Hope United Methodist Church

In Bloomington-Normal, LGBTQ+ individuals and groups started banding together almost immediately after the Associated Press called the election Nov. 5. Groups such as Prairie Pride Coalition, Hope Church in Bloomington and The Bistro downtown are all opening their doors for people to convene.

Area delegates are largely pleased with the United Methodist Church's repeal on punitive policies toward LGBTQ clergy. The move comes after 7,600 conservative American parishes left the denomination.

Earlier this year, Hope Church leaders learned they would have to move, or make expensive adaptations to their leased building after Bloomington city code inspectors determined the building did not meet new fire code standards.

"It's not a matter of being overly aggressive or more aggressive — it's just working through the backlog of those inspections," Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe said in a recent interview for Sound Ideas. "We would be devastated if something were to happen because it's something that we overlooked."

Hope Church has called a building at 1304 E. Empire St. home since 2018. But the fire safety requirements city officials say are necessary are set to displace the church.

At Hope United Methodist Church in Bloomington on Pentecost Sunday, a large number of seats were filled, with still even more people tuned into the livestream, for a drag-led service that preceded an outdoor drag show.