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WASHINGTON, May 24, 2018 - Last night, Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins was pleased to honor Pastor Jeremy Schossau, Senior Pastor of Metro City Church in Riverview, Michigan, with the "Watchman Award." The award was presented during the Watchmen on the Wall briefing, an annual pastors conference sponsored by Family Research Council that draws over 500 participants from across the country to the nation's capital.
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins made in part the following comments in presenting the award:
“Nearly 20 years ago, God began to put a vision in Jeremy’s heart to begin a new work in the Greater Detroit area. Since then, Metro City Church, birthed in their living room, has grown into two locations and is home to thousands of people.
“God has blessed Pastor Jeremy’s faithfulness to his word. However, Pastor Jeremy and his family and the church came under siege from the LGBTQ community for a workshop that they offered to help adolescent girls answer difficult and sensitive questions on identity and sexuality from a biblical perspective.
“Pastor Jeremy told me on Washington Watch as this unfolded, he said, ‘People have literally threatened to kill me and my family, to burn our house down, to burn our church down, to assault the people of our church and our staff.’ At one point, Metro City Church was getting 40 messages a minute. Pastor Jeremy said they had received ‘thousands upon thousands of hate-filled notes, 24 hours a day.’ In fact, one person was arrested after a serious gun threat on their church property.
“Additionally, two Michigan state representatives demanded that the state attorney general launch an investigation into Metro City Church for ‘conversion therapy,’ seeking to dictate what Jeremy can and cannot teach in his own church. All of this is from the same crowd who preach ‘tolerance’ to us. When protests became a mob of hundreds outside the church, Pastor Jeremy and his congregation responded with grace, with love, and with truth.
“And our own Randy Wilson, our National Field Director…he stood with Pastor Jeremy and led a couple of press conferences at the Michigan State Capitol. Together with other Michigan pastors, they stood in solidarity with Jeremy, calling out the state representatives and delivering over 20,000 petitions in support of Pastor Jeremy. Despite all the threats, Pastor Jeremy told me, ‘We're not going anywhere. We will love anybody who walks through our doors. We will not condemn anybody -- but we will not back down from what Jesus tells us.’ And that is why I am pleased to present the 2018 Watchman Award to Pastor Jeremy Schossau,” concluded Perkins.
Video of last night’s “Watchman on the Wall Award” presentation: https://www.facebook.com/WatchmenPastors/videos/1851591518226596/
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