Gay rights protesters disrupt Sunday service

People threw fliers, shouted slogans at Delta Township church Kathleen Lavey DELTA TWP. - A radical gay rights group is claiming responsibility for a protest Sunday at Mount Hope Church in Delta Township. Protesters who entered the Creyts Road church along with worshippers surprised the congregation when they stood up during the service, threw fliers at churchgoers and shouted slogans such as "It's OK to be gay," and "Jesus was a homo," according to David Williams, communications director at the church. His father, Dave Williams, is the church's longtime pastor. He was not preaching at the church Sunday. Another group of protesters demonstrated outside the church at the same time as the indoor protest. The Eaton County Sheriff's Department responded to the scene Sunday but no arrests were made. In a released statement, David Williams said churchgoers were unclear as to the purpose of the demonstration. A Lansing group affiliated with a radical gay organization known as Bash Back, formed to protest the Republican and Democratic national conventions earlier this year, put out a call on the Internet on Oct. 7 for activists to come to a "radical queer convergence" in Lansing on Nov. 7-9. A posting on its MySpace page declared the convergence a "fierce success." Fire alarm pulled According to a report on the Bash Back group's news site, protesters inside the church pulled a fire alarm, unfurled a banner from the church balcony, shouted and threw fliers to the worshippers. Outside the church, protesters carried picket signs and an upside-down, pink cross. Click title for more