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.
Contents:
- GEIA MEGACHURCH PASTOR REVEALS HE'S GAY
- ATLANTA LGBT ADVOTE OUT AS ‘THE GAY PREACHER’S WIFE’
- ATLANTA GAY PASTORS BACK ON LUTHERAN CLERGY ROSTER
GEIA MEGACHURCH PASTOR REVEALS HE'S GAY
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. ” 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.
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.
ATLANTA LGBT ADVOTE OUT AS ‘THE GAY PREACHER’S WIFE’
"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. 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. “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.
ATLANTA GAY PASTORS BACK ON LUTHERAN CLERGY ROSTER
Both men also said they were grateful for the support om the Atlanta lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr muny and will always nsir servg as grand marshals of the Atlanta Pri Para 2007 as a signifint moment their liv. ELCA policy at the time prohibed gay pastors to be same-sex relatnships. In 2009, the ELCA Churchwi Assembly lled for revisns to allow for gay pastors to be same-sex, monogamo, lifelong relatnships.