POWELL, Tenn. — On a quaint road a few minutes from downtown Powell, there's a church where a banner waves almost year-round next to an assembly of colors, the flags of the LGBTQ+ community. The banner has emblazoned on it a reminder at the core of Powell Presbyterian Church's faith — "love lives here."
"The very conservative group has sort of decided, collectively, that to be LGBTQ is to be anti-Christian," said Rev. Katina Sharp. "The overarching theme of scripture has never been exclusion, it's never about keeping people out or changing people to fit into our idea. It's always been about love."
Powell Presbyterian Church has three core verses intertwined with its mission.
- Mark 1:17 — And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men.”
- John 13:34 — A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
- Matthew 28:19 — Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
"We see that God created a wide diversity of humanity, just like God created a wide diversity of all of creation. And so we believe that we are called to live in the diversity that God lovingly created," said Sharp.
Its website also features a Statement of LGBTQIA+ Inclusion, in which the church recognizes that the church as a whole "has done great harm to the LGBTQ+ community" through some interpretations of scriptures about salvation and community.
In the statement, the church said it rejects interpretations of the Bible that exclude anyone from being a member the Christian faith.
"That is the overarching message of scripture — it's love and acceptance and inclusion and reconciliation with God and with neighbor. And so that is where we've spent our energy on, trying to follow the overarching message of scripture," said Sharp. "They come in with a lot of skepticism. And we recognize that if we hurt them, there are many of them who would never try again. And so it's a huge responsibility to say you're an affirming church, to actually live into that."
A study in the Socio-Historical Examination of Religion found that around 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. have endured religious trauma at some point in their lives. Another study found that LGBTQ+ people also uniquely face "conversion practices" that can lead to intense religious trauma, leading to an increased risk of suicidality, substance abuse and homelessness.
JB Bradley attends Powell Presbyterian Church and identifies as a queer person, and she said she found a community the tight-knit group.
"I don't want to be in a space where someone accepts me because I feel like they have to. I want to be in a space where it doesn't matter what I identify as. I'm a person who loves God, and that's all that should matter," she said. "That's the main message for me is to show love to others. And to know you are loved."
She said she spent around a decade away from the church, during which time she searched for reminders that she belonged. She said she even got a tattoo on her wrist of the word "love," because she needed the reminder that love was still possible.
During that decade, she said she did not stop believing in God, but her fear of rejection kept her away from communities of faith. She said she struggled to find a place that practiced what it preached, and at Powell Presbyterian Church she found a place that let her be in charge of her journey with God.
Bradley said she has not experienced that kind of religious trauma personally, but she sees people who were hurt because of their identities come to her church. She said she hears stories from others about times they were rejected from faith.
"'How are you going to hurt me?' is basically the question I get over and over again. And so, we do a lot of work here trying to reach into the community and convince everyone that God made you perfectly. And if God celebrates you, then we do as well," said Sharp.
She said her church believes the Bible gave them a mission of more than prayer and fellowship. To Powell Presbyterian Church, love is sacred and celebrated and according to its tenets, nobody can be excluded from love.
By always showing banners and flags with every color under the sun, Sharp said her faith community works to guarantee that love lives there.
As part of Pride Month, the church plans to host a special "Pride Worship Service" on June 23, at 10:30 a.m.
"God made you just as you are, and God doesn’t make mistakes. Come celebrate with us! Let us praise God for God’s marvelous and diverse Creation. You are welcome. You are wanted. Yes, you," the church said in its event listing.