"All Are Welcome." On the 3 hour drive to Lakeview this past Weekend, I passed this same sign at about a million different churches. Each small town between Beaumont and Palestine, Tx seemed to be waiting, arms open for any wandering person to join their community.

As I drove by church after church I imagined what would happen if I showed up at one of these churches unannounced, would I be welcome? First, I can almost guarantee that at least one person would mention my long hair or some form of "you know who you look like? Jesus!" (side note, I've heard this ~10,000 times, I still don't know what an appropriate response is).

And second, I believe the church would welcome me in a heartbeat, excited to have a new person, a new young person joining them! I would have people asking about my life, where I come from, what I do, if I'm coming back next week. I might even have someone offer to take me to lunch because they promise that "we have the best chicken fried steak in Texas." I do not doubt for a second that if I walked in any of those churches that proudly show their "All Are Welcome" sign, I would be made part of the family.

And yet, as I drove back from Lakeview, exhausted but also filled with the Spirit, I asked myself another question. Would my students be welcomed here?

Lamar Wesley students gathered after a full weekend of All Campus.

This past weekend, I made the long, winding journey to Lakeview because it was the annual All Campus Retreat, a time where 90+ students from all the Wesleys across the Texas Conference gather for a weekend of relaxation, of fun, and of getting closer to God! This year was my year to plan it and so while it was an absolutely amazing time, it was also incredibly exhausting and I slept for probably 12 hours afterwards!

Unfortunately though, the retreat wasn't all sunshine and daisies. Right after the final worship, I had 2 students from another Wesley pull me aside and tell me that they think what I'm doing is wrong. They said that accepting students who are gay goes against God and I was leading people astray. They told me I was putting myself forward instead of God.

I told them that I hear what they're saying but God is calling me to love all students and all means all and that's not changing. I encouraged them to talk more with their campus pastor if they'd like and then I left.

I have had people and churches tell me some form of this before so this wasn't anything new or devastating to me, but still it rattled around in my brain the whole 3 hour drive home. These students were faithful Christians who probably went to a church that had a sign out front that said "All Are Welcome." Would my students, some who are gay, some who are non-binary, be welcomed at their church?

I imagine the congregants of this hypothetical church would say yes, absolutely, we welcome all people. And yet, at the same time... would that be true? Is it welcoming to say you can worship with us, but we believe you need to fundamentally change who you are to fit in with us? Is it welcoming to say our arms are open wide, but at the same time say a core aspect of who you are is evil?

"All Are Welcome" is something I wholeheartedly believe. One of my absolute favorite parts about being a United Methodist is the insistence on the Open Table. This is not my church, this is not the United Methodist's church, but this is God's church and all are welcome to be a part of it. The only question that remains is are we simply saying empty words or are we truly building a community, a church, a people that lives out this command to love our neighbors as ourselves?

Each day I pray that I am. That this community here on Lamar's campus can reflect the love and grace of God's never-ending presence. Will you pray this with me?

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Kyle Tremblay

Lakeview's iconic cross stands as a reminder of the hope, joy, and love present at this camp.

Charlie Snoek and student volunteers help unload some of the 3000 pounds of food we got this month!

Pastor Jerry Neff and members of UMC of the Pines gather as they prepare to serve a meal.

Sohel, a weekly student volunteer, helps unload our food pantry order.