SDA Kinship
Makes Bold 2008 Accomplishments

This has been a remarkable year for Kinship. The book, Christianity and Homosexuality: Some Seventh-day Adventist Perspectives, was published. With Dave Ferguson in the lead, we have been distributing and selling copies all over the world, including libraries. It has been the focus of events like the Human Rights Campaign press conference, Open Day for the Dutch Union of Seventh-day Adventists, Kampmeeting, European Kinship Meeting, and several mini-Kampmeetings. Many international Seventh-day Adventist church leaders have received complimentary copies and follow-up conversations with Kinship members about their reactions. Mailings have gone out to other conference and union administrators inviting them to read this groundbreaking work. Adventists are being given the opportunity to research and think about homosexuality in new ways. We are appreciative of all the "doors" that have been opened because of the hard work of the team who put this project together.

We continue to develop ways to support and connect our Kinship family. Jacquie Hegarty, in her role as Director of Communications, has helped us create electronic newsletters that can be utilized by regional coordinators to stay in contact with their local members. We have continued our monthly Kinship eNews as a way to electronically share recent updates and upcoming events with the entire Kinship community. Linda Wright, our webmaster, updates our website regularly and has been working on renovating that site to make it even more user-friendly. We have offered Kampmeetings or mini-Kampmeetings in the US and Australia. We have hosted European Kinship Meeting in Germany. At those meetings part of our focus is to bring Seventh-day Adventist pastors to share spiritual messages and also to have a chance to get to know Kinship members and their stories. These pastoral discussions have done much to expand the way the Adventist church views homosexuality. The Connection is offered both electronically and in hard copy. Carrol Grady and her Kinship team organized an exhibit at Ignition, an Adventist sponsored youth leaders' training convention in Dallas.

In March, the Board ratified a new set of by-laws designed to help us work more efficiently. Among many additions, Floyd Poenitz has become chair of our International Growth and Development Committee and is working on expanding Kinship's outreach to LGBTI people on at least six of the seven continents. (As far as we know, there are no Kinship members in Antarctica.) Obed Vazquez-Ortiz chairs a committee developing ways all the diverse cultures represented in Kinship can better understand and support each other. Isis Montalvo chairs the Member Services Committee designed to make our interactions with you more efficient and helpful. Our office manager and volunteer Membership Services Coordinator, works untold hours organizing mailings, responding to e-mails and letters, and making sure new members receive "welcome packets."

Kinship leaders have been working with the Advisory Council of supportive church leaders that meets once a year in Los Angeles, California. This autumn a group of church administrators from the Trans-European and Euro-African Divisions of the Adventist church agreed to form an advisory group that will meet in Europe. Their first gathering will be May 2009.

In the upcoming year, we have several projects we believe will be important for our Kinship community and the people we serve. We would like to build up a "scholarship" fund for Kinship members who would like to attend Kampmeeting or other Kinship activities but who do not have the finances to participate. We are developing a more world-wide church advisory group who will help us to understand the needs, cultures and opportunities in the various countries and continents. We would like to expand the ways we distribute Christianity and Homosexuality: Some Seventh-day Adventist Perspectives to church leaders and members. We would like to increase the ways we support LGBTI Adventist pastors, teachers and other employees whose jobs are in jeopardy because of present church attitudes. With the hundreds of volunteer hours given to support Kinship's projects and a minimal budget of $50,000.00 we can cover some but not all of these needs.

The Board of SDA Kinship International works diligently to provide support and services in the most cost-effective ways possible. For instance, in the last eighteen months we have cut the cost of producing the Connection by fifty percent. We are well aware that many have been affected by the global financial situation. We know that many of you are working with tighter personal budgets. Given the situation, we want to say we are very appreciative of any donations you can make to Kinship. For our members living in the US, any monies donated this month are tax-deductible on your 2008 tax returns. For all our members around the world, any monies donated will be used carefully and thoughtfully and in the most efficient way we can design. Don't think that any amount is too small. And don't think we won't appreciate large donations also. We have had donations that range from $1.00 to $20,000.00. You can donate by credit card on our website, or by contacting This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to ask someone to phone you (never put your credit card information in an email). You can mail a check or money order to SDA Kinship, PO Box 69, Tillamook, Oregon 97141, USA.

Thank you for your support of Kinship. We wish you many blessings in the upcoming year.