World's Largest Gay Church Celebrates 32nd Anniversary With Major Announcement

The Cathedral of Hope, the World's Largest Gay and Lesbian Church, will Celebrate 32 years at their Gala Anniversary Weekend on July 26, 27, and 28th. A major announcement will be made about their upcoming building project.

Media Contact:
Steve Jolly, Director of Communications
Cathedral of Hope
5910 Cedar Springs
Dallas, TX 75235
214.552.5775 (cell -- do not publish)
sjolly@cathedralofhope.com

They Said it Couldn't Be Done...
Cathedral of Hope Marks 32nd Anniversary with Major Building Announcement

DALLAS, TX -- June 19 -- Despite recent reports sounding the death knell for the Cathedral of Hope's new Philip Johnson-designed Cathedral, the world's largest church with a predominantly gay and lesbian outreach is celebrating 32 years by making a major announcement regarding the building project.

The Gala weekend is July 26, 27, and 28. Events will take place at the Cathedral of Hope campus at 5910 Cedar Springs, as well as at the Great Hall of the International Apparel Mart, where the Gala dinner will be held Saturday, July 27.

During the 32nd Anniversary Gala weekend, the Cathedral of Hope will dedicate its Congregational Life Center, which marks the end of Phase II and the beginning of the third and final phase of the building project.

Philip Johnson, the renowned gay architect who has been called the father of modern architecture, sees the new building as his greatest triumph. The building, with its daring design and distinctive profile, will show the world that the GLBT community can establish a church and be accepted into God's family despite the restrictive view of the religious right. The church, already the world's largest of its kind, will be a beacon for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered Christians around the world -- the way the Salt Lake Temple is for Latter Day Saints, Mecca for Muslims, and the way Jerusalem is for Jews and Christians.

With this celebration, the church marks 32 years from the day in 1970 that 12 gay Christians started meeting secretly in Dallas. Since that day, the church has grown to over 3000 members and contributes over $1 million of volunteer services and gifts each year. Some of the annual projects include the following:

o   Adopted Maple Lawn Elementary and Rusk Middle School, two low-income schools located within walking distance of CoH.
o   Adopted The Dominica School and Orphanage in the Dominican Republic. The school relies on Cathedral of Hope for financial support and frequent visits from volunteers. The Cathedral recently donated $55,000 to purchase the land on which the school stands.
o   Locally, volunteer crews rehabilitate homes for the elderly, indigent and disabled.
o   Volunteer crews clean up neighborhoods, provide tutoring and mentoring services for children and deliver holiday food baskets to the needy.
o   Annual HealthCare events provide free medical services for those who might otherwise have no access to medical care.

The annual Gala Dinner celebrates this outreach and the good works of its membership. Cathedral of Hope has local, national, and international outreach, and the church will be welcoming many of its National Ministry members for the Gala celebration. For more information about this year's Gala, call the Cathedral of Hope at 214.351.1901 or visit the website at www.cathedralofhope.com

######

About Cathedral of Hope: The world's largest Christian church with a predominantly gay and lesbian outreach, the Cathedral of Hope (www.cathedralofhope.com) was founded in 1970 with 12 members and has since grown to over 3,000 members. With numerous ministry and volunteer programs, CoH donates over $1 million in direct gifts and services each year. Under the leadership of Reverend Michael Piazza, Senior Pastor, CoH worships Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. for Bible Study, Sundays at 8:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m., and 11:30 a.m., with a Spanish language service at 1:00 p.m. The current church home sits on 17 acres of land in the heart of Dallas, and includes the John Thomas Memorial Bell Wall, the Congregational Life Center, and the Hope Counseling Center.