First United Methodist Church of Evanston, 516 Church St., will mark a decade as a Reconciling Congregation at worship Sunday, February 11th at 10:30 featuring Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth, preacher. Bishop Bridgeforth is the first openly gay African American man and second out LGBTQ+ person to serve as Bishop in the United Methodist Church. Elected at the Western Jurisdictional Conference in 2022 he is assigned to serve the Greater Western Episcopal Area.

Bishop Bridgeforth served in the United States Air Force for four years before attending Stamford University ( B.A. in Religion 1997), Claremont School of Theology ( M.Div. 2000) and Pepperdine University ( Ed.D. 2006). He is author of Alabama Grandson: A Black, Gay Minister’s Passage Out of Hiding and several other books on Prayer and Leadership. Bishop Bridgeforth is married to Christopher Hucks – Ortiz.