|
Dr. Michael BrownSince coming to faith in 1971 as a 16 year-old, heroin-shooting Jewish rock drummer, Dr. Michael Brown has devoted his life to fostering awakening in the Church, sparking moral and cultural revolution in the society, raising up gospel laborers for the nations, and reaching out to his own Jewish people. He is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio broadcast, the president of FIRE School of Ministry, and a professor of Bible and Hebrew Studies at several leading seminaries. He has preached in more than 25 nations and is the author of 25 books and numerous scholarly and popular articles. Dr. Brown has debated Jewish rabbis, agnostic professors, and gay activists on radio, TV, and college campuses, and he is widely considered to be the world’s foremost Messianic Jewish apologist. For more information, visit http://www.askdrbrown.org.
|
Charles LiMandriCharles LiMandri is President and Chief Counsel for the Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund and recently defended the New Jersey-based counseling group JONAH in court. He is double board certified in pre-trial litigation and trial advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, and is also a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He specializes in religious liberty issues.
|
|
|
David PickupDavid Pickup is a licensed marriage and family therapist in California with extensive background in talk therapy. He serves as president of the International Institute for Reorientation Therapies and is on the board of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH). After being sexually abused at a young age, Pickup experienced same-sex attractions that lasted throughout much of his life. He later participated in authentic reparative therapy that he says helped saved his life.
|
Rev. Stephen BlackStephen Black has worked in pastoral-care ministry as an ordained minister in the local church and with International Ministerial Fellowship for over 25 years with First Stone Ministries. Stephen teaches in the local Church, serves the Body of Christ in one-on-one pastoral care discipleship, weekly support group sessions, public speaking, and helps to provide freedom conferences and seminars. He has been interviewed numerous times on local and national radio and on television giving hope through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Stephen specializes in bringingfreedom to the relationally and sexually broken and has authored many articles for freedom. Stephen has served on several Christian ministry boards. He has also worked in the local church as an associate minister and has also worked as a volunteer prison chaplain. He is one of the founders of the Restored Hope Network and serves as the Vice-Chairman. He also serves on the ministry board of the Parents and Friends of Ex-gays and Gays. Stephen has been married to his wife, Robin since May of 1986, they have three adult children and two grandchildren. They are all life-long residents of the Oklahoma City area.
|
|
|
Dennis JerniganKnown primarily for his worship music, Dennis Jernigan’s songs like “We Will Worship the Lamb of Glory”, “Thank You”, “Great is the Lord Almighty”, “Who Can Satisfy My Soul (There is a Fountain), “I Belong to Jesus”, “Nobody Fills My Heart Like Jesus”, and “You Are My All in All” have been sung widely by the body of Christ since the early 1990’s. He has written hundreds of songs and authored many devotional and self-help books, fantasy novels, and now children’s stories. There is so much more to the man than simply being a musician and author. Dennis has given a great deal of his life to setting the spiritually captive free. Having walked out of a homosexual identity and into that of a new creation, he is convinced that with God NOTHING is impossible. Through the sharing of his story and the sharing of the stories behind the songs, Dennis Jernigan has witnessed thousands walk out of all manner of spiritual bondage and has watched desperate, wounded people find healing through intimacy with Jesus Christ. A new film documentary of Dennis’ life has been released, called Sing Over Me, along with Sing Over Me the Dennis Jernigan Story the autobiography. His newest CD release is Days of Awe which captures the epic-ness of God Almighty and is considered timeless.
|
Rich WylerRich Wyler is the founder and director of People Can Change, a nonprofit, peer-led support and educational organization of men who seek to resolve, diminish or make peace with their unwanted same-sex attractions (SSA).
He is also the founder and co-creator of PCC's life-changing Journey IntoManhood experiential personal-growth program. Since 2002, almost 2,500 men from 40 countries have been through this intensive weekend program—the majority of whom reported experiencing diminished homosexual attractions in a follow-up survey months or years afterward. He is also the co-creator of a counterpart program for wives of SSA men, called A Wife's Healing Journey, introduced in 2009. In 2015, Rich compiled 50 brief personal accounts of successful sexual orientation change efforts and published them in a book called “Then & Now: How My Sexual Attractions Have Changed.” Rich is also a professional, certified life coach, working especially with men who want to diminish or make peace with their SSA in ways that are congruent with their values, morals and life goals. Wyler came to this work after his own journey out of homosexuality in the 1990s. Married and the father of two, he resides in Virginia, USA. |
|
|
Christopher Doyle, MA, LCPCChristopher Doyle, MA, LCPC, Psychotherapist, Educator, and Author is the Co-Founder of Voice of the Voiceless. He is also the Director of the International Healing Foundation, a non-profit organization that since 1990, has helped thousands of individuals and families struggling with sexual orientation.
As a published author and expert in adolescent sexual health, Mr. Doyle has spoken to international audiences, including the National HIV Prevention Conference, National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality Convention, the International Abstinence Leaders Conference. He also speaks regularly to churches and faith-based audiences across the country. His writing can be seen in periodicals such as the Journal of Human Sexuality, and he has written articles for Townhall, WorldNetDaily, and The Christian Post. He is the director and author of Acception: Bullying Solutions and Prevention Health Education Curriculum (and film), Benefits of Delaying Sexual Debut (the Institute for Youth Development) and Benefits of Delaying Sexual Debut – Africa (Children’s AIDS Fund). He is also a former Associate Editor of the peer-reviewed journal Adolescent and Family Health. Residing in the Washington, DC area, Christopher is married to Sherry and together they have five children. |
Regina GriggsRegina Griggs serves as executive director of Parents & Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX). She works directly with ex-gays and their parents, ex-gay ministry leaders, and many others struggling with their sexuality who are seeking help, hope, and community. As executive director, Regina has helped thousands of parents of gays and ex-gays connect through support groups. She has also impacted the lives of a record number of ex-gays. Of the many success stories Regina has been involved in while working at PFOX, she is most fond of helping Darryl, an ex-transgendered male. Through her fundraising efforts, she was able to raise enough money for Darryl to reclaim his masculinity by undergoing numerous surgeries to reverse his appearance as female. Regina has also worked with various gay media outlets to promote respect and understanding for the ex-gay community. She has participated as a panel member for Love Won Out conferences throughout the nation, educating others on the struggles of ex-gays in rebuilding their lives. She has also spearheaded various advocacy and educational campaigns positively impacting the ex-gay community. A California native, Regina moved to the East Coast with her husband, a naval submarine officer. She had a very successful career in real estate in Northern Virginia, becoming a top-selling agent. She then worked as a sales manager for an upscale home builder. But Regina’s life and career took a different turn when her son revealed he was struggling with same-sex attraction. Initially looking for support, Regina became a PFOX mom to connect with other families who didn’t know how to deal with a child grappling with same-sex attraction. She eventually started volunteering at PFOX in 1998, became vice president that same year, and then started serving as executive director in 1999. A decade later, the District of Columbia awarded Regina a certificate of appreciation for her dedication, commitment, and outstanding contributions for all her efforts. Regina continues to be passionate about ensuring the ex-gay community’s voice on this crucial issue is heard. She has numerous media appearances, appearing on radio and television shows throughout the country.
|
|
|
Jayson Graves, M.MFTJayson Graves, M.MFT, husband of Susan and father of Selah Rae & Asabella, is a Christian Psychotherapist specializing in Sexual Addictions Recovery and unwanted attractions. He enjoys helping his clients from both a clinical and personal frame as a person in recovery himself.
While receiving his Masters in Marriage & Family Therapy from Seattle Pacific University, the bulk of his experience has come from working with youth, in community mental health and men’s ministry. Since then, Jayson has enjoyed working with couples, individuals, young adults and teens in private practice. His passion is to see people set free from sexual addictions, unwanted attractions and other relational struggles through forgiveness, reconciliation, accountability, faith and purity. Jayson is the founder and director of international counseling ministry Healing for the Soul, providing therapy and groups…all over the telephone, including his first original idea: Teleconference Recovery Groups for men, for wives and for teens in recovery worldwide. He’s also served as the National Program Director & Speaker for New Life Ministry’s “Every Man’s Battle” seminars, Speaker for Focus on the Family conferences and Host of both “The Blazing Grace Show” radio program and SkyAngelNetwork’s “PurePassion” TV program. |
Dr. David Kyle FosterDr. David Kyle Foster struggled with pornography and other sexually addictive behaviors before his salvation in 1980. He is the author of “Love Hunger: A Harrowing Journey from Sexual Addiction to True Fulfillment,” has served as an adjunct professor at several schools, has spoken on five continents, and has appeared on “The 700 Club,” “The Dr. Phil Show” and “The Coral Ridge Hour,” among others. Foster founded Mastering Life Ministries in 1987 and is also the producer and host of “Pure Passion,” a TV outreach to equip the church to minister to those who are trapped in sexual sin and brokenness.
|
|
|
Melissa IngrahamMelissa Ingraham is a licensed mental health counselor in New York who works with women on depression, anxiety, confusion, gender identity and unwanted same-sex attraction issues. She also previously identified as a lesbian and is the wife of ex-gay ministry leader Garry Ingraham. Ingraham’s story is featured on the PFOX web site.
|
Ben Spratling IV, Ph.D.Ben used to be exclusively erotically attracted to other men. Raised Southern Baptist during the Disney boycott, he was very confused by what he was taught in church about his feelings. But God intervened in his life a number of times, providing hope, direction, and the realization that scripture and science had to agree if they talked about reality. He pursued “change” for his attractions, a journey which took over 11 years, and many different kinds of work. Ben strongly believes that Biblical religious principles are the foundation for the United States of America, and wants to see religious rights protected. Upon realizing the assault on freedoms of individuals in California (and subsequently New Jersey and D.C.), he spent his life savings on the Recently Straight project: a web-based tv-show reenacting the stories of men who have changed from gay to straight. Ben is currently researching the connection between successful supposedly-secular psychotherapies and Biblical principles.
|
|
|
Denise ShickDenise Shick's father identified as a transgender woman, which greatly impacted her childhood and adolescent years. Later, her life was transformed through her faith. On his death bed, Shick’sfather said his transgender lifestyle didn’t provide the fulfillment he sought. Shickfounded Help4Families.org, a ministry for those affected by gender confusion of a loved one, and her story is featured on the PFOX web site.
|
Download the flyer below for further details and bios on additional Safe Exit Summit speakers.
| ihf_summit_new.pdf |