On October 22-24, 1999, Rev. Mel White and 200 Soulforce delegates took a Journey to Lynchburg to meet with Rev. Jerry Falwell and his representatives. The main purpose of the meeting was to help end violence, including hate speech, against sexual minorities.
Delegate Stories
Soulforce delegates going to Lynchburg wrote about themselves and their reasons for participating. Read from 30 selected stories.
17-Step Journey into Soulforce
After taking the four Soulforce steps, more than 5,000 people followed this eight-week Journey to Lynchburg to prepare, as Gandhi and King taught for the meeting with Jerry Falwell.
Soulforce Alert 10/14/99:
In spite of opposition from both sides, Falwell & 200 Baptist leaders will meet White…
New York Times 9/5/99:
Falwell and Allies to Meet Gay-Rights Supporters
Selected Articles during and after the event
- 11/01/1999
Time Magazine - 11/01/1999
US News & World Report - 10/25/1999
Associated Press - 10/25/1999
Monday article, The News & Advance, Lynchburg, Virginia - 10/23/1999
New York Times - 10/23/1999
Saturday article, The News & Advance, Lynchburg, Virginia
Pre-Event Articles on Soulforce and the Journey to Lynchburg
- 09/27/1999
San Jose Mercury News, San Jose, California - 08/18/1999
The News & Advance, Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg Media Kit
- Media Release 10/22/99
SOULFORCE DELEGATES MEET WITH FALWELL TO CONDEMN VIOLENCE AND BEGIN DIALOGUE - Media Release 10/14/99
JERRY FALWELL TO MEET WITH 200 GAY PEOPLE OF FAITH & THEIR ALLIES - Weekend Activities Schedule
- Soulforce Organization Backgrounder
- Journey to Lynchburg Event Backgrounder
- Mel White Bio
Black & White pic of Gary Nixon (left) and Mel White,
life partners and co-founders of Soulforce, Inc.
Color pic of the Rev. Dr. Mel White
Black & White pic of the Rev. Dr. Mel White
Selected delegate stories and pictures
The Soulforce delegates were requested to provide a brief answer to two questions: "Who am I?" and "Why am I coming to Lynchburg?" About 30 of these delegate stories are provided on-line. Each media organization may receive, upon request (via official email address or via email on official letterhead), a printed booklet of more than 100 delegate letters and pictures, called "Our Faces, Our Stories."
Follow Mel’s open letters to Jerry Falwell and Falwell’s responses…
Thank you for your interest in Soulforce!