The Pink Menno campaign encouraged conventiongoers to wear pink this week in support of gay and lesbian church members. But it was a press conference held on Thursday that may be most effective in publicizing the group’s agenda.

Reporters from The Associated Press, Fox News and The Columbus Dispatch were all present as a group of nearly 100 pink-bedecked conventiongoers sang and prayed together.  After a short opening worship, three speakers described the Pink Menno movement.

One of the leaders, Luke Yoder, said: “I will continue to raise my voice when members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities are silenced. I will continue to do everything I can to encourage the church to acknowledge the gifts, talents and passion of all its members.”

As an initial response to the Pink Menno presence in Columbus, the Executive Board issued a short press release, highlighting  the Mennonite Church’s official position on homosexuality.  That position is expressed in what is colloquially known as “The Purdue Statement,” a series of standards adopted in 1995.

The pivotal statement, officially Article 19 of “The Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective,” reads: “We believe that God intends marriage to be a covenant between one man and one woman for life.”

The Pink Menno campaign does not have a booth on the convention floor.  Instead, they share hospitality space in the adjoining Hyatt with another group, which several months ago submitted an open letter to the denominational body, Mennonite Church USA, urging the church to reopen a conversation about its stance on homosexuality.

Until the press conference, Pink Menno’s primary presence had been as a scattering of people wearing pink T-shirts throughout the convention hall, ready to engage in conversations.

The Pink Menno campaign spread virally in advance of the convention, when Yoder created a social network on the Web service Ning. As of this writing, www.pinkmenno.org has 711 members from 35 states and 11 countries.  The site has been visited from 47 states and 30 countries.

Before that though, the campaign started as a family conversation.  Luke Yoder and his sister, Jen, who identifies as queer, were discussing homosexuality in the church last Christmas, and decided that they would take action.  They made a Web site and called congregations and friends, urging them to join.  After members of several churches held events where they took pictures holding pink signs saying “One Love” or “One Hope,” word began to spread, and the online membership skyrocketed.

“We’re hoping to engage a lot in personal individual conversation,” Luke Yoder said. “Our goal is that by the end of convention, everyone will have talked to a Pink Menno, or gotten to know a Pink Menno.”

Pink Menno has used around $4,000 of donated money to make pink paraphernalia, following the approach of many official exhibitors, who give out T-shirts and other freebies.  Pink Menno accessories include T-shirts (“Inclusive and Mennonite, Ask Me How”), LiveStrong-style pink bracelets, buttons, stickers and bandannas with the Pink Menno logo, a circular dove icon that riffs off of the Mennonite Church USA logo.

Other than the press release, the church has issued no public response to the Pink Menno presence.

“We initiated contact,” said Jim Schrag, the executive director of MC USA. “We gave them assurances that we want the convention to be a good time for everyone…they are a part of us…they have a right to be here.”