David and Dwayne jumped right into the life of our community and we were so thankful to officially welcome them as members in worship yesterday! We love y’all!

From David (he/him): “I grew up in the Nazarene church where I played the piano for years and later attained a local ministers license. In 2010, I left the denomination due to the church not being affirming or inclusive. I joined a local church here in Nashville where everyone was treated as equal. The church had a split and I left that church.

I heard about Glendale by Googling “open and affirming churches” and after visiting I knew this was my home. Me and Dwayne enjoy being involved at Glendale and are grateful for the people we’ve met.”
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From Dwayne (he/him): “I was raised sporadically within the Church of Christ with a Baptist sprinkling along the way for good measure. During my youth attending the Church of Christ, I always had this underlying feeling that I didn’t belong or that I was bound for the gates of hell. I can’t explain how quickly I turned away from those teachings as soon as I was old enough to make healthy decisions.
I spent a good deal of my young adult life feeling that I didn’t belong within the church or that I wouldn’t be welcome. It would be years later after coming to terms with my authentic self and accepting who I was as a gay man.

Along the way, I learned about stepping out in faith and also giving back and loving others as you love yourself. Unfortunately, over the last several years a number of things happened to divide that church and became filled with unexpected changes. David and I searched online, or by the recommendation of others, looking for a church home that was an accepting, loving, safe place for all – regardless of who you are or who you loved. The moment that we came to Glendale…it’s as if we were gently being called home. We are both extremely excited to be on our new journey that led us here to Glendale.”