Sunday, February 22, 2004
Protesters gather outside church event
By JOE BLUMBERG
joeblumberg@npgco.com
The Heartland Presbytery was greeted Saturday morning by a dozen protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan.
About 180 delegates of the presbytery, which includes Northwest Missouri and Northeast Kansas, were holding their first meeting of 2004 at the First Presbyterian Church, 301 N. Seventh St. The delegates gather five times a year to consider church matters.
Those 180 delegates were met outside the church by a small gathering of the Westboro Baptist Church. The protesters carried signs such as "God Hates Fags" and "Thank God for AIDS," while dragging the American flag on the ground, saying "Thank God for September 11th," and declaring that the First Presbyterian Church was "the gateway to hell."
The protesters were demonstrating against the presbytery’s appointment of a female moderator, the Rev. Heidi Peterson of Central Presbyterian Church in Kansas City.
The Rev. Craig Palmer, interim executive director of Heartland Presbytery, issued the following statement:
"It is sad to see such hate demonstrated in the actions, shouts and signs from a group led by a pastor of a Baptist Church. They are not demonstrating the teachings and example of our Lord Jesus. It is the good news of God’s love revealed in our Lord Jesus that is at the heart of our Christian faith - not hatred."
Members and delegates of the Presbyterian Church did little in response to the protesters, who asked for directions to the highway and apparently left town by 10 a.m. The Westboro protesters left without talking to reporters.
The Westboro Baptist Church and its leader, the Rev. Fred Phelps, have held similar protests for several years. One of their most notable protests was at the funeral for Matthew Shepard, a homosexual who was murdered in Montana in 1998.
The Rev. Phelps didn’t attend Saturday’s protest.
Daniel Ramming and Laurie Logan of the Midland Empire Task Force showed up shortly after the protesters left to support gay rights and AIDS awareness.
"Straight, gay or otherwise, you shouldn’t have to put up with this," Ms. Logan said.
"Doing all this in the name of God just boggles my mind," Mr. Ramming said.