The Church of the Palms, United Church of Christ in Sun City, 14808 N. Boswell Blvd., whose message is to embrace unconditional love, justice and extravagant welcome, took its missive to Heritage Square Park recently to participate in the 2024 Rainbow Festival, which has been in existence since 2002.

The festival and street fair draws more than 25,000 friends, families and allies each year, as well as hundreds of exhibitors and vendors that include everything from supportive churches and social justice groups to private companies that talk about their validation of the LBGTQ+ community.

“We stand ready to embrace our fellow family members because we are a church that welcomes diversity and embraces all,” said the church’s Senior Pastor, Paul Whitlock. “Jesus loved everyone and so do we.”

Again this year, the church’s LGBTQ+ Ministry Team, led by group organizer Georgia Feiste, spearheaded the two-day event. Church member Jessica Hermann, who took charge of the organizing, and her mother, Donna Hermann, spent two-days at the festival talking about The Church of the Palms and its ministry, which is part of the church’s Social Justice Leadership Team and celebrates diversity.

“We take our mission very seriously,” Feiste said. “We are one of the few churches who showed up with an extravagant welcome and an intentional message that as Christians we choose to live by our actions and embody God’s love of all.”

In addition to Georgia and Carl Feiste and Jessica and Donna Hermann, this year’s volunteers were Annie Macomber, Diana Graettinger, Dr, Phil Ladd, Mark Makowski, Linda Wilson, Jayne Peak and Deb and Bill Bontadelli.