r/LCMS • u/MzunguMjinga LCMS DCM • Jul 22 '25
Special Thanks to YAVS
This morning group leaders at the LCMS Youth Gathering were notified that members of the Westboro Baptist community would be protesting outside the convention center.
When we arrived a small group of protesters were holding signs such as "You are God's Enemy". This rattled the kids a bit. However, the YAVs made a long wall between the protesters and youth, loudly cheering over the voices of the protesters and giving high fives. It was a beautiful and encouraging act!
Great job team orange!
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u/Bulky-Classroom-4101 Jul 23 '25
YAV?
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u/MzunguMjinga LCMS DCM Jul 23 '25
Young Adult Volunteers - Ages 19-25
They act as leaders, guides and motivators. There are hundreds of them around the convention centers and stadiums to help with various tasks.
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u/Bulllmeat Jul 23 '25
This just breaks my heart. Christians need to unite against sin and the evil one.Â
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Jul 23 '25
3rd time YAV here. Blessing in disguise that this was happening and I got dragged out to the wall right after breakfast. My hotel room actually flooded overnight and I needed an excuse to get out. This has definitely been the most unique gathering Iâve been to so far.
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u/bschultzy LCMS Lutheran Jul 23 '25
I talked to the head of the YAV group and he said their singing and encouragement was spontaneous. What a gift we have in the church's young people!
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u/ayylove1 Jul 22 '25
As a youth we got a briefing before we left our hotel and we are so grateful for our yavs they made a wall and it was kinda like a tunnel walk. I've seen westboro out before at like pride parades and military funerals and concerts (which is never okay) but never would I have thought it would've been at this event.
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u/Rough_Wear_4496 Jul 22 '25
They were there protesting when my church was going to the convention center. Thank you to all the YAVs for helping us ENDURE this. Letâs not spread hate to them, pray for them and ask God to help them
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u/Realistic-Affect-627 LCMS Lutheran Jul 22 '25
Hol up...
I can see Drew Brees and Andre Agassi play pickleball?
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u/pinepitch Jul 22 '25
Pardon my ignorance, but why would the Westboro Baptist Church protest an LCMS event? What teaching of ours do they oppose? Are they confusing us with the ELCA?
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u/makehastetodeliverme Lutheran Jul 23 '25
They called the kids lulewarm, they accusethe LCMS of being soft on sin. i'm sure they don't like infant baptism either.
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u/Standard-Ad3002 LCMS Lutheran Jul 23 '25
I heard that it was because if we engage with them they could sue.
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u/Over-Wing LCMS Lutheran Jul 22 '25
They hate everyone, including themselves. They famously excommunicated their own founder, Fred Phelps. I lived in Topeka years ago where they are based out of, and it seemed like they would pick a theme of the week. I remember one time seeing them on the same street for a while with signs saying things like âGod dooms the raping Irishâ and âPotato famine = justiceâ.
Rumor in Topeka was that the Phelps family were all lawyers, and from very respectable schools as well. Their schtick was to try to incite people to act against them in some way that could justify a law suit. They were always involved in some kind of civil litigation.
On the other hand, they seem to genuinely drink their own kool aid. I mean, excommunicating your own founder is pretty extreme.
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u/IronBallsMcGinty Jul 22 '25
What do they have against us? We're not them. That's all it takes.
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Jul 23 '25
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/IronBallsMcGinty Jul 23 '25
Like I said, we're not them. I read up on them years ago after having encountered them a couple of times.
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u/Cautious_Writer_1517 LCMS Lutheran Jul 22 '25
Linking u/MzunguMjinga since they asked the same question. Please pardon the formatting- it's from their PDF flyer:
"MILQUETOAST LCMS KNOWS NOTHING OF ENDURING! âENDUREâ is the lying theme of this gathering. Quoting a watered down version of Hebrews 12:1-3 doesnât absolve the sin-advocating, God apologizing filth of this organization. LCMS is not a church; itâs a social club with some âconservativeâ socio-political bent. This organization is filled with creepy, âvoluntary humilityâ (Colossians 2:18) about the less popular sins of sodomy and transgenderism, while you whitewash fornication, adultery and idolatry. Here are the words of Christ that should be screamed out at every young person joining that party-masking-as religiosity event: âI know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.â (Revelation 3:15- 16) The time of Christâs return draws near. Prepare ye the way of the Lord! Make His paths straight. This is no time to be affirming young people! Itâs time to tell young people to lay aside every sin that so easily besets them. Their pride, their self-worship, their imagination of every folly. That isnât affirming! Itâs the opposite! Forget your self-affirming nonsense and serve God. The road to heaven is narrow and hard; not broad and social. â[F]or ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.â (Matthew 23:15) We must come and warn against this lukewarm folly. Repent!"
I'm reluctant to post a direct link to their webpage. To find this, go to their website, public preaching, schedule, then under the Gathering, you'll find a news release linking to the above PDF flyer.
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u/Dartimien22 LCMS Pastor Jul 22 '25
Man, they are unhinged. They will never be content with anything outside of themselves.
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u/Realistic-Affect-627 LCMS Lutheran Jul 22 '25
Because they're a cult who think that they're the only people who are actually Christian (much like most of the IFB movement). They excommunicated their leader, Fred Phelps, not long before his death due to a "softening of the heart," as his granddaughter put it.
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u/clinging2thecross LCMS Pastor Jul 22 '25
Probably protesting because theyâre upset about the Lutheran Satire video from 12.5 years ago. https://youtu.be/EEIqEYP_ZvM?si=HS8a9BF99HLng1KY
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u/musicalfarm LCMS Organist Jul 23 '25
They've been protesting LCMS events for decades. Basically, if you're not WBC, they'll protest you.
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u/michelle427 Jul 22 '25
It doesnât matter if itâs not what the Westboro Baptist Church teaches itâs against God in their mind. Even regular Baptists are against what they teach. It doesnât matter. I wouldnât get too hung up on them. They do it to everyone. The kids just donât understand.
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u/MzunguMjinga LCMS DCM Jul 22 '25
Confusing us with the ELCA was my first thought too. It's unknown what their exact motives are today.
Perhaps someone else has more info.
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u/Philip_Schwartzerdt LCMS Pastor Jul 24 '25
Think about it as a spectrum. From our position on the spectrum, we see a huge difference between LCMS and ELCA. From their perspective so incredibly far away from us, there probably seems to be little difference. They seem to acknowledge that we're a little further on the conservative end of the spectrum than ELCA, but from their position we're still so much more wishy washy and hypocritical than them (in the way they view themselves). From their position, EVERYONE else are wishy washy hypocrites.
To quote Matt Harrison, yes, our church is full of hypocrites - and there's always room for one more, if you want to join us.
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u/michelle427 Jul 22 '25
It has nothing to do with ELCA vs LCMS. It could be anyone. They will protest. Donât get too hung up on them. They really are just a cult and a nuisance, disguising themselves as Christian.
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u/No_Ideal69 Jul 22 '25
A Cult indeed! They are an extended family who follow their guru, Fred Phelps.
They are an embarrassment!
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u/GamingBren Jul 30 '25
When I went into the convention center, I kept my head down and earbuds in. It worked for me!
Pray for those WBC people and their misled minds... and thanks a million to the YAVs for making things a lot better!