December 30, 2020
A colorful spectrum of lights flashes across the screen as students emerge from the shadows with intimate defiance. This is their moment to share their truth.
“Part of the Kingdom,” a documentary directed by Makenna Cofer, a student at John Brown University, released on Dec. 17. The film takes a direct, yet personal, look at spiritual growth for college students in an environment that does not affirm LGBTQIA+ romantic relationships or marriages. Current and former JBU students and an alumna shared their struggles of seeking God, education and community during critical years of identity development.
“If I could talk to my younger self, I would want to tell her that I’m proud of her … You get a degree, you got to see the world, you got to travel, you get to live in a little house with a garden with some guy you love,” Jack Sloan, an alumna who graduated in 2019, says in the film. “You’re also going to tell your mom that you’re bi, and I know