Dear Ministry Leader or Director;           I’d like to invite you to a one day workshop presenting a Fifteen Topic curriculum for your use with SSA (Same-Sex Attracted) support groups. I call this The Forward Program because it was inspired by Phil 3:14. I press FORWARD towards the goal of winning the prize to which God is calling me in Christ Jesus.          This 6-1/2 hour Forward Training Workshop is designed to provide you with a planned, pro-active, educational and effective curriculum, for conducting a support group for Christians who are attempting to resolve, manage and live victoriously with homosexuality or SSA. These 15 critical issues or Topics come from my 30 years of working with SSA Christians in groups as well as individual counseling. They have proven themselves to be most effective in producing positive, healing, growth-producing change.          There are hundreds of support groups for SSA Christians throughout the world. Most are under Exodus International. Many times these groups are run in an unplanned, unstructured and informal manner without clear goals and objectives or verifiable outcomes. Frequently it is difficult to retain participants for a sustained period of time because of this unplanned structure and format. Participants are looking for relevant, concrete topics and focused discussion which speak to their real felt needs as Christians contending with the dilemma of SSA in their lives. They desire to take away something they can put into practice, and which shows that they are making progress. They want to know the group leader is competent and knowledgeable about their issues and is able to deliver and engage participants in interesting, educational, and practical topics. They want to see tangible progress and change in their lives.          As a support group approach, the manner in which the meetings are conducted (the group process), the curriculum of topics (the content), and the work of the Holy Spirit make FORWARD a growth-producing and healing intervention program for SSA Christian men and women.          Some research indicates that most participants do not come to a support group for more than a year on average. If this is true, how can you give them maximum assistance which impacts their lives positively in that period of time? The Forward Program accommodates this reality.          Conducted by the leader/director, each topic engages the participant in one of the essential issues needed to resolve and manage SSA. These are the same issues and topics which I have addressed in individual counseling and therapy with people. I have counseled a few hundred SSA people in my 30 years of ministry work. Through this focused 15 topic education, active participation, mutual prayer, support and openness, progress is assured. In addition, each session or meeting concludes by asking the participant to do one positive thing that improves and develops an area of growth related to the topic discussed in that session.

The issues in this training are listed as TOPICS rather than lessons, sessions or meetings; the reason being that any Topic may take up more than a single (two hour) meeting.          There are – as I see it - fifteen (15) Topics which are important for resolving and managing homosexuality or Same-Sex Attraction. It is my experience in using this material for many years that participants who work with these issues can make significant progress in the resolution and management of SSA.          These 15 Topics may take from one year to 15 or more months to complete, depending on how often the group meets and the kind of format that is used. They are endlessly repeatable because of the richness of the content.          A unique feature of this Forward approach is the fact that each entire Topic is contained on a one-side handout (which can be made into a transparency for an overhead projector, or for Power Point presentations). Participants can take this home with them for further review and action. They can compile (or you may pre-compile) these 15 sheets into a folder for permanent review and future use.          These 15 topics are rich with psycho-social content, spiritual insights and biblical references which stimulate active discussion and participation. I have used this material with groups as large as 35 or more people, or as small as 3 to 5 people. The clarity of the content often encourages note taking and biblical exploration.          At the Training Workshop you will be given a set of these 15 topics which, though copy written, you are free to duplicate for your own participants. May I suggest that you consider the pluses and minuses of giving them out one at a time, verses giving out a folder with all fifteen topics. Because of the relevant content of each of these Topics, new participants can enter a group at any time in order to complete the 15 Topic cycle.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Outline of the Fifteen Topics: Based on the FOUR Fulfilling Relationships of Life: God, Self, Others, Work 1. God: Three Options [For, Against, With] 2. Self: How does SSA Develop? [Six Stages] 3. Work: Resolving and Managing SSA [Four Life Relationships - 15 Topics] 4. God: New Birth and Spiritual Check-up 5. Self: Sexual Management 6. God: Spiritual Disciplines 7. Self: Five Tendencies [OCP, PA, PD, ED, HS] 8. Others: Family, Peers 9. Others: Disclosure [Who, when, where, how?] 10. Self: Fifteen Needles and Emotional Economy 11. Work: Cleaning House, Closing Doors, Opening Windows 12. Work: Job, Avocations, Vocation 13. Self: Self-Esteem 14. Self: Gender Issues and relationships 15. God: Your Father God-Child relationship Outline of the Forward Training Workshop Wednesday June 11, 2008 - 9:30 am to Noon, 1pm to 4pm [9:30-Noon] – Welcome, Housekeeping, Logistics * - Coffee and donuts/pastry provided     - Get acquainted-Prayer     - Introduction.     - Overview of the Forward Training Program,     - Demonstration of teaching of Topic One *     - Reflections, Comments, Questions [half hour] [1pm-4pm] - Reflections, Comments, Questions [half hour]     - Demonstration of teaching of Topic Five     - Reflections, Comments, Questions [half hour]     - Demonstration of teaching of Topic Seven     - Close of Training, future needs, suggestions, reflections, comments, questions [half hour] prayer     * The church facility is handicapped accessible, parking at same one level, kitchen, stove, microwave, restrooms. You must provide your own lunch or go to nearby restaurants (Breugger Bagels, MacDonalds, Hamden Town House Restaurant wide variety meals, Eli’s better food, Eli’s Pizza place, TGIF, Chilli’s, Appleby’s. All within 3 to 10 minutes away. Motel overnight accommodations within 20-30 minutes of church; see the map for motels and driving instructions. Air: New York Airports, Bradley Intern't Airport (Hartford), Tweed-New Haven (New Haven/Hamden).     * These teaching demonstrations are abbreviated because of time constraints.

Registration If this training interests you, please send the following information by email to wconsiglio2@comcast.net and address it to myself, Bill Consiglio. 1. Your name, age, your complete address or Ministry address, Ministry name and location, your position in the ministry, years in SSA ministry work, telephone number at which you can be reached personally, email address, website address if available. 2. Send a check (money order, paypal, no credit cards) for $75.00, payable to Dr Bill Consiglio, 876 Shepard Ave, Hamden CT 06514. Deadline for payment reservation is [May 28]. 3. Call or email me if you have questions, 1-203-230-5896 4. Note: Enrollment is limited to 15 people; and there must be an enrollment of at least 6 people in order to offer this Training. If there are not enough people, you will be notified by [May 29] and will receive a full refund of your fee. If you have any special needs please let me know. Dr Bill Consiglio Romans 8:28

Dr. Bill is founder (1985) and acting director of Hope Ministries of CT. He is a Conservative Evangelical non-denominational/Lutheran Christian, who was a university teacher and associate professor of counseling and clinical social work for 27 years. Though retired, he is a part-time Christian counselor and psychotherapist and does pastoral work through his Free Christian Counseling internet ministry. He received his MSW from University of Pittsburgh, and his Ma. Divinity and Doctor of Ministry in pastoral counseling from Trinity Theological Seminary, Indiana. He authored “Homosexual No More” (1991) and “The Forward Program” (2005), both out of print but available for free from the Hope Ministry website. He is married to Linda, with two daughters, four grandchildren, and serves as part-time assistant pastor, counselor, and Bible study teacher at his church. He is a professional consultant and educator to conferences, churches and denominations.

          Below is an example of the Handout or Transparency for Topic One. And then, an example of Topic One's Teaching Notes for the Teacher/Leader.