True Friendship
Nathaniel first learned about Jacksonville Campus Ministry during the pandemic through social media, before he ever set foot on the University of North Florida campus. Pastor Sarah’s openness to holding both queerness and faith together was surprising at first. “Is there truly a place for people like me when I was told my entire life that there isn’t?” he wondered.
When Nathaniel arrived at UNF for his master’s degree, he finally met Pastor Sarah in person and began attending JCM gatherings. For the first time, he felt a sense of belonging. He shares that before JCM, he never truly felt at home in any community.
After a lifetime of harmful messaging from other Christian spaces, the love and acceptance Nathaniel found at JCM were initially shocking, but deeply welcome. “God still loves you no matter what your religion is or what your identity is. You are still loved, and you are still accepted.” JCM became the first place where Nathaniel could be fully himself while also thriving in a faith community. “There’s still a place for us within religion, even though religion might have tried to close its doors on us. We still exist. We’re still here. And we can be a part of this.”
Shortly after joining JCM, Nathaniel felt called to go deeper. Wanting more space for theological conversation within this newfound family, he approached Pastor Sarah with an idea to start a Bible study. “Sarah was just so open to everything and new ideas. She never said no— she was just willing to try things out and see where they went.” That idea became Queer Bible Study, a gathering that continues to this day. “It started with only one or two people coming, and then it just kept growing.”
One of the things that has stayed with Nathaniel since leaving UNF is how vital it is for queer people of faith to have a place where they can gather and feel safe. “I used to feel this deep hopelessness,” he reflects. “Every time I went to JCM, that feeling wasn’t there anymore. I felt fulfilled. These were my people. I’m safe here. … It was true friendship.” He credits Pastor Sarah’s ongoing commitment to creating that space, noting that she always “tries to make the world a better place, even if it’s just making one student’s day.”
Today, Nathaniel is a Clinical Mental Health Counselor, and he says JCM helped ignite both his calling and his career path. “It gave me a passion for helping people.” In his work now, he strives to embody the same kindness, understanding, and safety that JCM offered him. “What I needed back then, what JCM gave me, I want to give that to other people.”