Per reports, Pastor Hoke reportedly found himself out of a job after his recent church sign caused uproar from both the community and the church members.
Pastor Hoke was the minister at TBP Church. A number of community members came together to protest the sign. One of the protest’s organizers was Amelia, a local resident.
There was a second protest which was organized through a Facebook invite page. 71 people responded that they were “going” to the event, while 182 others were “interested.”
The pastor put up a sign that read: “Bruce Jenner is still a man. Homose-uality is still a sin. The culture may change. The Bible does not” .
In a message posted on the official facebook page, Amelia stated: “We are there to support the LGBTQ+ community in a positive way. Debating with any church members isn’t the goal. We are not there for them. Some of us on our side of the street still are also religious. All of us are capable of treating everyone with respect, even if we disagree. Do not engage anyone trying to escalate the situation to violence.”
“As of today, I am no longer the pastor of Trinity Bible Presbyterian Church. After much prayer and counsel, I have decided that it is best to briefly communicate what has taken place.
1. I was informed by our other elder that he felt he could no longer follow my lead as Pastor of TBPC.
2. I was informed that essentially all but one couple in membership would leave the church if I continued as pastor of TBPC.
3. Our other elder and the couple felt that those who left would likely return if I would leave.
4. Our other elder was agreeable to stay and assume the pastoral responsibilities.
Therefore it was determined that it would be in the best interest of the local body for us (TBPC and the Hoke family) to part ways.”
His post garnered more than a hundred comments, with many of the people supporting Hoke. Dear readers, we are republishing this story to raise awareness about anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and discrimination in America even in 2022.