“It’s a big risk they are taking in the black community,’’ said Joseph, an 18-year-old African-American college student who is gay. “There’s already enough stigma in the church. But this is a church that is accepting of all races and sexual orientations.’’
Union United Methodist leaders say the Youth Space drop-in center is an extension of their open and affirming mission to follow the teachings of Christ and serve all people, including those in the margins of society and those who have been disenfranchised.
“Most churches are not willing to put themselves out there . . . because it conflicts with their theology,’’ said Cummings, who then evoked the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’’
The Youth Space program, which targets gay and straight 13- to 18-year-olds, comes at a time when black churches are coming under increasing pressure from advocates for gays to be more accepting. The topic remains so controversial in many black churches that clergy are reluctant to publicly discuss it.
Neither leaders in the TenPoint Coalition nor the Black Ministerial Alliance, an outspoken opponent of gay marriage, returned calls for comment. The Rev. Lorraine Thornhill, who heads the Cambridge Black Pastors Conference said she did not wish to speak about the issue.
The Rev. Arthur Gerald Jr. of Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury said everyone who surrenders to Jesus Christ is welcomed at his church, where King once preached. But he said his church would not target specific groups or offer programs for gays.
“I can’t see that happening at our church, because we have a conservative view and a scriptural bias for what we do,’’ Gerald said. “We concentrate on what the Bible says.’’
