A pastor’s rainbow-bedecked announcement during a Sunday service reaffirmed to many that his particular denomination “has lost its way.”

Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday and the beginning of the season of Advent, wherein Christians prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and for the Second Coming, a church in Upstate New York had a wholly different sort of celebration. It was during the Nov. 23 service at North Chili United Methodist Church that Rev. Phillip Phaneuf told parishioners he would henceforth be known as Phillippa as he was “transitioning.”

Clips of the service circulating online included Phaneuf stating, “So I get to announce with joy that I’m transitioning. I’m affirming and saying to all of you that I am transgender. And so the best way to put this is that I’m not becoming a woman, I’m giving up pretending to be a man. This is a process, and it may be shocking for some as to what this all means.”

“I’m in the category of what they call asexual. I’ve been that way since we’ve all been together, is that I am not living my life in a way that involves looking for romance,” he also said, as his name of choice had been taken to match the middle name of his young daughter.

(Video Credit: Phillip Phaneuf)

Phaneuf had also expressed the view of his parents on the matter as he told those gathered, “They texted me this morning, and they asked me to tell you all that they do not support me.”

Meanwhile, on his social media page, the pastor had shared a picture after getting his ears pierced at 51 years old, as well as a picture of himself in a wig with a caption that read in part, “Today is a brand new day! And I have the immense joy to share that I’ve publicly announced that I am a transgender woman and am in the process of transitioning.”

“Since coming out to my congregation, they have been overwhelmingly affirming!” he insisted to Fox News Digital as he confirmed that he’d been undergoing hormone replacement therapy for three months.

Prior to Phaneuf’s public announcement, the legislative assembly of the United Methodist Church removed bans on openly gay clergy and same-sex unions as well as funding for alphabet causes in 2024 while it describes human sexuality “as a sacred gift and acknowledge[s] that sexual intimacy contributes to fostering the emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being of individuals and to nurturing healthy sexual relationships that are grounded in love, care and respect.”

The church’s General Council on Finance and Administration accounted for a 13% decline in donations for 2024, bringing the total to around $91 million. The Associated Press detailed that roughly a quarter of American churches had left the UMC by the end of 2023, with many turning to more conservative denominations even before the rainbow updates.

In addition to being called out for outright blasphemy, many reacted with little shock at the source upon learning Phaneuf preached for the United Methodist Church.

Methodists have lost their way. Trying to change your sex is saying God didn’t know what He was doing when he created you.

It’s wrong. Shame on Methodists for allowing this. It’s blasphemy.

— The Brad Beringer Project (@BradBeringer) December 3, 2025

The Methodist Church has lost its way.

— Michael Black (@MichaelBlack_78) December 2, 2025

Not a pastor.

— Disaffected Elephant (@DEGOPer) December 2, 2025

Obviously this is PURE EVIL!

— The White Water Company (@MrNanobubble) December 2, 2025

Wolf in sheep’s clothing doing a great disservice to The Church.

He poisoning the minds of that congregation.

— DarkMatter (@DarkMatterVA) December 2, 2025

Ironic that he judges his own parents for holding to their beliefs and convictions while his main role as a pastor encourages people to grow in theirs. I would leave this church.

— P. Ace (@MGOsseoParent) December 2, 2025

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Kevin Haggerty

Staff Writer

Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.

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