Outlaw of the Week
A year ago, Ravenna United Methodist Church decided to become an open and affirming church. But Pastor Dan Shelley wanted to make this change visible to both his congregation and the larger neighborhood. So he decided to host a screening of Inlaws & Outlaws in the main chapel.
"Ravenna United Methodist Church was delighted to hold a screening of Inlaws & Outlaws", said Pastor Dan. "Filmmaker Drew Emery has created a remarkable celebration of Love, Marriage, and Relationship in all it's forms."
Pastor Dan worked tirelessly in promoting his screening. From designing his own web pages, to creating promotional audio material, Pastor Dan utilized all of the resources at his disposal in order to spread the word.
"The commitment and hard work shown by Pastor Dan in getting Inlaws & Outlaws into his church demonstrates the enthusiasm and love of Outlaws everywhere." Said director, Drew Emery.
Over fifty people from Ravenna UMC's congregation turned out to see Inlaws & Outlaws, which officially marked the start of the film's momentous tour of churches and faith organizations around Washington state.
The True Stories Project's Events & Marketing Coordinator, Lindsay Martin worked closely with Pastor Dan. As with every screening, she ensured Ravenna UMC had all of the support and materials necessary to ensure a successful event. Lindsay said, "It's always great working with people who have such excitement about showing Inlaws & Outlaws, and Pastor Dan was no exception." "Inlaws & Outlaws is an amazing movie, and this shows that we are attracting a posse of dedicated Outlaws who are passionate about getting the film out there."
Ravenna UMC is part of the Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN), a nationwide grassroots organization that works for the inclusion and equality of all sexual orientations and gender idenfications within the United Methodist Church. The screening at Ravenna UMC demonstrated that Inlaws & Outlaws is a film for everyone, as Pastor Dan said, "this is a meaningful and moving film dedicated to everyone who has ever been in love."
We welcome Pastor Shelley as our first Outlaw of the Week and thank him for all his support!
If you'd like to be featured as our Outlaw of the Week, why not think about hosting a screening. Our simple 5 step process will get you started!
