06/07/2026
Today was a great day at Pride in the Park!
Hundreds of people gathered in Estes Park for Pride in the Park, and members and friends of Estes Park United Methodist Church were there throughout the day sharing a simple but powerful message: God loves you. God accepts you. You belong.
As the only church in Estes Park that participates in Pride in the Park, EPUMC once again showed up to be a visible witness to God’s love and grace. Throughout the day, our volunteers engaged hundreds of people with warmth, hospitality, and genuine care.
Unfortunately, a church from Westminster chose to come to Estes Park today, not to welcome people but to protest them. The contrast between the two approaches to Christian witness could not have been more striking.
One group came to draw lines. One group came to build bridges.
One group came to tell people why they are excluded. One group came to remind people that they are beloved children of God.
Both groups would likely claim to be representing Christianity. But when we look at the life and ministry of Jesus, we see someone who consistently moved toward people who had been rejected, judged, marginalized, and told they did not belong. Jesus built relationships. He offered compassion. He extended grace. He welcomed people into community.
That is the witness Estes Park United Methodist Church offered today, and I am so grateful!
Throughout the afternoon, members of our congregation engaged in countless conversations with visitors, residents, families, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. We listened. We welcomed. We encouraged. We shared hope. We demonstrated that faith and inclusion are not opposites and that God’s love is far bigger than people have been led to believe.
Personally, I had the privilege of making a number of meaningful connections throughout the day. Some conversations were brief. Others went much deeper. I met people who were curious about our church, people who had been wounded by religion, people looking for a spiritual home, and people who simply needed to hear that God loves them exactly as they are. Those moments reminded me why this ministry is so very important.
For some people, our presence was a surprise. For others, it was a relief. Many times people expressed gratitude that a church was present at all.
I believe EPUMC did the work of God today.
We did not come to win an argument. We came to share good news.
We did not come to judge. We came to welcome.
We did not come to tell people they were outside God’s love. We came to proclaim that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
Ministry doesn’t only happen inside church walls. Sometimes it happens in a park. Sometimes it happens at a booth. Sometimes it happens through a conversation that helps someone feel seen, valued, and loved.
Thank you to everyone who volunteered, prayed, donated supplies, staffed the booth, and represented our congregation with grace and compassion. Today, Estes Park United Methodist Church lived out its commitment that all are loved, all are welcome, and all belong.
That is the Gospel we believe. And today, by God’s grace, we had the opportunity to share it.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Ann
Photos by Maureen Vetter and Wendy Rigby.