Local Church Set to Oppose Lititz Pride Fest for Fourth Straight Year

As the Lititz Pride Festival approaches its fifth annual staging on June 7 in Lititz Springs Park, one local church continues its opposition, rooted in what its pastor describes as a godly commitment to biblical truth and the well-being of the community, especially youth. Independence Reformed Bible Church (IRBC) of Morgantown, led by Pastor Joel Saint, plans to continue its outreach at the event, which organizers bill as “family-friendly” but which Saint and his congregants view as promoting an unbiblical and harmful lifestyle.

The Lititz Pride Festival, organized by Lancaster County Chooses Love (formerly Lititz Chooses Love), a trans-led 501(c)3 organization, anticipates a turnout of approximately 3,500 attendees, a figure the group claims is similar to its 2024 turnout, as stated in their annual report. The event, held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., features music, various vendors, and activities explicitly aimed at children. Parker Webb, an executive partner of Lancaster County Chooses Love, is a self-proclaimed “life-long trans man” who has publicly stated that using puberty blockers is a “viable option” for youth. This advocacy for transgenderism among minors, including discussions of medical interventions like gender-affirming surgeries, is a central concern for Saint.

Saint’s opposition to the Lititz Pride Festival dates back to 2022. In June 2022, a dozen members of IRBC conducted an outreach outside Lititz Springs Park, leading to what Saint described as “hundreds of conversations” with attendees. Despite false accusations by local media, specifically LNP/Lancaster Online, of carrying a “Burn Gays” sign—an allegation vehemently denied by IRBC and refuted by video evidence reviewed by The Lancaster Patriot—the church maintained its outreach was focused on advocating for Christ and discussing the “dangers and reality of sin.” In a public statement, the elders of IRBC emphasized that its “Christ Hates Pride” signage reflected a biblical viewpoint that “God hates sin” and “pride is at the root of most sin.”

The conflict escalated in early 2023 when the Lititz Moravian Congregation Board of Trustees, owners of Lititz Springs Park, initially denied the festival’s permit for the 2023 event. Their March 10, 2023 statement cited multiple violations of park bylaws, including “political activities” and “inappropriate content,” specifically a 2022 “adult-content Drag Queen performance” that occurred during an event billed as family-friendly. The board also noted presenters who “mocked certain Christian beliefs and the Holy Bible,” and referenced public safety concerns stemming from the “repulsive and potentially dangerous protest” of 2022 – a clear reference to IRBC’s peaceful outreach.

However, just days later, the Lititz Springs Park Board defied the church board’s decision, voting unanimously to issue a contract to Lititz Chooses Love. The situation took another turn when, on April 7, 2023, the Lititz Moravian Congregation’s joint Board of Elders and Board of Trustees issued a public apology to Lititz Chooses Love and the LGBTQIA+ “community.” The church retracted its earlier statement, admitting to “inattentive communication breakdowns” and giving “undeserved credence to information and accusations.” They stated they had “learned” from Lititz Chooses Love that “not all Drag performances are adult-oriented, and as an artform they are not inherently sexual,” despite The Lancaster Patriot’s own observation of a 2022 drag performer with “visible nipples protruding from a tight top” and a child on stage with the performer. The Moravian church board also stated they were advised by an attorney that promoting a social justice agenda does not constitute prohibited “political activity.”

Ahead of the 2023 festival, a Lititz-based realtor hosted a “Silent Witness Peacekeepers Alliance Training” to create a “buffer” zone using rainbow umbrellas to prevent festival attendees from interacting with church members or receiving Christian literature. Despite these efforts to deter them, IRBC also conducted outreaches in 2023 and 2024 and has confirmed its plans for another outreach this year.

Saint has consistently articulated the theological basis for his church’s opposition. In an open letter penned in July 2023, he asserted that the event should properly be called the “Lititz Chooses Lust Pride Festival,” defining lust as the “carnal desire” or “gratification of carnal appetite,” which he argues is a “sinful desire.” Saint emphasizes that “pride” itself is antithetical to biblical teaching, citing Psalm 138:6, which states, “Though the Lord is on high, yet He regards the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar.” He argues that promoting such an event “sets one ‘afar’ from the Lord.” Addressing the festival’s promotion of transgenderism, Saint directly confronts the idea of gender change through “mutilation,” referencing Matthew 19:4 where Jesus states God “made them male and female,” and Matthew 6:27, questioning the ability to change one’s God-given nature. He further invoked Romans 1:24-28, describing those who “exchanged the truth of God for the lie” and were given over to “vile passions,” including men and women acting “against nature” and “burning in their lust for one another.” Saint concluded his letter by applying Isaiah 5:18-20, warning, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil,” and specifically, “Woe to those who celebrate lust and call it love.” He urged all involved with the festival to “turn from your sin.”

In a recent interview with The Lancaster Patriot, Saint clarified the church’s continued presence and goals at the Lititz Pride Festival, outlining three primary reasons for their unwavering opposition. Firstly, he stated, “We would oppose any event that embraces pride as a good thing. We know that pride goes before destruction, and that God resists the proud.” He emphasized that the church cannot ignore or support anything that their “Savior and King opposes and resists.” Secondly, Saint contended that these “so-called ‘pride’ events mock that first command” given by God the Creator to “be fruitful and multiply.” Finally, he underscored the conviction that while the God of the Bible is just and gave His Son to save from sin, “we cannot mock Him by celebrating that which He hates.” In this context, he cited Proverbs 8:13: “The fear of the LORD [is] to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.”

Saint affirmed that the church’s overarching goal in their outreach is to “preach the good news that there is freedom and deliverance through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died a horrific death to save His people from their sin.” He expressed deep concern for the well-being of individuals, noting research that suggests “those who practice sodomy and bodily hatred are at far greater risk of self-harm, including suicide attempts,” and posed the question: “How can we, who say that we are to love both God and neighbor, ignore such a so-called ‘lifestyle’? A ‘lifestyle’ or style of ‘life’, this most certainly is not.”

During the 2023 festival, Saint observed the significant number of children present, stating, “They love it when little children come in here, because they can’t have [children] – the homosexuals can’t have them – so they have to groom them from straight people. And it’s wicked.” Accounts from the 2023 event noted a woman publicly baring her surgically modified chest. One table inside the park featured a T-shirt reading, “Protect Trans Kids,” further underscoring the event’s focus on youth and transgender ideology.

Matt Kenitzer, who pastors Saint John’s Reformed Church in Schuylkill County (Pennsylvania), and attended last year’s outreach, articulated his stance on the Pride Festival, explaining his opposition as an act of obedience to Christ and love for his neighbors. He views the outreach as confronting “the celebration of what God hates with the Word of God,” adding, “we trust God in His purpose for sending out His Word, whether for judgment or mercy.”

Saint anticipates that IRBC’s outreach this June will again involve one-on-one evangelism, carrying signs displaying Bible verses, and potentially open-air preaching. He holds firm in his belief that if even a small percentage of Lancaster County churches—perhaps as little as 5%—were to oppose the festival, it could lead to its cessation. However, if this year is similar to the previous three years, it is likely that Saint will be one of only a few pastors present to oppose the event. While dozens of Christians participate in the opposition, with many being from IRBC, the presence of other pastors remains notably low. Lancaster County is home to over 500 churches, but it is unlikely even 1% of those will have a pastor present in Lititz to oppose the homosexual/transgenderism festival. Perhaps strikingly for a place like Lancaster County, it is expected that more pastors will be found inside the festival promoting the event than outside opposing it.