June 7, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Evangelicals Concerned Prepares for 25th Year of Conferences

July 29, 2004 - August 1, 2004 will mark the 25th consecutive year that Evangelicals Concerned (EC) will host a conference which clearly communicates the message that faith and homosexuality can be integrated.

The 25th anniversary celebration will take place at Chapman University in Orange, California. Chapman University has supported and hosted many Connection conferences over the lifespan of the organization and EC is grateful for its ongoing support of our mission. A women's conference will precede the event beginning on July 28 th , 2004. For more information, go to www.ecwr.org.

Evangelicals Concerned (EC) is a non-denominational evangelical resource providing a community of fellowship that is a safe place for gay and lesbian Christians to reconcile and integrate their faith and sexuality, and to grow toward Christian maturity.

For over 25 years, EC has been a nationwide ministry which encourages and affirms lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Christians in their faith. EC organizes small groups, bible studies, social activities and other events in many North American cities as well as organizing national and regional conferences each year.

Featured speakers have included Lewis B. Smedes (a leading theological voice on forgiveness), Peggy Campolo, Ralph Blair (founder of EC), Jeremy Marks (British former ex-gay leader), Roy Clements (British evangelical theologian), Mel White (founder of Soulforce) and many others.

Organizations or churches with Evangelical roots have traditionally been the most condemning, exclusionary and antagonistic to Christians who identify as GLBT. This bias has produced untold levels of damage to many children of God and has caused many to abandon their faith traditions or commit suicide. Evangelical organizations are responsible for virtually every attempt to convert gay people. EC has challenged the conversion therapy notion for 25 years, standing in the gap and providing healing and safety to thousands of Christians.

This is precisely why conservative leaders such as James Dobson, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell would like to pretend that EC and gay Christians do not exist.

EC stands firm in the knowledge that Christians can be other than straight and also drink from the cup of God's enduring grace.

EC exposes the routine misconceptions of scripture used to condemn and deny God's grace and love to those who seek a profession of faith. EC is committed to providing a place of ongoing reconciliation to those struggling to integrate their relationship to God with what is also their God-given sexual orientation.

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Evangelicals Concerned Western Region (ECWR) is a nationwide ministry, which encourages and affirms lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Christians in their faith.  We organize small groups, bible studies, social activities and other events in many North American cities, and we organize national and regional conferences every year.