First Baptist to create refuge for LGBTQ+ youth and their allies
First Baptist Church of Moorestown is creating a Safe/Brave space for LGBTQ+ youth.
A confluence of events led Beverly Allegretti to create a Safe/Brave Space at First Baptist Church of Moorestown. It all started with her pastor’s sermon about finding your gifts and using them to benefit the church.
The speech planted a seed in the back of Allegretti’s mind that was watered when she began doing research on homeless youth for her boss at American Baptist Home Mission Societies, who was writing a book on childhood poverty. She said the statistics on LGBTQ+ homeless youth were staggering. She knew she had to take action.
So, Allegretti approached First Baptist Church of Moorestown about creating a Safe/Brave space for LGBTQ+ youth. She said they were immediately on board. Today, Allegretti is working on raising funds, educating staff and getting the logistics of the safe space, so that it can open next spring.
PRISM, the church’s safe space for LGBTQ+ community members and their allies, will welcome youths ages 13 to 18. The outreach program is welcome to anyone regardless of their religion, and will be a place for youths to meet fellow LGBTQ+ community members, get resources and share their experiences in a supportive environment that meets several times a month.
Once she had the idea, Allegretti looked at other safe space programs. She met with the owners of Camden Kaleidoscope, who agreed there was a need for a safe space in Burlington County.
Allegretti and the church set up training sessions for volunteers with the Center for Family Services and The Attic Youth Center, another safe space in Philadelphia.
She said they will not provide clinical resources, but they will be providing other ways of helping LGBTQ+ youth to make informed decisions. She said they have volunteers who are social workers who can refer youth to appropriate resources if they need them. Most importantly, however, volunteers will be there to listen and support youths as they overcome life’s challenges.
“We’re giving youth a place to come for two to three hours to be able to relax and be who they are,” Allegretti said.
Allegretti’s daughter came out to her when she was in high school. She said at the time, she wasn’t at the same place of acceptance she is at today, so she knows firsthand how difficult it can be for youths trying to gain acceptance at home.
“There are other kids out there who are put out of their homes because they come out to their parents. They have no place to go and nobody to talk to if they’re not being heard at home,” Allegretti said.
She said her hope is that through the safe space, these kids have a place to come that is a temporary reprieve from home.
The Rev. Linda Pepe of First Baptist Church said she was excited by both the prospect of creating a safe space and Allegretti’s passion for the project. She said from the beginning, Allegretti had a clear vision about what she wanted to do.
Pepe said the programs will not be religious, and attendees won’t be met with Baptist preaching or asked to join the church.
“It’s just more a space where we can allow people to just come and live out who they are and become the best versions of themselves,” Pepe said.
Pepe said her hope is people come to know First Baptist a place to come if their child is feeling uncertain about their identity. She said PRISM, whose name is meant to reflect the spectrum of the rainbow, fits well with the vision of the church.
“It fits in with our vision of just being that welcoming place where God loves you just the way you are,’ Pepe said.
To learn more about PRISM and its upcoming fundraisers, visit https://www.fbcmoorestown.org/prism.html.
