F L O Y D   P O E N I T Z
president

What do you do as President?
I represent SDA Kinship in dealing with other corporations and businesses, including the signing of contracts. I also sit in an ex officio capacity, without a vote, on all committees except the Nominating Committee. I coordinate and chair membership meetings, Board meetings, and Executive Committee meetings. I maintain communication with the Board between meetings. I report regularly to the membership. I submit to the Board an annual work plan identifying the specific activities and collaborative ventures to be carried out during the forthcoming fiscal year.

What do you hope to accomplish as President?
Kinship has been around for 40+ years. We have established that we exist inside the church, that we belong as an equal with other members; and we have proven from the Bible that we are not broken or a mistake. I would like to see us move forward as an organization and take the next step in being relevant to all of our diverse membership. 

How do you identify? (LGBTQIA+ or Ally)
I am a cisgender gay man.

What do you love about Kinship?

I love that Kinship gives our members the space to be who they are without apology. We are a diverse community that creates safe spaces for all. I think we can do an even better job, and my goal is to turn up the needed support.

BONUS

What is your favorite place that you’ve visited?
I love to travel, so almost any place I visit is my favorite place at the time. I love Germany each time I’m there because for me it is like being home. My family, there is very important to me. But one of my favorite places is Iceland. I really enjoyed my time there. The balance of fire and ice is fascinating.

Best family memory?
Oh, the innocent memories as a child growing up and going to Keene, Texas, to attend the Texas camp meeting. I thought I was experiencing a taste of heaven.

Favorite Christian song or hymn?
Growing up, it was “Shall We Gather at the River” or “In the Sweet By and By.”

Favorite book?
I love reading the book Wicked by Gregory Maguire…actually the whole series, too. I find so much truth and double meaning in there. It makes me feel good about humanity to see the musical and hear the songs.

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C A T H E R I N E   T A Y L O R
vice president

What do you do as Vice president?
I’m working on projects to better provide support, train and cushion supporters, and offer community organizing, outreach, and education.

What do you hope to accomplish as Vice president?
I would like to build a process for listening to the needs of people who join us, no matter where in the “Rainbow Alphabet” someone lives, and provide additional ways to support them.

I would like to listen to people who want to contribute to our Kinship community in a variety of ways, learn their strengths, and provide training, support, and skills building. As our members reach out to others in various ways, I plan to offer debriefing and “Share Vision” times. I want our community to nurture our volunteers at whatever level they serve.

Finally, I want to continue to educate the world around us (ecclesiastical or not) about issues that face people who live on the margins and about ways all of us share aspects of our life (like living with grief or recovering from trauma). “Gender for Geezers” is an example of this.

How do you identify? (LGBTQIA+ or Ally)
As far as I can tell at the moment, I am a cisgender female who is generally attracted to women. Like many of the young people with whom I work, I like having options. That said, 97 percent of my relationships have been with women.

What do you love about Kinship?
It’s a place of sanctuary and a place to learn how to strengthen the skills to be in community.

It’s a place to give back a tiny bit for the gifts I have been given here.

With families, I learn to work and be with people I might never have known in any other way.

BONUS

Something no one would ever guess about you?
People who know me well know I am an introvert.

Best family memory?
One Christmas, my single-parent mother managed to take a wooden packing container, cover it in brick-design wrapping paper, make it look like a fireplace, and fill it with packages. To this day, I remember being in awe at what seemed like a magical event.

Something that never fails to make you smile?
Rainbows, cats, dogs, otters, getting on a train, the windmills in the North Sea followed tulip fields as the plane reaches the Netherlands, the night sky, the unexpected amazing photograph.

Favorite Christian song or hymn?
“Be Thou My Vision”

Favorite book?
At the moment, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.

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S T E V E   C H A V E Z
director of church relations

What do you do as Director of Church Relations?
I am a liaison between Kinship and the Seventh-day Adventist Church and its institutions (conferences, colleges/universities, healthcare institutions, etc.). I chair the Kinship Advisory Council, a group of about 25 allies who work to make Adventist institutions more inclusive and diverse.

What do you hope to accomplish as Director of Church Relations?
I intend to build on the work done by Dave Ferguson (the former Director of Church Relations) over the last 20 years to build relationships with Adventist administrators and educators. One of my priorities is to change the public perception of Kinship from being an advocacy organization to being a ministry organization.

How do you identify? (LGBTQIA+ or Ally)
I've been a Kinship ally for more than 20 years. It's one of the most rewarding relationships I've had in my years of personal and public ministry.

What do you love about Kinship?

Kinship provides a place where people are accepted unconditionally. We can be authentic and transparent.

BONUS

What is your favorite place that you’ve visited?
We like to wander the streets and sites of Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Paris, and Baltimore.

Describe your perfect meal.
For traditional family gatherings (Thanksgiving, Christmas), we fix what we call "Grandma's Enchiladas": tortillas dipped in taco sauce then topped with beans, raw tomato, raw onion, raw spinach, cheese, and covered with another tortilla dipped in taco sauce.

Favorite Christian song or hymn?
“I Lay My Sins on Jesus”

Favorite Bible Verse?
Psalm 90

Favorite Books?
Jones, Meet the Master by Peter Marshall, Home Country by Ernie Pyle, Thurber Carnival by James Thurber.

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J U S T I N   M E Z E T I N
director of comunications

What do you do as Director of Communications?
The communications team is focused on sharing SDA Kinship’s message of love, affirmation, and community inward to current Kinship members and outward to our allies, collaborators, Adventist communities, and beyond.

What do you hope to accomplish as Director of Communications?
As Communications Director, I aim to streamline communications from the Board and leaders to Kinship members.

I will maintain and update the SDA Kinship app to be more helpful for members and for leaders to use and engage with members in a more streamlined way.

I want to use new technologies and platforms to spread our messages further into Adventist communities and encourage more engagement and action in Kinship projects.

How do you identify? (LGBTQIA+ or Ally)
Gay

What do you love about Kinship?
Hearing the stories of members who thought they were the only LGBTQIA+ person, or a family member who was going through the journey alone… then finding and connecting with Kinship people. When they share that story and you can see the love and acceptance in their eyes, it is always a beautiful moment. And I wish more people could see these moments.

BONUS

What is your favorite place that you’ve visited?
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. A queer-friendly, walkable beach town, with great food and late-night street tacos. What else do you need?

Describe your perfect meal.
Anything grilled. Steak and veggies. Or tacos.

Best family memory?
One of my brothers joined some friends, including a boyfriend, and me at World Pride in New York.

Something that never fails to make you smile?
Puppies being cute and weird.

Favorite book?
This is How by Augusten Burroughs. Part memoir, part self-help, the author uses his stories, struggles, and past steps in life to show people “how to” live and grow through life with all of its many ups and downs.