FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Erik Creekmore stopped going to church when he was 15. That was when he heard his pastor condemn gay people in a sermon filled with anger and hatred.
“He said they didn’t deserve love and they were going straight to hell,” Creekmore said.
Creekmore identifies as gay. Even at 15, long before he told his parents, Creekmore knew he was the type of person his church would not accept.
“I was sitting in a church where everyone hated me for something that I did not choose,” he said.
Christian churches have condemned homosexuality for hundreds of years. However, some members of the LGBTQ community have found acceptance in gay-affirming churches. Creekmore has found a place to heal the hurt and remove the hate experienced in the church. He has found a community at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and is being confirmed in May.
Discovering a New Identity
Creekmore said at 13, the feeling that he was different hit him “like a ton of bricks.”
He said he remembers seeing boys, realizing he was attracted to them and thinking, “oh no, that’s not good.”
The weight of this realization was made heavier by the shame surrounding homosexuality in Creekmore’s church.
“I was taught that God was vengeful and hated certain people,” he said. “God was a person to be feared and if you weren’t a certain way then he didn’t love you.”
He was afraid to tell his family and friends, but as he was researching his new identity online he came across a chat room. This chat room provided a supportive community for Creekmore at a time when he felt hated and unloved. He said it was nice to know that other people were feeling the same things he was feeling.
“I didn’t feel so isolated,” he said.
He waited to tell his family until he was 18. He prepared for the worst. He had a job so that if his family kicked him out he would be able to support himself.
“I felt like a giant weight was lifted off my shoulders, but I was terrified at the same time because you don’t know what the result is going to be,” he said.
Creekmore’s uncle didn’t talk to him for two and a half years. His childhood best friend ended their friendship of eight years.
The rest of his family was very accepting of his same-sex attraction and he said he considers himself lucky.
But Creekmore still had not been back to church.
“I felt kind of blind,” Creekmore said.
His Baptist church in Fort Smith had made it clear that he was unwelcome and called him unloved.
“I’ve always held on to religion but that experience made it bitter,” he said.
Without religion in his life, Creekmore said he felt like he was “lost in the wilderness for a very long time, stumbling around.”
A New Beginning
Creekmore went moved to Fayetteville three years ago.
And at 23 he went back to church.
In 2016, after the Pulse shooting in Orlando, Florida, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church had a candlelight vigil and Creekmore decided to go.
“That was the first time I had been in a church in years, and it was the first time I felt comfortable,” Creekmore said.
After that service, Creekmore did more research on the Episcopal church and began attending regularly.
He said that St. Paul’s teaches what he thinks Christianity should teach: loving everyone without judgment.
“It has completely changed my idea of Christianity,” he said. “Instead of fire and brimstone and hate, it was the shedding of hate and the acceptance of everyone.”
Accepted
Rev. Evan Garner is the rector at St. Paul’s. He said that St. Paul’s believes that God loves everyone regardless of their gender or sexuality.
Garner said that every three years, leaders from Episcopal churches all over get together at the general convention. There they make decisions and review their beliefs. He said that members of the Episcopal church have always believed in God’s unconditional love, but until recently did not extend that love to members of the LGBTQ community.
In 2003 in New Hampshire, Gene Robinson became the first openly gay bishop. Garner said that after that, priests began approving more same-sex unions.
“There are same-sex couples who participate actively in our church,” Garner said.
He said they “serve in leadership positions and do readings in the services.”
“There’s no second class status for them,” Garner said.
“It was like a sheet was taken off my eyes when I discovered the Episcopal church and it is absolutely the best thing I’ve ever done,” he said.
He no longer needs the support of the online chat room that he turned to in his teens. He has found community at St. Paul’s. A community that loves him as he is, instead of trying to change him.
“My church family is very important to me because it provided the structure that I really needed in my life,” Creekmore said.
Garner said he tells people, “if you don’t feel safe or secure in your congregation, come visit us.”
“Now I have refound the path I was meant to be on and I am happy for the first time in a long time,” Creekmore said.
Mary Katherine Shapiro 
Great work, Mark Katherine! I really like this story. The only thing I would change would be to combine the three quotes from Garner into one rather than stacking them. I would also love to see a few more sources — a cast of characters would make it feel less like a profile. This story is super well done. Awesome job!
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FIRST PHOTOS:
THE DREADED STARBUCKS PHOTO FROM THE INTERVIEW SHOULD ALWAYS BE DISCARDED. AND THE SECOND IMAGE HAS NO PEOPLE AT ALL. GET SHOTS OF HIM LIVING HIS LIFE, WITH THE PEOPLE HE LOVES.
Gay-affirming churches are welcoming to all people TOO TRUSTING. YOU CAN’T BE SURE THIS IS TRUE.
NEEDS FEATURE HED. THIS IS A DECK
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.- NEEDS M-DASH NOT A HYPHEN Erik Creekmore stopped going to church when he was 15. GOOD START BUT STAY IN MOMENT. DON’T BACK UP HERE:He grew up attending a Baptist church in Fort Smith,. SOMETHING LIKE: THAT WAS WHEN HE HEARD HIS PASTOR, A MAN HE REVERED, CONDEMN GAY PEOPLE WITH A RIGHTEOUS FURY. (THIS KEEPS YOU IN THAT MOMENT)
but after hearing a sermon on homosexuality Creekmore told his parents he was not going back.REPETITIVE WITH FIRST SENTENCE
“The pastor straight up took an entire Sunday to break down and THIS IS THE WRONG WORD: disseminate YOU CAN FIX IT BY PARAPHRASING the homosexual lifestyle,” Creekmore said. “He said they didn’t deserve love and they were going straight to hell.” REALLY ALL YOU NEED IS THIS QUOTE ANYWAY
Creekmore identifies as gay. MORE HERE. EVEN AT 15, LONG BEFORE HE TOLD HIS FAMILY, CREEKMORE KNEW HE WAS THE TYPE OF PERSON HIS PASTOR HAD CONDEMNED.
“I was sitting in a church where everyone hated me for something that I did not choose,” he said.
IMG_1662
Erik Creekmore, 25, in Starbucks April 2. Creekmore works as a registered medical assistant. Photo by Mary Katherine Shapiro. CAPTION SHOULD CONTRIBUTE TO STORY NOT OPERATE AS A BIO.
Christian churches have condemned same-sex marriage for hundreds of years.I DON’T THINK THEY CONDEMNED MARRIAGE. THAT’S RELATIVELY NEW. THEY CONDEMNED THE SEXUAL BEHAVIOR. Many churches are unaccepting of members of the LGBTQ community. LIKE WHOM? SOME ARE NUANCED, SAYING THEY LOVE THE SINNER BUT NOT THE SIN, ETC. However, gay-affirming churches are beginning to open their doors. VAGUE. SINCE WHEN? HASN’T THIS BEEN GOING ON AWHILE? These churches are welcoming to all people. People who identify as gay and Christian have found places of acceptance.VAGUE. WHERE? WHEN? Places to heal the hurt and remove the hate experienced in the church.THIS NUT GRAF MAKES IT FEEL LIKE A NEWS FEATURE RATHER THAN A HUMAN INTEREST STORY. KEEP YOUR FOCUS ON CREEKMORE
Discovering a New Identity
Creekmore said he knew he was different at six years old. All of the boys in his class wanted to play doctor with the girls. He wanted to play with the boys. I DONT GET THIS. MOST BOYS WANT TO PLAY WITH BOYS UNTIL THEY’RE ADOLESCENT. GET A BETTER EXPLANATION OR EXAMPLE
Then at 13, the feeling that he was different hit him “like a ton of bricks,” he said.
He said he remembers seeing boys at school, realizing he was attracted to them and thinking COMMA, QUOTATIONS: oh no, that’s not good.
HERE INCORPORATE MORE OF HIS RELIGIOUS AND FAMILY SURROUNDINGS FOR CONTEXT, HEIGHTEN THE CONTRAST/DRAMA
He was afraid to tell his family and friends, but as he was researching his new identity online he came across a chat room. This chat room provided a supportive community for Creekmore. He said it was nice to know that other people were feeling the same things he was feeling.
“I didn’t feel so isolated,” he said.
He waited to tell his family until he was 18. DID HE HAVE SECRET RELATIONSHIPS? STORY NEEDS MORE DRAMA/PLOT FOR HUMAN-INTEREST He prepared for the worst. He had a job so that if his family kicked him out he would be able to support himself. ALSO YOU SKIPPED OVER THE CHURCH PART AT AGE 15. GIVE US REACTION OF HIS PARENTS WHEN HE DECIDED TO STOP GOING? AND WHAT DID IT MEAN TO HIM AS A CHRISTIAN? DID HE FEEL LIKE GOD REALLY DID CONDEMN HIM? DID HE SUFFER SHAME? ELABORATE. WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR HIM TO STOP GOING? DID HE MISS IT? THIS IS YOUR ANGLE, SO USE IT AS A MAP FOR YOUR STORY
“I felt like a giant weight was lifted off my shoulders, but I was terrified at the same time because you don’t know what the result is going to be,” he said.
Creekmore’s uncle didn’t talk to him for two and a half years. His childhood best friend ended their friendship of eight years. EMOTIONAL REACTION TO THIS?
The rest of his family was very accepting of his same-sex attraction and he said he considers himself lucky. WE NEED OTHER INTERVIEWS. QUOTES FROM FAMILY MEMBERS. USE THEM TO HELP RE-CREATE THE NARRATIVE.
But Creekmore still had not been back to church. His Baptist church in Fort Smith had made it clear that he was unwelcome and called him unloved. GET BACK TO CHURCH EARLIER
“I’ve always held on to religion but that experience made it bitter,” he said.
Without religion in his life, Creekmore said he felt like he was “lost in the wilderness for a very long time, stumbling around.” GOOD. KEEP THIS STORY FOCUSED ON RELIGION
A New Beginning
Creekmore went moved to Fayetteville three years ago.
And at 23 he went back to church.
In 2016, after the Pulse shooting in Orlando, Florida, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church had a candlelight vigil and Creekmore decided to go.
“That was the first time I had been in a church in years, and it was the first time I felt comfortable,” Creekmore said.
After that service, Creekmore did more research on the Episcopal church and began attending regularly.
He said that St. Paul’s teaches what he thinks Christianity should teach: loving everyone without judgment.
“It has completely changed my idea of Christianity,” he said. “Instead of fire and brimstone and hate, it was the shedding of hate and the acceptance of everyone.”
Accepted
Rev. Evan Garner is the rector at St. Paul’s. He said that St. Paul’s believes that God loves everyone regardless of their gender or sexuality.
Garner said that every three years, leaders from Episcopal churches all over get together at the general convention. There they make decisions and review their beliefs. He said that members of the Episcopal church have always believed in God’s unconditional love, but until recently did not extend that love to members of the LGBTQ community. DO THE RESEARCH TO DISCOVER THE OFFICIAL POSITION OF EPISCOPAL CHURCH AND IF IT’S SPLINTERED AND WHEN, ETC.
banner
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is located at 224 N East Ave in Fayetteville. St. Paul’s is a gay-affirming church. Photo courtesy of St. Paul’s website. WHAT’S THE FIRST LETTER IN PHOTO? P FOR PEOPLE! GET PEOPLE IN YOUR PHOTOS, LIKE YOUR STORY SUBJECT.
In 2003, Gene Robinson became the first openly gay bishop WHERE? . Garner said that after that, priests began approving more same-sex unions.
“There are same-sex couples who participate actively in our church,” Garner said.
He said they “serve in leadership positions and do readings in the services.”
“There’s no second class status for them,” Garner said.
Creekmore is being confirmed to the church in May. GOOD. MORE ON THIS. MOVE THIS HIGHER
“It was like a sheet was taken off my eyes when I discovered the Episcopal church and it is absolutely the best thing I’ve ever done,” he said.
He no longer needs the support of the online chat room that he turned to in his teens. He has found community at St. Paul’s. A community that loves him as he is, instead of trying to change him. MORE OF COMMUNITY
“My church family is very important to me because it provided the structure that I really needed in my life,” Creekmore said.
Garner said he tells people, “if you don’t feel safe or secure in your congregation, come visit us.”
Members of the LGBTQ community have found a home here, Garner said. KICKER IS FLAT
THIS IS A GOOD START BUT IT FEELS AT TIME LIKE A NEWS FEATURE AND AT TIMES LIKE A PROFILE. ZERO IN ON THE RELIGIOUS ASPECT. FLESH OUT HIS FAITH JOURNEY. AND MAKE THE LEDE MORE ABOUT WHO HE IS TODAY AND WHAT HE’S DOING RATHER THAN STARTING AT AGE 15.
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Mary Katherine! Great Job on the story overall. The story does seem a little on the news feature side. Focusing in on one aspect and tying it all together will make it much more clear! overall really great job!
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PHOTOS HAVE NOT BEEN IMPROVED.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Erik Creekmore stopped going to church when he was 15. That was when he heard his pastor condemn gay people in a sermon filled with anger and hatred.
“He said they didn’t deserve love and they were going straight to hell,” Creekmore said.
Creekmore identifies as gay. Even at 15, long before he told his parents, Creekmore knew he was the type of person his church would not accept.
“I was sitting in a church where everyone hated me for something that I did not choose,” he said.
IMG_1662
Erik Creekmore, 25, in Starbucks April 2. Creekmore works as a registered medical assistant. Photo by Mary Katherine Shapiro.
Christian churches have condemned homosexuality for hundreds of years. However, some members of the LGBTQ community have found acceptance in gay-affirming churches. Creekmore has found a place to heal the hurt and remove the hate experienced in the church. He has found a community at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and is being confirmed in May.
Discovering a New Identity
Creekmore said at 13, the feeling that he was different hit him “like a ton of bricks.”
He said he remembers seeing boys, realizing he was attracted to them and thinking, “oh no, that’s not good.”
The weight of this realization was made heavier by the shame surrounding homosexuality in Creekmore’s church.
“I was taught that God was vengeful and hated certain people,” he said. “God was a person to be feared and if you weren’t a certain way then he didn’t love you.”
He was afraid to tell his family and friends, but as he was researching his new identity online he came across a chat room. This chat room provided a supportive community for Creekmore at a time when he felt hated and unloved. He said it was nice to know that other people were feeling the same things he was feeling.
“I didn’t feel so isolated,” he said.
He waited to tell his family until he was 18. He prepared for the worst. He had a job so that if his family kicked him out he would be able to support himself.
“I felt like a giant weight was lifted off my shoulders, but I was terrified at the same time because you don’t know what the result is going to be,” he said.
Creekmore’s uncle didn’t talk to him for two and a half years. His childhood best friend ended their friendship of eight years.
The rest of his family was very accepting of his same-sex attraction and he said he considers himself lucky.
But Creekmore still had not been back to church.
“I felt kind of blind,” Creekmore said.
His Baptist church in Fort Smith had made it clear that he was unwelcome and called him unloved.
“I’ve always held on to religion but that experience made it bitter,” he said.
Without religion in his life, Creekmore said he felt like he was “lost in the wilderness for a very long time, stumbling around.”
A New Beginning
Creekmore went moved to Fayetteville three years ago.
And at 23 he went back to church.
In 2016, after the Pulse shooting in Orlando, Florida, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church had a candlelight vigil and Creekmore decided to go.
“That was the first time I had been in a church in years, and it was the first time I felt comfortable,” Creekmore said.
After that service, Creekmore did more research on the Episcopal church and began attending regularly.
He said that St. Paul’s teaches what he thinks Christianity should teach: loving everyone without judgment.
“It has completely changed my idea of Christianity,” he said. “Instead of fire and brimstone and hate, it was the shedding of hate and the acceptance of everyone.”
Accepted
Rev. Evan Garner is the rector at St. Paul’s. He said that St. Paul’s believes that God loves everyone regardless of their gender or sexuality.
Garner said that every three years, leaders from Episcopal churches all over get together at the general convention. There they make decisions and review their beliefs. He said that members of the Episcopal church have always believed in God’s unconditional love, but until recently did not extend that love to members of the LGBTQ community.
banner
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is located at 224 N East Ave in Fayetteville. St. Paul’s is a gay-affirming church. Photo courtesy of St. Paul’s website.
In 2003 in New Hampshire, Gene Robinson became the first openly gay bishop. Garner said that after that, priests began approving more same-sex unions.
“There are same-sex couples who participate actively in our church,” Garner said.
He said they “serve in leadership positions and do readings in the services.”
“There’s no second class status for them,” Garner said.
“It was like a sheet was taken off my eyes when I discovered the Episcopal church and it is absolutely the best thing I’ve ever done,” he said.
He no longer needs the support of the online chat room that he turned to in his teens. He has found community at St. Paul’s. A community that loves him as he is, instead of trying to change him.
“My church family is very important to me because it provided the structure that I really needed in my life,” Creekmore said.
Garner said he tells people, “if you don’t feel safe or secure in your congregation, come visit us.”
“Now I have refound the path I was meant to be on and I am happy for the first time in a long time,” Creekmore said.
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PHOTOS HAVE NOT BEEN IMPROVED
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Erik Creekmore stopped going to church when he was 15. That was when he heard his pastor condemn gay people in a sermon filled with anger and hatred.
“He said they didn’t deserve love and they were going straight to hell,” Creekmore said.
Creekmore identifies as gay. Even at 15, long before he told his parents, Creekmore knew he was the type of person his church would not accept.
“I was sitting in a church where everyone hated me for something that I did not choose,” he said. TIGHTER. BUT STILL NEED TO BE RE-CAST AS A PRESENT-DAY SCENE.
IMG_1662
Erik Creekmore, 25, in Starbucks April 2. Creekmore works as a registered medical assistant. Photo by Mary Katherine Shapiro.GET HIM IN CHURCH.
AVOID THIS. TOO VAGUE AND UNRESEARCHED. KEEP IT IN PRESENTChristian churches have condemned homosexuality for hundreds of years.
DESPITE WIDESPREAD CONDEMNATION OF GAY PEOPLE IN MANY CHURCHES, MEMBERS OF BLAH BLAH ARE FINDING ACCEPTANCE IN BALH BLAH However, some members of the LGBTQ community have found acceptance in gay-affirming churches. Creekmore has found a place to heal the hurt and remove the hate experienced in the church. He has found a community at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and is being confirmed AS WHAT? A CONVERT? in May. NUT GRAF IS BETTER.
Discovering a New Identity
Creekmore said at 13, the feeling that he was different hit him “like a ton of bricks.”
He said he remembers seeing boys, realizing he was attracted to them and thinking, CAPITALIZE LIKE YOU WOULD A QUOTE:“oh no, that’s not good.”
The weight of this realization was made heavier by the shame surrounding homosexuality in Creekmore’s church. IN FORT SMITH?
“I was taught that God was vengeful and hated certain people,” he said. “God was a person to be feared and if you weren’t a certain way then he didn’t love you.”
He was afraid to tell his family and friends, but as he was researching his new identity online he came across a chat room. This chat room provided a supportive community for Creekmore at a time when he felt hated and unloved. He said it was nice to know that other people were feeling the same things he was feeling.
CHRONOLOGY SECTION IS TIGHTER.
“I didn’t feel so isolated,” he said.
He waited to tell his family until he was 18. He prepared for the worst. He had a job so that if his family kicked him out he would be able to support himself.
“I felt like a giant weight was lifted off my shoulders, but I was terrified at the same time because you don’t know what the result is going to be,” he said.
Creekmore’s uncle didn’t talk to him for two and a half years. His childhood best friend ended their friendship of eight years.
The rest of his family was very accepting of his same-sex attraction and he said he considers himself lucky.
But Creekmore still had not been back to church.
“I felt kind of blind,” Creekmore said.
His Baptist church in Fort Smith had made it clear that he was unwelcome and called him unloved.
“I’ve always held on to religion but that experience made it bitter,” he said.
Without religion in his life, Creekmore said he felt like he was “lost in the wilderness for a very long time, stumbling around.”
A New Beginning
Creekmore went moved to Fayetteville three years ago.
And at 23 he went back to church.
In 2016, after the Pulse shooting in Orlando, Florida, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church had a candlelight vigil and Creekmore decided to go.
“That was the first time I had been in a church in years, and it was the first time I felt comfortable,” Creekmore said. GOOD ADDITION
After that service, Creekmore did more research on the Episcopal church and began attending regularly.
He said that St. Paul’s teaches what he thinks Christianity should teach: loving everyone without judgment.
“It has completely changed my idea of Christianity,” he said. “Instead of fire and brimstone and hate, it was the shedding of hate and the acceptance of everyone.”
Accepted
Rev. Evan Garner is the rector at St. Paul’s. He said that St. Paul’s believes that God loves everyone regardless of their gender or sexuality. COMBINE. MAKE YOUR SENTENCES DO MORE WORK.
Garner said that every three years, leaders from Episcopal churches all over get together at the general convention. There they make decisions and review their beliefs. He said that members of the Episcopal church have always believed in God’s unconditional love, but until recently did not extend that love to members of the LGBTQ community.
banner
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is located at 224 N East Ave in Fayetteville. St. Paul’s is a gay-affirming church. Photo courtesy of St. Paul’s website. TAKE YOUR OWN PHOTOS. IT’S RIGHT DOWN THE STREET.
In 2003 in New Hampshire, Gene Robinson became the first openly gay bishop. Garner said that after that, priests began approving more same-sex unions.
“There are same-sex couples who participate actively in our church,” Garner said.
He said they “serve in leadership positions and do readings in the services.”
“There’s no second class status for them,” Garner said.
“It was like a sheet was taken off my eyes when I discovered the Episcopal church and it is absolutely the best thing I’ve ever done,” he said.
He no longer needs the support of the online chat room that he turned to in his teens. He has found community at St. Paul’s. A community that loves him as he is, instead of trying to change him. NEED SOMEONE FROM CREEKMORE’S LIFE TO PROVIDE TESTIMONIAL ON THE DIFFICULTY OF HIS SPIRITUAL LIFE.
“My church family is very important to me because it provided the structure that I really needed in my life,” Creekmore said.
Garner said he tells people, “if you don’t feel safe or secure in your congregation, come visit us.”
“Now I have RE-FOUND refound the path I was meant to be on and I am happy for the first time in a long time,” Creekmore said.
GOOD EDIT. THANKS FOR THE REVISION.
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