ATHOL — With laws being proposed or passed that limit the rights of the LGBTQ community across the country, the Rev. Candi Ashenden wants them to know there are allies who accept them.
This Sunday, the Athol Congregational Church will hold its first Pride event as part of the regular service. Ashenden said the idea came about because several members are part of the LGBTQ community.
“Sadly, some among the Christian label don’t celebrate them,” said Ashenden. “Now more than ever in this cultural time, we need to let folks know that they are welcome here and we see them for who they are.”
The event will include displays showing the history of the local LGBTQ community, along with several speakers — including Ashenden, who described her coming out as gay while serving at a church in Orange as “an incredibly difficult time.” She began receiving hate mail — enough to fill a shoebox — and was soon reduced from full-time to part-time. She said this was “a condemnation” of her actions.
“It divided the church into those accepting and not,” she said.
Later, Ashenden said a meeting was held where a motion was made to fire her. It failed, but she decided to leave anyway, serving at three other churches, including the Congregational Church in Conway, before being called to Athol in 2017. It was Athol where she first served at the beginning of her work as a pastor 28 years ago. At this church, Ashenden said she can be herself.
“It’s not an issue here,” she said. “It’s just who I am. It’s a non-issue, which is the way it should be.”
Jenna Sujdak, a member of Athol Congregational, will be among those speaking. As a teenager, she said she was at another church and witnessed a friend who was outed by their cousin — which she said led to the pastor calling this friend “a terrible person.” She plans to speak about this friend, along with a Christian TikToker whose family abandoned her because she is gay.
“I learned from listening to my friend that there is a lot of people in the community with religious trauma,” said Sujdak. “It’s important for people to know that they are loved and that love is unconditional.”
Sujdak said her mother has always accepted her since coming out and staunchly defended her from hateful comments posted to a community page for Orange residents.
“It’s important to talk about people who deal with this kind of hate,” she said.
Ashenden said the congregation has been very supportive of this Pride event, which was voted on by the deacons. There has been some negative backlash after Ashenden posted about it on social media groups, which has led to discussions about security. The pastor said she doesn’t like having to consider this, but at the same time, it would be naive not to do so.
“Everybody needs a safe place,” she said. “When your rights are threatened, it’s a scary time to be in the gay community. The fear is that the gay marriage act will be repealed — what does that do to people who are legally married? We need to counter that and offer a positive message of love.”
The Athol Congregational Church’s Pride celebration will be held on Sunday, June 25, at 10 a.m. at 1225 Chestnut St., Athol.
Max Bowen can be reached at 413-930-4074 or mbowen@recorder.com.
