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"Your Life, Your Way - Making Your Life Extraordinary" - A Common Bond Mini-Conference

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You are cordially invited to the

“Your Life, Your Way - Making Your Life Extraordinary”

A Common Bond Mini-Conference

Hosted by ACBnyc

www.acbnyc.com

When: Sunday, September 21, 2008, 12- 5:00 p.m.

Where: LGBT Community Center, 208 West 13th Street, New York, New York 10011

Cost: $7.00 in advance, $10.00 at the door (space is limited, R.S.V.P. to reserve your spot)

For advanced tickets and to R.S.V.P., email info@acbnyc.com or go to www.acbnyc.com

 

 Featured Speakers:

Bobby

 

Bobby served in various roles at Brooklyn Bethel for over seven years.  Bobby holds an Associates Degree in Massage Therapy from the Swedish Institute of Massage Therapy and Acupuncture in New York City. Delving deeper into holistic care and wellness, he has received extensive training in Quantum-Touch Therapy in California, as well as additional training and work with flower essence therapy and flower acupuncture. His experience runs the gamut from six years as Geriatric Nurse at Bethel and other institutions, to working with the general public on a day-to-day basis. He presently teaches, holds seminars and is featured on radio for various massage modalities and flower essence therapy in Northern California ,The Tri-State area & Florida. He also is the producer and director of the ACBnyc radio podcasts that honestly and forthrightly discusses the issues that face former and current Jehovah’s Witnesses who identify as LGB&T.

  

MaElena

 

MaElena de Gallardo escaped communist Cuba in the 1960s with her mother, grandmother and sister. She began teaching first in New York City and then in Idaho. While in Idaho she was an integral part of starting the Right to Read program amongst the migrant workers.  Born into the Jehovah’s Witness religion, she served in various capacities in this organization: Bethel for 4 years; 20 years as a missionary sent by Watchtower to areas where they needed help. MaElena was active in the circuit work and was a regular presenter at Circuit Assemblies and District Conventions; she has spoken to audiences in the thousands. MaElena has a Bachelors degree in Education and her Masters degree in Spanish culture and literature. She is currently working on her first book “Lies God Told Me” and is fluent in both English and Spanish. MaElena is a professionally trained speaker with the Speakers Academy. She will be placed on the Learning Annex’s speaking schedule.

 

Bob

 

Bob, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, was a Gilead graduate and served as a missionary and circuit overseer in Zambia, Africa for over ten years.  Upon returning to Ohio, he served as a congregation servant and elder until 1980, when he finally left the religion (or as he says, “cult”) to come out as a gay man and to become actively involved in the LGBT community.  He later founded and ran the Gay People’s Chronicle for over 20 years, a newspaper for the LGBT community that is still in existence.  He also managed the gay fathers and husbands of northeast Ohio organization.   Bob retired from his role as human resources manager of 25 years to move to New York City with his partner Christian.  He is now employed by SAGE, the national social service and advocacy organization dedicated to LGBT senior citizens, and volunteers as a companion for elderly gay shut-ins.  

 

Steve Parelli

 

Steve, co-founded Other Sheep ministries with his life-partner Jose.  Prior to founding Other sheep, which works towards acceptance of homosexuals, Steve and Jose aggressively and devotedly sought whatever help might be found in "overcoming" their same-sex attractions, believing what their evangelical faith had taught them about the sin of "sodomy" on the one hand, and about "victorious Christian living in Jesus" on the other.  Steve was in weekly counseling sessions by phone with Joseph Nicholas, renowned among evangelicals as a reparative therapist who claims to "change" homosexuals.   The "change" and "victory" he found were of a very un-evangelical kind: self-acceptance as gay, Christian man.  Formerly a Baptist minister with a Masters of Divinity from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, Steve served two pastorates, one in western New York, the second in New Jersey but was defrocked for coming out as a gay man.  Currently, he is Executive Director of Other Sheep (www.othersheep.org), an ecumenical Christian ministry that seeks the full inclusion of LGBTs in their respective faiths worldwide.  He volunteers his free time as Other Sheep co-Coordinator abroad and with Jose, have spent summers in Mexico (2005), South America (2006), and Africa (2007 and 2008) working the ministry of Other Sheep.