The
Beloved
Bridge
The Heart Behind the Bridge
I was raised in the Christian church. From the time I was a baby through young adulthood, faith and church were an important part of my life. But as I entered my teenage years and began to understand that I was gay, I also became painfully aware of a message that seemed very clear in my small community: being gay and being Christian were at opposite ends of one another. I felt as though I could not truly be both.
Yet something important had already begun years earlier. Around the age of eleven, my mother and the church I was attending taught me how to use a Strong’s Concordance alongside my Bible—to look beyond a translated word and explore its original meaning and context. What began as learning how to study Scripture became a lifelong passion for seeking deeper understanding.
As I grew older, I continued studying, researching, questioning, and examining what I had been taught about faith and LGBTQ+ people. Over time, that journey changed my understanding of both myself and my relationship with God. It also gave me a growing desire to help others who have been made to feel that they must choose between their faith and who they are.
Today, at 43 years old, I know with every fiber of my being that being gay does not make me less Christian, less worthy of God’s love, or less deserving of a place within a Christian community. I can be both gay and Christian. I can embrace both with honesty, dignity, and joy.
It exists because I know there are LGBTQ+ people and families wrestling with some of the same questions I once carried, and Christian communities that may genuinely want to understand but do not know where to begin. My hope is that The Beloved Bridge can create a place between those worlds—a place for listening, learning, honest conversation, compassion, relationship, and reconciliation.
The Beloved Bridge grew from that journey.
We do not have to stand on opposite sides.
We can build a bridge.
Why The Beloved Bridge?
A bridge connects places that were once separated. At The Beloved Bridge, it represents our commitment to creating opportunities for LGBTQ+ people, their families, and Christian communities to listen to one another, learn from one another, and build genuine relationships. Through understanding, compassion, and honest conversation, we seek to help bridge places where hurt, misunderstanding, or division may exist.
The word “Beloved” reflects our Christian foundation and our belief in the God-given worth and dignity of every person. We seek to reflect the love and compassion of Christ by creating spaces where people are welcomed with grace, treated with respect, and encouraged to encounter one another with open hearts. Together, we hope to build bridges toward greater understanding, belonging, healing, and reconciliation.
