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AWAB Announces New Director of Community Outreach

As many of you know, the past few months have witnessed a time of great change for AWAB. Beginning last fall, the AWAB Council discerned that the needs of this growing organization required a different kind of staff configuration than we historically maintained. As AWAB is living into our mission to be “the National Voice for LGBT Baptists”, we recognized that a single staff person can no longer handle with ease all of the myriad responsibilities that come with overseeing an organization that is so diverse.

Therefore, we are pleased to announce that Chris Boisvert is joining the AWAB staff as Acting Director of Community Outreach. Chris is well-known already to many of you in the AWAB family, as he has served on the AWAB Council since 2003 and brings nearly 20 years of experience with the welcoming movement among Baptist churches. Prior to his service with AWAB, Chris worked for many years with American Baptists Concerned, the parent organization of AWAB, and was instrumental in the merger of AWAB and ABConcerned in 2003. As Acting DCO of AWAB, Chris will maintain contacts with our members and nurture new relationships yet in the formative stage with AWAB. He will also oversee our ecumenical partnerships in the larger welcoming movement as we travel fresh paths with our friends across denominational lines. Chris began his work as Acting DCO on May 18.

The organizational management of AWAB will continue to be carried out by David Kushner, CAE, CMP Interim Executive Council Advisor. On board with AWAB since March 1, David’s primary role is to assist the Council in furthering the work of development, governance review and capacity building begun in 2008, as well as overseeing the operations of AWAB. David is uniquely gifted to fill this need with AWAB, as he has a lifetime of experience in organizational management and development, with a special emphasis on nonprofits. His impact has been felt already as we continue to move and grow into an organization that is capable of being the national voice for LGBT Baptists.

We are extremely excited to have Chris and David at AWAB’s helm, leading the way into a bright and promising future. We encourage you to join us in Pasadena for the AWAB National Gathering so that you can greet Chris and David and discover more about how you can be a part of what God is doing among LGBT Baptists in your community and around the country. The AWAB business session will convene on Friday, June 26 at 1:30PM followed by a time of conversation together around basic tenets of how to build partnerships in the welcoming arena and beyond. We will gather again on Saturday morning at 10:00AM for a celebration of worship. All events will be held at the Westin Hotel located at 191 N Los Robles within walking distance of the Pasadena Convention Center.

The sense of both hope and excitement is palpable these days for those of us on the AWAB Council. We know that God has great things in store and we cannot wait to get started on that journey. Thank you for all of your continued support of AWAB and the LGBT people in your corner of the world. We look forward to what we will do together, all of us, through this mission God has entrusted to us.

In peace and hope,
Heather Rittenhouse
AWAB Council Chair

AWAB Statement on California Pro 8 Ruling Against Marriage Equality

Washington, DC, May 26, 2009 - The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists (AWAB) believes that faithful, loving, committed relationships should be treated equally. This is why we are saddened by the California Supreme Court's decision to uphold Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage.

The proposition, passed by California voters on November 4, 2008 imposed a ban on same-sex marriage. The right to marry had initially been granted to same-sex couples on May 6, 2008, when the same Supreme Court ruled that denying same sex couples the right to marry violated the state constitution’s equal protection clause.

The Supreme Court upheld the marriages of 18,000 same-sex couples that were legally married between May and November 2008. This ruling from the Court creates a unique group of same-sex couples that because of circumstances are legally married and have a right that is now denied to all other same-sex couples.

In upholding Prop 8, the Supreme Court reaffirmed their earlier decision that states discrimination based on sexual orientation is a violation of the equal protection clause. Some legal experts believe that except for the right to use the term “marriage”, the court is also instructing the state to apply laws equally, including those conveyed through marriage. Even if the law is applied equally with a different term, many still see this as unacceptable since it treats same-sex marriages differently than traditional marriage.

There are currently five states that have marriage equality Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and Maine. New York and Rhode Island are considering bills to extend marriage equality. In New Hampshire, a similar bill was passed by the legislature but the governor refused to sign it without changes in language to specifically “protect” religious organizations.

In the decisions by courts and at the ballot around the nation, what is often missed is that they relate to civil marriage. The contract of marriage conveys to couples over 100 rights to things like survivorship, hospital visitation and inheritance. There is no attempt by government or the courts to require churches and bodies of faith to perform ceremonies that congregations and denominations feel are against their religious tenants.

AWAB recognizes that there are many positions on same-sex marriage. As such, we call upon faith bodies to engage in dialogue and study within their congregations. That this dialogue should not just be about same-sex couples but should include dialogue with same-sex couples from within the same congregation, when possible.

Chris A Boisvert,
AWAB Director of Community Outreach
and AWAB Council


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	AWAB Announces New Director of Community Outreach As many of you know, the past few months have witnessed a time of great change for AWAB. Beginning last fall, the AWAB Council discerned that the needs of this growing organization required a different kind of staff configuration than we historically maintained. As AWAB is living into our mission to be “*the National Voice for LGBT Baptists”, we recognized that a single staff person can no longer handle with ease all of the myriad responsibilities that come with overseeing an organization that is so diverse. Therefore, we are pleased to announce that Chris Boisvert is joining the AWAB staff as Acting Director of Community Outreach. Chris is well-known already to many of you in the AWAB family, as he has served on the AWAB Council since 2003 and brings nearly 20 years of experience with the welcoming movement among Baptist churches. Prior to his service with AWAB, Chris worked for many years with American Baptists Concerned, the parent organization of AWAB, and was instrumental in the merger of AWAB and ABConcerned in 2003. As Acting DCO of AWAB, Chris will maintain contacts with our members and nurture new relationships yet in the formative stage with AWAB. He will also oversee our ecumenical partnerships in the larger welcoming movement as we travel fresh paths with our friends across denominational lines. Chris began his work as Acting DCO on May 18. The organizational management of AWAB will continue to be carried out by David Kushner, CAE, CMP Interim Executive Council Advisor. On board with AWAB since March 1, David’s primary role is to assist the Council in furthering the work of development, governance review and capacity building begun in 2008, as well as overseeing the operations of AWAB. David is uniquely gifted to fill this need with AWAB, as he has a lifetime of experience in organizational management and development, with a special emphasis on nonprofits. His impact has been felt already as we continue to move and grow into an organization that is capable of being the national voice for LGBT Baptists. We are extremely excited to have Chris and David at AWAB’s helm, leading the way into a bright and promising future. We encourage you to join us in Pasadena for the AWAB National Gathering so that you can greet Chris and David and discover more about how you can be a part of what God is doing among LGBT Baptists in your community and around the country. The AWAB business session will convene on Friday, June 26 at 1:30PM followed by a time of conversation together around basic tenets of how to build partnerships in the welcoming arena and beyond. We will gather again on Saturday morning at 10:00AM for a celebration of worship. All events will be held at the Westin Hotel located at 191 N Los Robles within walking distance of the Pasadena Convention Center. The sense of both hope and excitement is palpable these days for those of us on the AWAB Council. We know that God has great things in store and we cannot wait to get started on that journey. Thank you for all of your continued support of AWAB and the LGBT people in your corner of the world. We look forward to what we will do together, all of us, through this mission God has entrusted to us. In peace and hope, Heather Rittenhouse AWAB Council Chair AWAB Statement on California Pro 8 Ruling Against Marriage Equality* Washington, DC, May 26, 2009 - The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists (AWAB) believes that faithful, loving, committed relationships should be treated equally. This is why we are saddened by the California Supreme Court's decision to uphold Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage. The proposition, passed by California voters on November 4, 2008 imposed a ban on same-sex marriage. The right to marry had initially been granted to same-sex couples on May 6, 2008, when the same Supreme Court ruled that denying same sex couples the right to marry violated the state constitution’s equal protection clause. The Supreme Court upheld the marriages of 18,000 same-sex couples that were legally married between May and November 2008. This ruling from the Court creates a unique group of same-sex couples that because of circumstances are legally married and have a right that is now denied to all other same-sex couples. In upholding Prop 8, the Supreme Court reaffirmed their earlier decision that states discrimination based on sexual orientation is a violation of the equal protection clause. Some legal experts believe that except for the right to use the term “marriage”, the court is also instructing the state to apply laws equally, including those conveyed through marriage. Even if the law is applied equally with a different term, many still see this as unacceptable since it treats same-sex marriages differently than traditional marriage. There are currently five states that have marriage equality Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and Maine. New York and Rhode Island are considering bills to extend marriage equality. In New Hampshire, a similar bill was passed by the legislature but the governor refused to sign it without changes in language to specifically “protect” religious organizations. In the decisions by courts and at the ballot around the nation, what is often missed is that they relate to civil marriage. The contract of marriage conveys to couples over 100 rights to things like survivorship, hospital visitation and inheritance. There is no attempt by government or the courts to require churches and bodies of faith to perform ceremonies that congregations and denominations feel are against their religious tenants. AWAB recognizes that there are many positions on same-sex marriage. As such, we call upon faith bodies to engage in dialogue and study within their congregations. That this dialogue should not just be about same-sex couples but should include dialogue with same-sex couples from within the same congregation, when possible. Chris A Boisvert, AWAB Director of Community Outreach and AWAB Council

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