Special Conference Events
Celebration Dinner
Guest Speakers: Pat Bills and Sally Gary
This year's dinner will be a celebration of our 20th anniversary that you won't want to miss! In addition to a catered dinner from Chef Nate Sheasby, we'll hear from our executive director, Sally Gary, as she and special guests, including Pat Bills, share highlights over the last 20 years that are sure to bring out all the feels – and launch us into the future of CenterPeace! Get your ticket here.
Sally Gary is a pastor at heart who not only oversees the mission of CenterPeace as its founder, but also spends much of her time as a listening ear and guide for LGBTQ+ people, their families, and pastors and ministry leaders. Sally holds bachelor's and master's degrees in communication from Abilene Christian University, as well as a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Texas Tech University School of Law. She has coached high school and college speech and debate, worked as a civil trial attorney, and spent ten years teaching communication at ACU. Most of all, Sally is dedicated to helping LGBTQ people to know they are loved and that they belong. Everywhere. Sally now lives in Dallas with her wife and their miniature dapple dachshund, Rudy.
Pat Bills has been the Lead Minister at the Highland Oaks Church of Christ in Dallas since 2009. Though he holds graduate and post-graduate degrees, his greatest accomplishment is sharing life with his wife Deborah as they raise four sons, a feisty cat, and a giant great dane. Pat is passionate about people and believes in creating space for an open table for all to fully participate in the life of the local church.
An Evening of Music & Story with Tim Ouyang
CenterPeace is proud to welcome Tim Ouyang for a special late-night event of music and conversation. Performing under the name Tim Be Told, Tim is a songwriter, producer, and recording artist from the San Francisco Bay Area. After beginning his career in Christian music, Tim publicly came out in 2017. His journey has since shaped music that explores faith, identity, loss, hope, and the search for belonging.
His most recent album, God Songs, has resonated with many listeners navigating the intersection of faith and sexuality while also speaking to universal questions of purpose, doubt, grace, and healing. His music has been streamed more than 13 million times on Spotify. Beyond his work as a recording artist, Tim is a recording engineer, producer, mixer, and arranger specializing in pop and rock production as well as orchestral and choral arrangements.
His production and arranging work has included collaborations with Grammy Award-winning artist Israel Houghton and rapper MC Jin, and he has performed the national anthem for the Golden State Warriors. Tim studied music production at Berklee College of Music and has a degree in architecture from the University of Virginia. When he is not making music, he works as an interior designer in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Tim will be performing at 9pm on Friday night! Open to all conference registrants.