Bishop Jim Swilley begs Church the Now Midtown – Geia Voice – Gay & LGBT Atlanta News

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By Victor Ochieng, Deadle: It me as a shock when news me out that the pastor of Atlanta’s Ltle Rock Missnary Church Of God was gay. The onle muny me out guns blazg, quotg the scriptur as they rebed the pastor. However, that wasn’t enough to make members of the church walk out or even

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GEIA MEGACHURCH PASTOR REVEALS HE'S GAY

The pastor of an Atlanta megachurch wh thoands of followers, who was twice married and is a father of four, is speakg out about his recent cisn to publicly clare he is gay. * gay pastor atlanta ga *

Bishop Jim Swilley, founr of Church In the Now, the massive, non-nomatnal ngregatn Conyers, ma ternatnal headl when he me out to his ngregatn as gay eight months ago.

ATLANTA LGBT ADVOTE OUT AS ‘THE GAY PREACHER’S WIFE’

"I tsted my hband," Lydia Meredh reveals durg an terview wh rollg out. She recently penned a eply personal memoir, The Gay Preacher's * gay pastor atlanta ga *

” Se g out and embracg himself as a gay man and a gay pastor, Swilley said he had a particular tert preachg Midtown, the heart of Atlanta’s — and Geia’s — gay muny. “Even though Atlanta has a lot of gay affirmg church, ’s no secret many have been trmatized by the church.

GAY GA. MEGA-CHURCH PASTOR REFLECTS ON YEAR OF G OUT

2, 2010— -- The pastor of a Geia megachurch wh thoands of followers, who was twice married and is a father of four, is speakg out about his recent cisn to publicly clare he is gay. I want to tell you that is not, " Jim Swilley said a vio shot the nonnomatnal megachuch Swilley found 25 years Swilley said g out was a cisn he's stggled wh sce childhood, he ma the announcement last month not for personal reasons -- he said he hop to save 52-year-old founr of Church the Now Conyers, Ga., said he's g out to help stem the recent ti of gay suicis Ameri and won't be swayed by some hateful msag that have been wrten about him onle. ""Hearg about the kids who are mtg suici, the reactn as a gay adult is, 'I wish I uld have jt talked to them for 15 mut or five mut and told them gets better, '" Savage said.

"Officials, Celebri Jo 'It Gets Better'Three weeks later, a cy uncil meetg Fort Worth, Texas, gay cy uncilman Joel Burns was moved to share his own emotnal story about how close he me to killg himself at age 13.

ATLANTA CHURCH FIRST LADY’S HBAND AND SON E OUT AS GAY

But after learng she was both married to and mother of two gay men, Meredh knew she had a new path to fe.

Her story is chronicled her new book, “The Gay Preacher’s Wife, ” published last fall. ” Meredh was married to her hband, a pastor, for 13 years when he me out to her as bisexual, and 17 years later as gay.

At my school, we teach sex tn to teens and we teach gay and straight kids.

CHURCH MEMBERS WALK OUT AS GAY PASTOR SAYS HIS HBAND IS PREGNANT

“I had to get some unrstandg on how the gay issue has jt torn my fay apart.

Meredh learned that the ia of God hatg gays didn’t amount to much the world of relig amia. I n dispel so many myths jt by the life that I live; married to a bisexual man and birthg and raisg a gay son, ” she said. She moved to Atlanta a ago, when she was 22, where she me out as gay, another blow, she was told, her journey to bee a pastor.

ATLANTA GAY PASTORS BACK ON LUTHERAN CLERGY ROSTER

Even wh our own parish, we hold the stori of gay men who would have ma great prits, but they were not allowed to do so bee of they were hont and unapologetic about their sexual orientatn.

ATLANTA GAY PASTOR’S EX-WIFE ON HEALG AFTER HE LEFT HER FOR A MAN

“I’ve always appreciated the amount of fah groups that are reprented booths and the para, but I knew that the story of how, pecially, male Christian nomatns me to the place of acceptg gay people was much more plited than the floats the para display, ” she said. “I hope people vis and walk away feelg a fuller story of the gay experience.

A GEIA CHURCH, KICKED OUT OF THE SBC FOR ALLOWG GAY MEMBERS, WANTS TO MAKE SURE 'EVERYBODY’S WELE'

“We believe that all people are wele to fellowship wh God and experience the fullns of the llg of God on their liv, cludg gay, lbian, bisexual, and transgenr dividuals.

What did change is that I’m not aaid of anybody thkg that I’m gay.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY PASTOR ATLANTA GA

Atlanta church first lady's hband and son e out as gay - Rollg Out .

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