Most of us enjoy pie. Apple pie, lemon meringue, tourtiere, shepherd’s pie, pizza pie. Pie is always on the menu.

At Kamloops United Church we don’t just love pie, we want to be PIE! And on Friday March 14, we are bringing pie, and PIE to the street.

Every year on March 14 we celebrate National Affirming PIE Day PIE stands for Public, Intentional and Explicit.

Those are the standards we hold ourselves and our welcome to when we seek to be fully Affirming, Welcoming and Inclusive people and communities. This year’s theme, “Sing Out Proud”, represents our sharing of values and joy in celebrating difference and diversity throughout our beloved Two Spirit and LGBTQIA+ communities.

Kamloops United Church is celebrating the centenaries of the United Church of Canada, and of Kamloops United. In 1925 several denominations across Canada came together to form the national UCC and at the same time the former Methodist church on the corner of Fourth Avenue and St. Paul Street became Kamloops United Church. One hundred years later, we are still reaching out into the Kamloops community from the same corner.

For 29 of those years, Kamloops United has been a 2SLGBTQIA+ Affirming community of faith. During the late 1970s and 1980s the church began a period of education and discernment. On May 12, 1996, the congregation held a vote to become an Affirming congregation and KUC became officially a member of the national organization Affirm United/S’Affirmer Ensemble.

When you think about a Christian church, your first thought likely isn’t 2SLGBTQIA inclusion. And there’s reason for that. Centuries of harm has been done to queer people in the name of the Christian faith. Today, around the world and right here at home, many use religious rhetoric to justify their own bigotries and inflict cruelty. “Church”, as a whole, has amends to make for this continuing harm.

Some churches, like Kamloops United Church, are intentional in their welcoming of the queer community.

But what does it mean to say we are “affirming”? Being 2S & LGBTQIA+ affirming goes far beyond tolerating, welcoming, including, and loving. Being Affirming means that every person of every identity and orientation is affirmed and celebrated just as they are, without caveats, conditions or exceptions, or expectations to conform.

Often scripture has been used to justify exclusion or condemnation, but words written thousands of years ago which have been transcribed, translated, re-translated and mis-translated hundreds of times over the centuries can mean something quite different especially when interpreted through a lens of love. And love is the ultimate message; the old rules fall away and the instructions to love your neighbour, to love one another, remains as the most important lesson for Christians.

So, on March 14, between 11:30 and 1:30, stop by at Fourth and St. Paul. We will have pie (well, actually homemade tarts and other yummy treats), information about being PIE, some flags, and we will have a big Affirming welcome for everyone!

Chris Dolson (she/her) is a member of Kamloops United Church. Her volunteer roles at the church, which include coordinating the KUC Affirming Ministry and officiating at weddings as the Lay Marriage Minister, bring her much joy.