July eNews
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
As Pride month ended, I watched our SDA Kinship 2021 Virtual Pride Parade, and I felt a genuine sense of pride in being a member of our organization. From the very first moment I found Kinship, I knew I had found a community that embraced me and loved me just the way I am.
From the early days of Kinship to now, so much of what we do has changed. When I joined, most of our communications were through the Connection newsletter, telephone calls, emails, and KinNet, our web forums. Now we can stay much more connected with folks in our regions, our countries, and in other countries around the world. Thank goodness for the eNews, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, the SDAKinship.org website, and our many Facebook pages and groups!
SDA Kinship today is first and foremost a community of people who come from a common background and support and advocate for each other. As an organization, and on behalf of our community, Kinship also speaks out when the Adventist church shares negative information about us. We very much appreciate our allies who support us, too: our family, friends, clergy, and educators.
As I complete my last term as President of SDA Kinship International, I’m reflecting on the years I’ve had the privilege to serve in this community. I am so grateful for all the people I have served with and all the members I have met through the organization over the years. Although the business side of Kinship will be in very capable hands as I step down, I know that the community and mission of Kinship cannot keep growing and thriving without YOU.
All organizations need fresh energy and ideas to remain healthy. That’s why it’s so important that each member search inside themselves and offer the talents and skills they possess to keep Kinship strong. It’s easy to stand back hoping someone else will step up into leadership roles; but if most of us think that, Kinship will struggle and our community will weaken.
Many of those of us on the Board and BoardPlus have now been serving for many years. I’ve often heard it said during our elections that it seems to be the same people always running for leadership positions. It would be awesome if that weren’t true! Each board member and local coordinator who steps up each summer wants Kinship to keep growing, and many of us have stayed on because there weren’t other volunteers.
There are several key positions that need filling this July. Although the electronic ballots for elections have already gone out, the persons who you will elect to fill those positions need willing and active team members. Please look at the list and let us know if you are willing to serve in one of those teams, such as Church Relations, Member Services, and Women’s Interests. Volunteers are always welcome to join the Communications Team, as well. The work is so important and the relationships you make as you serve are priceless!
Know that, as I step down after over ten years, I will always support Kinship in any way I can from my region in the MidAtlantic states of the United States. With other members in this area, I will continue to serve our community. It has been an honor and a privilege, Kinship! Thank you for allowing me to serve.
Always and in Kinship,
Yolanda Elliott, President
SDA Kinship International, Inc.
VIRTUAL KINSHIP KAMPMEETING 2021
Virtual Kinship Kampmeeting 2021
Friday, July 9 / Saturday, July 10 and
Friday, July 23 / Saturday, July 24
"Loved and Affirmed"
The July 2021 Kinship Kampmeeting begins this weekend. This year we will hold a virtual Kampmeeting on two different weekends (July 9-10 and July 23-24). Kampmeeting will be streamed live on Facebook and Youtube and you can also join the live Zoom webinar.
For more information on the speakers please click the link: www.sdakinship.org/kampmeeting
Friday, July 9 and July 23
8:00 PM (EDT/EST US) - Welcome, Announcements, Song/Prayer
8:30 PM - 9:30 PM (EDT/EST US) - Pastor Paul Anthony Turner, Speaker
In between our Saturday speakers, join these informal breakout Zoom groups to meet, chat, fellowship, and find out what is happening. Saturday Zoom Breakout Lunch Breaks - KinYouth, KinSeniors, and Family & Friends.
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM (EDT/EST US) Zoom Lunch & Get Together and Breakout Groups of Kinship (Click to sign up)
3:00 PM - (EDT/EST US) - Alicia Johnston, Speaker
Friday night and Saturday speaker sessions will be streamed to our Facebook page and YouTube channel. You can register to join the Zoom webinar using the links below:
Meet other Kinship members and connect at the group Zoom lunch. Signup using the link below:
Register for Saturday Zoom Breakout Lunch Breaks - KinYouth, KinSeniors, and Family & Friends.- https://bit.ly/km2021-lunch
THE 2021 KINSHIP ELECTIONS
ARE NOW OPEN!
You may cast your votes anonymously using the links in the email you received. You must enter the email address at which you received the notice in order for your vote to be counted. No one can see how you voted, but this ensures that everyone who votes is a member and that they can only vote once during the election.The election will close at 11:59 PM PDT, Sunday, July 18, 2021, and the results will be announced during the Virtual Kinship Kampmeeting Business Meeting, in the Members Area of the website, on social media, in the next issue of the Connection eNews, and Connection Magazine.
Thank you for being a member of Kinship and for exercising your right to vote in this election of members of the Board of Directors.
If you have any problems voting, please contact the
CHURCH RELATIONS
Here in the United States, we have a month for everything: Black History Month (February), Hispanic Heritage Month (September), Women's History Month (March), LGBTQ+ Pride Month (June). But what about the rest of the year? As much as we're reminded at Christmas time to carry the Christmas spirit with us throughout the year, we have to admit that by the end of December we're ready to move on.
So how do we maintain the spirit of inclusion and acceptance modeled during LGBTQ+ Pride Month throughout the rest of the year? The answer is by rejecting harmful stereotypes and standing for basic human rights in as many ways as we can, as often as we can. Those who have experienced prejudice and marginalization have to stand with those who are marginalized still.
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere," said Martin Luther King, Jr. "We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality." Meaning that we can't rest until those who are marginalized by race, economics, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation receive the same opportunities as everyone else.
I know, with so much bigotry, hatred, and misinformation in our society, this sounds like an impossible dream. But people have dreamed impossible dreams before. Society is better now because of those who have marched against and protested injustice in the past. Now it's our turn Let's build on the successes of the past. That effort will keep us busy until next year's LBGTQ+ Pride Month.
Stephen ChavezDirector of Church Relations
KINSHIP BIBLE STUDY WITH CHAPLAIN KUMAR
KINSHIP EUROPE MEETING ON ZOOM
TIME CONVERSION CHART
| ET(US) | CT(US) | MT(US) | PT(US) | ET(AU) | (BOL/PR /RD/CH) |
(BR/ ARG) |
(COL/PE /CDMX) |
(ESP/FR /GER) |
(NIC/CR /PAN) |
| 1:30 AM | 12:30 AM | 11:30 AM | 10:30 AM | 4:30 AM | 1:30 PM | 2:30 PM | 12:30 AM | 7:30 PM | 12:30 AM |
| 8 AM | 7 AM | 6 AM | 5 AM | 11 PM | 8 AM | 9 AM | 7 AM | 2 PM | 6 AM |
| 10 AM | 9 AM | 8 AM | 7 AM | 1 AM | 10 AM | 11 AM | 9 AM | 4 PM | 9 AM |
| 12 PM | 11 AM | 10 AM | 9 AM | 3 AM | 12 PM | 1 PM | 11 AM | 6 PM | 11 AM |
| 2 PM | 1 PM | 12 PM | 11 AM | 12 PM | 9 PM | 10 PM | 8 PM | 3 AM | 7 PM |
| 7:30 PM | 6:30 PM | 5:30 PM | 4:30 PM | 2:30 AM | 11:30 AM | 12:30 PM | 10:30 AM | 5 PM | 10 AM |
| 10:30 PM | 9:30 PM | 8:30 PM | 7:30 PM | 5:30 AM | 2:30 PM | 3:30 PM | 1:30 PM | 8 PM | 1 PM |
| 8 PM | 7 PM | 6 PM | 5 PM | 11 AM | 8 PM | 9 PM | 7 PM | 2 AM | 6 PM |
| 9 PM | 8 PM | 7 PM | 6 PM | 12 PM | 9 PM | 10 PM | 8 PM | 3 AM | 7 PM |
| 11 PM | 10 PM | 9 PM | 8 PM | 2 PM | 11 PM | 12 AM | 10 PM | 5 AM | 9 PM |
MONTHLY EVENTS FOR JULY
| July 18 | Family & Friends Roundtable Sunday 9:30 AM PT (GMT+8) (US) 12:30 PM ET (US) |
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English |
WEEKLY EVENTS FOR JULY
| Sinergia |
Friday @ 8pm ET (US)
6 pm (NIC/CR/PAN) 7 pm ( COL/PE/CDMX) 8 pm (BOL/PR/RD/CH) 9 pm (BR/ARG) 2 am (ESP/FR/GER) |
Español | |
| Kinship Brasil |
Fridays at 8 PM Sao Paulo Time |
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Português |
| KinSchool |
Sábado às 3:00 PM Hor. Brasília | |
Português |
| Kinship Sabbath School Join private Facebook group |
Saturdays @ 1 PM ET (US) |
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English |
| Escuela Sábatica SDA Kinship |
10:00 Hora Colômbia / Peru |
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Español |
| Sabbath School without Walls Join private Facebook group |
Saturdays @ 2 PM Australian EST |
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English |
REGIONAL EVENTS FOR JULY
| July 16 | 7:30 PM ET (US) | Region 2 Vespers |
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| July 18 | 7 PM London 8 PM Berlin |
Kinship Europe Meeting on Zoom Registration Required https://tinyurl.com/KinshipEurope18July |
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FAMILY & FRIENDS
PRIDE MONTH or PRIDE ALWAYS
Every year part of the world celebrates our LGBTQ+ friends for the entire month of June. There are many parades, gatherings, and focused events honoring and hopefully, uplifting those folks. It is a valuable and needed focus for families and friends to also honor and support their special close members and friends.
To enrich this sharing, I checked my Thesaurus for the meaning(s) of “pride” and discovered several paragraphs of different meanings. The first two paragraphs were rather negative and demeaning, then I reached the bottom paragraph and felt relieved. There I found the terms that enriched our vision of Pride Month.
That paragraph included terms like self-respect, self-satisfaction, happiness, treasures, jewels, joy, and satisfaction! Yes, that’s our vision of PRIDE, helping our dear and special LGBTQ+ friends feel respected, helping all of them enjoy the satisfaction of who they honestly are, sharing in their happiness, and loving support of each other.
Then we also thought that our families with LGBTQ+ members also need to celebrate all month with warm and genuine respect and satisfaction that the entire family is happy and treasures all members as shining jewels, all individual, and maybe unique. But everyone is accepted, honored, and loved. A month of focus and celebration of family differences, all blessed and endorsed by God!
After thinking and pondering about PRIDE MONTH, Carolyn and I moved beyond this special month. We hope and look forward to our culture and faith understanding the genuine needs of our Kinship world, and we don’t need a PRIDE MONTH because we have shifted and flexed our feelings and beliefs so they are accepted and loved daily forever!
Let’s help our faith and culture support PRIDE ALWAYS! AMEN!
John and Carolyn Wilt
Family & Friends Coordinators
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. The name of the guest speaker will not be disclosed until the meeting, in order to protect his position in the church. 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)
Ruud Kieboom
European Coordinator
COMING SOON! 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 SOON!
Previous chapters:
Chapters 1-24
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 languages 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
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.
 Seventh-day Adventist Kinship, International, Inc.
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