AuthorGinger Farley  It was a privilege to work in the Harmony booth at World Conference. There were many people who supported the name change from GALA to Harmony. I had numerous chances to explain what Harmony is. There was overwhelming support from the people I talked with. I had the opportunity to talk with a father who was grieving because his son was gay and would never have children to carry on the family name. I explained that through Harmony this man may be able to connect with other parents who have felt the same way. There was a young boy of 9 or 10 who wanted to know what Harmony was about and I explained that it was an organization that supported the LGBT members of the church. I further explained that not everyone in the church or the world were accepting and supportive of the LGBT community. The young boy stated "well that just sucks, everyone should be supported". Harmony wants to be supportive of the LGBT community and those who love them and are having challenges in acceptance. I was also able to attend the Harmony worship service on Wed. evening of conference. Harmony members were able to talk about why GALA/Harmony was started, 37 years ago. Others talked about how WCN (Welcoming Community Network) grew out of the need to assist congregations in accepting the LGBT members. Individual Harmony members talked about the pain of not being accepted for who they are, and several spoke of how important it was in their journey to find GALA/Harmony. They found a place they could be accepted without reservation and to be able to openly share in worship. It was very meaningful to have Apostles, a high priest and appointees serve communion to the Harmony gathering. It was a moment of healing for me personally. The gathering had over 100 people in attendance.
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 To our members and friends, Are you interested in furthering your career, building your support network, strengthening your leadership skills, and implementing new ideas within our community? We are looking for energetic volunteers to help further the mission of Harmony. Does this sound like you? Volunteers must be current members of the organization. We are sharing two opportunities with you today:
If you haven't already taken the time to renew your membership for 2019 or to become a new member of Harmony, please do so now. This is an exciting time in the life of the organization, and we want you to be part of it! Simply click the button below to get started.
If you aren't sure if you have joined or renewed in 2019, ask us at info@harmony.lgbt. Thank you for your continued support. We're so glad you're here. Your Interim Harmony Board of Directors The GALA Board of Directors issued a press release today with regard to a new name, brand, and mission statement for the organization. Please see our official statement below. Click the document below to view larger. 
To our members and friends: On April 6, 2019 GALA, Gay and Lesbian Acceptance will officially transition our name, logo and website to our newly re-branded organization. Our website (www.galaweb.org) will automatically forward to our new web address. Since the first gathering in 1982, GALA, Gay and Lesbian Acceptance has been a monumental presence in the church. As we begin this new chapter in our organizational history we would like to take a few moments to reflect on our history and the giants on whose shoulders we stand. Click here or on the button below to read the official statement by the Board of Directors and enjoy the video put together by our president, Jerry M. Dale, Jr. Your Board of Directors  We have just surpassed 100 members!
What a reason to celebrate! In my memory the last time we reached this milestone was just before the 2013 National Conference. I would like us to pause and reflect on how we got to this milestone in our membership. In January 2018 the Board of Directors (BoD) met and decided on some lofty goals for the organization. These goals have required a great deal of time, resources, and effort on the part of the BoD and you, our members. Since January 2018 we have planned, executed and finalized the merger, revised our bylaws, launched a new website, ramped up communication, and successfully completed a re-branding effort with transparency, integrity, and professionalism. Now, we are seeing the fruits of our labor as we just received our 105th membership with GALA. What’s more it is the most geographically diverse membership in our history. We have representation in 22 US States and the District of Columbia, 3 Canadian Provinces and members in India, Mexico, French Polynesia and Belgium. We also have the most World Church leaders in our membership in our history. As of today we have five Apostles in the Council of 12 and one Apostle that will be ordained in April (for a total of 6 of 12 in April). LET ME SAY THIS AGAIN. WE HAVE NEVER BEEN THIS GEOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE. We are doing something right. Beginning Apr. 6, 2019, all future registrations will take place directly with our new website under our new name. The new website and social media accounts will go live on the evening of April 5th, 2019. Each of you, our members, brings new perspectives, excitement and skills to our organization. Later in April we will be sending out surveys to hear from you about what your needs are for programming. We are also gearing up for our first election as the new organization. Consider how you might be able to help us further the mission of the organization. What a busy 15 months for this organization and there is still so much work to do. I anticipate we will gain many new memberships in the coming weeks leading up to World Conference. I strongly encourage you to personally reach out to friends/family/supporters/past members/congregations to spread the word about this exciting time. I am humbled and honored to serve with you at this time in our history. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Jerry M. Dale, Jr. President - GALA  Greetings!
We have been asked to assist with the Monday Evening Worship in the Auditorium at 7 p.m. by providing volunteer ushers. This is a great way to help spread the word about the newly merged organization. There are 10 slots available for door ushers and another 40 for extra offering ushers. We are only seeking volunteers for ushers during the Monday April 8, 2019 slots.  We're looking for volunteers to assist with staffing our exhibition table at World Conference 2019.
As this World Conference will be particularly special for the merged GALA - WCN organization with our newly unveiled name and logo, we are seeking a fully staffed table for all exhibition time slots. What this entails:
Please review the following options by clicking the button below and add your name and email to the list so that we may contact you to confirm and provide further details. All times are in CST. With gratitude, World Conference 2019 Planning Committee Clay Birks Ginger Farley Parker Johnson, Chair  Hello Members and Friends of GALA and WCN, I wanted to share that the legal merger of GALA and WCN is now complete according to the State of Missouri and the surviving organization is GALA. As we continue this transition we will begin merging the information from the WCN website on how to be a Welcoming Congregation to the GALA website and much more. Please know that both websites will remain active during this final phase of the merger and re-directs will be set up to reduce confusion in the future. If you have not heard, the merged organization is also going through a rebranding effort. In April 2019 - at World Conference - we will be announcing a new name for the merged organization along with a new logo. If you haven't already taken the time to renew your membership for 2019 or to become a new member of GALA, please do so now. This is an exciting time in the life of the organization, and we want you to be part of it! Visit the Membership tab on our website to get started. Thank you for your continued support! Jerry M. Dale, Jr. President, GALA  We are making good progress with our Re-Branding Steps. Hello GALA/WCN Members and Friends,
On behalf of the GALA Board of Directors, I am happy to report that members voted to proceed with the re-branding effort as presented with a weighted average of 4.71 on a scale of 5. We now press forward to engage with the branding agency. Thank you to everyone who cast their vote - your feedback has been invaluable and will continue to guide the Re-branding Committee. We appreciate your engagement and feedback in the process so far, and we look forward to the final product - to be unveiled at World Conference 2019! You will be hearing from me again soon as we seek your feedback concerning potential new names for the organization. Stay tuned for future GALA communications. We want your voice to be heard! Please take a couple of minutes to renew your membership on our website at https://www.galaweb.org/membership.html. All memberships received by Wednesday, February 6th at 10 p.m. EST will be eligible for this first vote. Sincerely, Parker Johnson Vice President, GALA Chair, Re-Branding Committee  As promised in the 7-Step Re-Branding process, we're conducting a membership survey and your input would be appreciated.
All members who have paid them membership dues for 2019 have been sent a ballot via email. You will have until 9 p.m. CST, Monday, February 11, 2019 to cast your vote. Thank you for your participation! Parker Johnson Vice President, GALA |
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