2015 Gay Christian Network Conference – Introduction

Posted on January 2, 2015 (revised February 2) by Lē Isaac Weaver

Index of GCN 2015 Conference Content on Christian Feminism Today

Introduction to the #GCNConf Series
Introduction to weconnect Featured Speaker Wendy Gritter
Interview with weconnect Featured Speaker Wendy Gritter
The Wall of Love at the Gay Christian Network Conference (on the Patheos Emerging Voices blog)
An Opportunity to Practice Grace and Love (guest post by Criselda Marquez)
Trauma and the LGBTQ Christian
Our Job Starts and Stops with Loving Each Other
Together At the Table: Inclusive Communion and Intimate Conversations (guest post by Erica Lea)
The Words of the LGBTQ Christian Experience
Precious God, Forgive Them, Because They KNOW What They’re Doing
The Gay Christian Network Conference: The Kingdom of God Unfolding (guest post by Marcy Bain)

Christian Feminism Today attended the 2015 Gay Christian Network conference, “Together At the Table” in Portland, Oregon. I attended the 2014 conference (in Chicago) and found it to be a powerfully moving event. In Portland, hundreds of Christians who identify as either lesbian, gay, bi, trans*, intersex, queer, questioning, or supporting (allies) were in attendance.

Read my 2014 conference coverage and interviews here.

CFT again partnered with GCN to present the weconnect Women’s Retreat, on January 8 at 2:00 pm. The retreat happened immediately before the main conference events began. Several CFT members attended the conference with me this year, including: Melanie Springer Mock, EEWC-CFT Vice Coordinator; Jennifer Newman, the 2014 Nancy A. Hardesty Memorial Scholarship recipient; Susan Cottrell, FreedHearts Ministries; and members Criselda Marquez and Aaron Cooper Swor.

All events took place in the Portland convention center.

This year’s GCN speakers included: Vickie Beeching, British theologian, singer/songwriter, and media personality who recently came out as a lesbian (featured as one of our Link of the Day #FeminismIs profiles here); Jeff Chu, author of Does Jesus Really Love Me? A Gay Christian’s Pilgrimage in Search of God in America (I reviewed his book here); Danny Cortez, Southern Baptist pastor and father of a gay child; and Wendy Gritter, author of Generous Spaciousness: Responding to Gay Christians in the Church and Executive Director of New Direction Ministries of Canada. Justin Lee, the Gay Christian Network Executive Director spoke on Sunday.

It was exciting to reconnect with friends I met last year. We stayed in touch via Facebook, but there’s nothing like getting together in person.

I presented a workshop, “Watch your Language,” with my friend John Backman, author of Why Can’t We Talk? Christian Wisdom on Dialogue as a Habit of the Heart. In the workshop we explored the ever-changing landscape and meaning of the words that we and others use to differentiate and label LGBTQ people.

Here on Where She Is you’ll find several short pieces written by me and other conference attendees, and an interview with Wendy Gritter.