“Is This for Real?”
Why Hosting Triad Pride Performing Arts Matters
This Sunday, December 7th, Emmanuel will once again welcome the choruses of Triad Pride Performing Arts into our sanctuary for their Winter Concert. These concerts have become a beloved rhythm in our life together—familiar, joyful, and deeply meaningful. And while each performance brings its own beauty, one moment from a past concert continues to shape how I understand what we do and why it matters.
As guests were leaving the sanctuary after that concert, I noticed someone lingering outside the worship space. After a brief greeting, they asked softly, almost hesitantly:
“Is this for real?”
At first, I didn’t understand. Then they explained:
They wanted to know if they were truly welcome—
welcome in a church,
welcome without judgment,
welcome without conditions,
welcome as they are.
That question has echoed in my heart ever since. Because beneath it was something deeper: Can love actually live here?
And every time Emmanuel hosts Triad Pride Performing Arts, you answer with a resounding yes.
A Living Expression of Our Core Values
We talk often about being a people of inclusivity, generosity, and community. But values aren’t real unless we embody them. During these concerts, I see Emmanuel’s core values lived out in unmistakable ways.
Inclusivity
Emmanuel welcomes the LGBTQIA+ community not as visitors on the margins but as beloved neighbors whose gifts enrich our shared life. Their concerts are filled with courage, creativity, and joy—and every time they return, we get to celebrate all of it.
Generosity
Our congregation sponsors the full TPPA concert season, offering our space and our hospitality freely. We prepare the building, greet the crowds, and—yes—roll out those legendary charcuterie boards that have become part of the tradition. Sometimes the gospel looks like cheese, fruit, crackers, and genuine delight in welcoming others.
Community
For Emmanuel, “community” means more than our congregation. It means our neighbors in High Point—the people who live around us and share this city with us. These concerts are one of the ways we open our doors not for our benefit, but so that others can experience beautiful art and authentic belonging. I watch Emmanuel members guide newcomers, strike up conversations, and create an atmosphere where every person feels seen. This is community lived outward—warm, hospitable, and deeply human.
A Holy Kind of Joy
These concerts are full of sacred moments—though they may come through Broadway tunes, pop hits, spirituals, or even the Golden Girls theme song. The holiness isn’t in the playlist; it’s in the way people open themselves to one another.
For some guests, being inside a church carries the weight of past wounds or exclusion. And yet here, something shifts. Laughter, music, stories, and even feather boas or sparkling sunglasses become signs of healing and joy. In a quiet corner of High Point, the kingdom of God breaks in just a little more.
Looking Toward This Sunday
As we prepare for this Winter Concert, Emmanuel once again has the privilege of creating a space where music becomes ministry, art becomes healing, and welcome becomes witness. My hope—and my confidence—is that someone else will walk out the doors this Sunday asking, “Is this for real?” and discover the answer in the life of this congregation.
Yes—this is real.
Yes—love lives here.
Gratefully,
Pastor Ethan
You can buy your tickets online HERE or at the door.