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Church members ascend steeple for aanual food drive

Cleveland-A diverse group of members and friends of Archwood United Church of Christ will stand in for Rev. David Bahr in the annual steeple vigil for hunger.

Starting at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 4, the Cleveland Fire Department will put the first participant in the 85-foot open-air steeple. The vigil will continue for at least 24 house or until the public has covered the front steps of the church with 5,000 pounds of food to benefit the Brookside Hunger Center.

For the past five years Bahr has been

held "hostage" in the steeple. Even with the openly gay pastor now on sabbatical, Archwood Church is taking on the challenge of collecting 1,000 pounds more food than last year.

Last year all ten of the 36-foot long stone steps were covered with two tons of food contributed by the generous people in the Cleveland community who are aware of the ever growing need.

In the summer, the amount of giving to centers such as Brookside often decreases. Children are at home during summer va-

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cation, so the need for donations is even greater.

Brookside's director, Janet Thomas, reports that "with welfare reform, the amount of food needed has been increasing." Brookside Hunger Center, 3784 Pearl Road,

serves over 1,300 individuals every month and half of them are children.

Archwood United Church of Christ, an Open and Affirming congregation, is located at 2800 Archwood Avenue in Cleveland, off West 25th/Pearl Road, just south of 1-71.✔

Three-week program will examine 'ex-gay' groups

by Perry L. Slone

Columbus-The Beacon Fellowship is pleased to announce "One Nation Under God," a three week program about "exgay" groups and their impact on the GLBT community.

The study sessions will be held June 5, 12, and 19 at Broad Street United Methodist Church, 501 East Broad Street, across from the Columbus Museum of Art. Each session will begin at 7:30 pm. The sessions are hosted by Lamb of God Anglican Church.

The June 5 session will include a segment from 60 Minutes about "ex-gay" groups.

On June 12 and 19, we will be showing the documentary One Nation Under God in two parts. Our special guest for those sessions will be Donna Brooks, an activist and author who was active in an "ex-gay" ministry for several years. She will be sharing her experiences from beginning to end about these groups.

We hope you will join us and learn the truth about these "ex-gay" groups and what we can do to respond to them. For more information or questions, please call or e-mail us at the address below.

We are also pleased to announce that the Beacon Fellowship was incorporated in March. We are now a non-profit corporation that serves as an educational outreach to the community.

Beacon also serves as a clearinghouse of information and resources ranging from "ex-gay" to substance abuse and more.

We are also working to acheive our goal of establishing a chem-free spiritual space called "The Beacon Fellowship Center" which will offer services such as a spiritual resource library, quiet spaces for reading or studying, exercise facility, meeting space, computer lab, space for social and educational programs and activities and more. If you or your church, group would like to help us reach this vital and important goal, please call or e-mail us.

If a church, group or organization would like to schedule a presentation about the Beacon Fellowship, please call or email. Presentations will be available beginning in July.

The Beacon Fellowship, Inc. can be reached at P.O. Box 10814 Columbus, 43201; 614-265-1725; or e-mail Beaconflwshp(@juno.com.

Perry L. Slone is the executive director of Beacon Fellowship.

Conference to focus on

GLBT mental health issues

Columbus Relationships in lesbian, gay, and bisexual and transgender communities will be the focus of the "A Matter of Pride" conference on June 11 at the Parke University Hotel in Columbus. The theme, "Exploring Our Relationships," will cover a wide rage of topics for service providers and consumers, including relation-

nization, Southeast Inc., Stonewall Columbus and Women's Outreach for Women. Addition sponsors include the Franklin County Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board, Amethyst, Inc., the Flip Foundation, and Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays.

WOW

Women's Outreach for Women

ships with families and community, relationships with alcohol and other drugs, client-clinician relationships, intimate relationships and violence in relationships.

Nationally known therapist, author and researcher Marny Hall will present this year's keynote address, “Beyond Forever After: Alternative Intimacy Styles for Ourselves and Our Clients.'

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Hall is the author of The Lavender Couch, Sexualities, and The Lesbian Love Companion. In addition, the conference will offer morning workshops and an afternoon panel discussion.

"Training on these issues is crucial for all who strive to provide culturally sensitive and effective services," said Amy Crawford, conference coordinator and Women's Outreach for Women program director. "In addition, it's important for consumers to educate themselves on services available to them," she said.

"A Matter of Pride" is coordinated by the LGBT Service Providers Coalition, which was established to create and sustain an affirming environment in social service systems for LGBT people in central Ohio. Member organizations include the Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Orga-

The conference will be held from 8:30a.m.

to 4:30 p.m. at the hotel, located at 3125 Olentangy River Road. For registration information, contact Women's Outreach for Women at 614-291-3639.

Community Groups

editor, Doreen ci 631-8646, toll-free 800426-5947, or e-mail editor @chronohio.com.