What's Happening

The Met has always been a prominent participant in San Diego LGBT Pride, the city's largest parade and civic event of the year, attracting 400,000+ people in 2013. Each year we march in the parade and have a prominent presence at the 2-day Pride Festival. It's who we are!

SD Pride 2017

With record-setting attendance at the Festival and a throng of 200,000 or more along the Parade route - and an enthused Pride Team, The Met had a fantastic SD LGBT Pride. See Parade and Booth photos.

SD Pride 2016

Once again we were out in force for San Diego Pride. And, of course, we got plenty of photos to show the fun and the outreach.

SD Pride 2015

Forever 2015 Pride will be rememembered as "the year it rained." And rain it did, even in downpours at times from remnants of Hurricane Dolores. But our Met contingent of dozens of people had Good News to share and they trudged faithfully on through thunder, lightning, pouring rain and puddles. See photos of this remarkable Pride Parade.

And we have still more photos from Beth Kind & Cyndi Montez.

Pride 2014 (July 18-20)

See photos from the Stonewall Rally

See photos (dozens!) from the Pride Parade

See photos at our Festival Booth

While the crowd may have been a little less in number and enthusiasm that last year's record turnout, San DIego LGBT Pride 2014 was fun, festive and fabulous. Our contingent was cheered all along the route, we had phenomenal response at our booth, and only one word seems to fit our outreach this year: success! It was even overcast 90% of the day, making it more moderate and pleasurable than many hot years, with a nice breeze. Our gumball machine and stickers continue to be a huge hit at our booth and great conversation starters. Thank you to everyone who worked hard, planned, organized, marched, cheered, ministered at our booth, and boosted us along in spirit!

Pride 2013 (July 12-14)

A LGBT Pride to Long Remember SEE PHOTOS

"Incredible" "Best Pride ever" "Awesome" "Amazing" "Off the Charts" These are some of the words we've heard used to describe this year's San Diego LGBT Pride, especially the Parade. The record crowds (estimated as high as 400,000!) were filled with energy and excitement, no doubt due in large part to the recent US Supreme Court rulings on DOMA and Prop 8 and the resumption of marriage equality in California.

It was thrilling hainvg the cheering crowds sing along with us on the chorus to "Going to the Chapel" and dance to the beat of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way." In what had to be a God-moment, we came to the chorus of "Chapel" just as we hit the protesters at Universtiy & 9th, and our contingenet seemed to turn and sing TO them. Darn, we were so loud (along with the crowd) that we couldn't even hear what those folks were saying on their bullhorns. Leslie Alexis was phenomenal on the microphone revving up the crowd, leading us in singing and sharing information about the church for all to hear. What ministry!

At our Festival booth we often had a steady stream of visitors drawn to our gumball machine. We even had to print more of our popular sitckers! Kudos to Dan Bohan and the entire Pride Team and all the volunteers for a fantastic job and a Pride to remember, one for the record books. By the way, The Met was also there are the Stonewall Rally Friday night to hear actor George Takei and others speak. See photos.

PRIDE 2012 (July 20-22)

What a great weekend it was from congregants joining us for the big rainbow flag raising ceremony and Spirit of Stonewall Rally in Hillcrest Friday night to the fantastic Parade on Saturday before up to 200,000 people, to the fabulous ministry and fun at the Pride Festival.

71 congregants marched with us in the Parade, and we got a good response from the crowd. They seemed to love our choice of songs: "Friend of God" (our old standby) and Lady Gaga's "Born This Way." And Leslie Alexis on the microphone walking down University and 6th Avenues was enormously effective. What an outrech! We were pleased to have an active member of the Navy marching with us... in uniform! Brief bits of our contingent even made it onto local news video. Our T-shirts proved to be a big hit ...among the most popular ever! We sold over 150, they were easy to spot along the route and at the Festival, and they earned many positive comments and compliments. A huge thank-you to Lisa DeMarco and Elise Brown and everyone who helped plan and organize, march, and staffed the booth. You were amazing, strong, wonderful, fabulous and unique! (We think we've seen those words before.)

PRIDE 2011

Our Pride Weekend kicked off with our own rally at the church on Thursday, July 14 with pizza, parade and festival instructions, song rehearsal, T-shirt pickup and wonderful fellowship. Then, came the big day of the parade, July 16. Al Smithson and Mike Denison (and their vehicles) were among the first to arrive. Others starting trickling in at 9:00 and most were there by 10:30. It was a long wait, but the time went quickly as people connected, talked and visited.

We exceeded our goal of 100 singing, waving, smiling Christian faces reaching out with the message of love and that we are a "Friend of God." We actually had 102 congregants in our Parade contingent, the largest in over 10 years! In fact, we were one of the largest contingents in the whole parade! How awesome is that? We didn't realize the mass of our contingent until we could see it on the video.

All along the route, before an estimated 155,000 happy parade watchers (and a mere handful of the usual protesters), the waving, cheering and shouting continued ... and our Met banner was repeatedly spun joyously around. To say our contingent was enthusiastic is an understatement. While most were tired after the 1.5 mile trek (and the hours of waiting) others would have been all ready to do it all over again! As of late Saturday, booth coordinator Krista Hudson was reporting that everyone scheduled to work the booth had shown up. What ministers!

Our gratitude to Rev. Houston and everyone who made our participation in Pride successfully happen and run smoothly. We all did us proud!