Subject: Press Release: African American Gay Spirituality Conference Announced
From: UfmccHq <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 14:09:15 EST

News Release
The Universal Fellowship of
Metropolitan Community Churches
Serving 225,000 G/L/B/T Friends and Members Through 300 Congregations In 15
Countries

Release Date: Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, Jan. 19, 1998

UFMCC To Sponsor 
Historic National African American Conference

Los Angeles -- "In Our Own Language: A Conference for African Americans in
UFMCC" will be held in suburban Washington, DC April 16-18, 1998.  This
historic national conference is the first organized entirely by and for
African American friends and members of the Universal Fellowship of
Metropolitan Community Churches, the world's largest predominantly gay
spirituality organization.

	According to the Rev. Elder Darlene Garner, conference organizer, "This
conference will provide an opportunity for African Americans in UFMCC to
affirm who we are in UFMCC and to celebrate the diversity of gifts and
experiences we bring to the growing gay spirituality movement, and to the
greater g/l/b/t communities."

	Conference participants will include Dr. Kelly Brown-Douglas, professor of
theology at Howard University School of Divinity; the Rev. Dellyne Russell-
Hinton, associate pastor of Belair United Methodist Church in Belair, MD; the
Rev. Sandra Robinson, president of Samaritan Institute for Religious Studies;
and the Rev. Darlene Garner, a member of the International Board of Elders of
UFMCC and senior pastor of Metropolitan Community Church of Northern Virginia.

	According to Garner, "The three-day conference will provide exercises to
create awareness of ourselves and our community. Through leadership training,
African American lay and clergy persons will be equipped with spiritual and
practical tools for reclaiming, maintaining and sharing our unique gifts with
the g/l/b/t communities."

	Conference brochures and registration information are available from UFMCC
Headquarters by phone at (310) 360-8640 or by e-mail at [email-masked]. 

	UFMCC was founded in 1968 to provide positive Christian spirituality for the
gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered communities. UFMCC provides more than
300 congregations in 15 countries. With an annual combined budget of $15
million, the churches of UFMCC comprise the largest predominantly gay
organization in the world.

(END)

_________________________________
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, CONTACT:
The Rev. Elder Darlene Garner, Conference Organizer
Office Phone: (703) 691-0930
E-Mail: [email-masked]

James N. Birkitt, Jr.
UFMCC Communications Department
8704 Santa Monica Blvd.,  2nd Floor
West Hollywood, CA  90069

Tel. (310) 360-8640
Fax: (310) 360-8680

E-mail: [email-masked]

website: http://www.ufmcc.com