The President of the House of Deputies of The Episcopal Church, Dr. Bonnie Anderson, will headline a free conference entitled "Moving Forward: Exploring a New Path to Full Inclusion" ("Moving Forward") at Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas Avenue in downtown Houston, on October 1 and 2, 2010. The conference responds to longstanding calls from Church leadership for deep theological conversation about the inclusion of LGBT Christians in the life and ministry of The Episcopal Church. This conference is sponsored by Christ Church Cathedral and includes parishes that are "conversation partners" from across the Diocese who may, or may not, support full inclusion, but who do support conversation.

On Saturday October 2nd, the conference continues from 9:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. with three panel discussions. In the first session, Dr. Bonnie Anderson, and Sally Johnson, chancellor to the President of the House of Deputies, will discuss, from a national perspective, various milestones on the road to full inclusion as well as some future possibilities. Their presentation will include opportunities for conversation about the proposed Anglican Covenant and former Secretary of State James A. Baker’s local option proposal.

The second session, entitled "Home by Another Way, Inclusion Conversations that Work" will feature Fr. John Bedingfield, Rector of St. John’s Silsbee, who has provided leadership for inclusion conversations in deep East Texas as well as Anne Brown, inclusion conversation veteran, who serves as the Communications Director for the Diocese of Vermont. Additionally, this panel features Tamika R. Caston an African American educator and spiritual director from Houston, who will discuss her experiences finding common ground in potentially hostile environments, and Jason Sierra, who will offer a youth perspective based upon his work in Campus ministries for The Episcopal Church.

The final panel, entitled "Exploring the Theology: Liturgical and Pastoral Implications of Full Inclusion," will consist of some of the most noted theologians in the Episcopal Church: Cynthia Briggs Kittredge, a professor at the Seminary of the Southwest and member of the House of Bishop’s Theology Committee, Ruth Meyers, a professor at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific and the Chair of the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, as well as Lowell Grisham, Rector of St. Paul’s in Fayetteville Arkansas and co-convenor of the Chicago Consultation.