Twin Cities PRIDE – June 24 & 25

What you can do as a reconciling congregation

PRIDE is an opportunity for LGBTQIA+ persons to celebrate their true selves and for their allies to celebrate with them.  After a fantastic PRIDE Festival last year, it’s time to continue celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community. Let’s have MN Reconciling Congregations help make this another great PRIDE celebration!

Booth in Loring Park

Once again we will have a booth in Loring Park on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  Each year we staff our booth with smiling volunteers from across the state and this year is no different! By signing up, you help let PRIDE attendees know that there is a place for them in United Methodist congregations and help build positive interactions by giving them a rainbow peace medallion. Jobs are available for both introverts and extroverts. 

Sign up for your shift online at:  https://ttsu.me/8abvvr

• Help set-up on Friday from 9 – 11 a.m.  There will be a yet-to-be-identified person to lead the set-up and take-down teams. We need four volunteers for set-up.

• Work a two-hour shift on Saturday or Sunday. During the shift, you greet visitors and hand out rainbow peace medallions.  If you’re not so sure about interacting with visitors, you can help remove peace medallions from their wrappers.

• Be a shift lead – The lead arrives 15 minutes before the other volunteers, checks in with the previous lead, welcomes and reviews instructions with volunteers as they arrive and helps problem solve (if needed) during the shift.

• Clergy volunteers – We reserve a space for a clergy volunteer for each shift as questions may come up that are best answered by a clergy person though we always welcome multiple clergy in one shift.

• Take-down/clean-up on Sunday beginning at 6 p.m. We need six volunteers.

• We also need a booth festival lead.  This person doesn’t need to be on site the entire time of the festival but needs to be available by phone.  If you have questions or wish to volunteer for this important position, please contact Don Prestly (don.prestly@gmail.com).

All volunteers will receive a confirmation email when signing up and a logistics email with more detailed information closer to PRIDE.  Please contact Don at  don.prestly@gmail.com with questions.

March Along Hennepin Avenue

The March (formerly known as the Parade) will be on Hennepin Avenue again this year. The March begins at 11 a.m. on Sunday and will go from 7th & Hennepin to Loring Park.  This is a great way to be part of the PRIDE celebration!  All ages are welcome to participate. Don Prestly is coordinating the March preparations. Pastor Max Richter will be the on-site March Coordinator. Please contact Don at  don.prestly@gmail.com with questions.  More information will be sent out closer to PRIDE.

ACTION NEEDED:

Please invite others from your church to volunteer at the booth or be in the March!  Place an announcement in your church’s communications and forward this email to others who may be interested in being part of the PRIDE celebration.  If you have not previously participated in the MN Reconciling Congregations PRIDE activities, this is a great opportunity to let PRIDE attendees know that there are United Methodist congregations who welcome LGBTQIA+ persons!