Happy Kinship Awareness Month!

A couple of years ago, we voted to make the month of October a time to raise awareness of Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International. Since October 11 is National Coming Out Day, we decided to take the entire month to celebrate and affirm who we are. Some of us can do this publicly and others can certainly celebrate in the safe space that Kinship provides for our community.

The story is told of a king who held a race in which all the young men in his kingdom were invited to participate. A bag of gold was promised to the winner.

On the day of the race, the young men assembled and started running at the sound of the fanfare. At a certain point in the course the runners found a large pile of stones, around which, one by one, they managed to scramble over or around. Gradually, the runners crossed the finish line. After almost everyone had finished the king refused to declare a winner.

I am happy to announce that we have appointed a new interim Vice President to fill my previous role before being elected as President. After deep consideration, the Kinship Board is excited that Catherine Taylor has agreed to serve out the current term of Vice President. Catherine is certainly no stranger to SDA Kinship and has been connected with the organization since 1981 and has served in numerous capacities through the years. She has a passion for people and their stories. Among many other contributions, she was the Connection editor for more than 12 years and led the Building Safe Places project for several years. I believe that Catherine will be a very positive addition to the Kinship Leadership Team. Please stay tuned for additional projects and important changes we will be making to the organization to make it even more appealing and relevant to those who need its message today. We will feature Catherine and other Board members in upcoming media. 

—Floyd Poenitz, President
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Dear Kinship family around the world!

The past two weeks have been filled with blessings for me. I traveled to Germany and spent a week with my favorite cousin. It has been two years since I was in Europe. I spent the time just doing a lot of talking and catching up. It was wonderful spending time with my biological family that affirms me 100%.

YOU BELONG!

We live in a society (even in church) that routinely tries to separate us into categories: rich, poor; Black, White; female, male; gay, cis, transgender; liberal, conservative. It's a throwback to our tribalistic past and it shows no signs of weakening. If anything, it seems to be getting more entrenched.

Dear Kinship family around the world!

We always look forward with anticipation to upcoming events; and after they are over, there is a bit of letdown as we return to the normal routine of life. Kampmeeting is always filled with these emotions. It was wonderful seeing many of you online for the Zoom lunches on the two Sabbath afternoons of Kampmeeting. Thanks to all of you who joined us live during the sermons. It's “almost” like being in the same room, reading your comments, and being able to interact with each other.

Hello, Friends!

SOME 2021 KINSHIP KAMPMEETING HIGHLIGHTS

As Pride month ended, I watched our SDA Kinship 2021 Virtual Pride Parade, and I felt a genuine sense of pride in being a member of our organization. From the very first moment I found Kinship, I knew I had found a community that embraced me and loved me just the way I am.

From the early days of Kinship to now, so much of what we do has changed. When I joined, most of our communications were through the Connection newsletter, telephone calls, emails, and KinNet, our web forums. Now we can stay much more connected with folks in our regions, our countries, and in other countries around the world. Thank goodness for the eNews, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, the SDAKinship.org website, and our many Facebook pages and groups! 

Here in the United States, we have a month for everything: Black History Month (February), Hispanic Heritage Month (September), Women's History Month (March), LGBTQ+ Pride Month (June). But what about the rest of the year? As much as we're reminded at Christmas time to carry the Christmas spirit with us throughout the year, we have to admit that by the end of December we're ready to move on.

So how do we maintain the spirit of inclusion and acceptance modeled during LGBTQ+ Pride Month throughout the rest of the year? The answer is by rejecting harmful stereotypes and standing for basic human rights in as many ways as we can, as often as we can. Those who have experienced prejudice and marginalization have to stand with those who are marginalized still.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Here in the United States, June is Pride month. For more years than I can remember, but probably close to 20, Kinship Region 2 has participated in the D.C. Pride Parade—until last year when it was postponed because of the pandemic. Each year before that, my region has rented a large pickup truck, decorated it together, and given out candy and flyers along the parade route. Not one year has ever passed without someone with an Adventist background coming up to us, amazed that an Adventist LGBTIQ organization like Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International exists!

^{Focusing and Refocusing, Adjusting and Readjusting}

Focusing is a complex process. How many times a day do you stop and focus on something? Maybe you need to see a special store sign or read an email message. Maybe the room is noisy, and you need to focus your ears to hear an important announcement. Or how about focusing your emotional support on an activity or a dear friend? Our human brains and emotions are constantly being challenged and refocused to experience our daily lives, and our reactions and behaviors also need to readjust to new situations.

June is LBGTQ+ Pride Month. With any luck, this year’s celebration will be much more festive than last year’s (pandemic, remember?).

A search of the Bible for the word “pride” generally yields negative results. Pride is not a value usually extolled among God’s people. Humility yes, pride no.

Here in the United States, June is Pride month. For more years than I can remember, but probably close to 20, Kinship Region 2 has participated in the D.C. Pride Parade—until last year when it was postponed because of the pandemic. Each year before that, my region has rented a large pickup truck, decorated it together, and given out candy and flyers along the parade route. Not one year has ever passed without someone with an Adventist background coming up to us, amazed that an Adventist LGBTIQ organization like Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International exists!

Many of our members also tell us that they are grateful Kinship exists. When I attended my very first Kampmeeting in 1995, I had an overwhelming feeling of belonging. I was among my people, my family; I was home. That year I met so many new friends, and I have kept those treasured relationships for all of these years since then.

I’ve been thinking recently about just what Kinship means to its members. What does Kinship do, and who benefits from Kinship’s existence? In fact, it made me think about what it would be like to do a  Kinship version of It’s A Wonderful Life (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038650/).

Strategic planning for any organization can be daunting, but it’s a necessary thing for the growth and health of that organization. In past strategic planning sessions for Kinship, we’ve talked about how much an all-volunteer organization can do, how we can encourage more members to be involved and to lead, what our goals are regarding the Adventist denomination, and what our goals are regarding our members and their needs.

HAPPY MAY TO ALL KINSHIP FAMILIES & FRIENDS

Wow, it’s springtime already! Our wildflowers are springing up in the foothills, green grass is bursting out for our deer to enjoy, and the male turkeys are busy attracting some girlfriends.

We have sent out almost 900 copies of UnClobber to LGBT people AND to families and Adventist Church leaders.

We thank you for your support of this project, and we are aiming to have more conversations and create change in ourselves, our families, and our local communities.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Click the image to play the video.

Click the image to play the video.

The struggle for equality, whether based on sexual orientation, gender, race, religion, or economics, has been part of the human experience for thousands of years. Those of us who have supported the rights of LGBTQ individuals have seen remarkable progress over the last several years. Gay, lesbian, and transgender lawmakers serve at nearly every level of state, local, and federal government. LGBTQ individuals are featured in films, in concert halls, and at athletic venues. We can celebrate this progress.

But as we enjoy the progress we’ve seen, we have to admit that resistance to sexual, racial, religious, and ethnic equality is growing and becoming increasingly violent. In many places bigotry, prejudice, and ignorance are conspiring to rob people of their God-given right to equality.

MONTHLY EVENTS

EKM2021 will be held in a natural environment in the little community of Westelbeers, between the cities Eindhoven and Tilburg in The Netherlands.

As Carolyn and I explored “variations,” we discovered that every one of us is “varied.” She and I have different heights, different body shapes, distinct personalities, and even different behaviors. We are greatly varied.

 
Life at Quest Learning Center

BY JERRY MCKAY

At 7:30 a.m., March 16, 1983, I boarded a bus bound for Reading, Pennsylvania. Six hours later, I was back at the Ottawa bus station!

Expecting problems with border security about my stay in the United States, Colin had prepared two letters. The first letter read: