Associational
An eNewsletter of
The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists
The National Voice for LGBT Baptists
Issue 43 ~ May 7, 2008
From the
Executive Director
Edited by AWAB Council Member Barbara Hulsing
Available in PDF
(1) From the Executive Director
Dear Sisters and
Brothers in Christ,
I want to give you a status report
on some of our new initiatives.
Media
Hits:
An editorial by Heather Rittenhouse
and I was published in the Atlanta Journal Constitution on
Outlets that covered the AJC story
were:
In the
Capacity-Building
Project:
Capacity-Building Project
Coordinator Helen Bishop is currently helping us create organizational policy
statements and manuals.
Baptist Youth Camp, Aug. 17-23,
2008:
Baptist Youth Camp Director Tim Dean
is working with a planning team to develop the curriculum for a fabulous week of
summer camp at Camp Potawatomi, South Milford, Indiana.
National Field Organizing
Project:
Nine Baptists attended Anita
Bradshaw’s training in Minneapolis in February and developed an action plan to
increase the number of W&A churches in Minnesota and Iowa. Anita will
conduct a training primarily for Baptists, Sept. 19-21, 2008, at Wake Forest
Divinity School, Winston-Salem, NC. AWAB’s strategy for this training is for 20
Baptist pastors in NC to enlist 4 members of their congregations for the
training (a potential of 100 Baptists at the Sept. training). Hopefully the AWAB
Council will participate in the Sept. training also.
Ecumenical
Relations:
The Institute for Welcoming
Resources (of which AWAB is a proud member) has approved the following
priorities for 2008-2009:
Mentoring
Connections:
Mentoring Connections Coordinator
Betty Detwyler (Emmanuel-Friedens Church, Schenectady, NY) has faithfully
communicated with the MC congregations with a monthly challenge for “Light a
Candle” Sunday.
Out in
Ministry:
Don Fonda
(
June Council Meeting/New England
Field Organizing:
The AWAB Council will meet at
Andover Newton Theological School on June 19-22. I will do field organizing in
New England until June 29.
“Many Stories, One Voice”
Conference, Sept. 3-7, 2008:
We’ve received $5,000 from Dolores
Street Baptist Church, San Francisco, CA, for 20 scholarships of $250 for 20
young emerging leaders to attend the conference.
Office:
Roman Shemayev is fully trained and
is functioning well as our part-time office assistant/financial
secretary.
Please consider making a financial
contribution to AWAB today to sustain these and other vital ministries of our
association. Donate online at www.wabaptists.org.
Lovingly,
Ken
Pennings
(2)
Report of AWAB Participation in The
By Kathy
Stayton
AWAB representatives were Jim
Singletary, Kathy Stayton, and Tim Dean
Arriving at this large, stately
church on the afternoon of March
28, I discovered that all Exhibits were in the
Only six organizations had exhibits,
and the exhibit hall was not visited by lots of people. However, those who did
visit were curious about our organization, and it was a venue for Tim Dean to
talk about Baptist Youth Camp and to distribute cards. Tim also gave a fine
report at the end of a long business meeting when the chair asked if anyone
wanted to give “Good News.”
Jim
provided a safe environment for people who attended the AWAB workshop. The
content of the workshop was not as advertised, but people shared their hopes,
fears, frustrations, and joys of being or trying to be an AWAB
congregation.
Although
the title of the workshop, in keeping with the Convocation's theme, was
"Creating the
(3) Mid-Atlantic Gathering of AWAB
Report by Kathy Stayton, Chair of
Event Planning Committee
The Mid-Atlantic States Gathering of
the Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists and Others took place
April 18 and 19, 2008, at
“This was a fabulous day!”
“I thank God to be here.”
“Great design, all presenters were
wonderful, music lovely, food delicious, loved the people, felt very welcome,
good information, sincere sharing.”
“Loved the tying of topics to faith
and religion.”
Such were some comments written on
evaluations at the end of the inspirational and educational day of this two-day
AWAB gathering.
On Friday night, Jeffrey Barnes
performed “And He Ran Screaming.” The many personal comments, identification
with his experiences, and vulnerabilities shared truly were received with
amazing grace. On Saturday, the teachings of the Rev. Dr. William Stayton and
his invited guests struck a chord for attendees’ desire for more/new
understandings about “What are a boy and a girl, REALLY?” “The Gender Spectrum,”
and “Sexual Orientation.” The closing worship and communion, with Peggy Campolo
as the speaker, pulled people even closer together with inclusive
love.
At the end of the conference, those
behind the scenes at
Then, on Sunday at
“God bless you for making this happen.”
By Katy
Friggle-Norton
(The April issue of the
Associational included an article by Rev. Ken Sehested and his Circle of Mercy
Congregation,
Our federal government will borrow
more than $100 billion to pay for the tax rebate, money that does not support
our children today or their future and money that will be part of the debt that
we leave our children tomorrow. The Board of Outreach recommends considering the
future generations as we spend our tax rebates. These specific
recommendations for future generations cut across our mission concerns
for peace, for LGBT awareness and affirmation, for opportunities to overcome
poverty through education, training, and nurturing talent in
To establish a scholarship fund for
Costs for this year’s July 14-19
conference, The Way that Leads to Peace, is $375 for room, board,
and registration for a youth.
Youth work veterans Mary Meadows and
Julie Reiswig will coordinate the youth morning sessions. Hector Aristizábal —
artist, human rights worker, therapist, and actor — will serve as a special
resource leader with the youth program, using innovative theatrical techniques
to teach conflict transcendence and life affirming group
processes.
Each camper will pay approximately
$250 for the week at
Baptist Youth
Camp explicitly works around LGBT issues in the context of faith. AWAB is
convinced that it is the next generation that will resolve the issue of
inclusion of LGBT people in the life, mission, and ministries of Baptist
congregations. It is vitally important that teens connected with Baptist
congregations start talking about LGBT issues that are challenging Baptist
denominations today.
Used Student Saxophone --
$350
New Student Clarinet --
$300
Choral music for 50 -- $75-$125
Pastor Boutté and music director
Hezekiah Brinson have a shared vision of training at-risk youth in the
disadvantaged neighborhoods of
$300 a quarter, $600 a half-year, or $1200 a year pays the educational costs of a Shekina youth studying for technical training or at university.
The members of
Photovoltaic Solar Panels (saving
energy for future generations)
The
The solar panels are actually arrays
of 56 modules, making the cost of the solar panels per module $357.