By John Hayden
“Being gay is a sacred trust. You are God’s miracle. You are not God’s mistake.”
-Rev. Dr. Durrell Watkins, Senior Minister at Sunshine Cathedral
With those stirring and inspirational words, Watkins began the dedication of Sunshine Cathedral’s most visible project in a long time. Just in time for Pride Month, they officially dedicated a massive mural they believe reflects their values, their community, and Florida.
“We’ve used the property forever as outreach,” Watkins told OutClique. “So, we thought we’d make it prettier.”
Sunshine Cathedral sits nestled in a neighborhood at 1480 SW 9th Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. While it blends in with its surroundings, it also sticks out, or sticks up, with its steeple rising above the low-rise skyline. Now, it is an even more distinctive member of the community.
“As you drive by, it catches your eye,” Watkins says. “The neighbors have thanked us. There’s one wall in the back that doesn’t have anything on it and they’re asking if we can do something with that now! They love it.”
The mural wraps around most walls of the church’s outer buildings. As you look closely, you’ll find Florida-centric images, like flamingos, palm trees, and hibiscus, all represented in geometric shapes. Tying the entire piece together is a rainbow.
Topp Artist (aka Trey Opp, who created his professional moniker by combining the first letter of his first name with his last name and profession) explained how the rainbow ties the work, and all of us, together.
“In the front section, all the rainbows divide,” he says. “Everybody is connected but eventually goes their own way in life. In the end, you always reconnect. That’s why on every wall the rainbow reconnects in the end.”
Topp Artist had no idea what he was getting himself into when he was first approached.
“A church? It was outside, so I was guessing it was a mural but I had no clue what it would entail. I showed up and he was like three buildings, two stories, multiple windows, a staircase. So, we had to come up with something and that’s when it started.”
He was literally given a huge, building-sized canvas.
Watkins says the main criteria was that it be welcoming to everyone.
“We didn’t want it to be sectarian. We don’t want anyone to look at that and think Presbyterian or Episcopalian, Buddhist, Catholic, Jewish. We want it to be spiritual but not sectarian.”
That’s in keeping with Sunshine Cathedral’s motto: Sunshine Cathedral is my queer church.
“You can’t help but be uplifted by the colors, the motion, and things that are going on here,” Sunshine Cathedral board member Penny Sanfilippo told OutClique.
Much of the mural covers the buildings that make up the courtyard. Previously it was a plain, bare space. Not unwelcoming, but not particularly inviting, either. The mural turned it into a vibrant space, an attraction worth seeing even if you don’t have any business at the church.
“It’s all rainbow colors,” Watkins says. “It’s huge, and to see it, you have to be in it, which makes you part of it. You become part of the installation.”
