It began in 2011 at a meeting in Tucson, where the national Coordinating Team of the Church Within A Church Movement looked for a way to share the message that “God is Love, not hate”. A year later, a video legacy project was launched at the Church Within A Church Movement’s (CWACM) 10th anniversary celebration. Now, for Pride, the project will debut May 29, 6-8 p.m. at Sidetrack bar on Halsted.
The project titled “My God is not a Bully!” is a collaboration between Chicago’s E3 Radio founder Anna DeShawn and the CWAC movement.
CWAC movement Executive Director Cathy Knight said, “What began as an urgent need to offer words of hope, is now a full-bodied message of love. CWACM wants LGBTQ youth to know there is another side to the story. A wonderfully diverse cross-section of people from around the country jumped at the chance to tell the story that God loves them and however you define Spirit, in all traditions, God is Love, not a bully.”
E3 Radio’s founder, Anna DeShawn and her team, bring the technical vision and expertise to the campaign. Of this experience, Anna says, “We embarked upon this project to uplift and encourage young people who are struggling with their sexuality and their faith. I’ve struggled and so have many of my friends. The stories that have been shared are real and my hope is that the message will touch the hearts of those that watch.”
One video will be released each day in the month of June to celebrate LGBTQ Pride month. The videos will be released on the “My God is Not a Bully!” YouTube channel and then shared on the My God is Not a Bully Facebook page.