BMC NewsNet
Vol. 8, No. 4
September, 2008
 
Picture Project at CoB Annual Conference My Menno Church Steering Committee
 
Maggie Miller Carrie Fry-Miller
1) BMC Gathering: Exploring Your Creative Spirit. Register Now!
2) Maggie Miller Completes Volunteer Year
3) Carrie Fry-Miller Welcomed to BMC
4) Welcoming Church Training – Goshen, Indiana
5) Faithful and Just: Progressive Brethren Speak
6) Mennonite Church Canada Assembly/People’s Summit Report
7) Church of the Brethren Annual Conference Report
8) Gustav Forces Cancellation of Conference
9) Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren Sends Query
10) Shawn Kirchner CD
11) Doctoral Research Survey
12) Upcoming Events
1) BMC Gathering: Exploring Your Creative Spirit. Register Now!
It’s time to get your registrations in and finalize travel plans for the Biennial BMC Gathering! Registrations are still being accepted, and the late fee is waived until October 1. The beautiful Pokagon State Park near Angola, Indiana, is the site of the Gathering, which is being held October 10-12. To access the Gathering brochure, visit our website: http://www.bmclgbt.org/documents/BMC.Gathering08.revision3.pdf .
You may call BMC directly at 612.343.2060 to register for the event. The deadline for BMC to arrange for housing at the Potawatomi Inn has passed, but they may still have rooms available. Contact the Inn directly to reserve a room: 877.563.4371. This promises to be a great event, and we look forward to seeing you there!
2) Maggie Miller Completes Volunteer Year
It seems nearly impossible, but Maggie Miller will complete one year of volunteer service with BMC on October 1. In addition to the regular responsibilities of office life, Maggie also undertook several important projects during her year at BMC including: the completion of the high school resource toolkit, the development of the youth advisor toolkit, support for young adults and students in Winnipeg, and intentional organizing for a BMC presence at the Church of the Brethren Young Adult Conference. Her humor, strong writing skills, organizing efforts and keen insights will be missed. After a brief hiatus to Elkhart, Indiana, Maggie plans on relocating to Chicago. She will be at the BMC Gathering where her work will be recognized by the BMC community. Thank you, Maggie, for all you have done for BMC and good luck in all future endeavors!
3) Carrie Fry-Miller Welcomed to BMC
BMC welcomes Carrie Fry-Miller as the new full time volunteer service worker at BMC. Carrie is a 2007 graduate of Manchester College with a degree in Peace Studies. She grew up in the Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren congregation in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Most recently, Carrie has been the chapel assistant at Manchester College and worked as a teacher assistant at a Head Start Program. Because BMC is not recognized as a placement site by either the Brethren or Mennonite volunteer programs, Carrie is serving through the United Church of Christ Volunteer Ministries Program. Welcome, Carrie!
4) Welcoming Church Training – Goshen, Indiana
Individuals interested in helping their congregation, community or denomination become more welcoming of lgbt people are invited to a training that will be held at Assembly Mennonite Church in Goshen, Indiana on October 24-26, 2008. This excellent training offers participants an opportunity to develop the tools, strategies and information necessary to help create positive, lgbt affirming change. 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 generous grants awarded to BMC and our three partner organizations through the Arcus Foundation and the Carpenter Foundation. Go to the BMC website at www.bmclgbt.org to download a brochure about the training.
The next Welcoming Church Training will be held in Independence, Missouri on November 7-9, 2008. If you are interested in attending that event, please contact the BMC office for registration materials.
5) Faithful and Just: Progressive Brethren Speak
Individuals who have lamented the loss of a progressive Brethren witness are invited to be part of an exciting summit, Faithful and Just: Progressive Brethren Speak, to be held November 7-9 at the Northview Church of the Brethren in Indianapolis, Indiana. The event will feature an array of workshops, keynote presentations, bible study, worship, music and conversation all designed to reclaim and articulate a Brethren progressive perspective. Key presenters include Robert Miller (Juanita College), Susan Boyer (La Verne), Kurt Borgmann (Manchester), Ken Kline-Smeltzer (VOS) and Audrey deCoursey (Womaen’s Caucus). The summit is being sponsored by BMC, Womaen’s Caucus, Voices for an Open Spirit, Christian Community, Inc. and several SCN congregations. On-line registration is available through the Womaen’s Caucus website at www.womaenscaucus.org.
6) Mennonite Church Canada Assembly / People’s Summit Report
The Postcard Project was highly visible at the Mennonite Church Canada Assembly held this summer in Winnipeg. Unwelcome at the Assembly itself, the group rented space at a high school located directly across the street from Canadian Mennonite University where the Assembly was held. There the group artistically displayed over 100 postcards that had been received from individuals across Mennonite Church Canada who wrote to express their support of lgbt welcome. In addition, BMC used the space to sponsor a brown bag luncheon and set up a display and resource table. Postcard Project coordinators estimated that nearly 200 people, or more than one-third of those attending the assembly, came to view the display. On-going conversations are currently being held between MCC denominational leaders and representatives from the Postcard Project.
7) Church of the Brethren Annual Conference
BMC supporters carried poster-sized photos of lgbt and ally Brethren throughout the entire conference, dramatically witnessing to the high cost that the church endures for its exclusionary practices. In addition to the witness, the posters sparked sometimes spirited conversation between conference participants, and not infrequent words of appreciation from people with lgbt family members who have felt silenced or invisible. Supporters brought the more than 70 photos together one evening for a powerful witness (see above photo) as conference-goers filed into the conference center. To view the Picture Project, go to the BMC website (www.bmclgbt.org) and click on Church of the Brethren Annual Conference 2008.
8) Gustav Forces Cancellation of Conference
Hurricane conditions forced the cancellation of the ecumenical conference, Many Stories, One Voice that had been scheduled for September 4-7 in New Orleans. BMC was a co-sponsor of the event, which brought together nearly 30 different faith-based lgbt groups. Conversations about rescheduling are currently in process.
9) Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren Sends Query
Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren recently brought a query to the Northern Indiana District Conference asking if the language used in 1983 Annual Conference paper concerning same-sex covenantal relationships is still appropriate. After a tense period of discussion, where a variety of perspectives was offered, the conference voted by a 60% majority to send the query on to Annual Conference. If accepted by Annual Conference, this query will have the effect of reopening conversation about the denominational paper on human sexuality. Beacon Heights is a publicly affirming congregation that is part of the Supportive Communities Network (SCN). A copy of the query will be available on our website on Monday.
10) Shawn Kirchner CD
In our last issue of Outspoken, we included a piece on Brethren songwriter Shawn Kirchner’s new CD, Meet Me on the Mountain, a collection inspired by the movie, Brokeback Mountain. To order a copy of the CD, visit: http://cdbaby.com/cd/skirchner2.
11) Doctoral Research Survey
Heterosexual parents with lesbian, gay, or bisexual children are invited to participate in a Syracuse University Counseling and Human Services doctoral research project by completing a survey. The research will explore the various factors that impact parents’ experience after a child come out to them. The survey, which takes approximately 20-25 minutes to complete, may be accessed at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=klSmOZak3Vr7k9esEuaVBg_3d_3d
12) Upcoming Events
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
November 7-9 Welcoming Church Training, Independence, MO
April 17-19, 2009 Connecting Families Retreat; Reisterstown, MD
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
|
