Local Faith Leaders Bless Bronx Pride’s New Home

February 3, 2012 at 12:00 PM

By Jeanmarie Evelly

Local faith leaders visited the Bronx Community Pride Center's new building last week (Photo courtesy Bronx Pride)

Last week, the Bronx Community Pride Center celebrated its new home, and eight pastors from varying faiths visited the group’s new building to participate in an interdenominational blessing ceremony for the new site, on Kelly Street in Hunts Point.

“Our clients and staff have strong ties to the faith community and religion has played a large role in their lives and upbringing,” said executive director Dirk McCall. “While we might not always agree on all issues, we want to engage in dialogue and find areas of common ground, working together to improve the lives of all LGBTQ Bronxites.”

Bronx Pride, the borough’s only LGBTQ advocacy group and service agency, moved into its new building in December, ironically into a development named after State Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr., a fierce gay rights opponent. Before that, the group had worked out of a building in Mott Haven for over 15 years.

“The Bronx Community Pride Center is a great blessing as we build community for all people in the Bronx,” said Pastor Doug Cunningham, of New Day Church in the northwest Bronx. “At New Day Church we are finding the abundance of crossing boundaries of race, class, sexual orientation and age and the Bronx Community Pride Center provides critically important resources and partnership for us in that process.”