St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church in downtown Auburn had their pride flag stolen on Oct. 17, marking at least the third such theft in recent years. Despite this, the church’s community remains resolved to continue displaying the flag and promoting inclusivity.
St. Dunstan’s is on Magnolia Avenue amid the busy restaurants, bars, and businesses downtown. The church is set back from the street, and its distinctive architecture and relaxed lawn differentiate it from its surroundings. As a result, the church seems almost entirely insulated from the bustle of the town around it.
The church first displayed the flag during June for Pride Month, but decided to leave it out as a symbol that complements their location. The church's goal in including the pride flag is to project a welcoming message and to craft an enclave of acceptance for potentially alienated Christians. The Church has since become well known in the Auburn community for prominently displaying the pride flag.
“Our mission is to be open and welcoming and to be a place where anyone can be at home," said Carey Andrzejewski, a church parishioner. "We hope that our pride flag sends that message.”
“I think it’s kind of become our brand because, when I’m trying to give people directions to get to my apartment, I’m like, ‘It’s the church on Magnolia,'" said Sophie Young, junior in anthropology. "And they go, ‘Oh, the one with the pride flag.'” Young also serves as a ‘church mouse’ or youth resident at the church.
The community’s reaction to this branding has been mixed. Besides the three thefts, St. Dunstan’s has also received phone calls and messages to complain about the flag.
The current priest, Father Thomas Joyner, has been at the church for about four years and clarified that others have also been positively affected by the flag. He explained how the flag both sent a message and shaped the community within the church’s walls.
“What I discovered was members of this church who are LGBTQ+ are really grateful that the flag is there,” Joyner said.
He added, “We’ve had a number of people who ended up joining the church who said, ‘That was the reason I came in the doors, because I felt like, well, if you’re going to fly that flag, you obviously mean it, right?’”
The repeated theft raises concerns over the physical and symbolic difficulties the controversy of their message imposes on the church. Sam Anderson, a junior in Environmental Science and student representative in the church’s governing body, explained the monetary expense of replacing the flags.
“We always think if we could figure out a way not to have them take the poles, we could always put the flag back, but the poles are more expensive than the flags themselves,” said Anderson.
However, the church’s more profound concern was the symbolic intolerance of the theft.
“We are professing our values and our faith, and no one likes to see their values and their faith harmed, right?” said Father Joyner.
Irrespective of these challenges, St. Dunstan’s is resolved to maintain their reputation for acceptance.
“We’ll keep replacing it. We’ll keep putting a new one out. That’s important to us,” said Andrzejewski.
St. Dunstan’s is celebrating its centennial anniversary in January. Over its 100 years in Auburn, the church has aimed to establish itself as an enclave of inclusivity and a respite for its members and the community. Its distinctive façade has become a unique symbol of Auburn’s downtown and one that refuses to be diminished by petty theft.
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