LOVE WON OUT" MESSAGE HEARD IN TORONTO
Focus on the Family Canada brought a message of hope to homosexuals wanting to leave the gay lifestyle to the Toronto area on Saturday.
The "Love Won Out" conference seeks to help people in the church learn more about loving homosexuals out of their lifestyle. The one-day event at Churchill Heights Baptist Church in Scarborough attracted an overflow crowd of 942 people. It marked the first time the conference has been held in Canada.
"It is a myth that homosexuality is genetic, because really, it is developmental," conference speaker Mike Haley with Focus on the Family US told the Toronto Sun. "We want to show people that don't want to be there that there is a way out." And Haley should know, having himself lived 12 years in the gay lifestyle. He is now married with two sons. According to Grant Saip, director of ministry outreach at Focus Canada, the crowd responded to Haley's testimony with a standing ovation.
Conference organizers were aided by 1,000 volunteers, all of whom had responded to an appeal in a brochure publicizing the event. "We didn't make a single call [for volunteers]," says Saip. "All the volunteers came to us and said, 'We want to help.' For two weeks, we turned volunteers away because the positions were full. I think that really says something, that people have a heart and passion for this."
By contrast, only about 20 homosexuals showed up to peacefully protest the conference.
Focus on the Family Canada brought a message of hope to homosexuals wanting to leave the gay lifestyle to the Toronto area on Saturday.
The "Love Won Out" conference seeks to help people in the church learn more about loving homosexuals out of their lifestyle. The one-day event at Churchill Heights Baptist Church in Scarborough attracted an overflow crowd of 942 people. It marked the first time the conference has been held in Canada.
"It is a myth that homosexuality is genetic, because really, it is developmental," conference speaker Mike Haley with Focus on the Family US told the Toronto Sun. "We want to show people that don't want to be there that there is a way out." And Haley should know, having himself lived 12 years in the gay lifestyle. He is now married with two sons. According to Grant Saip, director of ministry outreach at Focus Canada, the crowd responded to Haley's testimony with a standing ovation.
Conference organizers were aided by 1,000 volunteers, all of whom had responded to an appeal in a brochure publicizing the event. "We didn't make a single call [for volunteers]," says Saip. "All the volunteers came to us and said, 'We want to help.' For two weeks, we turned volunteers away because the positions were full. I think that really says something, that people have a heart and passion for this."
By contrast, only about 20 homosexuals showed up to peacefully protest the conference.
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