Growing up, Gay-Straight Alliance adviser Matthew Potterton was shocked to hear his father’s stories of segregation.
Now that Potterton is a parent himself, he hopes his two young children are floored when he tells them people were once bullied, and criticized, for their sexual orientation.
He believes the first step to getting there is one that the Baker University GSA and Baldwin First United Methodist Church are making together.
After a vote by the church council, BFUMC decided to declare the church a safe place for all people, regardless of sexual orientation.
“We attend a warm (and) wonderful church,” Hank Darnell, Baker alumnus and BFUMC member, said. “And, we feel like we needed a public welcoming statement so it was clear that our church represents that we stand for love.”
Shortly after Potterton was hired at BFUMC as the music director, he approached the pastor, Connie Wilson, with the idea of creating a safe place for all people, and a year later, the church council unanimously passed the idea.
“I want a place where anybody can come and feel loved, feel welcomed and feel supported,” Potterton said. “And that’s what our church council people unanimously supported.”
The only official step to be listed as a safe space church is to have a public declaration stating that all people are welcome.
“It’s these small communities where I think bullying can go unnoticed,” Potterton said. “And so, I think it is a huge step for the community to have such a large presence in this community declare that (all people) are welcome and safe.”
BFUMC is the only church in Baldwin City listed as a safe space for all people, regardless of sexual orientation.
GSA has not contacted any other churches in the community, but has plans to do so in the future.
“(My initial thought was) let’s see what happens with this publicity and see if churches come to us,” Potterton said.
GSA is committed to doing what it can to solve bullying problems in the community.
“I think this is a really big thing in a way,” GSA President Joylin Hall said. “And, I just think that the advancements that we have made here in our GSA at Baker (have) a lot of good things going on for the LGBT community.”
BFUMC is also open to any other causes that Baker students are passionate about.
“We just want students to know that they are always welcome,” Christi Darnell, Baker alumna and BFUMC member, said. “We would be excited to hear their ideas and be supportive in their venture.”
