J.S. Park is a hospital chaplain and former atheist turned skeptical pastor, dedicated to supporting those who feel beaten down by life’s trials. Through his blog, J.S. Park shares deeply personal stories and insights from his work with patients, addressing themes of grief, healing, and hope. His writing emphasizes empathy, inclusivity, and the importance of acknowledging and addressing systemic injustices. Park’s journey from skepticism to faith informs his compassionate approach, aiming to connect with people in their moments of doubt and pain, providing a space for healing and reflection.

Photo by Hoon Park

Rev. Dr. Laura Sumner Truax is an author, pastor and spiritual director. Her doctoral work examined the spiritual practices of progressive evangelicals who have left their former churches. Laura facilitates an online meditation group at MeditationChapel.org, practices spiritual direction as an adjunct professor at University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, and teaches through a variety of online groups.

Laura is the author of “Undone: When Coming Apart Puts You Back Together” (InterVarsity, 2013) and the co-author of “Love Let Go: Radical Generosity for the Real World” (Eerdmans, 2017). Rev. Truax holds a Master’s in Pastoral Studies with an emphasis in Spirituality and a Master’s of Divinity degree, and a Doctorate of Ministry from Fuller Seminary.

Photo courtesy of Rev. Laura Sumner Traux

Dominique DuBois Gilliard is the director of racial righteousness and reconciliation for the Evangelical Covenant Church. He is the author of Rethinking Incarceration: Advocating for Justice that Restores, which won a 2018 Book of the Year Award for InterVarsity Press and was named Outreach Magazine’s 2019 Social Issues Resource of the Year, and Subversive Witness: Scripture’s Call to Leverage Privilege, published in 2021. Gilliard also serves as an adjunct professor at North Park Theological Seminary and on the board of directors for the Christian Community Development Association. In 2015, the Huffington Post named him one of the “Black Christian Leaders Changing the World.

Photo courtesy of Dominique Gilliard

Photo courtesy of Flamy Grant

Award-winning and Billboard-charting artist Flamy Grant is a shame-slaying, hip-swaying, singing-songwriting drag queen from western North Carolina. Her 2022 debut record, Bible Belt Baby, reached the #1 spot on the iTunes Christian Charts and was nominated for Best Pop Album at the San Diego Music Awards. She is a winner of the 2023 Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Competition and a 2023 QueerX Award nominee for Best Drag Artist.

A powerhouse vocalist, intrepid songwriter, and irreverent comedy queen, Flamy drags you into a therapeutic, theatrical mix of storytelling and song. Armed with a bold lip and a blistering voice, Flamy is brilliant, resilient proof that nothing is sacred (but everything is holy) and shame belongs in the closet.

Kevin Garcia

Kevin Garcia is a spiritual recovery coach, a mystical theologian + practitioner, an author / speaker, and a wild lover of life based in Atlanta, GA. After coming out in the fall of 2015 as a queer Christian, Kevin has reached thousands of individuals across the globe with messages of God’s unending love for all people. regardless of who they are, what they profess, or what they actually believe. Kevin’s the author of Bad Theology Kills: Undoing Toxic Beliefs and Reclaiming Your Spiritual Authority, published Janurary 2020.

Kevin’s work also appears in several anthologies by queer people of faith. Kevin’s new book: What Makes You Bloom: Cultivating a Practice To Help You Connect to Your Divine Self was released this spring. Kevin believes that by telling our stories, we set others free to tell their own. Kevin holds a Masters of Arts in Practical Theology from Columbia Theological Seminary (2020) and a Bachelors of Music in Choral music education from Christopher Newport University (2013).

Photography by @ShotbyCxD and @MarkMorinii

Barbara Zeman

Rev. Barbara Zeman is no stranger to ‘firsts’. In 2008 she became Chicago’s first Roman Catholic Woman Priest. She served Dignity Chicago, the Roman Catholic LGBTQI community, as their first woman priest, for over 8 years. In 2010, she began the first weekly meditation hour for Gilda’s Club – a cancer support community. In 2014, she was named one of Chicago’s 100 Women of Inspiration by Today’s Chicago Women and was invited to be the first Roman Catholic Woman Priest to lead the opening prayer for Chicago City Council. Working with Lambda Legal she officiated the first official LGBTQI wedding in Illinois in 2016.

Meditation has always been a part of Barbara’s prayer life. As a meditation coach for over 25 years, her voice has led many to discover the spirit within. Through retreats and individual spiritual direction, she shares her gifts with all who come her way. Her first book, In The Stillness – Meditations to refresh the spirit and quiet the chattering mind, published in March of 2024. A member of FCM since 2008, Zeman now serves as Co-Vice-President of the Southeast Region. She currently resides in Orlando, where as a member of Spirit of Joy – ELCA, Rev. Zeman leads their first contemplative prayer/meditation group, The Sounds of Silence, each week.

Interfaith Atlanta

The Interfaith Speakers Network (ISN) is an educational program provided by Interfaith Atlanta in cooperation with an array of faith traditions and faith organizations. It was initially created as an arm of the Islamic Speakers Bureau, in collaboration with Interfaith Atlanta (formerly FAMA). In 2020, FAMA assumed full responsibility for the ISN. ISN provides opportunities to hear and interact with a panel of local practicing representatives from six faith traditions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism (the Abrahamic faiths) and Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism (the Eastern faiths). The panels are educational, interactional and facilitate dialogue and understanding between different religions. In addition to sharing information, ISN panels showcase ways that different faith traditions can work together.

1325 Virginia Ave
Atlanta, GA 30344

FCM Group rate: $119 per night + taxes and fees.

All FCM assembly attendees are encouraged to stay at the Sonesta Atlanta Airport North where the assembly will take place.

When making reservations by telephone (404.768.6660) mention the code: G06162FCM

Transportation

We recommend flying into Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Int’l; Airport (ATL). The hotel is just a few miles away from the airport and Sonesta provides a free shuttle every 30 minutes. To catch the shuttle, guests can head to Ground Transportation located outside of the Baggage Claim and look for the Hotel Shuttle Area, specifically Bays 9-13.

Prayer Room

A prayer room for quiet contemplation will be available. throughout the conference. Opportunities to meet with a spiritual director or receive pastoral care will also be provided.