The Biola Queer Underground will join forces with Soulforce for their first event tonight, featuring a lecture on homosexuality and a panel of alumni.

One of the panel members, Ellie Ash-Balá serves as the Los Angeles area Soulforce delegate and has supported BQU via emails and social media.

Now, she’s going to speak on their behalf. Two full-time Soulforce employees will present the lecture, followed by a panel of gay alumni sharing about their experiences at Biola. Ash-Balá, 35, who attended and then worked at Azusa Pacific University, will join them to tell her story.

After leaving APU to work at the Claremont colleges as an on-call dean in Student Affairs, she came out.

Ash-Balá feels a strong sense of calling to the gay community.

“When I came out, I really felt like God was calling me to share his love with the gay community and to be a voice that says, ‘No, God loves you no matter what,’” she said.

She’s excited to meet Biola students, she said.

“When I was in college, I didn’t think it was OK to be gay. As I became more and more open to God and the vast diversity of God’s people … that really opened me up so much more to the love and grace of God. [He] would want other students to benefit from that,“ Ash-Balá said.

The Facebook event for the panel and lecture has already begun cultivating questions for the night, covering a wide range of topics — including distinctions about marriage, lust and biology. The event will be taking place at the La Mirada Civic Center tonight from 6:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. For more information, follow the Chimes live coverage of the event.