CenterPeace

Tomorrow’s a special day! Sally Gary, CenterPeace’s founder and executive director, is celebrating a birthday. If you know Sally, you know she’d rather we talk about almost anything else.

Sally started CenterPeace with a simple conviction: there is a place for everyone to belong at Christ’s table. Next month at the conference, we’ll celebrate 20 years of that conviction and the LGBTQ Christians, families, and allies who have found a home because of it.

In honor of Sally’s birthday, would you consider a gift of at least $20? That’s one dollar for every year of her unwavering commitment to this work. And if you’re able to make it $20 a month (or any amount you’re called to), your recurring gift helps us keep making room at Christ’s table all year long.

Make your donation at centerpeace.net/donate

Happy Birthday, Sally. And thank you for your generosity!

Hear MORE of Matt’s story and stories of other LGBTQ Christians who are thriving, testifying to the truth that God can do “more than we can ask or imagine!” Thanks to Melissa Lancaster for creating all these documentaries sharing people’s stories that will debut at the conference. And the long versions will be shown in the virtual package!

Learn more and sign up for the CenterPeace Conference now at centerpeace.net/more

October 15-17
Downtown Dallas
First United Methodist Church

***rchristian

Nothing brings us greater joy than to see churches being a place of authentic belonging for LGBTQ folk and our parents.

This past week our executive director Sally Gary drove over to Keller United Methodist Church to meet with their Open Hearts group for LGBTQ Christians, parents, & allies. The group meets monthly bringing in guest speakers or reading books or watching films together to enrich their understanding of the LGBTQ community. The group consists mostly of parents and allies who are eager to learn and engage.

Sally shared her own story, which she’s been doing for over 20 years, helping people better understand what q***r kids growing up in church have experienced. She shared the work of CenterPeace and the resources that so many churches and families have taken advantage of over the years. And of course Sally invited them to the upcoming CenterPeace Conference in downtown Dallas, October 15-17, where they’ll find likeminded spiritual community from all over the country!

The hospitality from Open Hearts was genuine and heartfelt, surpassed only by how scrumptious Paula’s cookies were! (Of course the cookie baker would be named Paula! ❤️) Thank you Pastor Meredith for the invitation and for creating this amazing space.

Hear more of Katherine’s story at the CenterPeace Conference when we debut several documentaries we’ve been filming this year with Melissa Lancaster. Katherine’s is a powerful story of holding onto faith and finding the “more” that God has for each of us in this life. Plus Katherine will be a keynote speaker in one of our main sessions. Come join us and discover what more God has for you!

Sign up now at centerpeace.net/more

October 15-17
Downtown Dallas
First United Methodist Church

***rchristian

Thanks so much for sharing, Emily!

Wanting more from this life? More community? A place to belong? Somewhere you feel wanted and valued for who you are?

Then the 2026 CenterPeace Conference is for you. Join us in Dallas, October 15-17, at First United Methodist Church downtown for a three day celebration for LGBTQ Christians, our families and allies, and our pastors who are creating space for us in churches all over the globe. The conference is a place to connect, to build deep friendships and lifegiving spiritual community. And we’re elevating the voices of an up and coming generation of LGBTQ Christian leaders. It’s an event you don’t want to miss!

Learn more and sign up with the EARLY BIRD rate at https://www.centerpeace.net/more

“I wish my brother could see this,” she said, wiping tears away from her cheeks.

She and her husband were walking by our booth at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly last week when she did a double take and stopped dead in her tracks. I watched as she read the words on our banners about providing spiritual community for LGBTQ Christians. The tears began to flow.

I moved toward her and asked what those tears would tell me if they could talk. She began to tell me about her brother, now in his sixties, who had been kicked out of his church when he was younger and had never been able to find a faith community where he felt he belonged. And she and her husband had the same trouble, choosing to only be in spaces where her brother would be fully affirmed.

She was overjoyed to find us.

It’s easy to think that because there’s so much more awareness and open conversation nowadays that there’s no need to keep showing up in these spaces. Surely the money that it costs to travel and rent space at a Christian conference like this could be better spent elsewhere. But my conversation with this woman alone makes every penny we spent worthwhile.

Truth is, she wasn’t the only one. There’s a whole world out there who needs what we offer to LGBTQ folk, our families, and our churches - belonging.

Christopher and I didn’t see a Florida beach all week, and our best “getaway” was a scrumptious barbecue find at the Bearded Pig in Jacksonville with our dear friends from home. But every conversation, each interaction with dear ones of all ages made this a most meaningful trip!

We’re grateful for partners like Robyn Morton who make our work possible!

June is a great reminder that every person has a story worth understanding. Curiosity, compassion, and conversation go a long way. 💛

At Embark, we’re committed to equipping people to create meaningful impact in their communities—and we’re grateful for organizations like CenterPeace who do that every day!

Marcus Halley spends his days listening to & interacting with college students, serving as College Chaplain & Dean of Spiritual & Religious Life at Trinity College. Marcus is shaping the future, helping to mold the next generation more clearly into the likeness of Christ.

As an Episcopal priest who is part of the LGBTQ community, Marcus is passionate about reconciliation within the church. I first got to know Marcus as a fellow contributor to the anthology, “Christlike Acceptance across Deep Difference,” co-edited by Ron Pierce & Karen Keen. Marcus tells a story about an experience he had with a parishioner who wasn’t keen on having a gay priest at his church, sending Marcus messages that made those feelings of disgust very clear. Marcus’s response - which admittedly wasn’t at all what he wanted to do at the time - was perfect. He invited the parishioner to coffee and they began to get acquainted. You’ll have to read the book to find out how the story ends, but I promise, it will be worth it. And it told me everything I needed to know about Marcus’s heart.

He writes, “What a witness the church would make to a broken and atomizing world if we learned how to live together in love despite our vast differences in theology and ideology. We could teach the world how to speak the truth with humility, hold space for complexity and mystery, and love unconditionally. We haven’t yet arrived at the reign of God, but there are moments of reconciliation and healing where this reality becomes more apparent and where the body, broken by division, is healed.”

We have much to learn from Marcus as we welcome him for the first time to the 2026 CenterPeace Conference. In the meantime, you can get acquainted with more of Marcus’s heart by subscribing to his Substack newsletter & listening to his podcast “Everyday Liturgist.”

To register & learn more about the conference at First United Methodist Church in downtown Dallas, Oct 15-17, go to centerpeace.net/more.

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