EQUAL PARTNERS in FAITH People of Faith Promoting Equality and Diversity JOIN US AND OUR PARTNERS IN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST RACISM, SEXISM, HOMOPHOBIA AND RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE. NATIONAL RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP ROUNDTABLE Co-founded by Equal Partners in Faith and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), the National Religious Leadership Roundtable (NRLR) is an interfaith network of leaders from pro-LGBT religious, spiritual and faith-based organizations. The Roundtable brings together people of faith who support equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. EPF founders Meg Riley, Laura Montgomery Rutt, and Ken Brooker Langston were also three of the four founders of NRLR, and along with former EPF Directors Stephen Baines and Sylvia Rhue, Laura and Ken continue to participate in NRLR meetings and events. SOULFORCE The purpose of Soulforce is freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance. Soulforce is a prophetic witness against spiritual violence--the misuse of religion to sanction the condemnation and rejection of any of God’s children. Misusing religion and/or God to support society’s bias against sexual and gender minorities also--directly or indirectly--justifies psychological, legal and physical violence against them. The Rev. Mel White, co-founder of Soulforce, is a member of the EPF Advisory Board. UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST ASSOCIATION The Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA) was formed in 1961 through the consolidation of the Universalist Church of America and the American Unitarian Association. Today the UUA is a faith community of more than 1000 congregations that support each other and bring to the world a vision of religious freedom, tolerance and social justice. With its historical roots in the Jewish and Christian traditions, Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion -- that is, a religion that keeps an open mind to the religious questions people have struggled with in all times and places. We believe that personal experience, conscience and reason should be the final authorities in religion, and that in the end religious authority lies not in a book or person or institution, but in ourselves. We are a "non-creedal" religion: we do not ask anyone to subscribe to a creed. The Rev. Meg Riley, director of UUA Advocacy and Witness, is a founding member of Equal Partners in Faith and a former co-chair of the EPF Board of Directors. Rob Keithan, Director of the UUA Washington Office for Advocacy, is a former EPF volunteer. Dr. John Buehrens, former President of the UUA, and the Rev. Mel Hoover, co-pastor of the UU Congregation in Charleston, WV, have both served on the EPF Advisory Board. METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCHES Metropolitan Community Churches are on a bold mission to transform hearts, lives, and history. We are a movement that faithfully proclaims God’s inclusive love for all people and proudly bears witness to the holy integration of spirituality and sexuality. As one of the world’s emerging churches, we are proclaiming a spirituality that is liberating and sufficiently profound to address the issues of our chaotic and complicated world. We live out our belief that in the margins we are blessed and we are offering multiple ways for people to access our message of liberation and inclusion. Through church planting, church revitalization, alliances, the internet, and our work in acts of compassion and justice, MCC is fast becoming a name known to an increasing number of people as a place where all are welcomed and where service to those who are excluded is a primary focus of our ministry. The Rev. Troy Perry, founder of the MCC, and Regional Elder Darlene Garner, are members of the EPF Advisory Board. ORDER of ST. JOHN THE BELOVED - OLD CATHOLIC CHURCH The Old Catholic Church traces its historical roots back to biblical times as part of the "Universal Catholic Church". While the seeds for separation from Rome were sown in the 15th and 16th centuries, the actual break from Rome occurred in 1889 after the Vatican enacted the doctrine of "papal infallibility." Although our doctrine and history dates back to the earliest times, our Pastoral Ministries are not out of touch with 21st century realities. In the Order of st. John the Beloved, there are no barriers from the sacramental life for all who seek Christ with a true heart. Whether you have been divorced or remarried, practice birth control, or are gay or lesbian you are welcomed here. Likewise, our clergy can be male or female, gay or straight, celibate or coupled. All baptized Christians are welcome at communion. Our parishes have a special welcome for those who have been made to feel unwelcome or rejected by other churches. Archbishop Bruce J. Simpson is a member of the EPF Advisory Board. THE CENTER for PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY The mission of The Center for Progressive Christianity is to reach out to those for whom organized religion has proved ineffectual, irrelevant, or repressive, as well as to those who have given up on or are unacquainted with it; to uphold evangelism as an agent of justice and peace; to give a strong voice both in the churches and the public arena to the advocates of progressive Christianity; to support those who embrace the search, not certainty. We are working to fulfill our mission by creating open and welcoming communities of faith, reclaiming the symbols of our faith from those who manipulate them for purposes of hatred and division, building an international network of progressive Christians, and being a constructive force for social and environmental justice and peace in the world. The Rev. James Adams, founder of TCPC, is a member of the EPF Advisory Board. RELIGIOUS COALITION for REPRODUCTIVE CHOICE The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) is an alliance of national organizations from major faiths, affiliates throughout the country, and the national Clergy for Choice Network, Spiritual Youth for Reproductive Freedom, and The Black Church Initiative. While our members are religiously and theologically diverse, they are unified in the commitment to preserve reproductive choice as a basic part of religious liberty. Our rational, healing perspective looks beyond the bitter abortion debate to seek solutions to pressing problems such as unintended pregnancy, the spread of HIV/AIDS, inadequate health care and health insurance, and the severe reduction in reproductive health care services. We support access to sex education, family planning and contraception, affordable child care and health care, and adoption services as well as safe, legal, abortion services, regardless of income. We work for public policies that ensure the medical, economic, and educational resources necessary for healthy families and communities that are equipped to nurture children in peace and love. The Rev. Carlton Veazey, President and CEO of RCRC, is a member of the EPF Advisory Board, and Leslie Watson, former Director of the Multicultural Programs Department, is a former EPF Board member who served as the Managing Director of EPF. INTERFAITH ALLIANCE Founded in 1994 by an interfaith group of religious leaders, The Interfaith Alliance works to promote interfaith cooperation around shared religious values to strengthen the public's commitment to the American values of civic participation, freedom of religion, diversity, and civility in public discourse and to encourage the active involvement of people of faith in the nation's political life. We are local religious leaders and activists, some with years of political experience, some just starting out. We work in our communities, in state capitals, in Washington, DC and wherever else our voice is needed. Our 150,000 members across the nation represent diverse religious and spiritual traditions--Jews, Christians,Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs--70 faith traditions in all, as well as many humanists, agnostics and atheists. In Washington, DC, our national office works on Capitol Hill and with the White House, in coalition with denominational bodies and other activist organizations to make sure our unique message is communicated when and where it matters most. Our 47 local Alliances are active in their communities on local issues, carrying The Interfaith Alliance message to decision-makers, the media, and the public at large. Equal Partners in Faith began as a project of The Interfaith Alliance in partnership with the Unitarian Universalist Association, the People of Faith Network, the Center for New Community, Political Research Associates, the Institute for Democracy Studies and other organizations. AMERICANS UNITED for SEPARATION of CHURCH and STATE Since 1947, Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) has led the way in defending the separation of church and state, the cornerstone of religious liberty in America. As a non-sectarian, non-partisan organization, AU's membership includes Christians, Jews, Buddhists, people with no religious affiliation and others. Democrats, Republicans and independents have joined our ranks. Americans United is an independent organization with no ties to any larger group or political movement. We are a true grassroots organization. Thanks to your support, Americans United is able to defend separation of church and state in the courts, educate legislators, work with the media to inform Americans about religious freedom issues and organize local chapters all over the country. The Rev. Barry Lynn, Executive Director of Americans United, is a member of the EPF Advisory Board. The Rev. Cedric Harmon, AU Director of Religious Outreach, is a former member of the EPF Board of Directors and served as the chair of the EPF People of Color of Faith Initiative. AU Field Director Beth Corbin is a former member of the EPF staff, where she served as communications coordinator and as a liaison to LGBT and feminist organizations, especially the National Organization for Women (NOW). PEOPLE for the AMERICAN WAY People for the American Way (PFAW) is an energetic advocate for the values and institutions that sustain a diverse democratic society. Many of these are now threatened by the influence of the radical right and its allies who have risen to positions of political power. Our most fundamental rights and freedoms--and even our basic constitutional framework--are at risk. PFAW works in close collaboration with other leading state progressive organizations to mobilize Americans at this defining moment in our history. PFAW has been a close ally and strong supporter of EPF on issues of religious freedom, civil rights and civil liberties. The Rev. Steven Baines, PFAW Director of Religious Outreach, is a former Executive Director of Equal Partners in Faith. ALLIANCE for TOLERANCE and FREEDOM Founded in 1996, the Alliance for Tolerance & Freedom is a grass roots organization in South Central Pennsylvania created to promote tolerance, diversity, and social justice through awareness, education and involvement in our community. Laura Montgomery Rutt, Founder and Director of the Alliance, is a former member of the EPF Board of Directors, and has served as both the Communications Director and the Executive Director of Equal Partners in Faith. CENTER for NEW COMMUNITY The Center for New Community is a national, faith-based organization founded in 1995, and has as its mission to build community, justice, and equality. The Center is grounded in many faith traditions, and builds community where the dignity and value of all humanity is manifest. The Rev. David Ostendorf, founder and director of CNC, is a founding member of Equal Partners in Faith and a former co-chair of the EPF Board of Directors. POLITICAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATES Founded in 1981, Political Research Associates works to facilitate public understanding of the threat posed to human rights by oppressive and authoritarian movements and trends in the United States. Through our research and publications, and as a national resource and support center for activists, journalists and others, PRA helps to build the movement for progressive social change and promotes democratic values and principles. In addition, PRA is the premier national organization studying the full spectrum of the US Political Right - from ultraconservatives in the electoral arena to paramilitary organizations to supremacist groups. PRA has worked with EPF to produce materials exposing the right-wing political connections and theocratic agendas of the main leaders of both the Promise Keepers organization and the 'Ex-Gay' movement. Chip Berlet, Senior Analyst at PRA, serves as an advisor to EPF. INSTITUTE for DEMOCRACY STUDIES The Institute for Democracy Studies is a nonprofit research and educational center devoted to defending mainstream democratic values such as an independent judiciary, the separation of church and state, and reproductive freedom. Alfred Ross, founder and director of IDS, was instrumental in the founding of EPF and worked with EPF and Political Research Associates to produce materials on the right-wing connections and theocratic agenda of the leaders of the Promise Keepers organization. EQUAL PARTNERS in FAITH web: www.equalpartnersinfaith.net email: epfinfo@comcast.net CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO OUR HOME PAGE