Living Color
Charles Lyons
October 1, 1999
Now I recognize it as the defining moment in my ministry. Almost one thousand people were gathered inside our one-time Masonic Temple for our Wednesday night prayer meeting.
The shouts from protesters outside competed with our prayers. "Racist, sexist,
anti-gay, born-again bigots go away!"
The chant was relentless. The longer they yelled, the louder they yelled.
The mob was angry and growing more agitated. They spray-painted graffiti
on our old building and splashed red paint on the sidewalks. They waved signs
bearing deadly threats. I didn't know if the night would end without
violence.
Our church, Armitage Baptist in Chicago, had been their target for months.
Our presence on sidewalks outside the city's abortion clinics—telling
pregnant women about alternatives to abortion and drawing attention to the
rights of the unborn—had raised the hackles of an array of radical groups.
The militant homosexual machine Act Up had failed in their attempt to take
over our Easter worship service. They blew whistles and dropped condoms in
the offering plate. Seven screaming protesters were arrested, prompting an
investigation by the city's human rights commission.
Now a coalition of ten political groups had amassed on our doorstep, including
Queer Nation, seditionists Refuse and Resist, Puerto Ricans to free political
prisoners, and Sister Serpent, an occult group.
...
"We will have a concert of prayer on Wednesday night," I told our congregation
on Sunday. "We'll pray for our nation, our city, and for the demonstrators."
The people of Armitage were primed. And a little nervous.
My friend James Meeks was surprised that I hadn't told him about the
coming march when one of his church members relayed the news. James ...
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