Open Door Community Church Fall Conference 2020 – CANCELLED, TO BE RESCHEDULED IN 2021
Further information will be upcoming soon
Speakers announced so far: Sara Cunningham and Liz Dyer
Our Special Guests
Peggy Campolo, who we lovingly refer to as our Patron Saint, was the inspiring force behind the creation of Open Door Community Church. As a friend of Pastor Randy, she counseled him when he was fired from his job as an associate pastor at a local church because he chose to be honest about his long time loving relationship with his spouse, Gary. At the time, Pastor Randy felt he had nowhere to go where he would be welcomed in to worship. Peggy told him that if he felt that way, there must be many more people who felt that way as well. She suggested the idea of founding a church where everyone would be welcome, and the seed for Open Door Community Church was planted.
Peggy has long preached her ministry of inclusiveness, and she has worked hard to bridge the gap between the misunderstood and the misinformed.
As Open Door Community Church approached its 2007 Annual Fall Conference, we decided to honor Peggy’s work with an award that would not only honor her, but would, in her name, honor the work of someone every year who exemplifies her ideals of inclusiveness and equality.
You can read more about Peggy and the Award by clicking here.
Sara Cunningham
Sara Cunningham will receive the Carrier Pigeon Award for 2020
Sara Cunningham has become famous world-wide as that woman who volunteered to act as a stand in mom for any LGBTQ couple who’s “real” mom had refused to participate in their wedding. Her story goes much deeper than that.
Sara’s journey from religious Midwest mom to queer ally began with her son, Parker, who told her he was gay in 2011 when he was 21. She made a journey from conservative religion to acceptance to ally to fierce warrior for the LGBTQ community. She says “I didn’t take the news very well. I was really wrestling with my faith, I couldn’t understand how to love my son, but not accept every part of him.” After a lot of soul-searching, Sara parted ways with the church. She found solace in a private Facebook group for moms of gay children, all of whom felt alienated from their religious communities. The women shared advice for building new relationships with their children and supported each other during difficult times. More than one mother came to the group after her child died by suicide.
By 2015, Sara was ready to embrace the queer community — literally. She pinned a homemade button that read “Free Mom Hugs” onto her sundress and went with Parker to the Oklahoma City Gay Pride parade. “Anyone who made eye contact with me, I would say, ‘Can I offer you a free mom hug or high five?’” Sara says. The first woman who accepted a hug told her she hadn’t been hugged by her mom for four years. The next year Sara founded the nonprofit organization Free Mom Hugs, and extended her outreach even more. She began to officiate gay weddings.
“In talking with the couples before the ceremony, many told me that their parents wouldn’t acknowledge their relationships and refused to come to the wedding,” she says. “It broke my heart.” Frustrated, Sara took to Facebook in July 2018 with a post that quickly went viral. It said, “If you need a mom to attend your same sex wedding because your biological mom won’t. Call me. I’m there. I’ll be your biggest fan. I’ll even bring the bubbles.”The response was overwhelming — dozens of couples reached out to ask Sara to attend their weddings as a stand-in. Even more people responded with their own offer to act as a proxy. “If you need a Mom, an Aunt, a Granny, or just a friend in Florida, I’ll be there,” one woman posted. “Love is love. Period.”
Her advocacy and reach has continued to grow as the stand in mom post on Facebook went viral and caught the attention of people world wide. www.freemomhugs.org
Liz Dyer will also receive the Carrier Pigeon Award for 2020
Liz Dyer, founder of the Mama Bears, is married, has two sons and lives in Fort Worth,Texas. In 2014 Liz had a dream that she could create a private Facebook group to support, educate and empower moms of LGBTQ kids, and that the moms who joined would help make the world a kinder, safer, more loving place for all LGBTQ people to live. Today that dream is coming true. Over the years more than 8,000 moms have joined the group and it has grown into a whole network of groups, projects, resources and websites that support, educate and empower moms of LGBTQ kids and the LGBTQ community. For more info about the Mama Bears visit the website:
https://www.realmamabears.org/
