BMC NewsNet
Vol. 7, No. 2
February/March 2007

Pictures from left to right:

 - Students from the Manchester College United Sexualities group pose with Kaleidoscope Coordinator Katie Hochstedler at the Alphabet Soup 2007 conference in Minneapolis.

 - The cooks and crew  of the BMC Community Dinner in Goshen,

 - Andy Magee, Luke L Miller, and Christian Moevs at the BMC Community Dinner,

 - and Jane Litwiller plays music after the BMC Community Dinner in Goshen.

1)   BMC Community Dinner in Goshen

2)   Wilderness Wind BMC Canoe Trip

3)   Job Opening – Kaleidoscope Position

4)   BMC/SCN Conference - For Just Such a Time: Living Out the Call

5)   Connecting Families Weekend – April 20-22, 2007

6)   Report from Alphabet Soup Conference

7)   Update on National Field Organizer position

8)   Iowa Passes Comprehensive Anti-Bullying Bill

9)   Engendering Diversity and Community Conference at the University of La Verne

10)  Staff Travel Schedules

1)  BMC Community Dinner in Goshen, March 3

Over 85 individuals from the northern Indiana BMC community gathered at Assembly Mennonite Church in Goshen for an evening that included great food, good conversation, quality music and warm company.  John and Dorothy Yoder Nyce, Michael Miller, and Wilma Harder prepared a delicious Indian meal that was the rave of the evening. Eric Kanagy and Barb Swartley added muscle to setting tables and cleaning the dishes. The lively gathering included members of the BMC board, the BMC Goshen local group, Goshen Area Connecting Families, members of the Wilderness Wind board (also meeting in Goshen for the weekend), plus friends from 10-15 area congregations. Jane Litwiller of Goshen topped off the evening by playing selections of original music. BMC thanks the cooks, crew, Jane, Assembly Mennonite, and all who attended to make this a truly wonderful evening.

2)  Wilderness Wind BMC Canoe Trip

The BMC board is considering the possibility of a BMC Wilderness Wind Canoe Trip this summer in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota. The group size can be from 3-8 people, with 4-7 days on the water and one day of orientation. Depending on group size and length of trip, costs range from $360 to $600 plus transportation to Minnesota. Wilderness Wind is a camp and wilderness outfitter in Ely, MN and part of the Mennonite Camping Association. Food, equipment and a guide are provided by Wilderness Wind as part of trip fees. For more information about Wilderness Wind, please see www.wildernesswind.org. In order to begin planning this trip, we want to hear from you. If you are interested, please email bmc@bmclgbt.org with the following information:

• Your name and names of those interested in attending with you
• Level of interest (1= “I might be interested, put me on a list for more information”   5= “I’m so interested, I’d like to help plan this trip”)
• Skill level (Beginner, Mid-level, Advanced)
• How long do you want to be on the water? (4-7 days plus 1 for orientation)
• General idea of dates that would work for you (June through early September)

3)  Job Opening – Kaleidoscope Position

The Kaleidoscope Coordinator is a full-time volunteer position that provides support, resources and programming for Mennonite and Brethren lgbta youth and young adults. The coordinator also assists with general office duties as assigned by the executive director. This position will be available August 2007. If you are interested in this position or know someone who might be, please contact Carol Wise at exdir@bmclgbt.org. More information is available at www.bmclgbt.org/KaleidoscopeCoordinator.shtml. 

4)  BMC/SCN Conference - For Just Such a Time: Living Out the Call

  San Francisco, June 30 – July 1, 2007

Those who yearn for a church that is genuinely welcoming of lgbt people and who seek company for this justice journey, are invited to gather in San Francisco for a conference that promises to be rich in worship, insight, laughter and hope.  For Just Such a Time: Living Out the Call, will begin on Saturday morning, June 30 and will conclude on Sunday, July 1. Dr. Jay Johnson, Acting Director of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry at the Pacific School of Religion, will be a featured presenter along with Carol Wise, Executive Director of BMC and Sheri Hostetler, pastor at First Mennonite Church of San Francisco. The book of Esther will guide conference reflections on models of resistance and hope. Transportation options for the Mennonite Church USA Assembly in San Jose will be made available. Please put the date on your calendar and make this event part of your summer plans.

5)  Connecting Families Weekend – April 20-22, 2007

For many years, individuals committed to providing mutual support for Brethren and Mennonite families and friends with lgbt members have been gathering for a weekend of listening, sharing stories, worship, singing and fun. The Antiochian Village, a Greek Orthodox Retreat Center in Bolivar, Pennsylvania, offers a beautiful and safe setting for this time together. Author and spiritual director Ann Showalter from Newton, Kansas, will offer sessions on the topic Journey Toward Wholeness: Changes, Challenges, and Possibilities for Growth. Families, friends and supporters of lgbt people, as well as lgbt individuals themselves, are all welcomed. Additional information and registration materials can be accessed on the BMC website at www.bmclgbt.org or by contacting the BMC office at 612.343.2060.

6)  Report from Alphabet Soup Conference

Over 1500 college and university students, faculty, staff and community gathered in mid-February at the University of Minnesota for the Alphabet Soup 2007 Conference, also known as the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference. In attendance were 11 students from Manchester College, who drove all night in frigid temperatures to arrive in time for the conference. The students were fed and billeted by BMC at the Faith Mennonite Church in Minneapolis. BMC Volunteer and Kaleidoscope Coordinator Katie Hochstedler presented a workshop on” Deconstructing and Responding to Anti-Gay Religious Bigotry,” one of over 130 workshops to choose from throughout the weekend. Keynote presenters at the conference included Faisal Alam, Loren Cameron, Mandy Carter, and Robyn Ochs. Comedian Margaret Cho was the featured entertainer for the weekend. Next year’s conference will be hosted by the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana.

7)  Update on National Field Organizer position

A $150,000 grant from the Arcus Foundation has made possible the hiring of a faith-based national field organizer whose focus will be to expand the base of congregations that are welcoming and affirming of lgbt people and our families. Over thirty applications were received for the position. The four partnering programs (Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptist, Gay and Lesbian Affirming Disciples, Community Network of the Community of Christ and BMC) will gather in Minneapolis on March 24th to conduct interviews. It is hoped that the new hire will be in place by April.

8)  Iowa Passes Comprehensive Anti-Bullying Bill

On March 5, Iowa Governor Chet Culver signed a bill into law intending to make all students in Iowa’s schools safer. The bill requires all Iowa schools, public and private, to have comprehensive policies by Sept. 1 that prevent and address the bullying or harassment of any student. The landmark bill will make Iowa the 10th state to protect students from bullying and harassment based on sexual orientation and only the fifth to protect students on the basis of gender expression. Passage of the comprehensive Iowa bill is particularly noteworthy because research shows that safe schools laws that specifically enumerate protected categories are more effective than laws that do not.

Besides Iowa, the nine other states to include protection for sexual orientation in a safe schools bill are California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. Only California, Maine, Minnesota and New Jersey also include gender expression. To find out how you can help your schools become safer places for all students go to the website of GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) at www.glsen.org.

9)  Engendering Diversity and Community Conference at the University of La Verne

The annual Engendering Diversity Community Conference brings together scholars, artists, activists, performers, community members and students to share and discuss issues of gender and sexuality. Evocative and vibrant, this year’s conference will feature Nontombi Naomi Tutu from South Africa as a main presenter. For information about the conference, go to the University’s Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies website at www.ulv.edu/wgss. Zandra Wagoner, a member of the BMC board and Associate Professor of Religion, is the chairperson of this new academic minor at La Verne that offers students “the opportunity to think critically about gender and sexuality within the complex weave of cultural, historical, political and social forces.”

10)  Staff Travel Schedules

The BMC staff will be participating in various events in the coming months and are very interested in meeting with local individuals and/or groups. If you would like to meet with Katie or Carol, please contact the BMC office at bmc@bmclgbt.org or call 612.343.2060. Here are tentative travel dates:

March 24, Carol at NFO interviews in Minneapolis

March 26-27, Carol in Kansas City

April 14, Carol in Madison, Wisconsin

April 20-22, Carol at Connecting Families in Bolivar, PA

BMC NewsNet is an electronic newsletter produced by Carol Wise and Katie Hochstedler 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

Katie Hochstedler – Kaleidoscope Coordinator, BMC Volunteer

Paul Hawkins – Development Coordinator