"Everyone Welcome" by Joel Brogon - The Stories Behind the Songs

 

"Everyone Welcome" by Joel Brogon

Released Palm Sunday Weekend 3/27/26

This collection of six songs explores the long journey of healing from religious trauma. Growing up gay in hardline evangelical churches meant learning early on that parts of who I was were unwelcome in the very spaces meant to offer nurture and support. Like many who grew up feeling “different” in faith communities with little room for difference, I carry those quiet spiritual wounds. These songs were born from years spent searching for spaces where faith and authenticity could coexist—wrestling with belief, naming harm done in the name of faith, and slowly - sometimes defiantly - reclaiming hope.

TRACKLIST:

1. Church Signs (Everyone Welcome)

2. The Shadow of the Cross

3. Closer

4. What They’ve Done (In Jesus Name)

5. Father

6. You Are Welcome (In God's Arms)

Church Signs (Everyone Welcome)

Listen to "Church Signs (Everyone Welcome)"

It seems like every small town you drive through - especially in Texas - has half a dozen signs from various churches proclaiming “Everyone Welcome.” But when you show up at the door or read their “What We Believe” section on their website, you may find that conditions apply.

This song was written in response to experiencing that kind of “welcome” at our neighborhood church. My husband and I realized that even though the national denomination was LGBTQ+ open and affirming, the local congregation still held us at arm’s length. (We also couldn’t quite tell whether they were more concerned that we were a same-sex couple or a biracial one.)

It left me wondering what they would do with Jesus if he happened to walk through the door on a Sunday morning.

The Shadow of the Cross

Listen to "The Shadow of the Cross"

Being raised in a strict fundamentalist church wasn’t easy - especially knowing from an early age that I was gay and that who I was would never be accepted there. “The Shadow of the Cross” gathers fragments of those experiences and reflects on the long journey that followed, as I slowly came to understand that no single religious institution holds a monopoly on truth, grace, or the love of God.

Closer

Listen to "Closer"

“Closer” was born out of my struggles with anxiety and depression. Even with a complicated relationship with God, I’ve come to sense a quiet presence moving through my life. In the midst of doubt and darkness, this song reflects that mysterious pull toward grace, drawing me back into the awareness that I am never truly alone.

What They’ve Done (In Jesus Name)

Listen to "What They've Done (In Jesus Name)"

“What They’ve Done (In Jesus’ Name)” is one of the most difficult songs I’ve ever written. In many ways, the song is a lament, but also a call: an appeal for the church to reckon honestly with the harm done in the name of faith on many levels, and to seek repentance from God and those they have hurt.

Father

Listen to "Father"

“Father” is one of the first songs I ever wrote, probably thirty-five years ago. It imagines a desperate, one-sided conversation between Jesus and his Father as he hangs on the cross. For years I wasn’t sure what to do with the song, or whether it belonged anywhere at all. But in the company of the other songs on this project, it somehow feels at home.

You Are Welcome (In God’s Arms)

Listen to "You Are Welcome (In God's Arms)"

Faith can be difficult for those of us who were raised in less-than-accepting religious backgrounds, and is even more difficult when culture, family, and national identity are intertwined within a particular church. It becomes harder still when authorities within those bodies continually deny us a place at the table because of who we are. This is especially true for those of us who identify as LGBTQ+.

For those of us who have found homes in more progressive churches, denominations, or faith traditions, it can be easy to invite those who are hurting into our places of worship, and there is nothing wrong with that. But we must also understand that for some, accepting such an invitation may mean walking away from family and identity in ways we might not fully fathom.

I wrote this song for those who are hurting, to remind them that they are deeply loved and that no matter what any person or religious authority may say, they are welcome in God’s arms.