BMC NewsNet
Vol. 7, No. 6
September 2007

Friends gather to congratulate Katie Hochstedler                            Maggie Miller, BMC’s new        

on a job well done.                                                                                  Kaleidoscope Coordinator.        

1)    Happy National Coming Out Day!                                

2)    Goodbye and Good Luck to Katie Hochstedler                  Bishops and Elders Council

3)    BMC Welcomes Maggie Miller                                                        Sarasota, Florida

4)    Brethren Annual Conference Discussion

5)    VOS Fall Gathering

6)    Bishops and Elders Council

7)    BMC Welcomes New Board Members

8)    “For the Bible Tells Me So”

9)    US Senate Takes a Step towards Equality

10)   Employment Non-Discrimination Act                                       

11)  Jack Rogers Speaking Tour                                                                          

1) Happy National Coming Out Day!  October 11th

Come out, come out, wherever you are! October 11th is National Coming Out Day. Started in 1988, National Coming Out Day encourages lgbt people to be a visible presence at their work places, schools and communities in order to challenge negative stereotypes about lgbt people and instill pride in the lgbt community. The Human Rights Campaign is the official sponsor of National Coming Out Day and has excellent resources about coming out. They can be accessed at www.hrc.org.

2) Goodbye and Good Luck to Katie Hochstedler

The BMC group of the Twin Cities celebrated Katie Hochstedler’s two years as the volunteer service worker for BMC with brats, chips and standard picnic fare. During Katie’s tenure as the Kaleidoscope Coordinator she started college list servs, initiated the new BMC blog, hosted students for the Midwest LGBT Conference, assisted numerous youth and young adults who and helped with the many mundane tasks that keep the BMC office afloat. Her humor, sharp analyses and impatience with the status quo will be missed. Katie is furthering her Mennonite interest in good, healthy food by embarking on a new career in the culinary arts. She is currently enrolled in a two year program at St. Paul College in St. Paul, Minnesota. We’re now happy to recognize her as BMC’s leading chef!

3) BMC Welcomes Maggie Miller

BMC welcomes Maggie Miller as our new volunteer service worker. Maggie will be serving through the United Church of Christ Volunteer Ministries (Brethren Volunteer Service will not recognize BMC as a placement project), hails from Elkhart, Indiana, and grew up in the Church of the Brethren. She is a sociology graduate from Manchester College (2006), where she offered leadership to the United Sexualities Group on campus. Caffeine lovers of Goshen, Indiana, might recognize Maggie as one of the employees at The Electric Brew, where she worked prior to her move to Minnesota. As the Kaleidoscope Coordinator at BMC, Maggie will work with college students, young adults and high school youth. BMC is delighted that she has joined our staff and welcome her to the Twin Cities. One request – if you happen to have a cello that you are no longer using and would love to lend it out for one year to make a full time volunteer very happy, please contact the BMC office!

4) Brethren Annual Conference Discussion

In September, representatives from BMC, Voices for an Open Spirit and the Church of the Brethren Womaen’s Caucus, met with members of the Annual Conference Program and Arrangements Committee in New Windsor, Maryland, to discuss the continued exclusion of BMC from the exhibit hall at Annual Conference. The three and a half hour conversation clarified some points of disagreement yet offered very little in terms of a positive way forward. A joint statement describing the conversation has been developed and can be accessed by going to www.bmclgbt.org.

5) VOS Fall Gathering

Voices for an Open Spirit, a progressive group in the Church of the Brethren, invites everyone to their Fall 2007 Gathering, November 9-11 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Anne Robertson, author of “Blowing the Lid Off the God-Box: Opening Up To a Limitless Faith” (Moorehouse Publishing 2005) will be the featured presenter. Robertson is an ordained United Methodist minister and is the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Bible Society.  The Gathering will be held at the Ridgeway Community Church of the Brethren. Cost is $60, which covers most meals and all activities. To register, go to www.voicesforanopenspirit.org or call 717-545-4542. It promises to be an enlightening and community building event.

6) Bishops and Elders Council

BMC Executive Director Carol Wise met with other ecumenical partners in September in Sarasota, Florida for the second Bishop and Elders Council. The gathering brought together leaders from 17 different organizations that reflected a broad theological and geographical spectrum. In addition to lively worship together, the Council focused upon sharing best practices, planning for an ecumenical conference and responding to federal legislation of importance to lgbt people.

7) BMC Welcomes New Board Members

The BMC board enjoyed the kind hospitality of the Community Mennonite Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for its meeting on August 24-26. New board members Caitlin Neufeld from Sydenham, Ontario and Paul Neudorf from Montreal, Quebec, were welcomed, as was Outspoken editor Randall Friesen. The board celebrated a positive financial report for the fiscal year 2006-2007 and passed a new budget that reflected a 4% growth plus special spending related to grants that have been received. In addition, the board gave approval for the executive director to move forward with plans for a sabbatical, worked on the BMC Convention, reviewed organizational goals and explored the possibility of new programs and events. Ralph McFadden, vice-president of the board, preached at the Sunday morning services at Community Mennonite.

8) “For the Bible Tells Me So”

“For the Bible Tells Me So” is the title of a new documentary that shows how the literal interpretation of the Bible has been used to discriminate against lgbt people. The film, which is being released in independent theaters this month, has won awards at Provincetown, Sundance, and Seattle Film Festivals. It is described as being both provocative and entertaining and includes interviews with well known figures such as the former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt and Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson. Check your local listings for a theater near you, or go to the official website at www.forthebibletellsmeso.org.

9) US Senate Takes a Step Towards Equality

The US Senate recently passed the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act/Matthew Shepard Act, which offers federal resources and the ability to prosecute for bias motivated violence based upon the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability of an individual. Bias motivated crimes, or hate crimes, are particularly injurious because they are intended to send a message of intimidation and fear to a whole class of people. According to FBI statistics, 16% of all hate crimes are directed towards gay or lesbian people. It is anticipated that President Bush will veto the act.

10) Employment Non-Discrimination Act

Did you know that in thirty states in the US an individual could be fired or not hired simply because she or he is lgbt? The federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA - HR 2015) seeks to rectify this civil rights injustice. Unfortunately, transgender protections have been stripped from the bill, an unacceptable exclusion. It is important that members of Congress hear from concerned constituents. To learn more about the ENDA and find out what you can do to ensure a just and comprehensive bill, go to the Human Rights Campaign website at www.hrc.org.

11) Jack Rogers Speaking Tour

Dr. Jack Rogers is Professor of Theology Emeritus at San Francisco Theological Seminary and a former moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA). A self described evangelical, in his book Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church (Westminster John Knox Press, 2006), Rogers details his journey from being critical to being a supporter of the full inclusion of lgbt people within the life of the church. He is on a speaking tour of the Midwest that includes stops in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois. Dr. Rogers is a dynamic and thoughtful presenter and it is worthwhile to make the effort to hear him. To see if he is in your area, go to www.drjackrogers.com and check out his speaking schedule.

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 or contact Paul Hawkins, Development Coordinator, at phawkins@bmclgbt.org or 260.341.6387. You can also send a check to the BMC, 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

Paul Hawkins – Development Coordinator

Randall Friesen – Outspoken Editor