Soulforce Announces Free Outdoor Screening of For The Bible Tells Me So During the United Methodist General Conference
Soulforce invites you and your friends to join us at 8:00pm on April 26th for free dessert and a special outdoor screening of this prize-winning film in General Worth Square, Fort Worth, Texas (corner of Main and 9th Street - adjacent to the entrance of the Fort Worth Convention Center where the United Methodist delegates are meeting). For The Bible Tells Me So producer, Daniel Karslake, as well as the Rev. Dr. Mel White, Rev. Jimmy Creech, and The Wallner Family (all featured in the film) will be in attendance. Come enjoy this important film and help us educate the Methodist delegates about religion-based discrimination at the same time!
Schedule for Soulforce 10th Anniversary Reunion & Direct Action*
Working closely with our friends at Affirmation and the Reconciling Ministries Network, Soulforce is also pleased to announce the following plans at the United Methodist General Conference:
- The Soulforce 10th Anniversary Reunion Celebration, Friday, April 25 at 7:30pm (Marriott Dallas/Fort Worth Airport South - 4151 Centreport Boulevard, Fort Worth, Texas) -- featuring food, drink, special guests, music, and a powerful video highlighting our first decade of relentless nonviolent resistance!
- Training in Nonviolence featuring Rev. Jimmy Creech and Rev. Dr. Mel White, Saturday, April 26, at 7am in General Worth Square (corner of Main & 9th Street - near the entrance to the Fort Worth Convention Center where Methodist delegates are meeting) followed by a vigil outside the conference center with powerful visual messages. Come stand with Soulforce to educate the delegates and the community about the injustice within the United Methodist Church!
- Join Haven Herrin and her team from Soulforce Q for the Youth and Young Adult Rally and March of the Reconciling Ministries Network - midday on Saturday, April 26 (time and place TBA).
- Soulforce Volunteer Forum: Envisioning the Second Decade Together - led by Marsha McDonough, Ph.D. (Be part of the planning process as we discuss our goals for the future)
- Soulforce to join the Affirmation OUT Awards Dinner (optional), Saturday, April 26 at 6pm - Intermodal Transportation Center (ITC), 1001 Jones St. The dinner is $20.00, payable at the door, and is available to the first 75 Soulforce volunteers that make a reservation (due to space constraints at the dinner). To reserve a space at the Affirmation dinner, please register for this Soulforce action and type "Affirmation Dinner" in the comments box by no later than April 18. If you have already registered for this Soulforce action and would like to attend the Affirmation OUT Awards Dinner, please send an email to kara@soulforce.org. Come help Soulforce support the great work of Affirmation!
- Learn from History: Reflections on the End of Central Jurisdiction and Its Implications for LGBT Justice, Sunday, April 27 from 12:30-1:30pm in General Worth Square (corner of Main & 9th Street) - a dynamic panel discussion by civil rights leaders Rev. Jim Lawson, Rev. Phil Lawson, and Rev. Gil Caldwell. Afterwards, you are invited to attend the Reconciling Worship Service with the Reconciling Ministries Network, 2pm at First UMC. Come show your support for the dedication of our friends in the Reconciling Ministries Network!
- You can now sign-up online for the vigil shift of your choice, Saturday, April 26 - Friday, May 2, 2008. Go to www.mysignup.com/vigil and sign you and your friends up for a shift - or organize your Sunday school class to sponsor a shift!
*Scheduled activities are subject to change so please check the schedule on our website regularly for the most current information.
Information on Housing, Hospitality, and Roommates in Fort Worth
In order to assure that everyone can afford to attend our 10th Anniversary/UMC Action, Soulforce will again provide hospitality with local Ft. Worth residents, as well as assisting in finding roommates for people at the hotels. To arrange for either, contact kara@soulforce.org. In the subject line put either "roommates" or "hospitality."
For those looking for hospitality, Kara Speltz will send you a "Housing Request Form." You will need to fill it out and return it to her to ensure getting free housing. In the past, we've had excellent luck in helping people find roommates, as well as free housing, but please assist us by get your requests in as soon as possible.
Stop Spiritual Violence:
Stand with Soulforce at the United Methodist General Conference
The United Methodist (UM) General Conference will convene in Fort Worth on April 23 - May 2. At stake are bedrock issues of justice for LGBT people. Currently:
- Local UM pastors have the power to deny membership to gay and lesbian Christians.
- UM pastors are barred from performing marriage or commitment ceremonies for same-gender couples.
- Openly gay and lesbian people are banned from the ministry.
- Transgender people face potential exclusion from the ministry.
- Gay and lesbian youth are taught that being true to themselves is "incompatible with Christian teaching."
The United Methodist Church is the 2nd largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. The impact of these exclusionary policies resounds beyond the denomination and ultimately affects conversations about civil rights. With your help, delegates in Fort Worth will have the opportunity to revisit these policies and to become a more inclusive church.
The goal of Soulforce is freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance.
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