A one day seminar for Pastors, Counselors, and Laypersons to equip us in ministry in our radically changing culture regarding sexuality and gender.  We will learn about the impact of the transformational love of Jesus in these aspects of our lives.

 

March 25, 2023 from 9:30 am – 4:30 pm at Harmony Zelienople UMC

123 N Pittsburgh St., Zelienople, PA 16063

SPEAKERS

Mark Ongley

Mark Ongley has counseled hundreds of people with varying issues of sexual brokenness, and is author of Into the Light: Healing Sexuality in Today’s Church and Pure Hearted: Banding Together for Sexual Wholeness. While pastoring a United Methodist congregation in Beaver Falls, PA, he blogs at Tsunami Surfing (tsurfing.substack.com).

Debra Baty

A charter member of the WCA, Debra Baty has served as a member of the Accountable Discipleship Task Force, as the Chair of the Sexuality Task Force, and as a member of the Global Council.  Debra is dedicated to equipping the church regarding the stewardship of creation along with sexuality and gender. She is the author of the Resources4Redemption newsletter, is a fan of Lewis and Tolkien, and both she and her husband enjoy backpacking and other outdoor activities.

Garry Ingraham

Garry is the founder and executive director of Love & Truth Network, a ministry that equips pastors and Christian leaders to develop environments of both safety and transformation, restoring relational and sexual wholeness. Prior to launching Love & Truth Network in 2013, he served as the pastor of Soul-Care Ministries, working on a pastoral team of a large church in Upstate NY for twelve years.

Since 2016, Garry has also served as the director of Transforming Congregations, a renewal ministry formed in 1988 by a group of United Methodist pastors who were deeply concerned about the growing impact of sexual brokenness and identity confusion within their denomination.

When he was nineteen, Garry left Bible College and abandoned his faith altogether. Sick of the constant inner-struggle with no answers from the Church, he embraced a gay identity, became a bartender at a gay club and immersed himself within the LGBTQ community. Emotional dependency, pornography, and sexual addiction ruled his life for years... But God had other plans for Garry that he never dreamed possible.

He personally understands that God is still transforming lives and setting captives free – the Church is full of men, women, and youth who are wearing their familiar masks and living miserable, double-lives, even in leadership.

Garry and Melissa have been married since 2007. They are the parents of two boys (11 & 13). They are based in Phoenix, AZ where Melissa runs her Christian counseling practice and homeschools their children. Their ministry, Love & Truth Network, serves to promote relational & sexual wholeness within the Church through online and in-person leadership training, preaching and teaching, conferences and various ministry opportunities throughout the nation.

SCHEDULE

9:00      Registration

9:30      Welcome and Worship

9:45      "Sexual Holiness, Wholeness, and Brokenness" - Debra Baty 

10:45    Shift

11:00    Break-Outs  (Mark, Debra, Garry)

12:00    Lunch with Q & A Session 

1:00      Shift

1:15      Break-Outs  (Mark, Debra, Garry)

2:30      "Breaking the Power of Shame; Acknowledging Our Need" - Garry Ingrahm

3:30      Closing Worship and Healing Prayer 

Breakout Sessions:

Sexuality and Today's Youth (Mark Ongley)

Perhaps the greatest challenge before us is clearly communicating with teens who are inundated with misinformation from the internet and schools. Learn best practices on how to reach the kids within our care.

Ministry to the Abused (Mark Ongley)

Whether one's abuse was recent or long ago, churches can  move beyond being "safe sanctuaries" to actually becoming healing sanctuaries. Learn first steps toward offering the healing love of Jesus.

Transgenderism (Garry Ingraham)

​Transgenderism has morphed into a very broad, overarching title, encompassing far more than the very rare experience of a man who sees himself as a woman or a woman who sees herself as a man. It's important to understand and distinguish between the agenda of some who are promoting the "doctrine" of transgenderism as a public policy and indoctrination of children vs those who are actually experiencing the serious pain and confusion of gender dysphoria.

I believe a well equipped, humble, loving, and truth-based Church has a major role to play in caring for people God loves and Jesus died to rescue. A time for Q & A will be included.

Ministry with the Same-Sex Attracted (Garry Ingraham)

​Jesus loves all sexual sinner and identity confused men, women, and youth... and He loves us too much to leave us to the tyranny and emptiness of sin and addiction. Garry will share out of his own story of living as a self-identified gay man, and what some of the common themes are in the development of same-sex attraction, at least for many.

He will also share about how a number of churches and Christian leaders made a lot of mistakes, as well as how God used the Church to rescue his life, and help set him on a path toward wholeness. A time for Q & A will be included.

Apologetics: Sexual Orientation Ideology (Debra Baty)

What is sexual orientation, and how can we answer the many questions related to it from a Christian perspective?  We will learn about the theological, philosophical, and scientific aspects of sexual orientation ideology in this presentation.

Apologetics: Gender Ideology (Debra Baty)

What is gender ideology, and how is it related to the God-given gift of our biological sex?  We will learn about this and explore the parallels between gender ideology and sexual orientation ideology in this talk.

Seminar Cost

The cost for the seminar is $40/person and includes lunch

If you have any special dietary needs, please pass that information on to the registrar.

For questions on registration, contact Susan Thomas at (724) 518-1898 or email susie55Q@comcast.net

For questions on the conference, contact Rev. John Seth at (724) 822-4700 or email JSeth7g@gmail.com