By Kinship Communications on Mittwoch, 31. März 2021
Category: Connection eNews

April 2021 eNews

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Click the image to play the video.

KINSHIP NEEDS YOUR HELP

Kinship is led by volunteers who want LGBTQ current and former Adventists to feel loved and affirmed wherever they are. Everything—from our social media, Zoom events, member groups, and outreach projects—is led by volunteers. The Kinship board determines the direction and next steps for Kinship to take. We are looking for people who support our cause to serve on the Kinship Board.

This year the positions open for election are:

President 
Secretary

Director of Women’s Interests

Director of Church Relations

If you are interested in running for a Kinship board position OR volunteering in any capacity, please contact Floyd on Facebook or send email to Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein..

THE UNCLOBBER PROJECT

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.

If you have struggled to reconcile your LGBT+ identity with the Bible or your faith, order this book at www.sdakinship.org/unclobber.

If you would like your pastor or a family member to learn how welcoming LGBT+ people is supported by the Bible, order this book for them. 

How To Support the Project 

Order a free book today.

Connect with others—some LGBT+, some Adventist pastors—who are also reading the book, to share your thoughts and ask questions about the material. bit.ly/unclobberfacebook.

Pray that people will allow the Holy Spirit to open their hearts and minds, and that it will result in more loving actions toward the LGBT community within the local churches, schools, and communities.

Join us every second Saturday on our Facebook Live at 5pm Eastern. We will talk about the project, tell people how to get involved, and answer any questions you may have.

KINSHIP WORSHIP


Join us on April 2 for Kinship Worship - an inspirational program for us, by us.  We have an amazing program for you and your friends. Please share this with your friends! 

Kinship Worship will stream live on our  Facebook page and Youtube Channel on Friday, April 2 at 8 pm ET and will be available on-demand afterward. Watch previous Kinship Worship programs here.

CHAPLAINS CORNER

Join Kinship’s Chaplain Kumar and other Kinship members for a daily Bible study. Members use the Bible app to read the devotional and scripture and share their thoughts with others in the group. REGISTER HERE...

CONNECTING

THE LONG VIEW

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.

Oddly, most people in the United States (70 percent) support LGBTQ equality. That’s probably because they know LGBTQ people—family, friends, co-workers—and they know those people add quality to their lives. Young people are even more likely to fight inequality. Most of them didn’t grow up with the prejudices that guided their parents and grandparents.

Our struggle is not over. We have to continue to live out the principles of love, grace, justice, and equality. Inequality against any segment of society is inequality against all of us.

Stephen Chavez, Director of Church Relations
Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International 
Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.

FAMILY & FRIENDS

HOW DO I KNOW WHAT I DON’T KNOW?

That philosophical question burst out of my frustrated lips as I struggled with a complex differential equation in an advanced engineering mathematics course. My professor stared at me, and I figured I had just failed the course. Mathematics was not one of my strong subjects.

Instead, he walked to the whiteboard and wrote that question down in large black print, put a box around it, and added “save” so the janitor wouldn’t erase it. All of us saw that question at every class meeting for the rest of the semester. I think I passed that class because of the best question, not because I mastered complex math. 

That meaningful question has traveled with me ever since. When I was buried deep in technical challenges as our team worked on creating successful rocket and aircraft propulsion, that question was always in our teams’ minds. Several of my college professors were also consultants to our failure evaluations teams, and I often heard them share, “Wow never seen that before; it’s beyond my knowledge and experiences!” So together we would research available knowledge, then go beyond it and explore new possibilities as we expanded and discovered new knowledge and answers.

Today as we travel the ever-expanding LGBTQ+ family world, that question fits into our discussions and thoughts. As we, and you search for correct and appropriate understandings and behaviors -

How do you know what you don’t know?
And with today’s world of 
false, inaccurate news,
how do you know what you know is
correct or accurate ??

Each of us results from our own “educational history.” We started learning from our parents and family. They shared what they had learned and experienced in their own lives. Then you probably attended a faith or public school, and again learned what your teachers had been taught and believed. You also attended your faith church and heard dear and genuine friends and pastoral staff share what they had been taught and believed.

But their dominant faith “textbook” is that faith’s preferred Holy Bible, which contains thousands of translated lines of information. As I study various religious professors’ classes on who wrote the Bible and how today’s versions have occurred, many lines and pieces of information are reflections of the translators and not exact copies of actual ancient writings. There aren’t dictionaries for many ancient languages, only opinions of the translators’ own education and life experiences. Hebrew alone has seven different versions reflecting the changes occurring over several thousand years of use. Possibly, and probably, many areas are improperly used to clobber and bruise our LGBTQ+ family members.  

As moms and dads, brothers and sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and dear friends, we also are bruised and emotionally affected by the treatments and unloving actions taken by members of our faith. We have to connect with each other and learn together the correct and accurate information about the real LGBTQ+ world our loved ones live in. All of our Kinship members are God’s children. They did not choose or select their sexuality or the human desires and behaviors. They need loving acceptance and support, and their families are their first choices.

But often, what we believe and have been taught and coached throughout our own lives suddenly causes us to waiver, become confused, and emotionally affected. Each one of us faces a serious and deeply emotional moment, maybe even many moments! What do I do? What do we do? Often the family members only have a few minutes to take their first step, to say their first words, to react their first time.

It can be a very serious and emotional moment in their family lives. Their LGBTQ+ member has been wrestling with their own feelings and needs for a much longer time. Our son realized he had different feelings and attractions early in his life. He didn’t know the details and definitions, but he knew he felt some feelings differently. He was afraid to tell us because he knew his mother’s support and acceptance of our faith’s statements and decisions. He also resisted telling me, his father, because I enjoyed making people laugh and I told all the gay, transgender, drag queen jokes, and stories available at the time. He didn’t want to be made fun of!  

He also didn’t want to be rejected or cause conflict within his own family! Oh, what emotional pressures were on his shoulders, too! 

He moved to the east coast and attended Yale University for his master’s degree education. That gave him his own space and life. A few years later, we actually asked him if he was gay; we opened the door and let him out of his closet, and we then started our lifelong journey of understanding, supporting, and accepting him, his “lifestyle,” and his partners and friends. 

Looking back, we are so glad we slowly realized his situation; and we began learning and connecting with other LGBTQ+ families for our own support, advice, and comfort. For the next 25 years, our family journeys had their difficulties; but we were still a family and we still loved and supported our son and accepted his friends even when we worried, as parents do, about some of their decisions.  

This was no different from our other adult children and their decisions and friends. We have many other differences and challenges in our extended family of sons and daughters-in-law, grandchildren, cousins, and nieces and nephews. That includes autism, health issues, emotional and physical challenges, all part of being in a genuine family, all normal and accepted variations of real life. 

Welcome to your world of LGBTQ+ needs and challenges. We enjoy connecting with you and having you join us at our monthly Zoom roundtable discussions where you will meet and connect with other families’ journeys on similar trails with their families.  

So in closing: How do you know what you don’t know, and how do you know what you know is correct or accurate?  

Thanks for reading all of this journey. We look forward to connecting and chatting with you at our Kinship Family & Friends Round Table discussions, or in any other way you would like to connect. 

Join us for Kinship Family & Friends Round Table discussion via Zoom on Sunday, April 18, 2021, at 9:30 AM PDT / 12:30 PM EDT

John & Carolyn Wilt
Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.

MONTHLY EVENTS

 April 2  Kinship Worship  FB   YouTube  English 
 April 10  UnClobber Q&A  FB Zoom  English 
 April 18  Family & Friends Roundtable  Zoom   English 
 April 23  Youth and Young Adults  Zoom  English/ Español


WEEKLY EVENTS

 Sinergia
 Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.
 Friday @ 8pm EST
 Friday @ 8:30 Hor Brasilia
 Zoom  Español
 KinSchool  Sábado às 3:00 PM Hor.   Brasília  Zoom  Português
 Kinship Sabbath School 
 Join private Facebook group 
 Saturdays @ 1 PM EST  Zoom   English
 Escuela Sábatica SDA Kinship
 Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.
10:00 Hora Colômbia / Peru  Zoom  Español
 Sabbath School without Walls
 Join private Facebook group
 Saturdays @ 2 PM Australian   EST  Facebook  English

REGIONAL EVENTS

 April 2  12 PM EDT  Region 2 Potluck
 Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.
 Zoom
 April 3  11 AM PDT  Sacramento Chapter Meeting
 Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein. 
 Zoom
 April 8  8 PM EDT  Advent Hope Qmmunity
 Register Here... 
 Zoom
 April 12  7 PM CET  Kinship Germany
 Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.
 Zoom
 April 16  7:30 PM EST   Region 2 Vespers
 Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.
 Zoom


CONNECTING VIA WHATSAPP

SDA Kinship continues to work to connect our members in communities where they feel most comfortable. We have both Facebook and WhatsApp groups for members to join.

There are many groups by location for chapters, regions, and countries. Groups based on language such as Española, French, and Russian. There is also a Spiritual Group led by the Kinship Chaplain and a Women’s Group for the women of Kinship.

If you have questions, please Send Me a message on WhatsApp to get connected, telling me who you are and what groups you are interested in connecting with. You can also send me a message on Facebook to be added to any of those groups.

Floyd Poenitz
Vice President, SDA Kinship
Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.

VIRTUAL KINSHIP KAMPMEETING 2021

EUROPEAN KINSHIP MEETING

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

Our excellent and energetic guest speaker is a Seventh-day Adventist scholar at one of our colleges in Europe. To protect his position in the church, the name of the guest speaker is not disclosed until at the meeting. But be assured you will be blessed and uplifted by his presentations.

EIGENTIJDSERF is surrounded by nature but is certainly easily accessible from the direction of Eindhoven, Breda, and Tilburg. Parking is free and charging electric cars is possible. We will also try to set up a pickup service to meet you at the station in Tilburg or Eindhoven. Eindhoven airport is a hub for low budget flights.

The conference center offers special diets if we know in advance. The atmosphere is peaceful and friendly.

Pricing: €400 (double occupancy) and €450 (single occupancy)

  The first 25 registrations before May 1 will receive a €50 discount!!

Register NOW!

Ruud Kieboom
European Coordinator
Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.

GET A KINSHIP MASK - WE HAVE SOMETHING NEW!!

Masks are now part of our lives. That’s why SDA Kinship has designed these reusable face masks to give all of us the comfort, quality, and peace of mind we need to go out and show our Kinship pride! Add our masks to your collection and enjoy!

$12 each + Shipping

Buy yours today!

Mask fabric: 100% polyester, elastic straps: 80% nylon, 20% spandex.

Kinship masks are Latex-free.

This product has not been FDA cleared or approved, but has been authorized by FDA under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for use as source control by the general public and by health care providers in healthcare settings as to help slow the spread of infection or illness during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

DON’T FORGET TO USE AMAZON SMILE

AmazonSmile is now available as an app. A great way to support SDA Kinship at no cost to you and you can do all your shopping online from the app. You can find it in the App Store for IOS or Google Play for Android.

When making purchases on Amazon.com, remember, if you use smile.amazon.com, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the eligible purchase price to the non-profit that you select! As we provide support and representation within the LGBTIQ community, every penny counts!

When first visiting AmazonSmile, customers are prompted to select a charitable organization from almost one million eligible organizations. To browse or shop at AmazonSmile, customers must first select a charitable organization. Please select Seventh-Day Adventist Kinship International Inc.

COMING IN MAY! CHAPTER 25 OF JOURNEY

About Journey by Jerry McKay

Most of what characterizes my life today—work, family, and faith—looks little like what I thought it would when I graduated from college in 1980.

Naturally, people want to know when and how I first became aware of my orienta­tion. Others are interested in my spiritual experience and how my faith and my orientation intersect and perhaps collide. Many questions revolve around my reparative therapy journey and how that impacted my belief in God and my relationship to the church.

I am often asked about the pivotal moment I decided to stop trying to change my orientation and the events that led up to that moment. Related to that decision is the question of short- and long-term consequences. I’ve been asked about where I see God in the whole journey—before counseling, during counseling, and since accepting my orientation.

And, finally, others want to know about my relationship, how it has evolved over the years, and the impact it has had on my life.

This is my story.

Next Chapter:
    Chapter 25 - COMING IN MAY!

Previous chapters:
    Chapters 1-24




Seventh-day Adventist Kinship, International, Inc.
P.O. Box 244, Orinda, CA 94563-0244 USA
Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.

   

      

         

         

  

{modify}Update Your Subscription{/modify}

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Click the image to play the video.


KINSHIP NEEDS YOUR HELP

Kinship is led by volunteers who want LGBTQ current and former Adventists to feel loved and affirmed wherever they are. Everything—from our social media, Zoom events, member groups, and outreach projects—is led by volunteers. The Kinship board determines the direction and next steps for Kinship to take. We are looking for people who support our cause to serve on the Kinship Board. This year the positions open for election are:

President 
Serve as CEO leading the Kinship Board and guiding the future direction of Kinship

Represent Kinship publicly with other organizations, as well as sign contracts and authorize purchases

Communicate regularly to members to affirm our community, promote various projects, and advocate for greater inclusion in the Adventist world and beyond

Secretary
Maintain records of Kinship Board meetings and leadership directory

Ensure Kinship follows its by-laws and work to update the by-laws when necessary

Director of Women’s Interests
Facilitate events for networking, connection, and engagement among women members

Advocate for women’s issues and concerns on the Kinship Board

Assist Member Services and Communications in creating content, events, and inclusive messages for women members

Director of Church Relations
Serve as the chief liaison between Kinship and the Seventh-day Adventist Church

Chair the Advisory Council of allied Adventist leaders and pastors and friends

Lead projects that promote collaboration with, and outreach to, leaders in Adventist communities

If you are interested in running for a Kinship board position OR volunteering in any capacity, please contact Floyd on Facebook or send email to Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein..


THE UNCLOBBER PROJECT

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.

If you have struggled to reconcile your LGBT+ identity with the Bible or your faith, order this book at www.sdakinship.org/unclobber.

If you would like your pastor or a family member to learn how welcoming LGBT+ people is supported by the Bible, order this book for them. 

How To Support the Project 

Order a free book today.

Connect with others—some LGBT+, some Adventist pastors—who are also reading the book, to share your thoughts and ask questions about the material. bit.ly/unclobberfacebook.

Pray that people will allow the Holy Spirit to open their hearts and minds, and that it will result in more loving actions toward the LGBT community within the local churches, schools, and communities.

Join us every second Saturday on our Facebook Live at 5pm Eastern. We will talk about the project, tell people how to get involved, and answer any questions you may have.


KINSHIP WORSHIP


Join us on April 2 for Kinship Worship - an inspirational program for us, by us.  We have an amazing program for you and your friends. Please share this with your friends! 

Kinship Worship will stream live on our  Facebook page and Youtube Channel on Friday, April 2 at 8 pm ET and will be available on-demand afterward. Watch previous Kinship Worship programs here.


CHAPLAINS CORNER

Join Kinship’s Chaplain Kumar and other Kinship members for a daily Bible study. Members use the Bible app to read the devotional and scripture and share their thoughts with others in the group. REGISTER HERE...


CONNECTING

THE LONG VIEW

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.

Oddly, most people in the United States (70 percent) support LGBTQ equality. That’s probably because they know LGBTQ people—family, friends, co-workers—and they know those people add quality to their lives. Young people are even more likely to fight inequality. Most of them didn’t grow up with the prejudices that guided their parents and grandparents.

Our struggle is not over. We have to continue to live out the principles of love, grace, justice, and equality. Inequality against any segment of society is inequality against all of us.

Stephen Chavez, Director of Church Relations
Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International 
Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.


FAMILY & FRIENDS

HOW DO I KNOW WHAT I DON’T KNOW?

That philosophical question burst out of my frustrated lips as I struggled with a complex differential equation in an advanced engineering mathematics course. My professor stared at me, and I figured I had just failed the course. Mathematics was not one of my strong subjects.

Instead, he walked to the whiteboard and wrote that question down in large black print, put a box around it, and added “save” so the janitor wouldn’t erase it. All of us saw that question at every class meeting for the rest of the semester. I think I passed that class because of the best question, not because I mastered complex math. 

That meaningful question has traveled with me ever since. When I was buried deep in technical challenges as our team worked on creating successful rocket and aircraft propulsion, that question was always in our teams’ minds. Several of my college professors were also consultants to our failure evaluations teams, and I often heard them share, “Wow never seen that before; it’s beyond my knowledge and experiences!” So together we would research available knowledge, then go beyond it and explore new possibilities as we expanded and discovered new knowledge and answers.

Today as we travel the ever-expanding LGBTQ+ family world, that question fits into our discussions and thoughts. As we, and you search for correct and appropriate understandings and behaviors -

How do you know what you don’t know?
And with today’s world of 
false, inaccurate news,
how do you know what you know is
correct or accurate ??

Each of us results from our own “educational history.” We started learning from our parents and family. They shared what they had learned and experienced in their own lives. Then you probably attended a faith or public school, and again learned what your teachers had been taught and believed. You also attended your faith church and heard dear and genuine friends and pastoral staff share what they had been taught and believed.

But their dominant faith “textbook” is that faith’s preferred Holy Bible, which contains thousands of translated lines of information. As I study various religious professors’ classes on who wrote the Bible and how today’s versions have occurred, many lines and pieces of information are reflections of the translators and not exact copies of actual ancient writings. There aren’t dictionaries for many ancient languages, only opinions of the translators’ own education and life experiences. Hebrew alone has seven different versions reflecting the changes occurring over several thousand years of use. Possibly, and probably, many areas are improperly used to clobber and bruise our LGBTQ+ family members.  

As moms and dads, brothers and sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and dear friends, we also are bruised and emotionally affected by the treatments and unloving actions taken by members of our faith. We have to connect with each other and learn together the correct and accurate information about the real LGBTQ+ world our loved ones live in. All of our Kinship members are God’s children. They did not choose or select their sexuality or the human desires and behaviors. They need loving acceptance and support, and their families are their first choices.

But often, what we believe and have been taught and coached throughout our own lives suddenly causes us to waiver, become confused, and emotionally affected. Each one of us faces a serious and deeply emotional moment, maybe even many moments! What do I do? What do we do? Often the family members only have a few minutes to take their first step, to say their first words, to react their first time.

It can be a very serious and emotional moment in their family lives. Their LGBTQ+ member has been wrestling with their own feelings and needs for a much longer time. Our son realized he had different feelings and attractions early in his life. He didn’t know the details and definitions, but he knew he felt some feelings differently. He was afraid to tell us because he knew his mother’s support and acceptance of our faith’s statements and decisions. He also resisted telling me, his father, because I enjoyed making people laugh and I told all the gay, transgender, drag queen jokes, and stories available at the time. He didn’t want to be made fun of!  

He also didn’t want to be rejected or cause conflict within his own family! Oh, what emotional pressures were on his shoulders, too! 

He moved to the east coast and attended Yale University for his master’s degree education. That gave him his own space and life. A few years later, we actually asked him if he was gay; we opened the door and let him out of his closet, and we then started our lifelong journey of understanding, supporting, and accepting him, his “lifestyle,” and his partners and friends. 

Looking back, we are so glad we slowly realized his situation; and we began learning and connecting with other LGBTQ+ families for our own support, advice, and comfort. For the next 25 years, our family journeys had their difficulties; but we were still a family and we still loved and supported our son and accepted his friends even when we worried, as parents do, about some of their decisions.  

This was no different from our other adult children and their decisions and friends. We have many other differences and challenges in our extended family of sons and daughters-in-law, grandchildren, cousins, and nieces and nephews. That includes autism, health issues, emotional and physical challenges, all part of being in a genuine family, all normal and accepted variations of real life. 

Welcome to your world of LGBTQ+ needs and challenges. We enjoy connecting with you and having you join us at our monthly Zoom roundtable discussions where you will meet and connect with other families’ journeys on similar trails with their families.  

So in closing: How do you know what you don’t know, and how do you know what you know is correct or accurate?  

Thanks for reading all of this journey. We look forward to connecting and chatting with you at our Kinship Family & Friends Round Table discussions, or in any other way you would like to connect. 

Join us for Kinship Family & Friends Round Table discussion via Zoom on Sunday, April 18, 2021, at 9:30 AM PDT / 12:30 PM EDT

John & Carolyn Wilt
Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.


MONTHLY EVENTS
 April 2  Kinship Worship  FB   YouTube  English 
 April 10  UnClobber Q&A  FB Zoom  English 
 April 18  Family & Friends Roundtable  Zoom   English 
 April 23  Youth and Young Adults  Zoom  English/ Español

WEEKLY EVENTS
 Sinergia
 Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.
 Friday @ 8pm EST
 Friday @ 8:30 Hor Brasilia
 Zoom  Español
 KinSchool  Sábado às 3:00 PM Hor.   Brasília  Zoom  Português
 Kinship Sabbath School 
 Join private Facebook group 
 Saturdays @ 1 PM EST  Zoom   English
 Escuela Sábatica SDA Kinship
 Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.
10:00 Hora Colômbia / Peru  Zoom  Español
 Sabbath School without Walls
 Join private Facebook group
 Saturdays @ 2 PM Australian   EST  Facebook  English

REGIONAL EVENTS
 April 2  12 PM EDT  Region 2 Potluck
 Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.
 Zoom
 April 3  11 AM PDT  Sacramento Chapter Meeting
 Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein. 
 Zoom
 April 8  8 PM EDT  Advent Hope Qmmunity
 Register Here...
 Zoom
 April 12  7 PM CET  Kinship Germany
 Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.
 Zoom
 April 16  7:30 PM EST   Region 2 Vespers
 Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.
 Zoom

CONNECTING VIA WHATSAPP

SDA Kinship continues to work to connect our members in communities where they feel most comfortable. We have both Facebook and WhatsApp groups for members to join.

There are many groups by location for chapters, regions, and countries. Groups based on language such as Española, French, and Russian. There is also a Spiritual Group led by the Kinship Chaplain and a Women’s Group for the women of Kinship.

If you have questions, please Send Me a message on WhatsApp to get connected, telling me who you are and what groups you are interested in connecting with. You can also send me a message on Facebook to be added to any of those groups.

Floyd Poenitz
Vice President, SDA Kinship
Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.


VIRTUAL KINSHIP KAMPMEETING 2021


EUROPEAN KINSHIP MEETING

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

Our excellent and energetic guest speaker is a Seventh-day Adventist scholar at one of our colleges in Europe. To protect his position in the church, the name of the guest speaker is not disclosed until at the meeting. But be assured you will be blessed and uplifted by his presentations.

EIGENTIJDSERF is surrounded by nature but is certainly easily accessible from the direction of Eindhoven, Breda, and Tilburg. Parking is free and charging electric cars is possible. We will also try to set up a pickup service to meet you at the station in Tilburg or Eindhoven. Eindhoven airport is a hub for low budget flights.

The conference center offers special diets if we know in advance. The atmosphere is peaceful and friendly.

Pricing: €400 (double occupancy) and €450 (single occupancy)

  The first 25 registrations before May 1 will receive a €50 discount!!

Register NOW!

Ruud Kieboom
European Coordinator
Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.


GET A KINSHIP MASK - WE HAVE SOMETHING NEW!!

Masks are now part of our lives. That’s why SDA Kinship has designed these reusable face masks to give all of us the comfort, quality, and peace of mind we need to go out and show our Kinship pride! Add our masks to your collection and enjoy!

$12 each + Shipping

Buy yours today!

This product has not been FDA cleared or approved, but has been authorized by FDA under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for use as source control by the general public and by health care providers in healthcare settings as to help slow the spread of infection or illness during the COVID-19 pandemic. 


DON’T FORGET TO USE AMAZON SMILE

AmazonSmile is now available as an app. A great way to support SDA Kinship at no cost to you and you can do all your shopping online from the app. You can find it in the App Store for IOS or Google Play for Android.

When making purchases on Amazon.com, remember, if you use smile.amazon.com, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the eligible purchase price to the non-profit that you select! As we provide support and representation within the LGBTIQ community, every penny counts!

When first visiting AmazonSmile, customers are prompted to select a charitable organization from almost one million eligible organizations. To browse or shop at AmazonSmile, customers must first select a charitable organization. Please select Seventh-Day Adventist Kinship International Inc.


 COMING IN MAY! CHAPTER 25 OF JOURNEY

About Journey by Jerry McKay

Most of what characterizes my life today—work, family, and faith—looks little like what I thought it would when I graduated from college in 1980.

Naturally, people want to know when and how I first became aware of my orienta­tion. Others are interested in my spiritual experience and how my faith and my orientation intersect and perhaps collide. Many questions revolve around my reparative therapy journey and how that impacted my belief in God and my relationship to the church.

I am often asked about the pivotal moment I decided to stop trying to change my orientation and the events that led up to that moment. Related to that decision is the question of short- and long-term consequences. I’ve been asked about where I see God in the whole journey—before counseling, during counseling, and since accepting my orientation.

And, finally, others want to know about my relationship, how it has evolved over the years, and the impact it has had on my life.

This is my story.

Next Chapter:
    Chapter 25 - COMING IN MAY!

Previous chapters:
    Chapters 1-24





Seventh-day Adventist Kinship, International, Inc.
P.O. Box 244, Orinda, CA 94563-0244 USA
Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.

   

      

         

         

  

{modify}Update Your Subscription{/modify}