In this first episode of the relaunch of Midrash NYC, George Mekhail and Jonathan Williams discuss their respective paths to arriving at the divisive decision to make their churches open and affirming of LGBTQIA members and about the consequences of a church's ambiguity around the topic of affirmation.

Interview: Jim Rohner

George Mekhail has been involved in church his entire life, from growing up in the Coptic Orthodox tradition to serving in pastor roles within Evangelical and Mainline churches. He is currently the Executive Director of Church Clarity, a crowdsourced organization that seeks to verify if a church's stated policy is open and clear on a number of issues from affirmation of LGBTQIA members to women in leadership positions.