North Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston, often known as the “Holy City,” boasts approximately 400 churches and places of worship, many of which are century-old, such as the Circular Congregation Church, Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church, and the First Baptist Church.
However, Rev. Tricia Petraven believes it is time for an LGBTQ+ welcoming church, so she founded Church of the Arts in North Charleston’s Park Circle neighborhood. She joins numerous other preachers who feel the church should be a place of inclusion and faith.
“One thing I have noticed is that many churches do not include everyone,” Petraven explains. “Even some who claim everyone is welcome don’t actually feel the same way about LGBTQIA persons, or perhaps some other sin that they have in mind will keep you out of the church’s communion. My goal is to create a church where everyone is welcome.”
According to data, more than half of LGBTQ+ adults are not religious, and Petraven feels this is due in large part to a lack of acceptance that permits gay people to participate in religious life. She wants the Church of the Arts to be a place where LGBT individuals may serve and become leaders, even pastors.
“It’s really important for us to stand together and to stand with the people who are the most oppressed, the people who are the most harmed, and make sure that they have a voice, especially if it isn’t safe for them to have a voice,” according to Petraven.
Rev. Colin Kerr of the Parkside Church says the church was founded in 2008 as a more contemporary and inclusive option.
He also claims that there is a Bible verse that supports the principle of opening its doors to everyone.
“If you look at say, Galatians 3:28, it says, ‘There is no Jew, there is no Gentile, there is no male or female, there is no slave or free,” explains Kerr. “Despite all of the divisions we try to create as a society, the gospel comes through. So we consider Galatians 3:28 as a continuation here, saying, “There is neither gay nor straight.” “Everyone is united in Christ.”
The Circular Congregational Church was founded in 1681 and developed the first Sunday school in South Carolina, making it one of Charleston’s oldest churches. Jared Hough, a church reverend, expresses disappointment that religion has become politicized and is frequently used to damage the LGBTQ+ community.
“A lot of things have been done in the name of Christianity that I think are not just and have caused a lot of harm, and so I think acknowledging that is really important,” adds the pastor.
Kerr says many LGBT individuals in his congregation agree, and he has spent time talking with them about their horrific experiences with conversion therapy, being rejected by their family, and being pushed out of the church communities where they grew up.
“They have come here with that trauma and the fear that they will not be accepted,” Kerr informs me.
Another reason Petraven founded the Church of the Arts was to provide a safe space for people who have experienced religious trauma to recover and worship.
“This is going to be a place where you are going to be affirmed and accepted and loved just the way you are, and no one is going to ask you to change,” she assures me.
The Church of the Arts celebrates its grand opening on Sunday at 11 a.m.
“My challenge for any Christians who don’t fully accept LGBTQ+ people yet is to look at the life of Jesus,” according to Kerr. “Look how Jesus interacted with the people who are on the outside, who are on the margins, who are excluded, and model the ways of Jesus, and then we can trust that the Holy Spirit will take care of the rest.”
