Loomis Basin Congregational
United church of christ
Rooted in Justice. Formed in Faith. Focused on Community.
Urgent Community Message:
As many of you might have heard, our Pastor and faith community are being maligned by a far-right wing activist group. We recognize you may have questions and concerns and we hope this will help you understand how we are dealing with these terrible actions.
On Sunday evening (March 19), a far-right wing activist group released a highly-edited video meant to discredit our beloved pastor. Project Veritas activists posed as parents searching for support for their LGBTQ child and illegally videotaped a private conversation with Pastor Casey Tinnin. Project Veritas and other far-right groups have a pattern of releasing false information and heavily edited videos to further their political agenda.
Loomis Basin UCC stands with Pastor Casey Tinnin, and he has our full faith in his leadership. We continue to be proud of his unwavering support of LGBTQ youth in Placer County.
We are deeply hurt that this clearly fabricated video has been used to target our Landing Spot support group, our pastor, and our church. We are a church called by Jesus to commit to eliminating injustice, bigotry and racism, and to work for human rights and equality for all people. Our community is strong and resilient and together we will continue to lead as progressive Christians in this community.
As an immediate response to an influx of hateful and threatening messages, we will temporarily suspend in-person Loomis Basin UCC events on church property until church leadership can establish a plan to maintain the safety and security of our congregants. We believe this is the best way to protect our pastor and our congregants during this time of elevated attention for our local church.
Do not mistake the actions taken to protect our congregation as a run for the shadows. We have nothing to hide, and we will continue to shine our bright light throughout Placer County and beyond. We are responding to media requests and have shared this press release.
Church leadership has made the decision to worship online based upon the feedback from our membership and we feel these accommodations will allow our most vulnerable members to fully participate as we worship this Sunday and beyond. We will continue to come together, whether virtually or in person, to celebrate the love and community we have built.
Our virtual service will be available to view this Sunday on our website.
We also want to put these actions into a regional and national context. This is a coordinated attack on the LGBTQ community, specifically targeting transgender folks. There is a wave of anti-LGBTQ violence and legislative attacks across the country and we are not immune.
This also means we have a whole community and movement to lean on and support us. This is not the first time those fighting for equality and justice have been under attack and we will not stop working towards full equality for all of those in our faith community.
For those of you who are new to our community, we start every worship service by saying, “No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.” And we mean it! We welcome everyone to fully participate in their faith community, including all LGBTQ people. We look forward to connecting with you soon.
If you have any questions, please reach out to a member of the Church Council.
- The Church Council
On Sunday evening (March 19), a far-right wing activist group released a highly-edited video meant to discredit our beloved pastor. Project Veritas activists posed as parents searching for support for their LGBTQ child and illegally videotaped a private conversation with Pastor Casey Tinnin. Project Veritas and other far-right groups have a pattern of releasing false information and heavily edited videos to further their political agenda.
Loomis Basin UCC stands with Pastor Casey Tinnin, and he has our full faith in his leadership. We continue to be proud of his unwavering support of LGBTQ youth in Placer County.
We are deeply hurt that this clearly fabricated video has been used to target our Landing Spot support group, our pastor, and our church. We are a church called by Jesus to commit to eliminating injustice, bigotry and racism, and to work for human rights and equality for all people. Our community is strong and resilient and together we will continue to lead as progressive Christians in this community.
As an immediate response to an influx of hateful and threatening messages, we will temporarily suspend in-person Loomis Basin UCC events on church property until church leadership can establish a plan to maintain the safety and security of our congregants. We believe this is the best way to protect our pastor and our congregants during this time of elevated attention for our local church.
Do not mistake the actions taken to protect our congregation as a run for the shadows. We have nothing to hide, and we will continue to shine our bright light throughout Placer County and beyond. We are responding to media requests and have shared this press release.
Church leadership has made the decision to worship online based upon the feedback from our membership and we feel these accommodations will allow our most vulnerable members to fully participate as we worship this Sunday and beyond. We will continue to come together, whether virtually or in person, to celebrate the love and community we have built.
Our virtual service will be available to view this Sunday on our website.
We also want to put these actions into a regional and national context. This is a coordinated attack on the LGBTQ community, specifically targeting transgender folks. There is a wave of anti-LGBTQ violence and legislative attacks across the country and we are not immune.
This also means we have a whole community and movement to lean on and support us. This is not the first time those fighting for equality and justice have been under attack and we will not stop working towards full equality for all of those in our faith community.
For those of you who are new to our community, we start every worship service by saying, “No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.” And we mean it! We welcome everyone to fully participate in their faith community, including all LGBTQ people. We look forward to connecting with you soon.
If you have any questions, please reach out to a member of the Church Council.
- The Church Council
How Can You Help?
DONATE!
Help us to FIGHT BACK against hate by donating to our FIGHT BACK Fund to cover security, safety, and legal costs. Thank you for your support it means everything!!!
Help us to FIGHT BACK against hate by donating to our FIGHT BACK Fund to cover security, safety, and legal costs. Thank you for your support it means everything!!!