Debate Over Local Ministry's Participation in Space Coast Pride Continues: Faith Leaders Weigh In
Debate over Matthew’s Hope’s participation in last month’s Space Coast Pride Festival continued this week after the homeless ministry announced in a Facebook post Wednesday that several churches have chosen to pull support.
The controversy, covered previously by Christians of Brevard, began in August when Matthew’s Hope was announced as a sponsor of the annual Melbourne Pride festival by event organizers. Matthew’s Hope responded that the sponsorship listing was a mistake and that the ministry had been hired to provide bus transportation for event attendees. Scott Billue, founder and CEO of Matthew’s Hope, said at the time that he viewed the effort as an opportunity to “show the love of Jesus to others no matter their race, religion or sexual orientation.”
Connor Mahoney
Among the needs Matthew’s Hope says have been left unfilled because of the lost support are sandwiches used to feed homeless guests at its Cocoa-based care facility while they await showers and other services. Matthew’s Hope says it distributes 1,500 to 2,000 sandwiches weekly, with premade sandwiches supplied by supporting partners.
The announcement ignited debate on Facebook, with both supporters and detractors of the ministry’s recent actions weighing in, including local pastors and ministry leaders.
In one widely shared response, Lauren Giacone, a local salon owner and founder of the community activism group Brevard Peace Keepers, called for the names of the churches that pulled support to be released.
“I actually find it unfair that we aren’t told,” Giacone said. “Imagine you decide one day ‘I need God in my life’ and the first church you go to is full of hateful bigots. Spare people from this. It’s what keeps people out of churches. Me being one of them.”
Billue responded by asking Giacone to let the issue go.
“We made the prayerful choice of not naming names,” Billue said. “We don’t wish any church or anybody to be attacked. God tells us to make our prayers and petitions known, and that is what we have done and we attempted to explain why.”
Billue also suggested people ask their churches what they believe before becoming members.
Shelley Bradford, the current president of both Matthew’s Hope’s Orange and Brevard County locations, also responded, echoing similar sentiments.
“I think in the end it’s better we don’t call the church out as it’s not necessary to give them or their lack of unconditional love, or not loving people where they are at, any more traction than it’s already gotten,” Bradford said.
Christians Debate How Churches Should Respond
Within the Christian community, responses were divided both on the pulled support and the broader response to the Pride festival.
Harley Capsuto, an associate pastor at Merritt Assembly of God in Merritt Island, sought a balanced perspective in response to Giacone’s post, calling the issue a “two-sided coin.”
“I believe said churches were wrong in two ways,” Capsuto said. Reached for further comment, Capsuto explained:
“Matthew’s Hope bussing people to Pride is 100% incorrect and they are wrong, but if we have an opportunity to reach homeless people we should do that,” he said. “You shouldn’t take away an opportunity to bless somebody else and share the Gospel because of what somebody else did.”
Capsuto suggested churches that object to Matthew’s Hope’s decision could end financial or organizational partnerships while continuing to make sandwiches to feed the hungry.
Local evangelist Adam Cronan expressed a similar concern for the care of those in need while responding to Matthew’s Hope’s Wednesday post.
“I appreciate the work Matthew’s Hope does to serve those in need,” Cronan said. “I pray we can continue serving those in need while also refusing to characterize fellow believers as hateful simply because they stood publicly for the Gospel.”
Cronan, who leads Fire Starter Ministries and directed one of the evangelism teams at the September Pride festival, sought to clarify his team's efforts in response to Matthew’s Hope’s description of its participation as an opportunity to show Christ’s love “as opposed to some of the on-site hate mongers in attendance.”
In a sermon preached the Sunday after the festival, Barry Russell of The Grove Church in Titusville also offered measured criticism of the messaging used by some Christian witnesses at Pride.
“You’ll see signs and banners at gatherings in Melbourne like yesterday where they’ll hold up a sign with 1 Corinthians 6 on it,” Russell said in a sermon titled Is God Anti-LGBTQ? “And they’ll list verse 9 through 10, and they’ll tell everyone about the sin that keeps you out of heaven, but why do they stop at verse 10?”
“If you’re going to hold a sign, hold verse 11.… ‘But you were washed. You were sanctified. You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God.’”
Russell also clarified that his approach was not one of theological affirmation.
“No, I’m not affirming any one of these letters,” Russell said regarding LGBTQ affirmation. “I’m not standing in agreement with any sexuality outside of God’s plan, but what I am saying is you’re welcome here.”
Cronan maintains the on-site efforts were not there to spread hate.
“Many of the Christians who were present at the Pride event were not there to spread hate. We were there to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, pray for people, have conversations, and call people to repentance and faith in Jesus,” Cronan said. “There is a difference between serving people and supporting organizations or events that celebrate what Scripture identifies as sin. Christians can and should show compassion while remaining faithful to biblical truth.”
Some Churches Voice Continued Support
While theologically conservative christians debated the balance of responses to the controversy, some local churches found no conflict in Matthew’s Hope’s support of the festival and took to the comments to show support.
Robert Lamb, director of traditional music at Suntree Methodist, commented, “I’m disappointed to see that we have such hate-filled people in Brevard County who think they represent Christ-like behavior by refusing to be supportive of ALL of God’s creation. Very disheartening. Keep up the wonderful work, Matthew’s Hope.”
Members of Suntree Methodist’s Grace and Glitter ministry, an LGBTQ+ affirming outreach of the church, set up a tent at the Space Coast Pride Festival this year offering support to festival attendees.
Matthew Ray, an elder at Eastminster Presbyterian Church, also weighed in thanking Matthew’s Hope for its efforts.
“Thank you for living Christ’s call to love and serve ALL! Proud to support your work,” Ray said.
Eastminster Presbyterian has marched in support of the parade in past festivals, including this September.
Other commenters expressing support from their churches for Matthew’s Hope amid the controversy included members of Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Cocoa, Advent Lutheran in Melbourne and Cocoa Beach Community Church UCC. The official position of these churches has not been independently verified.
The churches that pulled support from Matthew’s Hope have not been identified, but calls from local leaders opposed to Matthew’s Hope’s Pride participation have encouraged churches to redirect financial support to other Christian homeless ministries, including Christ Is The Answer Rescue Mission in Melbourne, Wholeness to Freedom Ministries, New Life Mission and House of Hope. It remains to be seen whether churches withdrawing support from Matthew’s Hope have redirected those funds or volunteer efforts elsewhere.
For Matthew’s Hope, however, the immediate need remains. Billue has recently told media the ministry is facing a roughly $468,000 deficit this year amid rising demand for services.
— Connor Mahoney is a Brevard County native and graduate of Florida Institute of Technology. He attends Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Melbourne.
— Christians of Brevard is a multi-church initiative that seeks to amplify the voices of local churches and ministries for the purpose of encouraging the local body of Christ and advancing the Kingdom of God. Join our Facebook community @ChristiansOfBrevard
