Event Description

Many African-American communities are deeply divided over same-sex relationships. Many families and congregations are unsure about supporting loved ones who come out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ), especially when it contradicts their understanding of the Bible, and too many are brokenhearted and confused in the midst of hurtful words and damaged relationships.

In response to this need, the Rev. Dr. Roland Stringfellow directed a national African-American faith community outreach program that worked with pastors and lay leaders in the Black church to provide pastoral care for LGBTQ members of their congregations. This program—called the Umoja Project, based on the Swahili word for “unity”—has been instrumental in facilitating safe, non-threatening dialogue about the diversity of human sexuality and the tension that sometimes exists within African-American churches in relation to LGBTQ people.

Join us on Saturday, October 10 to learn from Rev. Dr. Stringfellow’s expertise about advancing LGBTQ inclusion in African-American churches. He will share portions of The Umoja Project’s in-depth curriculum as he addresses theology and sexuality, church and family dynamics, and conversations about the relationship between the civil rights movement and the LGBTQ rights movement.