His Story Changed The Church. He Had No Idea | Sam Clement-Remy

In Season 1, Pastor Marcy Paynter from Gateway Church told us about a young man in her congregation. He'd grown up in their youth group. He wanted to lead. The leadership team gave her the unenviable job of telling him he could serve, but only if he never acted on his sexuality. No boyfriend. No physical relationship. No future.She told him over dinner. She never saw him again.Years later, a friend sent Marcy a podcast link. She listened to a young man telling his story anonymously. Halfway through, she realised it was him. She cried. She and her co-pastor Beth Bolmers began the long work of becoming an affirming church. Today Gateway is fully affirming, embracing and celebrating LGBTQ+ people in every part of their community.This is that young man's side of the story.Sam Clement-Remy reached out to us after hearing his own story told back to him in our Season 1 episode with Marcy and Beth. He had no idea Gateway had become affirming. He had no idea his story was the catalyst.In this episode he sits down with Aaron and Ben to share his version of events. The dinner. The ultimatum. The years that followed. The grief of losing a community he loved. The faith that has evolved and shifted into something that looks different now, but is still very much his. And what it felt like to discover, by accident, that the church that asked him to choose had eventually changed its mind.This is the story of someone who didn't just survive the intersection. He's the reason an entire church had to rethink which side of it they were standing on.You can't be what you can't see. So we keep showing it.Subscribe and come back every week. We've got more like this coming.ABOUT THIS EPISODEGuest: Sam Clement-RemyHosts: Aaron Kelly and Ben NicholsonRecorded in Naarm, Melbourne.LISTEN BACK TO SEASON 1The original episode with Pastor Marcy Paynter and Pastor Beth Bolmers from Gateway Church is on our channel. If you haven't heard it yet, watch this episode first, then go back to that one. The two together are the full story.FIND USWebsite: queerfullymade.comInstagram: @queerfullymadeTikTok: @queerfullymadeLISTEN - Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere else you get your podcasts.ON RADIOHeard on Joy 94.9. Tuesdays at 10pm#QueerfullyMade #LGBTQChristian #ExEvangelical #FaithAndSexuality #QueerFaith #GatewayChurch #AffirmingChurch #DeconstructionPodcast #LGBTQPodcast #QueerTheology #ChurchHurt #SamClementRemy