LGBTQ youth of faith pray, bond at Beloved Arise group
LUIS ANDRES HENAO, Associated Press
July 3, 2021
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1of5In this Wednesday, June 30, 2021, photo taken from video, Jason Hoelzel, religious literacy and media specialist of the DeeperDive Institute, top left, moderates a panel on youth advocacy and ministry, hosted by GLAAD and Beloved Arise, a Christian nonprofit dedicated to celebrating and empowering LGBTQ youth of faith, during the second annual virtual Queer Youth of Faith Day. The daylong online event included panels of LGBTQ teens across religious backgrounds, seminars on queer history and churches, podcasts and concerts. (Beloved Arise via AP)Beloved Arise/APShow MoreShow Less
Luis Andres Henao July 03, 2021 - 9:16 PM
Jessika Sessoms grew up in a conservative Black evangelical family, attended Christian schools and often heard that being gay was an abomination, until she understood that she was queer while studying to become a missionary.
The 23-year-old from Florida came out publicly last year and has found healing and a sense of community after joining Beloved Arise, a Christian nonprofit dedicated to celebrating and empowering LGBTQ youth of faith. Beloved Arise
Maria Magdalena Gschwind, 20, from Germany, credits the U.S.-based group for inspiring her to study Protestant theology in college at a time when she had doubts about whether her sexuality would conflict with her faith. Samuel Cavalheiro, 21, a Brazilian living in Mozambique, feels so connected to the groupâs members that he calls them his âchosen family.â
Knowles’ 7-under 65 marks low score of the day, top spot on leaderboard In This Article
AUBURN, Alabama Slow and steady wins the race, or at least it has paid off thus far for Philip Knowles, who shot a 7-under 65 in his third round to put him at 18-under overall and in the top spot after 54 holes of the Auburn University Club Invitational. Knowles has a one-shot advantage on Bryson Nimmer and two over Alex Smalley as they head into the final round Saturday.
“Overall, today was really good. I made a lot of birdies the last couple of days but was just plagued by some squares on the scorecard,” he said of his bogeys. “I kept it clean today, which was nice. I’ve improved every day and this golf course sets up really well for me.”
Alesha Jones-Seabrooks remembers being a young girl growing up in Jacksonville. Along with her classmates at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, she d throw wads of crumpled paper out her school bus window on the drive past Edward Waters College on Kings Road to her mother s Washington Heights apartment.
One day, in an effort to keep the kids in line, a police officer spoke to the group of paper-throwers. Be careful, you may become the queen of that college one day, Jones-Seabrooks recalls the officer telling her. She wrote it off, convinced she d attend an arts college in Hollywood. By 1994, that prophecy came true.