BMC NewsNet
Vol. 8, No. 2
April, 2008
 
Carol Wise and Maggie Miller meet with Kirsten Freed My Menno Church Steering Committee:
Jacob Quiring, Val Warkentin, and Erwin Warkentin Jacob Quiring, Kirsten Freed, Matt Wiebe
1 ) Young Mennonites Collecting Voices of Support
2 ) Trip to Winnipeg
3 ) Supportive Communities Grow
4 ) Connecting Families Weekend
5 ) Welcoming Church Trainings
6 ) BMC at COB National Older Adult Conference
7 ) Treasurer Needed
8 ) Senior High Youth Resource
9 ) BMC Gathering: Exploring Your Creative Spirit
10) Camp fYrefly
11) LGBT Parents Involved
12) BMC Needs Your Support!
13) Upcoming BMC Events
1) Young Mennonites Collecting Voices of Support
Ever wondered what would happen if several young Mennonites with a commitment to LGBT inclusion in the Priesthood of All Believers organized in Winnipeg, Manitoba? My Menno Church is the result. Founded in February, word is now spreading about their Postcard Project, a tool to communicate the depth of support for lgbt inclusion within Mennonite Church Canada. Supporters are asked to fill out a postcard and indicate why they support lgbt inclusion within the church. The project states: “Imagine what could happen if the grassroots support for LGBT welcome was collated and given voice....Sending a postcard is a simple yet concrete way to display the level of support that already exists in our churches. Help end the isolation!”
Canadians on the BMC mailing list will find a brochure describing the Postcard Project and a tear off postcard to send to My Menno Church in the next edition of Outspoken. We encourage everyone to take the time to participate in this creative project for a kinder and more inclusive church. For more information, go to www.mymennochurch.ca , or follow the link on the BMC website. The postcards will be displayed at the Mennonite Church Assembly in July.
2) Trip to Winnipeg
BMC Executive Director Carol Wise and Kaleidoscope Coordinator Maggie Miller visited Winnipeg, Manitoba in April, managing to schedule their travel between spring snow storms. During their visit, an audience of 50 individuals representing six different congregations joined together for a BMC presentation of a workshop entitled How Homophobia Hurts the Church. Maggie met with students and staff at Canadian Mennonite University, while Carol and a group of local supporters met for an extended, helpful conversation with members of the executive team for Mennonite Church Canada. The hospitality, support and openness of so many in Winnipeg were greatly appreciated.
3) Supportive Communities Grow
Two new congregations, York Center Church of the Brethren in Lombard (IL), and Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren in Fort Wayne (IN), have joined the Supportive Communities Network (SCN) as congregations who are publicly affirming of lgbt people. The York Center COB adopted a mission statement that states: “[we] are a congregation of Christian Believers who are grounded in the New Testament and empowered by the Holy Spirit. We are an open and affirming fellowship enriched by our diversity and unified by our deep faith in the love of God.” Beacon Heights COB unanimously voted to join SCN and adopted a welcome statement that begins with a simple declarative: “Beacon Heights Church believes everyone is a child of God.” Both congregations have a long history of community involvement and commitment to peace and justice ministries. BMC welcomes their leadership and witness.
If you are interested in helping your congregation become a part of this prophetic movement, we encourage you to participate in a Welcoming Church Training or contact the BMC office at bmc@bmclgbt.org
4) Connecting Families Weekend
Pennsylvania was moving towards its full spring splendor when Connecting Families met in Boliva, PA for its annual gathering. Weldon Nisly, pastor of the Seattle Mennonite Church, was the featured presenter. Through the tool of Biblical storytelling, Nisly skillfully led a conversation regarding the Bible and lgbt welcome. Nisly likened the current situation in the church to the 1834 “debates” at Lane Theological Seminary regarding slavery. Those conversations resulted in the dismissal of an anti-slavery faculty member and the leaving of dozens of abolitionist students. It also set the stage for a profound theological shift that eventually made it morally repugnant to use the bible to justify slavery. In addition to lively conversation, the weekend also included the sharing of family stories, worship, the renewal of old friendships and the making of new ones. Next year’s retreat will be held at the Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center, located just outside of Baltimore.
5) Welcoming Church Trainings
The La Verne Church of the Brethren is the site of the next Welcoming Church Training, scheduled for June 6-8, 2008. This training offers an opportunity for those supportive of lgbt justice to develop the tools, strategies and information necessary to help create positive change within local congregations, communities and denominations. Training topics include change theory, church conflict and resolution, storytelling as public narrative, biblical exegesis, and strategizing for change. In addition to the content of the training, this offers a wonderful opportunity to meet other people, gay and straight, who are committed to a church that is welcoming and inclusive. The ecumenical training is made possible through an Arcus Foundation grant that was awarded to BMC and three partner organizations.
2008 Welcoming Church Training Schedule
June 6-8 La Verne Church of the Brethren, La Verne, California
September 19-21 Wake Forest Divinity School, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
October 24-26 Assembly Mennonite Church, Goshen, Indiana
November Washington, DC
To register, go to www.welcomingresources.org and view Upcoming Training Opportunities, or go to the BMC website at www.bmclgbt.org.
6) BMC at COB National Older Adult Conference
BMC is pleased to announce that it will be among those listed as interest group presenters at the next Church of the Brethren National Older Adult Conference (NOAC), to be held September 1-5, 2008 in Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. Topics that BMC will present include: Elder LGBT Challenges and How Heterosexism Hurts the Church. The conference, which usually draws over a thousand participants, is sponsored by the Association of Brethren Caregivers and is designed for “inspiration, renewal and community for adults 50 and older.” This year’s theme is Come to the Water.
7) Treasurer Needed
BMC Canada is looking for a numbers-minded person who would be willing to serve as the BMC Canada treasurer. The position requires basic bookkeeping and financial reporting responsibilities as well as an interest in working with the BMC Canada board. Interested individuals please contact the BMC office with attention to Paul Neudorf, co-chair of the BMC Canada board, for further information. Your interest will be enthusiastically received!
8) Senior High Youth Resource
BMC’s Coming Out Strong Youth Resource is now available for high school youth who are lgbt or questioning. The resource explores topics such as coming out, bullying, church statements, student rights, the bible, lgbt resources, and finding support. A special list of lgbtq positive Mennonite and Brethren mentors is included. High school youth who are interested in obtaining this free resource, which also includes the resource packet plus a BMC DVD, assorted brochures and various related materials, are invited to contact the Kaleidoscope Coordinator, Maggie Miller at bmc@bmclgbt.org.
9) BMC Gathering
Reserve the weekend of October 10-12, 2008 and come to the beautiful Pokagon State Park in northern Indiana to join the BMC community for its biennial gathering. The theme of this event is Exploring Your Creative Spirit. Workshops, hikes, games, music, food, worship and plenty of time for conversation and relaxation, will make the experience a rich and rewarding one. To learn more about the event and about the Potawatomi Inn where we will be housed, go to the BMC website at www.bmclgbt.org. If you have ideas about a workshop or suggestions for an activity at the gathering, coordinator Wilma Harder would love to hear from you. Contact the BMC office at bmc@bmclgbt.org for Wilma's contact information.
10) Camp fYrefly
The Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services at the University of Alberta offers a unique retreat experience for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-identified, two-spirited, queer and allied youth. Camp fYrefly is a four day experience that helps youth develop leadership skills and resiliency necessary for them to become change agents in their families, schools, and local communities. This year’s retreat will be held July 24-27 in Edmonton, Alberta. Applications for this extraordinary leadership experience are due by May 23 and can be accessed at www.fyrefly.ualberta.ca. No youth is turned away because of financial need.
11) LGBT Parents Involved
A comprehensive study of lgbt families’ experience in education by GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) has found that lgbt parents in the U.S. are more likely to be involved in their children’s K-12 education than the general population. More specifically, lgbt parents were more likely than the general population to have attended a parent-teacher conference in the past year (94% to 77%) and more likely to volunteer (67% to 42%). Interestingly, parents whose child’s school had a comprehensive safe school policy that protected students from bullying and harassment based on sexual orientation or gender expression, reported the lowest level of mistreatment by school personnel, other parents, or students. To view the full report, which is titled Involved, Invisible, Ignored: The Experience of LGBT Parents and their Children in Our Nation’s K-12 Schools, go to www.glsen.org.
12) BMC Needs Your Support!
BMC is making a difference in the lives of individuals, families, congregations, and even within the Mennonite and Brethren denominations. Through our resources, trainings, events, conversations, witness and presence, we offer hope not only for lgbt and supportive people and our families, but also for the church as it stumbles to be faithful to the gospel call for justice and grace. In these challenging economic times, we need your contributions of time and money to keep the work going. Gifts may be made online at our website (www.bmclgbt.org) or sent to BMC/PO Box 6300/Minneapolis, MN 55406. Thank you!
13) Upcoming BMC Events
June 5-8 Welcoming Church Training, La Verne, CA
July 7-10 Mennonite Church Canada Assembly, Winnipeg, MB
July 12-15 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, Richmond, VA
September 1-5 National Older Adult Conference, Lake Junaluska, NC
September 4-7 Many Stories, One Voice (ecumenical welcoming conference),
New Orleans, LA (www.welcomingresources.org/msov.htm)
September 19-21 Welcoming Church Training, Winston-Salem, NC
October 10-12 BMC Gathering, Pokagon State Park, IN
October 24-26 Welcoming Church Training, Goshen, IN
November 7-9 Progressive Brethren Summit; Indianapolis, IN
BMC NewsNet is an electronic newsletter produced by Carol Wise and Maggie Miller for the Brethren Mennonite Council for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Interests (BMC). BMC seeks to provide programming, support and advocacy for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals and their families and friends. For questions, comments or to unsubscribe from this list, contact the BMC office at PO Box 6300, Minneapolis, MN 55406-0300, USA; bmc@bmclgbt.org; or 612.343.2060.
To donate to BMC, go to our website at www.bmclgbt.org and click on Donate Now. You can also send a check to the BMC office, PO Box 6300, Minneapolis, MN 55406. Thank you for your generous support!
BMC Staff
Carol Wise – Executive Director, SCN Coordinator
Maggie Miller – Kaleidoscope Coordinator, BMC Volunteer
Randall Friesen – Outspoken Editor
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