About six years ago, a United Church of Christ in Montgomery County took a vote to receive the “open and affirming” designation. It requires three years of study and prayer before the vote.
Leaders at the Ascension United Church of Christ in West Norriton Township decided they wanted to do some tangible outreach to accompany the new designation. At the beginning of the year, they teamed up with the LGBT Qmunity Center in Norristown to form the Qmunity Alliance Q&A.
It’s a group that meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of the month. Members gather at the church, 1700 W. Main St. in the Jeffersonville section of West Norriton.
“It’s open to everybody, regardless of religion,” said Dwayne Mosier, pastor at Ascension. “It’s a support group for people that don’t have an organization at their high schools.”
Mosier said a fair number of transgender people come to the meetings. There’s also a group for adult relatives of LGBT young people.
“Most of these support groups are in Philadelphia,” he said. “We wanted to support our youth out here.”
Mosier said the Mazzoni Center has supported the Qmunity Alliance, and he noted it’s been a reinvigorating experience to actively welcome LGBT people to the church.
“It’s like God’s given us a new purpose for today,” he said. “We’re excited that we have new people coming into the church. Now we’re seeing a larger portion that’s part of the LGBT community. We’re an old church and it’s giving us a new life.”
For more information, visit www.ascensionucc.org.