OUTreach Denton hosts  dinner

OUTreach Denton will hold a Valentine’s dinner and fundraiser at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 14.

“We are excited about having an LGBTQA event in Denton for once,” said the Rev. Pam Wat of the Denton Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.

OUTreach Denton and Seven Mile Cafe are partnering to create a romantic, fun and philanthropic evening.

Wat promised “a delicious Italian meal, beautiful music and warm hospitality at one of Denton’s newest restaurants.”

Seven Mile Cafe is at 311 W. Congress St. Half of the proceeds will support LGBTQA programming and resources in Denton including the newly formed LGBTQA youth group. The cost is $30 per person and reservations are required. To RSVP, email OUTreachDenton@gmail.com. Seating is limited. Soft drinks are included. BYOB.

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Cathedral marks 5 years with UCC

To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Cathedral of Hope as a United Church of Christ congregation, UCC General Minister and President the Rev. Geoffrey A. Black will come to Dallas to preach on Sunday, Feb. 5 at the Cathedral.

Cathedral of Hope, the fourth-largest congregation of the UCC, officially became a member of the denomination on Feb. 4, 2007.
Jo Hudson, senior pastor of Cathedral of Hope, recalled the day, saying: “When all the i’s had been dotted and all the t’s crossed, after the official words of welcome had been spoken, and we all felt good about the service we had just shared, the Voices of Hope choir and our orchestra led us in the anthem How Great is Our God. I thought the roof was going to come off the church.”

The relationship between Cathedral of Hope and the UCC has been great for both the congregation and the larger church, the Rev. Hudson said.

“What has stayed the same are our shared core values of compassion, inclusion and liberation, our hope and our faith in Jesus,” she said. ”What changed was that the UCC welcomed all at once the largest influx of LGBTQ members in the history of a mainline U.S. church. And, in the ensuing months, Cathedral of Hope saw a double-digit percentage increase in the number of heterosexual worshipers on Sunday morning. Our God is a great God, indeed!

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition February 3, 2012.