AWAB to Co-Sponsor CBF General Assembly Breakfast with Baptist News Global and Good Faith Media
AWAB is excited to partner with Baptist News Global and Good Faith Media for a special breakfast gathering during the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly in Jacksonville, Florida, on Friday, June 19.
This featured event will bring together people across Baptist life for a morning of fellowship, inspiration, and shared witness. For AWAB, this breakfast is also a meaningful opportunity to stand alongside trusted partners who continue to uplift the stories, experiences, and leadership of LGBTQ+ people in Baptist spaces and beyond.
At a time when division, fear, and political pressure continue to shape public life, gatherings like this matter. They remind us that justice work is not meant to be done alone. They create space for encouragement, clarity, and renewed commitment to the work ahead.
A Shared Commitment to Truth, Inclusion, and Justice
Last year, AWAB joined Baptist News Global for its traditional meal event at General Assembly. This year, Good Faith Media joins as a co-sponsor, strengthening a partnership rooted in shared values and public witness.
AWAB Executive Director Brian Henderson reflected on the significance of the collaboration this way: AWAB is deeply grateful for Baptist News Global and Good Faith Media and their ongoing commitment to sharing the stories and lived experiences of LGBTQ+ siblings within Baptist life. In a time when division is so prevalent, coming together around common values is both meaningful and refreshing.
That spirit is at the heart of this breakfast. It is not simply a meal. It is a public sign of partnership among organizations committed to truth-telling, advocacy, inclusion, and justice.
Skye Perryman to Keynote Breakfast
This year’s keynote speaker will be Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward and one of the nation’s leading voices in defense of democracy and civil rights.
Perryman has become a nationally recognized leader in confronting authoritarian threats and protecting communities targeted for exclusion. Under her leadership, Democracy Forward has filed hundreds of lawsuits on behalf of federal workers, immigration advocates, religious groups, and others impacted by harmful government actions. Through its Democracy 2025 initiative, the organization has led one of the largest affirmative litigation efforts against executive overreach in United States history.
Her work has earned national attention. TIME magazine named Perryman one of its 2025 Most Influential People in the World. She has testified before Congress, appeared widely in national media, and built a career at the intersection of law, public policy, and justice.
A native of Waco, Texas, Perryman studied economics and philosophy at Baylor University before earning her law degree from Georgetown University. She previously served as chief legal officer and general counsel for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and was part of the founding legal team of Democracy Forward.
Her presence at this breakfast offers an important opportunity for attendees to hear from a leader whose work speaks directly to the urgency of this moment.
Music by Tony McNeill
Music for the breakfast will be provided by Tony McNeill, affiliate professor of worship and seminary musician at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia.
McNeill brings deep experience in church music, worship leadership, and theological education. He previously served as director of choral activities and chair of the Department of Performing Arts at Clinton College in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He also served for more than four years as director of worship and the arts at Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.
His leadership and musical gifts will help shape a gathering that is not only informative, but spiritually grounded and energizing.
Why This Gathering Matters
For AWAB, this breakfast reflects more than a conference partnership. It reflects a broader vision of what is possible when organizations committed to justice and inclusion work together.
As the national voice for LGBTQ+ Baptists, AWAB knows the importance of showing up in spaces where faith, public witness, and community intersect. We also know that moments of encouragement matter. In this season, when so many are carrying exhaustion, concern, and uncertainty, it is important to gather with others who are committed to a more just and welcoming future.
This breakfast will offer exactly that kind of space.
The event will take place at 7:00 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Waterfront in Jacksonville. Tickets are $47 per seat or $500 per table of 10, and registration is available through the CBF website.
We hope you will join AWAB, Baptist News Global, and Good Faith Media for this important morning of fellowship, reflection, and shared witness.
Register below.