Kinship News

Dr. Ronald L. Lawson Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International mourns the passing of Dr. Ronald L. Lawson, who died on August 3, 2026, at his home in Loma Linda, California. Ron was a pioneer of Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International and one of the most influential voices in our organization’s history. From Kinship’s earliest years, he helped shape a community where LGBTQIA+ Seventh-day Adventists could find belonging, friendship, and hope. As Kinship’s first Church Li

Floyd Poenitz, President, SDA Kinship Happy Sabbath around the world! I’m sure many of you noticed that you had not received an eNews eMail from Kinship this month. After Kinship’s Kampmeeting earlier this month, the Kinship Board has been busy catching up on tasks and to-do’s created at the meeting in Baltimore. We will be sharing more about Kampmeeting in the next eNews mailing. I will just quickly say that Kinship Kampmeeting #47 was a wonderful time and that it felt good

From July 7–12, 2026, the Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International family gathered in Marriottsville, Maryland, for our 47th Annual Kampmeeting—a week of worship, learning, healing, laughter, and authentic community. For nearly five decades, Kampmeeting has been the heart of SDA Kinship International. It is where LGBTQIA+ current and former Seventh-day Adventists, together with their families, friends, and allies, come together to find what so many have searched for: a com

The Kampmeeting team and Kinship leaders are working hard to ensure all members are able to have an amazing Kampmeeting experience. The location is retreat-style, so all meals are included and will provide time to better know your Kinship family. There is an amazing lineup of speakers that will be addressing some of the following topics: Creative Writing Social Media “Building your Own Church” The Future of Kinship Relationships Mental Health And More… We’ll also have some of

Carolyn Wilt We are deeply saddened to share that our dear Mama Bear, Carolyn Wilt, passed away on the morning of May 28 at her family cabin at Silver Lake, California. For many years, Carolyn and John Wilt served together as leaders of SDA Kinship Families and Friends and as members of the Kinship Board. As a team, they offered steady love, wisdom, and care to families of LGBTQ+ loved ones. They made themselves available to parents, relatives, and friends who were struggling

The best thing about being old(er) is that you have seen and experienced a lot. I can still remember when the Stonewall riots took place. I lived on the opposite side of the United States, but the word "gay" caught my attention. I was 10 years old. I couldn't let on that I was interested, but yet, I knew that somehow I was connected to what was happening. I also felt the conflict that this was creating in my life and the line in the sand that had been drawn. Would I be on the

Some of us are old enough to remember when homosexuality was scandalous, and being identified as bi, gay, lesbian, or trans was shameful and scornful. Thankfully, that has changed to a remarkable degree, both in North America and in most countries of the world. Indeed, entertainers, entrepreneurs, politicians, and professional athletes openly identify as members of the queer community. The list is long, but includes Tim Cook, Ben Whishaw, Billie Jean King, Billy Porter, Krist

During World War II a U.S. patrol in France was ambushed by the enemy. When the skirmish was over one of the American soldiers was dead. The dead GI's buddies noticed a small church next to a graveyard. They carried their colleague to the church and asked the priest if they could bury their friend in the cemetery. The priest asked whether their friend was Catholic. They didn't know. "He could've been," they said, "but we don't know for sure." "This is a Catholic cemetery," re

Colby Martin Pastor, Speaker and Author of “UnClobber” and “The Shift” will be presenting multiple times at Kampmeeting. Stay tuned for more announcements of other speakers and more Kampmeeting information. Kampmeeting will be July 7-12, 2026 We’re returning to an all-inclusive retreat model at Bon Secours Retreat & Conference Center (near Baltimore). That means: One easy fee that includes lodging + meals + programming More time together (starting Tuesday) for connection, r

Carolyn Wilt, (along with her husband John) is co-director of Kinship's Families & Friends As Carolyn and I connect around the world with Kinship families, friends, and rainbow members we realize how complex this world really is and how complicated each persons local space can be. Their landscapes range from ocean and beautiful beaches to tall steep mountains with colorful meadows, streams and waterfalls. Others share about their farms, ranches and busy towns and cities and w