Exhibit Hall / 2300 Lobby
Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery Mennonite Jewish Relations Working Group Mennonite Palestine Israel Network (MennoPIN) Brethren Mennonite Council for LGBT Interests (BMC) Pink Menno, Inclusive Mennonite Pastors and Queer Menno Pastors
Our struggles and our collective liberation are interwoven and alive! ("intersectionality” - Kimberle Crenshaw, 1989)
Tuesday, July 4
Join the Jubilee: Growing a Repair Network
July 4th, 3:45-4:45pm, Room 2208
Katerina Gea will share about the "Repair Network," a new way for congregations and communities to join the Coalition's work for Indigenous justice. Representatives from Repair Network communities will share stories from their journey of decolonization, such as land acknowledgment art, land return and reparations efforts, and accompaniment of Indigenous peoples protecting land and water. Come and learn how your community can join Jesus' invitation to Jubilee justice in relationship with Indigenous peoples!
Creating Relationships and Understanding in Gaza
July 4th, 3:45-4:45pm, Room 2205
MennoPIN’s Gaza Twinning Initiative encourages congregations to engage in relationships with groups in Gaza which include prayer, listening, support and advocacy to address poverty, violence and human rights abuses. Manhattan Mennonite Church and Youth Vision Society (YVS) was the first twinning partnership. Relationships and projects with Tareq Abuhalima of YVS developed into a graduate assistantship at Bluffton University where he co-directs Lion and the Lamb. The seminar offers experiences growing up in Gaza under the Israeli blockade, wars and the Twinning relationships with Manhattan Mennonite Church (KS) and Fellowship of Hope (IN). Fellowship of Hope twins with Gaza YMCA.
MennoPIN and “Come and See” Israel Palestine Learning Tours Meeting
July 4th, 9:00pm, Room 2102A
Come meet MennoPIN’s Steering Committee and Mennonite pastors who have participated in “Come and See” learning tours of Israel-Palestine. Bob Atchison will offer a brief introduction about MennoPIN and Jonathan Kuttab, International Human Rights lawyer, co-founder of the Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq, Nonviolence International, and Executive Director of Friends of Sabeel of North America, will provide an update of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict including discussions about apartheid. Dialogue, listening and questions are encouraged.
Wednesday, July 5
Supersessionism and Biblical Interpretation
July 5th, 9:00-10:00am, Room 2203
Jackie Wyse-Rhodes
Supersessionism is the harmful theological claim that the church has replaced Israel as God’s covenant community and the authority of the New Testament “supersedes” that of the Old Testament. This seminar will explore how supersessionism results in shallow and unsatisfying experiences with the Bible, often leading Christians to discount whole swaths of the biblical tradition. We will also investigate various ways that supersessionism among Christians contributes to physical violence and hateful speech against Jews. Finally, we will delve into several methods of reading the whole Bible with integrity, as followers of Jesus today.
Introduction to LGBTQIA+
July 5th, 9:00-10:00am, Room 2204
Joanne Gallardo and Clayton Gladish
An introduction to LGBTQIA+ terminology, the concept of gender, and recognizing layers of privilege a person has or doesn’t have, based on identity and personhood. There will also be space for respectful questions. This seminar is open to LGBTQIA+ people and their allies.
Beyond Green Growth and Creation Care
July 5th, 3:45-4:45pm, Room 2215B
Sarah Augustine & Sheri Hostetler
Many climate justice initiatives seek to end climate change by use of the same mechanisms that created the climate crisis. Rather than challenging and unpacking the assumptions and values that have brought
humanity to the brink of collapse, conventional climate justice strategies focus on technological solutions that require more exploitation of natural resources, including the polluting extraction of materials to build these technologies. During this seminar, Sarah Augustine and Sheri Hostetler will explore decolonization as a primary mechanism for seeking ecological justice, consistent with Indigenous cosmologies and experiences.
Kansas Wouldn’t Let Me Teach Math, Because I Boycott Israel
July 5th, 3:45-4:45 pm, Room 2204
Esther Koontz, Western District Conference, will share her experiences which began in the fall of 2017, when she was asked to sign a loyalty pledge stating that she would not boycott Israel in order to get paid for her side job as a math teacher trainer for the state of Kansas. Esther called the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU,) sued the state of Kansas and won her preliminary injunction before Kansas changed the law, and she lost her legal standing. Hear Esther's story of how her local Mennonite church first gave her the idea to boycott Israel because of Israel's unjust treatment of Palestinians and then how her church stood by her during the difficult decision to sue and stand up to this first amendment rights violation. Also view a five-minute short film about Esther's story, made by the producer of Boycott, a new film documenting the story of three other individuals who stood up to similar state anti-boycott laws.
Viewing & Discussion of Just Vision’s Boycott Film
July 5th, 7:00-8:45 pm @ Grace & Holy Trinity Cathedral, 415 W 13th Street
When a news publisher in Arkansas, an attorney in Arizona, and a speech therapist in Texas are told they must choose between their jobs and their political beliefs, they launch legal battles that expose an attack on freedom of speech across 35 states in America. Boycott traces the impact of state legislation designed to penalize individuals and companies that choose to boycott Israel due to its human rights record. A legal thriller with “accidental plaintiffs” at the center of the story, Boycott is a bracing look at the far-reaching implications of anti -boycott legislation and an inspiring tale of everyday Americans standing up to protect our rights in an age of shifting politics and threats to freedom of speech. Following the film’s viewing Esther Koontz will lead a panel discussion with MennoPIN Steering Committee members to engage participants in dialogue. Refreshments will be provided!
Thursday, July 6
Living Into Repentance and Transformation
July 6th, 9:00-10:00am, Room 2202
Randy Spaulding with other leaders of Inclusive Mennonite Pastors
What does it mean to be an official LGBTQIA+ welcoming denomination? What does repentance and transformation look like? How may it already be happening among us? How is God at work, and what are the challenges that lie ahead? This seminar invites group sharing, visioning and conversation. Facilitated by queer and ally Mennonites, including leaders of Inclusive Mennonite Pastors and others.
Resistance and Healing: Lessons from Queer, Decolonial Movements July 6th, 3:45-4:45pm, Room 2203 Sarah Augustine, Katerina Gea, Tim Nafziger and Annabeth Roeschley Since the early days of the Anabaptist movement, we have sought to balance challenging unjust institutions with the communal work of healing and liberation. In this workshop, we will look at historic and present examples of how Pink Menno, Brethren Mennonite Council for LGBT Interests and Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery navigate this creative tension. Institutions and movements dance together around the need for stability, sustainability and scale. Resistance is almost always part of healing and is critical to changing the conditions that create harm.
The Big Queer and Trans Gathering
July 6th, 6:00-8:30 pm @ KC Live! 13 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64106
Gather for a reunion with Pink Menno, Brethren Mennonite Council for LGBT Interests (BMC), Inclusive Mennonite Pastors (IMP), and Queer Menno Pastors (QMP). The whole beloved spectrum of the LGBTQIA+ rainbow, especially trans and nonbinary kin, is invited! Allies and accomplices are very welcome! Drop by anytime between 6:00 pm and 8:30 pm. This gathering is free and no RSVP is required. Food will not be provided, but KC Live has many restaurants and drink venues, so each person can buy their own food. Contact Pink Menno (via Facebook) or come by the Big Booth for Intersectional Justice and ask for Pink Menno if food cost is an issue.
Venue Information & Accessibility: KC Live is an open-air live music venue and is covered by a translucent canopy that lets light in but keeps the elements out. It is also equipped with large overhead fans, seating, fire pits, and more. KC Live has ramps for easy access from the street and the KC Live parking garage, as well as several elevators. Oversized bags are not allowed in the venue. For full details see powerandlightdistrict.com/faq. Check the Pink Menno facebook page for up-to-date information.
