Salem Church To Host Interfaith Pride Service For North Shore Community

SALEM, MA — Faith leaders and community members from across the North Shore are scheduled to gather Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at Tabernacle Congregational Church in Salem for an Interfaith Pride Service. Organizers described the event as a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community.

The service is free and open to the public.

The gathering is rooted in the theme, "How Good It Is To Be Together," and is expected to include clergy and congregants from Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, and Unitarian Universalist traditions.

The service is intended as a shared act of welcome and affirmation.

Organizers said the service is in response to how many LGBTQ+ people have experienced religious spaces as places of pain rather than sanctuary. It was created to help rewrite that experience and to affirm that every person carries "a spark of the divine" worthy of celebration.

The program is set to include music, prayer, and readings from multiple traditions.

Rev. Andre Bennett of Zion Baptist Church in Lynn is scheduled to speak. A collection will also be taken for NAGLY, the North Shore Alliance of GLBTQ+ Youth, which supports LGBTQ+ young people on the North Shore.

The Zilber Beatles, an interfaith cover band, are also scheduled to perform. After the service, organizers plan a reception with light refreshments provided by participating congregations.

Local authors Rev. Donna Spencer Collins and Jim Moser are expected to sign copies of their new books at the reception.

Tabernacle Congregational Church also offers elevator access, according to the event information. The service will be available on Zoom for people who cannot attend in person, with the link available by contacting the church.

Organizers note that parking meters are enforced on Sundays in Salem.

Congregations that want to be listed as participating open and affirming communities, even if they cannot attend, are encouraged to reach out at learning@tbabeverly.org.