Leader of Christian Fellowship Resigns Under Group Pressure
Photos Courtesy of J.W. Oliver
By Editor J.W. OLIVER - Last May, a representative of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship requested the resignation of the president of the organization’s Farmington chapter, Kylie Groat, after Groat became a vocal champion of LGBT marriage rights. The organization’s actions have sparked an ongoing investigation by Student Senate’s Club Rights and Affairs Committee.
Charles “Chuck” Ellis, a UMF alumnus and the organization’s “advisor,” a paid position unaffiliated with the University, asked Groat to resign on May 8, the Friday before finals week.
“I kind of saw it coming,” said Groat. “Apparently it didn’t look good for the Fellowship to have someone who supports [marriage equality] in leadership.”
According to Groat, tension and awkwardness became the norm in her relationship with other Fellowship members, and the group even came under fire from area ministers.
Ellis, in an e-mail statement, called Groat “a loved member of the Farmington Christian Fellowship and a sister in Christ that I care dearly for,” but declined further comment for this article, as did Catherine Hall, FCF’s current President. FCF’s secretary, Kiley Gendron, also declined comment and expressed in a facebook message her wish to suppress the article. “I do not feel that this is an issue to be discussed in the paper. I think it is an internal issue that is not to be made public,” she said. A fourth officer, Marc Breglio, did not respond to an interview request.
Groat, “saved” at the age of 16, found herself confused by the organization’s rationale. “I know the theological argument,” she said, “but I feel like above all Christ calls us to love.”
Groat volunteers as an organizer for No on 1/Protect Maine Equality, “a statewide, grassroots campaign defending the marriage equality law challenged by Question 1,” according to its website. This spring, before Question 1 earned a place on the ballot, Groat worked on EqualityMaine’s successful campaign to pass the marriage equality bill.
The issue represents Groat’s first brush with political activism. “I have a lot of friends, particularly on this campus, who are gay, and as I’ve gotten closer in my relationships with them… not that I ever didn’t think this, but… it’s become much more of a reality to me that they’re just as human as I am and they deserve to have the same rights that I’m already entitled to.”
Addie Harris, a fellow UMF student and former member of FCF’s leadership, lauded Groat for her efforts. When Harris saw “how passionately and selflessly Groat gave her time, she said she “felt hopeful for the first time in a long time that there were Christians out there who could see past religious doctrine to see the profound negative impacts [of opposition to marriage equality].”
“I think Kylie's hard work and determination is a much better representative of Christian love than she is being given credit for, and it is unfortunate that FCF can't see that,” Harris added.
Karl Bach, a fellow volunteer with No on 1/Protect Maine Equality, said he is “really impressed” by Groat’s organization and drive. “We’re lucky she’s chosen to spend her time working for gay and lesbian couples in Maine,” Bach said.
Groat began her work with EqualityMaine in February. Shortly thereafter, sensing confusion on the part of her more conservative friends, she published a note on facebook to clarify her views.
Amid the controversy that followed, FCF asked Groat to remove the note from her account, and she agreed, but she provided a copy to the Flyer.
In the note, the junior Creative Writing major uses Pentateuchal law and the writings of 17th Century English philosopher John Locke to make her case. Groat cites divorce, heterosexual fornication, and even shellfish and mixed fabrics among the list of Old Testament taboos that accompany homosexuality. “Why are Christians so adamant about this one issue?” she asks.
FCF remained unconvinced, to Harris’ surprise. During her time with FCF, Harris encouraged open-mindedness and collaboration with The Alliance, UMF’s “student diversity group with an intensive focus on sexual diversity,” according to the club’s facebook. Her hope, for the organizations to develop “a plan for a combined fundraiser for a mutually agreed upon charity or organization,” remains unfulfilled.
“It was my belief that FCF and the Alliance together could challenge stereotypes and belief systems to create a more positive dynamic,” said Harris, but after an initial meeting, no further steps were taken.
“I think FCF means well in asking leaders to adhere to certain a certain code of beliefs,” Harris said, but she also believes “it has overstepped bounds of personal freedom and the individual's right to form opinions and to act according to one's own conscience.”
InterVarsity’s “Doctrinal Basis,” as outlined on their website, does not specifically delineate a policy regarding gay rights or the actions of their members relative thereto. The statement instead puts forth “The unique divine inspiration, entire trustworthiness and authority of the Bible,” as well as “The value and dignity of all people,” as central tenets, although all people, it insists, are “alienated from God and each other because of our sin and guilt, and justly subject to God’s wrath.”
FCF employs a hierarchy dissimilar to most other student organizations at UMF. Official titles, according to Groat, are meaningful only “for paperwork purposes.” The real authority, she said, lies with Ellis, which creates a concern for Student Senate’s Club Rights and Affairs Committee (CRAC).
Members of CRAC were reluctant to discuss the case in detail due to the preliminary nature of the investigation, but according to Student Senator Geoff Knudsen, FCF violated its own constitution as well as multiple Senate and University policies in the incident. Student Senate’s Officer of Club Rights and Affairs, Amy Blankenship, confirmed that a meeting has been arranged between CRAC, other Senate officials, Ellis, Hall, and FCF faculty advisor Lori Koban. Set for Thursday at 5 p.m., the meeting is open to the public.
It is not only within FCF that Groat has met resistance. Twice Groat became emotional during an interview on the third floor of the Creative Writing building, a different type of sanctuary where the busy student leads Writer’s Guild meetings every Monday. The first time was as she revealed the split with her home congregation, an Assemblies of God church, that followed her announcement. Groat now attends Old South Congregation Church on Main Street, a place she endorsed as “open and affirming” and “welcoming of the LGBT community.”
Again, much later, Groat grew tearful as she addressed her former constituents. “If anyone from FCF reads the article,” Groat said, “I want them to know that I’m not angry anymore… I have forgiven them for what happened; I just don’t understand why it had to happen.”
According to Groat, “[Protect Maine Equality] desperately needs volunteers.” Phonebanks are held every Wednesday (5-8 p.m., Roberts 103) and Sunday (4-7 p.m., CR-123).
No on 1/Protect Maine Equality can be found at http://www.protectmaineequality.org.
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship’s website is http://www.intervarsity.org. For the Farmington chapter, visit UMF InterVarsity Christian Fellowship on facebook or at http://studentorgs.umf.maine.edu/~ivcf/ or attend their weekly meeting, Wednesdays from 7-8:30 p.m. in North Dining Hall C.
 
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