CORNELIUS – The Inclusion Community, a non-traditional United Methodist congregation, will begin hosting PFLAG – or Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays – meetings in Cornelius next month.

Inclusion Community leader Rev. Susan Heafner-Heun said the Inclusion Community House, located at 21235 Catawba Ave, will be a safe, inviting space for the group to meet. The group’s first meeting is Sept. 20.

“I believe that the space can break down walls,” Heafner-Heun said.

The setting in a house for PFLAG will provide a different atmosphere than it would if it were hosted at a church, she said.

Heafner-Heun sought out help in opening a chapter in the Lake Norman area from the PFLAG Charlotte Chapter President Fred Thomas, knowing that there are residents of the area who drive to the Charlotte meetings. The Lake Norman PFLAG, however, will not be an official chapter until its members see how the first meeting operates.

“I want to get it ready to launch. For now I am just happy in giving the space,” Heafner-Heun said.