Church says it won't work with Evansville agency that fired employee for sexual orientation

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — An Evansville church says it pulled its partnership with a local nonprofit agency after a worker at that agency was fired because of sexual orientation.

First Presbyterian Church had an affiliation with The Potter's Wheel for at least 15 years. The nonprofit at 333 Jefferson Ave. has a meals program known as The Diner, and volunteers from First Presbyterian helped with cooking, serving and clean-up.

That partnership ended after another local church, Crossroads Christian Church, took on a greater management role at The Potter's Wheel.

More: Have you visited every church in the Evansville Diocese? This family has

More: DAVIS: Down the road to an answer

The Rev. Kevin Fleming of First Presbyterian Church wrote in a May 2 letter to his congregation that The Potter's Wheel's new leadership recently fired an employee "not for poor performance — but because of sexual orientation."

The employee had been with The Potter's Wheel several years and was given a day to vacate the building, Fleming said. Contents of the letter were first reported by WEHT-WTVW Eyewitness News.

Fleming said in light of the employee's treatment, First Presbyterian Church ended its involvement at The Potter's Wheel. The decision was reached by the church's governing board, with Fleming's support.

More: That one time my kid almost burned down the church

"It was not an easy decision to make," Fleming told the Courier & Press. "I think they saw something they could not ignore, so they began thinking, what do we do about this? I was impressed by their process and the intensity with which they approached the issue."

Staff of Crossroads Christian Church, which is based in Newburgh, could not be reached for comment.

An employee at The Potter's Wheel declined to comment.

Fleming said First Presbyterian Church will be involved in other ministries that serve the community.

"It’s sad to us," Fleming said of the concluded relationship with The Potter's Wheel. "But we have other relationship opportunities we are pursuing. Our work will go on."

More: UE: Indiana's first Changemaker campus launches Center for Innovation and Change

Fleming added: "Churches begin and end ministries all the time, and that’s what we’re doing here."

It is legal for a religious organization to fire someone based on his or her sexual orientation, said Wally Paynter, president of the Tri-State Alliance, a nonprofit group that advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.

"There is no law in Indiana that covers our community," Paynter said. "Evansville does have an ordinance, as does Vanderburgh County. However, any religious institution or affiliated group is exempt from civil rights law, even if Indiana had such a law.

"The TSA thinks people should be judged on their merits and abilities and not on any preconceived notion or bias," Paynter said.

Back to School Bash also withdrawn

First Presbyterian Church isn't the only local entity to withdraw from a ministry at The Potter's Wheel following the nonprofit's leadership change.

Evansville Outreach announced on Facebook that it will no longer host its annual Back to School Bash at the location.

The Facebook post said the decision was due to "recent staff changes" at The Potter's Wheel, but it did not elaborate. Evansville Outreach also declined to elaborate when contacted by the Courier & Press.

Evansville Outreach was created in 2010 and has conducted a school supplies drive every year since.

More: Aleah Beckerle trial: ‘I didn’t plan on killing her... she died on her own.’

More: Future of WUEV being considered by University of Evansville; sale possible