Jay Bakker, son of Tammy Faye, invites Pastor Joel Osteen to meet lesbian moms on Mother's Day

At a press conference in Houston Wednesday, Jay Bakker [pictured] issued an open invitation to families from Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church - the largest church in the U.S. - to share a picnic with LGBT families in Houston’s Levy Park on Saturday, May 10, 2008.

At present, Osteen and Lakewood Church have not yet agreed to sit down with the families for a meal and conversation. After the press conference, Bakker attempted to deliver his invitation in-person, but Lakewood staff told him that no one was available to accept the letter.

However, several prominent mega-churches, including The Potter’s House in Dallas, Willow Creek Community Church in Illinois, and Hope Christian Church in Maryland, have agreed to meet LGBT families.

Bakker is pastor of Revolution NYC church. His non-traditional approach to ministry achieved national attention in the Sundance Channel series One Punk Under God, which documented his journey to become an LGBT-affirming Christian. Jay is dedicating the Mother’s Day visit to Lakewood to the memory of his mother, Tammy Faye Bakker-Messner.

Bakker is one of the clergy leaders of The American Family Outing, a nationwide fellowship effort between Mother's Day and Father's Day 2008, in which LGBT families and supportive straight families will seek peaceful and heart-to- heart dialogue with six of today's most influential evangelical leaders and their mega- churches about faith, family, and LGBT people.

Invitations to dialogue were initially issued in late 2007. Christian leaders such as Jay Bakker and Peggy Campolo have followed up with phone calls and letters to the churches. Several congregations, including Willow Creek Community Church in Illinois, which is ranked the most influential congregation in America by Church Report magazine, have responded to The American Family Outing with interest and graciousness. Lakewood Church has yet to respond.

The American Family Outing will take place in Texas, Georgia, Maryland, Illinois, and California - on the weekends between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, 2008.

The project will reach out to the leaders of 6 of America’s most influential mega-churches, including T.D. Jakes and Rick Warren.

Gay and lesbian families will ask to meet with their congregations with the goal of changing hearts and minds in some of the most influential churches in the nation. In each city visited, the LGBT group will educate thousands of citizens through media coverage of same-sex families.

The American Family Outing is a collaboration between Soulforce, COLAGE, National Black Justice Coalition, and Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches.

Soulforce is a national civil rights and social justice organization. Our vision is freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance.

The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC) is an international fellowship of Christian churches with a special ministry to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is a civil rights organization dedicated to empowering Black same-gender-loving, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people. The Coalition works with our communities and our allies for social justice, equality, and an end to racism and homophobia.

COLAGE is a national movement of children, youth and adults with one or more lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer parents. We build community and work toward social justice through youth empowerment, leadership development, education, and advocacy.

Article adapted by ProudParenting.com from original press release.
Images: SundanceChannel.com, Soulforce.org