As Gainesville law enforcement prepares for series of protests from a controversial church body out of Topeka, Kansas, local churches that have been targeted for the protests are preparing their congregations for the Feb. 3 visit.
Westboro Baptist Church, known primarily for its protests against the LGBTQ community, has scheduled protests on Super Bowl Sunday outside a half dozen Gainesville churches.
In an email to AccessWDUN, Westboro church member Shirley Phelps-Roper, said the churches in the city are "directly responsible for the wrath of God that is abiding upon the nation of disobedient rebels against God."
Phelps-Roper, a daughter of Westboro Baptist Church founder Fred Phelps, did not say specifically how Westboro members determined Gainesville should be a site for protest, but she said the church goes to every place where they feel led by God.
"Gainesville is simply a microcosm of America, and this nation is in a LOT of trouble," Phelps-Roper wrote.
The six churches in the Gainesville city limits that have been targeted - First Baptist Gainesville, St. John Baptist, Grace Episcopal, First Presbyterian Gainesville, St. Michael Catholic and Good Shepherd Lutheran - were all alerted by Gainesville police this past week of the planned picketing.
Those churches have begun to prepare their congregations for Feb. 3.
Lee Koontz, Senior Pastor at First Presbyterian alerted his congregation to the situation with an email.
"FPC and community leaders are aware of this situation, and we are in close contact with local law enforcement officials. At this point it is important to understand that this situation is still developing, and much can still change. For that reason, it would be premature to issue any special instructions or make changes to our schedule for February 3rd at this time," Koontz wrote.
Zach Holland, the pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church took to social media to talk with his congregation when he got the news.
"As we think about this Sunday, I want you to still come to church. I don't want anything like this to drive you away," Holland said.
He also encouraged his church members to avoid contact with the protesters unless "you absolutely have to."
"If that's the case, then take advantage of this opportunity given to us to show kindness," Hoffman said.
Hoffman indicated the leadership of all six Gainesville churches will meet to discuss the Westboro visit.
Click here to read a previous AccessWDUN story on the Westboro protest.
This email was sent to AccessWDUN in a response to a question about why Gainesville had been selected for a visit from Westboro Baptist Church members:
