ORLANDO, Fla., June 20 (UPI) -- Exodus International, a Florida church devoted to reversing same-sex attraction, shut its doors after its president apologized to the gay community.
Alan Chambers issued an apology to the gay community Wednesday for "years of undue judgment by the organization and the Christian Church as a whole," as quoted by the Los Angeles Times.
"I am sorry I didn't stand up to people publicly 'on my side' who called you names. ... I am sorry I have communicated that you and your families are less than me and mine," he said in a statement. "More than anything, I am sorry that so many have interpreted this religious rejection by Christians as God's rejection. I am profoundly sorry that many have walked away from their faith and that some have chosen to end their lives."
Exodus International operated in Orlando, Fla., for more than three decades. Chambers said the organization's directors voted to shut down the ministry and start a new one devoted to working with other churches to create "safe, welcoming and mutually transforming communities."
