Son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker Will Preach at Local Church on February 24
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SOULFORCE PRESS RELEASE: February 15, 2008
For Immediate Release
Contact: Paige Schilt,
Media Director
Cell: 512-659-1771
paige@soulforce.org
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What: Jay Bakker, son of noted evangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, will join gay and transgender families from across the country in Austin on February 22-24. The families will be training for a nationwide project called The American Family Outing, which aims to engage families from six prominent mega-churches in dialogue about faith, family, and freedom.
As part of the weekend events, Bakker will preach at MCC Austin at Freedom Oaks.
When: Sunday, February 24 at 9am and 11am
Where: 8601 South First
Who: Bakker pastors Revolution NYC, an unorthodox storefront church that ministers to “people who have given up on church.” Bakker achieved national prominence when a Sundance Channel documentary crew chronicled his decision to speak out from the pulpit on behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities in the series One Punk Under God.
Bakker points to his own family’s rocky history in the evangelical community as the source of his inclusive ministry:
“As a child growing up, I saw a side of the church that to me did not always reflect God’s grace. This experience has lead me to be concerned for our brothers and sisters in Christ who sometimes may feel rejected and left out of the church.”
Why: Bakker will join LGBT families and their allies between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day 2008 as they travel to mega-churches to share the message that justice for LGBT people is compatible with Christian teaching. Pot lucks, picnics and soulful talk are the order of the day as Soulforce, the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, the National Black Justice Coalition, and COLAGE invite churches to talk-the-talk so everyone is free to walk-the-walk.
Bakker will serve alongside Rev. Troy Sanders of Atlanta, Rev. Kevin Taylor of New Brunswick, New Jersey, and Rev. William Knight of Los Angeles as clergy leaders on the American Family Outing.
Although these conversations will happen at churches across the country, the American Family Outing has deep Texas roots. The families will travel to two Texas churches—Rev. Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston and Bishop T.D. Jakes’ Potter’s House Church in Dallas. In addition, five of the families involved in the American Family Outing hail from the Austin area.
For interviews with the families or clergy leaders, contact paige@soulforce.org.
Soulforce is a national civil rights and social justice organization. Our vision is freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance. For more information go to www.soulforce.org.
The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC) is an international fellowship of Christian churches with a special ministry to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
The National Black Justice Coalition(NBJC) is a civil rights organization dedicated to empowering Black same-gender-loving, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people. The Coalition works with our communities and our allies for social justice, equality, and an end to racism and homophobia.
COLAGE engages, connects, and empowers people to make the world a better place for children of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender parents and families.