by Kayla Berkey | published on Jun 2, 2026

The start of June marks the beginning of Pride Month, the month designated to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City. Alongside other riots, Stonewall was an influential moment of resistance in the movement for LGBTQ+ rights.

Now begins the season of Pride marches and festivals held in towns large and small across the country, where many United Church of Christ congregations build on the denomination’s long history of working for LGBTQ+ inclusion by offering a visible presence of God’s love for LGBTQ+ people.

The Rev. Bentley de Bardelaben-Phillips, team leader for UCC Education for Faithful Action Ministries, reflected as Pride Month begins, “It is meaningful to know that my church supports me the way God created me: Black, queer, beautiful, and pansexual/bisexual.”

Click here for some resources and ideas for engaging with Pride within the sanctuary and beyond.