, most Baptist churches are protesting this parade, not joining in. We understand the second glances and the side-eye of suspicion when we line up for the parade. We know Baptists have a more than fair bad reputation among the queer community. We know Baptists have done more damage than healing in this space.
The fact you’ve even read this far is more grace than this Baptist pastor deserves.
So why are we here?
We are here to try and right a history of too many wrongs. We are here because we want to be on the right side, even if we arrived too late. We are here to apologize for things done in our name. We are here to support the most beautiful and brave community we know. We are here because we believe Jesus would be marching in this parade. We are here because we are all beloved children of God, and we want to proclaim that message loudly. We are here because we are not whole without you. We are here because we are committed to standing beside you and with you. We are here because we want to join in the fight for equality you have long been fighting. We are here because you have been doing the right work way longer than we have, and we need you to teach us.
We are here because when we opened our doors in a very public way to the queer community, we were saved by you and your presence… read that again, we were saved by the queer community. This is probably the biggest misunderstanding about First Austin and our journey to becoming a welcoming and affirming community of faith. Too often, folks say to us, “Thank you for doing that work.” We deserve no gratitude because the truth is you all saved us. You made us better and more whole. Your presence has renewed and revived us. You have reminded us that God’s arms are wider than we ever knew. You have reminded us how queer our faith really is, and you have called us to do and be better.
So of course we are here.
We are here for all the same reasons you are… and with a lot of gratitude.
Thank you for letting us in.
Kelly Kline
Mark Segal
