Support group helps gay man keep faith in SDA Church

March 30, 2015 | By Sheila Hagar | Union Bulletin

Terry Rice is coordinator of the SDA Kinship Walla Walla Chapter, which helps lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender Seventh-day Adventists connect in fellowship and socialization. Photo by Sheila Hagar.

Editor’s note: This is the second day of a two-part Union-Bulletin series on rifts in the Seventh-day Adventist Church over acceptance of homosexuals. Today’s package looks at support groups within the Adventist community and views of a way forward for greater church acceptance. On Sunday, the series provided an examination of the issues.

Being gay and hanging onto his church affiliation has taken fortitude from Terry Rice at times.

Rice, 40, is the coordinator for the Walla Walla Valley chapter of SDA Kinship International, a support organization with a focus on helping lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Seventh-day Adventists connect in fellowship and socialization.

SDA Kinship, established nearly 40 years ago, has been an invaluable support to Rice and many others who have found themselves rebuffed or rejected by the Adventist church. Read full story...