
LGBTQ2 Spirituality Conference
Aug 2 – 4, 2019
Welcoming the LGBTQ2 community, friends, family and allies.
SpiritPride 2019 – Where we’ve been, Where we’re going
August 2 – 4, 2019
Celebrating our 5th year, SpiritPride is a spirituality conference for members of the LGBTQ2+ Community and their allies to celebrate LGBTQ2+ Spirituality. This year’s theme is ‘Where we’ve been & where we’re going’, an opportunity to look at how far we’ve come, the work still to be done, and building a vision for the future.
The conference will be held on Vancouver’s Pride Weekend, August 2 – 4, 2019, and is open to the public. The conference will include keynote speakers, concurrent workshops, a concert evening, a joint Sunday morning Worship Service and evening closing service, plus time and activities for making new friends and networking. Come join us to learn, be inspired & affirmed.
The 2019 SpiritPride conference is being held during the August long weekend this year coinciding with Vancouver’s Pride celebrations August 2nd to 5th. Our beautiful St. Andrew’s-Wesley United church is currently undergoing a 2-year restoration, and Christ Church Cathedral just a few blocks away has graciously offered to co-host the event, with all main Saturday sessions and events to be held in their sanctuary and facilities.
We are looking forward to having you join us at this year’s conference! It is sure to be an amazing time of learning, sharing and celebrating together.
Saturday will once again be filled with keynote speakers, break-out sessions, and an evening of amazing and inspiring music & entertainment at our LGBTQ+ refugee benefit concert.
Sunday events begin with a morning service with St. Andrews-Wesley United at the Century Plaza Hotel, followed by a group visit to the Pride parade and festival. The conference will conclude with an early evening service at Christ Church Cathedral as part of their St. Brigid’s Community.
Conference venues:
- Christ Church Cathedral –Burrard St. at West Georgia
- Andrews Wesley United (Salons) – 1022 Nelson St.
- Century Plaza Hotel – Burrard St. at Comox St.
Click here to register!
The website is being updated continuously as more details are confirmed.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Yvette Flunder is an internationally known speaker and proponent of the radically inclusive love of Jesus Christ. She founded City of Refuge in Oakland, California in 1991 and is the presiding Bishop of the Fellowship of Affirming Ministries. In December of 2014, Bishop Flunder served as the keynote speaker for the White House observation of the 26th Anniversary of World AIDS Day and continues to advocate for the full inclusion and affirmation of all LGBTQ+ people in faith communities.

Tim Stevenson is a pioneer in LGBTQ+ liberation in Canada. In 1992, he became the first openly gay minister ordained to a mainstream denomination in Canada. Tim was also the first openly gay candidate elected to win a seat as a member of the BC legislature in 1994. He was a founding member of Vision Vancouver, and recently retired as City Councilor in the City of Vancouver.
SCHEDULE
Friday August 2, 2019
Location: St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church Salons, Nelson Street Entrance
6:00 – 7:00pm Registration
7:00 – 9:00pm Spiritpride Café – Conference opening event with refreshment’s, learning, sharing, and socializing – you won’t want to miss it!
Keynote presentation by Tim Stevenson – “How far we’ve come”
Saturday August 3, 2019
Location: Christ Church Cathedral, Georgia St. @ Burrard
7:45 – 8:45am Registration, Coffee and snacks
8:45 – 10:20am Aboriginal Welcome, Overview of the day
Keynote by Bishop Yvette Flunder
10:20 – 10:45am Break
10:45am – 12:00pm Panel: Looking ahead: Movements in the church and faith communities for LGBTQ2+ people.
- Matthias Roberts, Trey Pearson, Matthew Wigmore, Mary Ann Saunders
12:00 – 1:30pm Light Lunch provided
1:30 – 2:50pm Breakout Workshops
2:50 – 3:15pm Comfort Break
3:15 – 4:45pm Breakout Workshops
4:45 – 7:00pm Dinner Break (join a group and enjoy time at a local restaurant!)
7:30 – 9:00pm Sanctuary Concert Evening (Open to the public by donation – invite your friends!)
- a Gospel, Broadway, and inspirational music concert and fundraiser for LGBTQ+ Refuges. Multiple performers along with the Universal Gospel Choir under the direction of Lonnie Delisle will perform
Sunday July 30th
Location (morning): Century Plaza Hotel (1015 Burrard), beside St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church
10:30am – 12:00 Sunday Pride Service
Join St Andrews Wesley United Church, a vibrant, inclusive community and a Pride-focused theme and message. Bishop Yvette Flunder preaching.
12:00 – 4:00pm Group PRIDE Activity Otions for Lunch, Pride Parade and Pride Festival
5:30 – 6:30 Spiritpride closing keynote, music, and worship service
Location (evening): St Bridge’s Service @ Christ Church Cathedral, Georgia St. @ Burrard,
7:15 – 8:15pm Candlelight & Music Service
Location: St Paul’s Anglican, Jervis
We are looking forward to having you join us at this year’s conference! It is sure to be an amazing time of learning, sharing and celebrating together.
PANEL

Matthias Roberts
Matthias Roberts is a writer, consultant, and host of Queerology: A Podcast on Belief and Being. His work has been featured in HuffPost Religion, Believe Out Loud, OnFaith, and The Oregonian. He holds an MA in Theology and Culture and an MA in Counseling Psychology. Matthias lives in Seattle and spends his time helping LGBTQ people of faith and allies live confidently.

Trey Pearson, Musician, LGBTQ Advocate. (treypearson.com)

Mary Ann Saunders
As a Professor on Faculty at the University of British Columbia, May Ann’s cross-disciplinary work bridges the traditional disciplines of literary studies, medicine, psychology, sociology and history, and in relation the emerging discipline of transgender studies. She is also an active member of Christ Church Cathedral and has previously spoken at the Cathedral, St. Bridges Community, and Spiritpride on Trans Theology and Faith.
“I came to faith through my body. I experience God, met Jesus, and feel the Spirit in and through my body, and specifically, in and through my trans body. Because of this, I long for a theology of trans embodiment, and I keep wondering what trans theologies of creation, of the Eucharist, of crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension would look like, because each of these is moments where, in scripture and tradition, we encounter bodies transforming or transformed… This is, in part, why I love the incarnation of Jesus: our embodied God knows me through my body, and I know her through my body. She saved me in my body, and with my body.”

Matthew Wigmore, Panelist
Matthew Wigmore is the co-founder of One TWU, the advocacy and community group of LGBTQ+ students and alumni from Trinity Western University. While also being the first male-identifying gender studies alum from TWU, Matthew holds an MSc in Gender, Policy, and Inequalities from the London School of Economics. He has been published and interviewed extensively, particularly around TWU’s failed Supreme Court Case for a law school and the controversial “community covenant.” In addition to continuing with One TWU, Matthew works as a fundraising and communications executive for a community development NGO in London, UK. He is also the UK Communications Coordinator for the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy. He continues to advocate for LGBTQ+ people in faith spaces and hopes to see an end to conversion therapy in his lifetime.
ALSO FEATURING

Gregg Taylor, Conference Host Gregg is the founder of Spiritpride, Chair of the conference planning committee, and a co-leader of the Word is Out LGBT Spirituality group at St. Andrew’s-Wesley United. Professionally, Gregg is a Registered Clinical Counsellor providing gay affirmative counselling to LGBTQ clients and is President of FSEAP, a workplace mental health and wellness service provider. He has authored the counsellor resource Straight Talk on Counselling Gay Clients: A Resource for Straight Counsellors and tells his story of authenticity, vulnerability and coming out in the book The Thought That Changed My Life Forever.

Curt Allison, Minister of Urban Outreach, Founder of the The Word is Out LGBT Spirituality Groups Curt founded and leads The Word is OUT!! LGBT spirituality group, a place for LGBTQ2 people of faith to integrate their spirituality and sexuality, and to meet and build community. Curt also serves on the Board of Directors of BJUnity, an outreach to former students of Bob Jones University (and other conservative colleges) who suffered under conservative and limiting. Curt finds great satisfaction in helping others discover and live their full potential in the body of Christ with honesty, integrity and authenticity. His passion for music and inclusive church communities has also led him to serve the greater community of the United Church of Canada through music leadership at a variety of national and regional events.

Dan Chambers, Lead Minister, St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church Dan is the Minister of Congregational Life with a passion to awaken and enliven faith through worship, serving and learning. Dan will lead the Sunday morning worship service. He is an ally to LGBTQ2 members of his congregation and the broader community, and has been an active and supportive resources on the Spiritpride planning committee each of the last 4 years. He was ordained in California in 1993 after graduating with a Masters in Comparative Religion and a Masters of Divinity and has taught World Religions at a University in Southern California. He previously served congregations in Santa Ana and Berkeley, California, West Vancouver and Pontypridd (Wales).

Beth Carlson-Malena, MDIV
Director of Community, Generous Space Ministries
Beth’s life has been transformed through friendships with people on the margins. After completing her BSc in Biology, she moved to Vancouver to study theology at Regent College, where her dual call to pastor and to work alongside marginalized people became clear. She loves her work at Generous Space Ministries, facilitating connections and understanding between LGBTQ+ Christians, their families, and their churches, and offering pastoral care to people with diverse perspectives and experiences. This year, Beth also began co-pastoring a new Vancouver church startup called Open Way Community Church, a diverse, inter-generational, inclusive community that welcomes everyone.

Lonnie Delisle, Artistic/Music Director, Sanctuary Concert
Lonnie Delisle is a seasoned Artistic Director with over 30 years experience directing, composing and arranging for choirs of various sizes. Along with being the Artistic Director of Universal Gospel Choir, Lonnie is the Music Director at Canadian Memorial United Church and Music in Residence at the Vancouver School of Theology. His formal training includes a Masters of Music in Vocal Performance from Western Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Trinity Western University.
Lonnie was recently nominated for a Jessie Award for Significant Artistic Achievement, Large Theatre in Outstanding Choir Director for The Christians at Pacific Theatre.

Having attended Spirit Pride as a participant the past few years and sitting on a panel as a Trans Christian Woman, Lauren is excited this year to be joining the fabulous team who put on this encouraging, educational and uplifting weekend!
As a child, Lauren’s maternal Grandmother took her to church and one day pointed to the pulpit proclaiming, “that should be you one day”. Whether a Grandmother’s sweet wish or a special knowing from the Spirit, she was right and after years dabbling In a variety of careers, Lauren is excited to finally be pursuing a call to Ministry, beginning with studies at VST in Sept 2019.
Lauren’s passions include her partner of 10+ years, being of service to help, comfort and encourage people, Emceeing events, musical theatre, and horseback riding. Guilty pleasures include Coca Cola Zero, ice cream, and a little (not so) ‘reality’ TV.

THE REVEREND HELEN DUNN
Helen currently serves as Vicar (Assistant to the Dean and Rector) of Christ Church Cathedral Vancouver BC. and has been the main liaison and coordinator for the Cathedral’s co-hosting of Spiritpride. Educated at St. John’s College Durham University U.K. and Briercrest College in Caronport Saskatchewan, her broad theological perspective complements the Cathedral’s vision of Open Doors, Open Hearts and Open Minds. The title of her dissertation was “Mary as Intersexed Body of the Church.”
In her previous role as Vicar in Calgary, Helen served on the Bishop’s Committee for Developing a Pastoral Service for Committed Same-Sex Partnerships and has founded the Disability Gospel Project, promoting commentary on the gospels submitted by disabled people.

WORKSHOPS
- Belovedness – a new sexual ethic
- Patience, persistence, and grace – the Canadian Anglican Journey
- Campaigns and Recovery: Conversion Therapy, Ex-gay Ministries, and Fundamentalism
- Family Re-imagined – our varied stories of belonging and love
- Embodied Theology: (Trans)Gender and Faith
- Queer and Non-Binary Youth – stories of discovery and courage
- Personal Journeys: small group spiritual direction session
- Individual support and spiritual direction sessions
SANCTUARY CONCERT

SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS
REGISTER
If you would like to attend this event but cannot afford the fee, there are discounts and funding available. Simply email info@spiritpride.org to request a discount/funding code.
CONTACT US
LGBTQ2 Spirituality Conference
Venue: St. Andrew’s Wesley United Church
100-1022 Nelson Street
Vancouver, BC
Ph. 1-604-683-4574
Email: info@146.66.71.61
Parking available from the lane
Wheelchair accessible