HOUSTON -- A different message booming from loudspeakers outside Lakewood Church caught the church's faithful off-guard as they strolled into services Sunday morning.
Pastors from Christ Fellowship in North Carolina spouted their message. Westboro Baptist Church followers held their highly charged and offensive signs nearby, too.
Houston Mayor Annise Parker's Equal Rights Ordinance was once again under fire as was her now recently reversed decision to subpoena Houston pastors.
"It's a disgusting law that they passed, that's only pushed by homosexuals," said the pastor at Christ Fellowship. "The homo-tyrant mayor who's persecuted Christians."
Westboro picketed at churches across the area and attacked everything from homosexuality to Lakewood's well-known pastor, Joel Osteen.
The megachurch tried to shield its members from the hate-filled speech. The church played music on loudspeakers and its greeters ushered churchgoers into the building, but it was hard not to take notice of the debate outside.
"The fact that we have guys like this fighting, preaching against each other, that doesn't make any sense," said Lakewood attendee Christopher Clark. "I'd rather go to Osteen's church where he makes us feel good about ourselves then go to this other guy's church where you hear him yelling and calling Osteen a whore. What kind of church is that?"
Counter protests preached tolerance.
"We want to have compassion and kindness as our response," said Tiera Ortiz-Rodriguez, chapter president of Dignity Houston, a Catholic community of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics.
Lakewood members say that's what draws them to the megachurch in the first place: a welcoming place for everyone, a place where politics are usually left at the door.
"There's love for everybody, regardless of who they are, what they come from, what they do, there's love for them. It's not our place to judge," said churchgoer Devon Mendoza.
We reached out to Lakewood Church for comment on Sunday's protests, but as of Sunday afternoon, we have not heard back.
