Jeffrey McCall will lead former members of the LGBT community this weekend to march with humility and share the freedom they’ve found in Jesus Christ.
McCall, a former transgender woman and male prostitute, says the Freedom March LA, to be held Nov. 4 in Pershing Square in Los Angeles, is a chance for salvation and revival to break out among the LGBT community. McCall spoke with Charisma News recently about the march.
Tell me about the vision behind the Freedom March movement?
McCall: The vision for the freedom March is to give Christians who formerly lived LGBTQ lifestyles a platform to tell their stories of deliverance through Jesus Christ redeeming blood. To share their stories of the grace God had given them to walk this out following Christ Jesus daily.
McCall: I got a word in early August 2016 that God wanted to open several platforms to me, and that it wouldn’t take long. Within months, I was doing my first television show. Then came radio, churches, youth events and other platforms to share my testimony. As all these platforms opened up, I thought about the many others who have a story similar to mine. About a year later, the Lord gave me this platform to begin the Freedom Marches.
McCall: A great friend of mine and sister in Christ, M.J. Nixon, had the idea for Los Angeles to be our next city. With everything going on in California with bill AB2943, we thought it was perfect! (The bill, which would not allow people struggling with homosexuality to pay for counseling services, was ultimately withdrawn.)
McCall: Ex-LGBTQ testimonies are so powerful to show the mercy and compassion of God! Though He detests that sin, He loves the people. He wants there to be freedom for all people, including freedom from sexual bondage. These testimonies are also so powerful because a lot of the church has counted these people out. The church can think that people in LGBTQ are too far gone, but that’s where Gods redeeming love comes in. No one is too far gone for Christ Jesus if they will repent and follow Him!
McCall: This March is going to be on a much larger scale than the original one in D.C. We have so much more support, and an excellent operations director in California, Kim Zember, spearheaded this event. We are going to have testimonies, worship, prayer tents, food and decor at the highest level.
McCall: I have dealt with spiritual warfare I didn’t even know existed before the first freedom March in Washington, D.C. that occurred in May. I dealt with spirit attacks both physically and mentally. In the end, though, I prevailed because Christ, the hope of glory resides in me. My Father was always with me through it all! He taught me a lot about being prepared and counting on Him, because without Him I can do nothing.
McCall: Following the Holy Spirit’s prompting is crucial to these events to pick the right people he wants to speak at each event. Also to have the right worship at each event. We also want to pick the right cities at the right time God wants to address these issues in that city. As we know from the Word of God, the wrong place at the wrong time equals disaster. When we chose L.A., I knew it was the right place. Some suggested waiting until next year, but I knew in my spirit we had to do it this year. We had to strike in California while the spiritual iron was hot!
McCall: I have been called everything from homophobic to bigot. I have been called a fraud and many other names. But at the end of the day, it’s Yeshua who calls me who I really am and tells me my identity.
McCall: As my friend Edward Byrd says, we had to really get a whole new identity. So the church should know these people who are leaving these lifestyles to follow Jesus Christ are truly having to relearn what God feels about their whole life. The LGBTQ lifestyle is an identity in itself. So we have to learn everything new and how to fit into the body of Christ. Sometimes we don’t fit the “norm” Christian look or ideal, but I think God is shattering that box and wanting all His children to walk in the highest form of freedom. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!
McCall: The church can help by just supporting us! We will continue to have these events all over the country. Our second annual Freedom March will be held in Washington, D.C., next year on May 25 at Sylvan Theater. The church can also help by opening up their churches to hear ex-LGBTQ Christians’ testimonies and open up the conversations about this topic. People need to hear the testimonies to know they can get help, and the people in the church need to know there is hope for their loved ones who are still living in those lifestyles. A great tool to use is the documentary that I, along with 12 others, am in called Here’s My Heart. It is 12 stories of freedom from homosexual/transgender lives. The producer, M.J. Nixon, travels the country showing the film at churches to open up this discussion in the churches.
People can get involved by checking out the website: freedomtomarch.com. They can also check out our Facebook page: Freedom March
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Jeffrey McCall is CEO/event founder of Freedom Marches and also Head of For Such A Time Ministry.