Fredericton church volunteer dismissed over sexual orientation

Colin Briggs, a 20-year-old Saint Thomas University student, was a longtime volunteer at Crosspoint Wesleyan Church in Fredericton until last week, when the church told him to stop volunteering because of his sexual orientation. “They basically told me they would prefer that I wouldn’t volunteer there because I was gay,” he said.

Briggs had worked with the church’s children’s ministry for two years. He said he was shocked when the church called him to a meeting last week. “I went to sign up again this year to volunteer and I didn’t think anything would be a big deal,” he said. “I did not want to bring any negative attention to the church.”

After he spoke to the school newspaper, *The New Brunswick Beacon*, the story spread widely, and Briggs said he received strong support on and off campus. STU student Robert Booth was quoted in the report: “He was doing a lot of good … It’s wrong to remove someone based on sexual orientation alone.”

Crosspoint Wesleyan Church declined to comment to Global News about the reason for Briggs’ dismissal. In an interview with *The New Brunswick Beacon* last Friday, Pastor Mark Brewers said the dismissal would “avoid any potential uproar that may be caused if families were to find out an openly gay male was working in the children’s ministry.” Declining to explain a decision fully leaves questions about honest dealing unanswered (Proverbs 11:1).

Brewers also said Briggs is welcome to attend the church, but not as a volunteer in the children’s ministry.

An unnamed speaker in the report said: “I think they should take it back and let him work with the kids.”

Briggs said he is not sure he wants to return. He said he is not angry with the church and still considers himself a loyal parishioner. He said his first priority is to stand up for who he is, because he knows of others going through the same struggle.

Source: Read the original report