Church being public, intentional and explicit about LGBTQ2SIA+ affirmation
Residents in Selkirk were welcomed to attend the Selkirk United Church’s Affirming PIE Day 2026 on March 12.
PIE day is an annual celebration of LGBTQ2SIA+ inclusion at the church and affirms that all people are welcome. It is celebrated on or near March 14, which is colloquially known as Pi day, for the first three decimals(3.14) in the mathematical number Pi. PIE is also an acronym for the words— public, intentional and explicit— which are important aspects of the church’s inclusivity of the LGBTQ2SIA+ community. In addition, of course, pie refers to the dessert, or in the church’s case, pizza pie, which they served as dinner before the presentation that followed.
Selkirk United Church Minister, Rev. Cole Grambo, explained that this is a day when the church celebrates and honours the full affirmation of LGBTQ2SIA+ people in faith communities and beyond.
“PIE equals public, intentional, explicit. Those are the standards we hold ourselves (to) and are welcome to when we become affirming, welcoming, more inclusive communities. All can participate. You do not need to be part of an affirming ministry, but we are. You don’t need to be a United Church, but we are,” he said.
The Selkirk United Church became an affirming community in 2015 when they took on the process of becoming an affirming church.
Grambo explained that the day is not just a celebration however, but a challenge to do more.
“PIE Day is a celebration. PIE Day is also for education. PIE Day is to acknowledge that we are an affirming congregation for us here at Selkirk United, but it’s also a time to challenge ourselves to make sure that we are doing all we can to support the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and to work for a more equal and more just society,” he said.
An example of something that the church did to this end from a previous PIE Day event suggestion to be more public was adding a rainbow flag to the church building. The church did just that putting the flag near the peak of the building, right out front, and the flag continues to welcome people who use the building.
After opening the discussion, Grambo put on a video from the United Church of Canada’s YouTube channel in which Right. Rev. Dr. Kimberly Heath discussed how last year’s Pie Day highlighted the artistry of singers, songwriters and choirs through their PIE Day song contest. This created inspirational and inclusive music.
Heath explained that this year they were going to celebrate the work of crafters with their theme of Crafting Community, which celebrates all types of artisans who help to craft community.
“We also know that queer rights are under threat, and anti-2SLGBTQIA+ hatred is rising. That’s why we must live into our faith boldly, showing up with pride rallies, in worship, and in everyday acts of care. That’s bearing justice. And when we speak out against hate, create spaces of belonging, and craft community with love that’s bold discipleship,” said Heath.
Grambo then shared with the group, ‘May this Church be like a Tree’, which is a hymn about the way that a tree is a gathering place and provides for and protects those around it, and so should a church. Though the PIE Day event wasn’t a worship service, he thought that the words really spoke to what Selkirk United is working towards.
The next part of the discussion focused on the strides that have been made and also the challenges still facing 2SLGBTQIA+ people and those working for a more affirming world.
“We’ve seen a lot of bad news around the world in the fight for equality. I want to share just a few of those headlines not to depress us or demoralize us, but to remind us of how important it is for us to continue to work for equality and justice wherever and whenever we can,” said Grambo.
He mentioned Hungary’s parliament passed a law in March 2025, banning the promotion of homosexuality and gender transition, which effectively targets Pride marches. In September, the country of Burkina Faso passed a new law criminalizing homosexuality, and Uganda has continued to enforce its strict anti-homosexuality laws. Grambo also mentioned the United States’ increase in bills targeting the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and how many companies have scaled back or eliminated pride initiatives in 2025 due to the government’s aggressive policies against diversity, equity and inclusion. Closer to home, Grambo mentioned that Alberta is seeing legal challenges to laws that target rights.
“Good news overseas is that the country of Liechtenstein implemented marriage equality in 2025. Thailand legalized same sex marriage, and Greece continues to implement equality laws. In Canada, our federal government proposed in its 2025 budget, $54.6 million over five years for 2SLGBTQIA+ community projects and 7.5 million for security at pride events to combat rising hate— sad that that money is necessary,” said Grambo.
Again, closer to home, there is also good news for those looking for affirming churches, as three churches- Forest United Church, Brookdale United Church, and Headingly United Church- became affirming.
Deborah Vitt, who is a retired Diaconal Minister for the United Church of Canada, a member of Selkirk United Church, and an ally to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community since the mid-80s, then discussed her work as an affirming consultant to people who are in congregations that are going through the affirming process. Recently, she was approached by Headingly United Church, which was looking for someone to discuss homosexuality in the Bible.
Vitt didn’t give the entire presentation that she shared with Headingly United Church during the PIE Day discussion, but she talked about some of what she shared with them as well as her journey and the United Church’s journey of embracing inclusion.
“People have unfortunately been trained to think that the biblical story began at the moment of creation, complete with a recorder of events that would keep the truth intact for over 3000 years. And, what scholars have learned over decades of research, is that the Old Testament or Hebrew texts passed down their stories for about 900 years without writing anything down,” she said.
Vitt explained that the Bible, which she described as an amazing book, came together through the gift of story telling.
She also discussed that there are many different versions of the bible with differing interpretations of words and phrases, as translation is not an exact science. An instance that she mentioned pertaining to inclusivity and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community is that the word homosexual wasn’t even added to the RSV Bible until 1946.
After Vitt’s conversation with the group, there was sharing, book recommendations for affirming texts, and discussion about steps that the group could take in the future to support a more affirming community beyond their church.
If you would like to learn more about PIE Day, you can visit PIEDay.ca for more info.
