A nonviolence training will be held Saturday, May 29, at the New Spirit Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), 542 S. Scoville Ave., in Oak Park from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The training is free and open to all; however, registration is required.
The goals of this training are to:
— Educate people about the anti-gay religious policies which cause 'spiritual violence' and discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons;
— Teach Soulforce's method of nonviolence and provide reasons why this method changes hearts and minds and saves lives; and,
— Prepare people for the upcoming Direct Action at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Indianapolis, Ind., June 13-16.
Soulforce Chicago, Inc., a licensed local group affiliate of Soulforce, Inc., is sponsoring a training in nonviolence. It is being co-sponsored by the Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches, The Committee Council of the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Park Forest, IL, Grace Baptist Church (Chicago), MCC of the Fox Valley (Elgin), and New Spirit MCC (Oak Park).
This training is intended not only for members of religious groups and communities of faith concerned about the treatment of their GLBT loved ones, but anyone interested in learning the transformative principles of nonviolence embodied by Mohandas K. Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesus of Nazareth and the Jewish prophets, and many others throughout history.
Leading the training is Jean Holsten from the Bread of Life Center for Spiritual Formation in Davis, Calif.
See www.soulforcechicago.org or e-mail soulforcechicago@yahoo.com .