It’s a blustery Sunday evening in January and about a dozen students are splayed on couches in a church sanctuary a block away from Ohio State University.
It looks like a movie night, but they’re here to worship with a student ministry called Jacob’s Porch. The service begins with a collective breath, a prayer, and a song written by the group called “Be Here Now.” The informal setup reflects the ethos of the ecumenical Christian group, which, though founded by Lutherans, welcomes students who wrestle with faith—including those who are not religious.
“It’s very nonjudgmental,” said second-year OSU student and Jacob’s Porch attendee Oli Wood, who said that his friends jokingly refer to Jacob’s Porch as “gay church,” since about 60 percent of the two dozen students who participate identify as LGBTQ. “It definitely makes me feel very accepted, very safe.”
