The Youth and Young Adult Program will be offering a pre-event to the UCC Coalition's National Gathering. ASIST, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, will be offered June 23–25, 2008, at First Community UCC in Dallas, TX. The workshop fee is $85.00, covering the materials, Suicide Intervention Handbook, and continental breakfast and lunch for three days. ASIST is open to those 16 and over; those 18 and under require parental permission. Questions? Call 720-941-1062 or email yya@uccCoalition.org. To register, go to http://www.signmeup.com/site/reg/register.aspx?fid=N22VBK7.

ASIST, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training will also be offered as a pre-event to the UCC National Youth Event. Please refer to UCC events below.

On the Road with Tim

University Congregational UCC in Missoula, MT, recently celebrated its 15th anniversary of becoming Open and Affirming! Youth and Young Adult Coordinator Timothy Brown brought greetings from the Coalition to the congregation and held an informal workshop with the youth group.

Many Stories, One Voice

Don't miss this great ecumenical leadership-development opportunity! Many Stories, One Voice has as its goal transformation—of individual lives, of our pro-LGBT movement, and of our culture. Come join us as we joyfully equip the saints for the Ministry of God’s Extravagant Welcome.

Who: This ecumenical gathering is convened by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Institute for Welcoming Resources in partnership with The Coalition and numerous other ecumenical partners.
What: Bible study, worship and praise, relationship-building, skills-building, theological reflection, and strategic action.
Where: New Orleans, LA
When: September 4–7, 2008
How: Registration is $250 per person and rooms have been reserved at the New Orleans Marriott for $99 per night.

Tell me more! Please refer to www.ManyStoriesOneVoice.org.

ASIST, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, will be offered July 21–23, 2008, at Church of the Savior UCC in Knoxville, TN, before the UCC National Youth Event. The workshop fee is $85.00, covering the materials, Suicide Intervention Handbook, and continental breakfast and lunch for three days. ASIST is open to those 16 and over; those 18 and under require parental permission. Questions? Call 720-941-1062 or email yya@uccCoalition.org.  To register, go to: http://www.signmeup.com/site/reg/register.aspx?fid=MZ2VBK7.

OutFront - The Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies' OutFront Workshops are designed to help progressive people of faith and their allies throughout the country become voices of authority and agents of societal change in the current heated debates surrounding homosexuality and religion by developing and/or increasing their expertise in matters of sexuality and religion.

Be sure to save these dates for an OutFront weekend near you:

• OutFront Walla Walla, WA, May 9–10, 2008
• OutFront with API Communities, San Francisco Bay Area, May 30–June 1, 2008

The Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies' Racial/Ethnic Roundtable Project, together with the PANA Institute's Civil Liberty and Faith Project, will coordinate a training retreat for LGBT Asian/Pacific Islanders (API) and supporters from Friday, May 30, 2008, through Sunday, June 1, 2008, at the Mercy Center in Burlingame, CA (near the San Francisco airport). This retreat grew out of the felt need to deepen community and strengthen regional connections among those doing LGBT-related work in API faith communities and to strategize and offer training on issues ranging from the Bible to cultural differences.  For more information, contact the Rev. Elizabeth Leung (eleung@clgs.org)or refer to http://nrjretreat.eventbrite.com/.

The International AIDS Conference, which provides extensive opportunities for sharing and networking across all levels of care and response to the epidemic, will be held August 3-8, 2008, in Mexico City, Mexico. Held every two years, the conference typically draws more than 20,000 health workers, scientists, government representatives, journalists, activists, corporate leaders, people living with HIV and AIDS, and religious leaders and representatives. Increased faith-based participation was evident at the XVI International AIDS Conference in 2006 in Toronto, where an Ecumenical Media Team provided stories, photos, video and audio clips, as well as a daily bulletin on faith-based issues and events. The international event will be preceded by an Ecumenical PreConference, which is being coordinated by the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (a global network of churches and church-related organizations campaigning on HIV and AIDS. The Rev. Michael Schuenemeyer, Executive for Health and Wholeness Advocacy for the United Church of Christ, will participate in both the PreConference and the IAC.  

More on EAA: http://www.e-alliance.ch/
More on EAA PreConference: www.e-alliance.ch/iac_2008.jsp
More on IAC 2008: www.aids2008.org

Mark your calendars for the 2009 Creating Change Conference, which will be held January 28–February 1, 2009, in Denver, CO.  The National Lesbian and Gay Task Force sponsors this annual event, which is always a really amazing opportunity for training and networking.  Watch www.creatingchange.org for details.