BMC NewsNet
April 2011
1. Assembly Mennonite joins SCN
2. BMC Board Meets in Minneapolis
3. West Coast Connecting Families Initiated
4. Outspoken Online: Sermon on Singleness
5. BMC Community Gathering
6. BMC Needs Your Photos!
7. BMC Reps Meet with COB Moderators
8. Latino/Latina Roundtable Project
9. Travel
1. Assembly Mennonite Joins SCN
BMC is pleased to announce that Assembly Mennonite, by a unanimous decision, has voted to become a welcoming congregation that is part of the Supportive Communities Network (SCN) of BMC. This has been a long journey for Assembly that has been nurtured by the persistence of the Assembly Inclusion Team, which joined SCN several years ago. The congregation has been a voice for justice and wholeness within the larger church and community. It is a pleasure to welcome them to SCN. To learn more about Assembly Mennonite, visit their website at www.assemblymennonite.org.
2. BMC Board Meets in Minneapolis
Board President Ralph McFadden led the BMC board through a full and engaging agenda at the board meeting in early April. In addition to receiving various reports and budget updates (including a report from Amy Short about the elder digital project), the board held a lively discussion about the state of the lgbt movement, and BMC’s priorities and role in the midst of change. The board affirmed BMC’s focus upon quality education, congregational change, ecumenical participation and community care. The weekend ended with an overflowing community potluck graciously hosted by Frank Trnka.
3. West Coast Connecting Families Initiated
For many years parents and families of lgbt people have been gathering on the east coast for an annual Connecting Families weekend. We are excited to announce that families in the west have organized a Connecting Families - West Coast. The gathering will be at Camp Myrtlewood in Bridge, Oregon from March 30 - April 1, 2012. For more information contact bmcoregon@earthlink.net.
An important part of the west coast BMC community for many years has been Clif and Lois Kenagy. As parents of an lgbt child, they have offered leadership and support to many individuals and families. BMC was saddened to learn of the death of Clif on March 29th, and extend our love and support to his family.
4. Outspoken Online: Sermon on Singleness
Phil Stoltzfus brings a refreshingly relaxed and grounded approach to speaking about singleness in his sermon A Singular Purpose, posted on Outspoken Online. This is an important and insightful read for everyone. As Phil says, whatever your current relationship status, “this topic is relevant … to every one of us, as we try to negotiate our shifting sense of personal identity throughout life in relating to significant others, to nuclear and extended families, and to the variety of communities in which we find ourselves.” This sermon was part of a series on Family, Singleness and Marriage at Faith Mennonite Church, Minneapolis, a member of the Supportive Communities Network.
5. BMC Community Gathering
The BMC Gathering is an opportunity to gather to celebrate our strengths and persistence as a queer community. Saturday night will feature The Fierce and The Fabulous: An Evening of Storytelling. Hear or share ten minute stories of LGBTQF life experiences; from intense determination and status quo shaking, to pushing past limits, labels and definitions, to legendary tales of fixing wrongs, leaving the past, and creating a wonderful, astonishing future! We're looking for storytellers right now--please contact Amy Short or Adam Hostetter, our evening hosts, via the BMC Office for more info.
If you'd like to participate in this collecting of our fierce and fabulous stories, but prefer a more intimate setting, drop by the Story Cottage throughout the weekend to record your story on camera for our BMC history project. You can either bring a friend to interview you, or bring the questions you’d like to be asked. Following the Gathering, you’ll receive a free DVD to share with family and friends, and a second copy will be archived at the BMC Archives in Elgin, IL.
Make sure you have October 7-9 on your calendar, and plan to join us at the relaxing Ronora Lodge and Retreat Center in Michigan (www.ronoralodge.com). Specific information about registration and fees will soon be released. If you have an interest in leading a workshop that you think would be of interest to our community, please let us know at bmc@bmclgbt.org. We're looking forward to a fun and fabulous time together!
6. BMC Needs Your Photos!
As part of BMC’s Oral History Project and Storytelling events at the Community Gathering this fall, BMC is collecting photos from past Conventions and other events that are part of our 35 year history. If you have photographs or other documents you are willing to share, please contact Amy Short via the BMC office.
  
7. BMC Reps Meet with COB Moderators
At the invitation of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference moderator Robert Alley, five representatives from BMC met with him and moderator-elect, Tim Harvey, in Elgin, Illinois for a constructive conversation. Alley initiated the meeting in order to better understand the larger church and its diversity as he prepares for Annual Conference. Several agenda items related to the church’s relationship with its lgbt members are on the agenda for Conference this year.
8. Latino/Latina Roundtable Project
The Latino/Latina Roundtable Project at The Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry at Pacific School of Religion has just released two new resources for families of Latino/Latina lgbt people. The two resources are: Mama, Papa: tengo algo que decirles and Ni Juicio, Ni Condena: Leyendo de Nuevo los Textos Biblicos Sobre la Homosexualidad. Both of these booklets can be downloaded at no charge at www.clgs.org/latinoa-roundtable.
9. Travel
April 28-30 – Carol to Intercultural Consultation in Asheville, NC
May 27-30 – Carol and Kirsten to Ontario
If we're going to be in your area, let us know! We'd love to meet with you.
BMC Staff
Carol Wise - Executive Director, SCN Coordinator
Kirsten Freed - Kaleidoscope Coordinator, BMC Volunteer
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