As Pride Month draws to a close, the Manhattan Beach Community Church will hold a special worship service on June 29, dedicated to celebrating and affirming the LGBTQ+ community and their allies.

The service, to be held at 10:00 a.m. at 303 S. Peck Avenue in Manhattan Beach, is intended to reinforce the church’s commitment to welcoming and embracing all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The service also marks the certification of MBCC as an "Open and Affirming" congregation, a public covenant made by a congregation to fully welcome and include people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions into the life and leadership within the United Church of Christ (UCC). The number of Open and Affirming churches in the United Church of Christ has grown to include more than 1,900 congregations in the U.S., making it one of the largest LGBTQ-welcoming church movements in North America.

Sunday's service will offer a message of love, acceptance, and inclusion, recognizing the inherent worth and dignity of each individual, said Mike Spitters, pastor of MBCC.

“This service demonstrates a desire to be a truly welcoming community where everyone can find a spiritual home,” he said. 

Doug Greer, chair of MBCC's Open & Affirming Committee, added, "As our society has become so divided, it is our duty as Christians to get the message out that God's love extends to everyone, wherever they are on life's journey."

The service, which is open to the public, will include special music and readings. A coffee and cake reception will follow the service.

Last year, MBCC had displayed a series of rainbow doors with the message "God's doors are open to all" during Pride Month. After those doors were vandalized, the church unveiled a new set of doors at a multi-denominational community gathering in September, with representatives showing support from local Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Episcopal churches, as well as Jewish synagogues.