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	June is Pride Month and AWAB has Much to be Proud of in 2011 We have 76 member congregations with 5 congregations in process to become AWAB member congregations! We have 7 Affiliated Organizations including 1 seminary, 3 counseling centers, and 3 partner communities! We are expanding our work throughout the landscape of Baptist communities, building strategic alliances with members of the Alliance of Baptists, Canadian Baptists, Cooperative Baptists, Progressive National Baptists, and even the Southern Baptists We remain committed to our historic work within the American Baptist Churches and will be present at the ABC-USA Biennial in San Juan, Puerto Rico! We remain committed to our historic work within the American Baptist Churches and will be present at the ABC-USA Biennial in San Juan, Puerto Rico! We are holding our National Gathering July 7-8 in conjunction with the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America’s summer conference July 4-9 at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA!  We participated in the MCC’s People of African Descent conference as well as HRC’s Clergy Call May 19-24. We remain committed to our ecumenical partnerships through the efforts of the Welcoming Church Program Leaders gatherings, the Institute of Welcoming Resources, the Many Voices project, and other faith-based organizing and resourcing projects. We have grown our FaceBook presence to over 1300 “fans” from 19 countries who speak 13 languages! We are working with our regional leader to develop regional gatherings for 2012 focusing on theological diversity within the progressive Baptist church, Baptist identity for bapti-phobic progressives, and the intersections of racism and heterosexism within the LGBTQ and Allies community. We have received our first Legacy Gift, dedicated to the work of building a AWAB Church Planting initiative. We had our first seminary intern this past school year!  The Board approved working with up to three interns in the coming school year. This will increase our capacity in many ways! Whew!  This is A LOT to be proud of But our pride alone will not continue to make our growth possible.  It is only in the generous contributions of our member congregations and our individual supporters or “Friends” that we are able to pay for the staff who help make all of this possible.  In 2010 the AWAB Board took the risk of approving the salary for a part-time Executive Director.  We did this believing that our members and friends would do their part in helping us build this critical movement for inclusion.  In 6 months we have grown so much that we are hiring an administrative assistant as well as contracting with an accounting firm so our ED can be free to do her work with all of you.  Now it is your turn to help us help you! How can you help? PRAY!  Your prayers are a vital part of our ministry of Welcome and Affirmation! Headquartered in Kensington, MD, AWAB has supported churches in being and becoming Welcoming and Affirming for almost 20 years. The Association is made up of 76 member churches and has many Friends who have come out in support of all people regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity being welcomed into the full life and ministry in the Baptist family of churches.  Our core services include helping our member churches through education and training opportunities, supporting outreach and fellowshipping throughout our community, and advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people within the Baptist church and beyond. For more information, visit www.awab.org or call (240) 242-9220
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