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Mark Bowman
(December 12, 1951 - living) U.S.A.

Mark Bowman

Deacon, activist

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Mark Bowman, co-founder and long-time leader of the Reconciling Congregation Program in the United Methodist Church, was born in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. He earned a B.A. degree in social service from Cleveland State University in 1974 and worked in Cleveland, Ohio, in social work and urban ministry. He entered Boston University School of Theology in September, 1978, and earned an M.Div. degree in 1982.

Bowman "came out" while in seminary and participated in the second Gay and Lesbian Seminarians' Conference at Harvard Divinity School in November, 1979, and worked with Affirmation: United Methodists for Gay and Lesbian Concerns at the United Methodist General Conference in Indianapolis in May 1980. Bowman served on Affirmation's Coordinating Committee from 1981-82.

He was ordained a deacon by the East Ohio Conference in June, 1980. His public involvement with Affirmation and gay/lesbian concerns led to an official church inquiry that resulted in the Conference voting to "discontinue" his probationary membership in June, 1981. In September 1981 Bowman moved to Washington, D.C., where he continued his involvement and leadership with Affirmation and its Mid-Atlantic chapter.

Bowman served on an Affirmation task force to plan the launching of a congregational-based organizing project modeled after the Presbyterian More Light Program. The plan for the Reconciling Congregation Program (RCP) was adopted by Affirmation in 1983 and officially launched at the U.M. General Conference in Baltimore in May 1984. Bowman served as volunteer co-coordinator of the RCP from its inception and was instrumental in the founding and publishing of the quarterly magazine Manna for the Journey in 1985 (renamed Open Hands in 1986 due to a trademark dispute).

The continued growth of the RCP led Bowman to leave his employment with Bread for the World in 1987 and become part-time coordinator of the RCP. During this time he was also employed part-time with the National Task Force on AIDS Prevention and the Gay & Lesbian Pride Committee of Washington, D.C.

Trained in keyboard performance and choral directing and having worked as a church musician in Cleveland and D.C., Bowman became musical director of the fledgling Lesbian & Gay Chorus of Washington, D.C. in 1985. The LGCW grew from 12 to 60 singers during his seven years there. He moved to Chicago in 1992 where the RCP opened its national office and became full-time executive director.

Upon his retirement from the RCP in the summer of 1999, Mark became the coordinator of the first ecumenical Witness Our Welcome (WOW) Conference that brought together 1,000 LGBT Christians and allies in August, 2000. He continues as staff coordinator for the second WOW Conference in August 2003 in Philadelphia.

Bowman's interest in the history of LGBT religious movements led to the founding of the LGBT Religious Archives Network at Chicago Theological Seminary in the spring of 2002, which he serves as project coordinator. Bowman also is part-time minister of music for the United Church of Rogers Park in Chicago.

Mark was honored by the Methodist Federation for Social Action with its Lee and Mae Ball Award for "outstanding Christian social witness" in May, 2000.

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Source: The LGBT Religious Archives Network - http://www.lgbtran.org/Pioneers.asp

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