Pennsylvania church creates welcoming community for LGBTQ+ members
For many in the LGBTQ+ community, the church has been a source of both love and deep pain.
One congregation in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, is working to change that, opening its doors wider and embracing a message rooted in acceptance.
Questions of faith are not easy to answer, especially for many people who identify as LGBTQ+.
"You find yourself kind of hiding parts of who you are to the people closest to you, your friends, your family. You don't feel like you're part of a community," Jeff Cherico said.
But Cherico found that acceptance and community at Love in Action United Church of Christ in Hatboro.
Since 2017, Love in Action Pastor Josh Blakesley has led a small gathering of faithful that has grown into the Welcome Project, an extension of the church working as a local nonprofit supporting LGBTQIA+ people and their allies.
"I think the American church has become too focused on labeling people, rather than just saying, whoever walks into this space, whether it's a Sunday morning, or Wednesday, or whenever we gather, you're a human first, you're loved by God first, and then we go from there," Blakesley said.
The Welcome Project offers free and low-cost programs, including support groups for LGBTQ+ and questioning individuals as well as safe spaces for trans and nonbinary communities.
"We wanted to be in a faith community that did what it said. Because it's one thing to say you're open and affirming. Oh yeah, we love all people; God loves all people. But do you do it? Do you practice it?" Blakesly said.
According to the Williams Institute, about 47% of LGBTQ adults in the U.S. identify as religious — roughly 40% of people ages 18-34, 65% among those 65 and older, and more than 70% of Black LGBTQ+ adults.
But many in the LGBTQ+ community still have a painful relationship with the church.
Singer Sean Randall grew up in the Baptist church and found Love in Action while out shopping with his mom a decade ago. He noticed the church had a pride flag in the window.
"I was looking for somebody to tell me it was OK," Randall said. "I was looking for somebody to stand and look at me and say, 'You're not wrong. Maybe you're different, but it's like, you're still beautiful, you're still loved, you're still valued."
He found a community where everyone is welcome.
"It was around that time, at 23-24, where I started realizing that God still sees you and there is a plan for you and he loves you, and not only does he love you, it's like there's still a purpose for you," Randall said.
Cherico said that's what Love on Action is all about.
"It's not just something we talk about on Sunday, that you're celebrated or that you are accepted," Cherico said. "We're out there trying to help our community at large and find those people like I was, struggling to find community."
