Bethel Church in Crown Point issued a statement over the weekend in response to media reports about the church administration’s actions after learning that Bryce Fech, 14, is gay.

After church administrators heard discussions that Bryce had a boyfriend, Bethel Church administrators removed him from a youth leadership role, said Nicole Fech, Bryce’s mom.

A year and a half later, when the family moved to a new parish, a church administrator called an unaffiliated Christian camp, Twin Lakes, to inform administrators there that Bryce is gay. Once Twin Lakes leaders knew Bryce was gay, he was told he couldn’t go to camp, Nicole Fech said.

In the statement, church administrators said recent news coverage, including a Post-Tribune article and podcast interviews of the Fech family, “presented a critical view” of the church and its “sincerely held religious beliefs on human sexuality.”

“At Bethel Church, we are committed to loving all people as God loves them, welcoming everyone seeking biblical truth to our church, regardless of background or life journey,” according to the statement.

The church will continue to follow the Bible’s teaching that marriage is “a sacred covenant between one man and one woman,” according to the statement.

“We believe this reflects God’s beautiful and purposeful plan for human relationships. While we hold to this biblical standard, we strive to embody Christ’s compassion, inviting all to experience His transformative love in our church community,” according to the statement.

The church acknowledged “the complexities of these conversations in today’s world,” according to the statement.

“We are committed to listening, loving and walking alongside everyone with humility and grace, yet all in submission to the authority of the Bible and Christianity’s prevailing historic teaching position on sexuality as God’s good purpose and will for humanity,” according to the statement.

The statement does not mention Bryce or his family. Church administrators did not return requests Monday for additional comment.

Nicole Fech said Monday that Bethel administrators “really missed the mark on their response.”

The church can have its own rules and regulations, Nicole Fech said, and she’s not demanding that they change centuries-old doctrine. But Nicole Fech said she does believe there have to be some changes.

“The deeper issue in regard to this particular situation is that a grown adult invaded the privacy of a minor child and revealed his private journey, identity and sexuality without anyone’s consent, under the guise of doctrine and Christianity,” Nicole Fech said. “That’s where they missed the mark.”

Matt Fech, Bryce’s father, said Bethel “is choosing to ignore the real issue here.” Church administrators shared Bryce’s sexuality with camp administrators “without our permission, knowing the likely impact for Bryce’s attendance at Twin Lakes.”

“They’ve failed to take responsibility for their actions and chose the cowardly way out,” Matt Fech said. “What’s more troubling is that Bethel intentionally made the decision to harm a 14-year-old boy. It’s a disgusting act and not very Christ-like if you ask me.”

On Feb. 14, 2024, Nicole Fech said she received text messages from Melissa Anderson, the director of kids’ ministry at Bethel Church, that they needed to talk. After confirming that Bryce is gay, Anderson told Nicole Fech that Bryce can’t serve anymore because it conflicts with the church’s doctrine, Nicole Fech said.

In June, about a year and a half after the Fech family stopped attending Bethel Church, Nicole Fech said that Anderson reached out to her because the church received a list of children registered in the church’s name attending Twin Lakes.

Bryce, who attended the camp in summer 2024 and registered as a Bethel Church parishioner, was on the list for this summer, Anderson said. Nicole Fech said that Anderson asked if the home church could be changed.

After Nicole Fech informed Anderson that she was able to change Bryce’s home church, Anderson told Nicole Fech that she should inform Twin Lakes that Bryce is gay, Nicole Fech said.

If Nicole Fech didn’t call, Anderson told her she would call, Nicole Fech said.

Anderson did not respond to requests for comment Monday.

On June 27, two days before Bryce was supposed to leave for camp, Nicole Fech said she got a phone call from Twin Lakes leaders informing her that Bryce couldn’t come to camp.

Bryce, who was interviewed July 4, the day he should have been returning from camp, said he wanted to share his story to remind those in similar situations that they are not alone and they are loved.

“I don’t need a pity party for this. I want people to just know what happened and know if this has happened to them, they are not alone, and this happens a lot, which is very unfortunate,” Bryce previously said. “Gay people are nothing more than a beacon of light and love.”

akukulka@post-trib.com