SANTEE (KGTV) — San Diego Pride Week continues tonight with the Light Up the Cathedral prayer service at Saint Paul's Cathedral in Bankers Hill. The service brings together religious leaders of all faiths in San Diego County to celebrate and show its support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Every year, one religious leader or organization is awarded the Light of Pride Award to honor them for their work and commitment to the LGBTQ+ community. This year's winner is Santee United Methodist Church.
"Honestly, disbelief. I had said that last year when I was at the Light Up the Cathedral, there was some thought in the back of my mind of, 'I wonder what you have to do to win an award like this. It looks like decades of work and all sorts of things," Reverend Jaime Pangman said. "So when they came back and said 'you've won it this year', it was, 'are you sure?"
The church is best known for founding the first-ever Santee Pride March in 2023. The march originally started as a small church event led by its youth group in 2020, drawing only a few dozen people. Three years later, organizers opened it to the broader community — and hundreds of people came out to support it.
The march became a major catalyst for the church's commitment to the LGBTQ+ community. In 2024, the church joined the Reconciling Ministries Network, a network of churches committed to welcoming and encouraging LGBTQ+ people to participate in its parishes. That decision cost the church some of its members.
Reverend Pangman says it was important for the church to stand by its mission and to be a welcoming place for everyone in the community.
"What we're doing is what we should all be doing as Christians. Making sure that all of the people know that they belong and that they matter," Pangman said. "So from our perspective, it's something that we have to do, and it's not something award-worthy. It's just the work that it takes to be a church."
V Sail Reed, a Santee resident who uses he/they pronouns, joined the church with their partner earlier this year. Reed said that while a relationship with religion can be complicated for many LGBTQ+ people, they felt right at home at Santee United Methodist.
"The work they're doing feels so important," Reed said. "Being able to like come be a part of that feels like, oh, there, there actually was something missing in my spiritual life, and now I've found it here."
Light Up the Cathedral begins at 7 p.m. at Saint Paul's Cathedral in Bankers Hill. Those planning to attend the prayer service are encouraged to arrive early for open seating and for parking.
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