MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
When so many people around the world had such an atrocious 2020, it’s a bit daunting to come up with an inspiring New Year’s message for my Kinship family. Not one place on this globe has been unaffected by the pandemic, much less the all-too-common bigotry and hate.
When so many people around the world had such an atrocious 2020, it’s a bit daunting to come up with an inspiring New Year’s message for my Kinship family. Not one place on this globe has been unaffected by the pandemic, much less the all-too-common bigotry and hate. The last year makes us wonder and think of the song, “Where is the Love?” by the Black-Eyed Peas. Listen to the song here. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpYeekQkAdc&ab_channel=BlackEyedPeasVEVO] To read the lyrics, click on this link. [https://genius.com/Black-eyed-peas-where-is-the-love-lyrics]
But now that 2021 has arrived for all of us, I’m again hopeful for the future. The production of the coronavirus vaccines gives me hope that if we all do our part by receiving the vaccination when it’s available, and also by continuing to wear masks, socially distance, and wash our hands, we will finally be able to see each other, meet together and, as Kinship is very well known for, hug each other again!
LOOKING BACK INTO 2020
Carolyn and I hope this finds you enjoying the Christmas and New Year’s holidays despite the virus. We pray you could connect in person or through digital media with your special family members. We also hope you all created some positive and beneficial memories as you traveled the unpredictable paths of 2020.
MESSAGE FROM THE TREASURER
As we move into the holiday season at the end of this very difficult and stressful year, I am thankful. I am thankful for all of you who have been part of SDA Kinship's 40-year journey. So many members, friends and allies have been part of the Kinship community during these four decades. You have made it possible for Kinship to provide its message of acceptance and love to many, many people all over the world.
As we move into the holiday season at the end of this very difficult and stressful year, I am thankful. I am thankful for all of you who have been part of SDA Kinship's 40-year journey. So many members, friends and allies have been part of the Kinship community during these four decades. You have made it possible for Kinship to provide its message of acceptance and love to many, many people all over the world. As someone who was part of the organizing meeting in September, 1980, I am in awe that Kinship has continued to provide knowledge and support to our Adventist LGBTQ community and its allies. It was only possible because of the many, many people, both alive and gone, who have been part of this effort.
As treasurer, it is of course part of my duties to remind you to consider supporting Kinship financially. Kinship, like every person and organization, has been affected by the pandemic. While donations have been down during 2020, our inability to hold in-person meetings has also reduced our expenses. Our hope is that life in 2021 will start to return to normal for all of us and that Kinship will be able to do more face to face outreach in addition to its online and other virtual programs as the year goes forward. And, for that, we need your support.
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
October has quickly slipped away and November is upon us. Here, in America, one of my favorite holidays is Thanksgiving. I enjoy it because it’s one holiday when we count our blessings. Of course, as I think about it, it feels sacrilegious to celebrate Thanksgiving. I’ve come to think of Columbus Day as Indigenous People’s Day. And it’s hard to think of Thanksgiving without realizing I was taught that it celebrates people who survived in a new land only to take that land away from the people who were here first, Native Americans. I don’t have the power to correct anything in our past. But what I do have the power to do is to live in a way that supports good in the world today. I believe my faith calls me to do that.
October has quickly slipped away and November is upon us. Here, in America, one of my favorite holidays is Thanksgiving. I enjoy it because it’s one holiday when we count our blessings. Of course, as I think about it, it feels sacrilegious to celebrate Thanksgiving. I’ve come to think of Columbus Day as Indigenous People’s Day. And it’s hard to think of Thanksgiving without realizing I was taught that it celebrates people who survived in a new land only to take that land away from the people who were here first, Native Americans. I don’t have the power to correct anything in our past. But what I do have the power to do is to live in a way that supports good in the world today. I believe my faith calls me to do that.
Many LGBTQ+ folks have celebrated their successful “coming out” to friends and their families. It’s probably a process and event they had thought about and worked on for many months and years. Hopefully, they had created a network of friends and other LGBTQ+ folks that helped them - even coached them - on the scary but desired event. Their understanding and supporting friends were valuable allies for that major and probably emotional time.
Yes, it was a “successful event” for the LGBTQ+ member. They wanted to do it, they needed to do it, and they had their personal courage and friends’ and allies’ support to fall back on to if it didn’t work out as desired.
The loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg made the last few weeks tough, not just for the women of the United States, but for all of us. Justice Ginsberg was an extremely thoughtful and intelligent presence on the Supreme Court who expanded the civil rights of women in the United States, promoted the equality of men and women, and conducted herself with grace and determination on the highest court in the land. Her legacy will live on in spite of a concerted effort to undermine her efforts. I appreciate what she has done for women and, as a woman not married to a man, I could not have independently owned a home and business if it were not for her work as a civil rights lawyer, judge, and Supreme Court justice.
Although my heart is heavy because of her passing, I have reason to hope. In just a few short weeks, we the people here in the United States have the opportunity to have our voices heard in the November 3 election. We can speak up in support of whichever party and leaders we decide is best for us individually and for our country. As a non-profit organization, we do not advocate for any particular party, so I will just say, please make the effort to vote if you’re eligible. Get out there and vote and be heard!
October is an exciting month! It is a month of change. You can feel the weather changing from summer to fall. The air at night is cooler and just feels fresher.
Here in Texas, it is normally a time to enjoy the State Fair of Texas and all that goes with an outing to Fair Park—tons of unhealthy foods to sample, new cars to check out, carnival folks trying to get you to try their games (and lose your money). For a German, Oktoberfest is an event to be social and, again, associated with overindulgence in food. It’s a time when I can wear my Lederhosen in public and not be embarrassed.
I’ve been really discouraged lately, as many of you have told me you are. With all that is going on in the world and in my country, the United States of America, it’s easy to be discouraged.
Some of you follow me on my personal Facebook page or Twitter account, where I post some political commentary to family and friends. I recognize that some of my posts could offend some folks outside those circles. But what I most intend to express in any of my social media posts is my desire for all of us to treat each other with kindness and compassion and empathy…and to absolutely call for justice whenever and wherever it’s needed.
Greetings from Discovery Bay in Washington state! We are sitting in our timeshare gazing at the smooth waters of the Puget Sound. It’s warmer than usual but at least the air is smoke free. We left California last week in dense smoke and fires.
For me, the last few months have been a hard grind. As a caregiver, I hear lots of folks asking when we’ll ever get back to normal, whatever normal is! And I’m not sure. But it would be overwhelming to focus only on what’s been challenging. So, instead, I thought I’d share just a few of the things that have brought me some amazing moments of joy since you last heard from me.
Recently I read an article sharing the successful accomplishments a primatologist had made over her lifelong desire and goal to help chimpanzees survive and expand. Early in her career, we had the joy of spending a couple of days with her as she shared with college students and later in two public conferences.
When 2020 began, who could have ever imagined just where we’d be by July? With the global pandemic, our lives have taken quite a turn. While the effects of COVID-19 have been horrific all around the world, the infection rate has worsened in my country. Without clear and decisive leadership using actual science and making sure every citizen has access to personal protective equipment and accurate testing, there is very little chance that the infection rate will slow down any time soon.
On top of that, some police officers have felt empowered to use their authority to oppress, harass, and kill Black and Brown people. When four police officers killed George Floyd, it was only one of the latest cases to inspire a global movement for racial justice. But it’s not just police officers who feel they have the right to detain, harm, or kill people. A White father and son team shot and killed Ahmaud Arbery and were filmed by a friend doing it. Ahmaud was jogging while Black. Thank God they are all being charged with murder. Protests for justice, for George, Ahmaud, Breonna, Tony, and so many others are still happening every day in major cities across America and around the world! This feels like a real moment for change. I pray that it is.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, July 18, 2020. We will have an abbreviated Kinship Kampmeeting Sabbath program online via Zoom. Start time 12 pm EDT / 9 am PDT.
THEME SONG We Are Called
https://youtu.be/sV7qYyYKMhc
We humans enjoy connecting. We connect with family members on special occasions. Many of us enjoyed the weekly connections with friends at Sabbath services when they were allowed, and we look forward to returning to those times again.
Connecting allows us to catch up on each other’s lives—travels, special occasions, celebrations—or give support to others during stressful times. We get to share new information, maybe new places to visit, learn new information, or give support that someone else needs. That’s how we can enrich someone else’s life and, in turn, have our own lives enriched and improved. Connecting in person is valuable because you can sense each other’s joys and challenges and give hugs and personal responses. In-person, connections are great.
SDA Kinship Brasil wurde mit großem Bedauern auf das Erdbeben aufmerksam, das am Dienstag (23) die Südküste Mexikos traf und das zum Tod und zu erheblichen materiellen Zerstörungen führte.
In diesem Moment beten die Mitglieder von SDA Kinship Brasil zusammen mit den Mitgliedern von SDA Kinship International für die Hinterbliebenen und alle, die von diesem schrecklichen Ereignis betroffen sind, insbesondere für unsere LGBTI-Brüder + SDA Kinship Mexico und SDA Kinship Latin America-Mitglieder.
Mankind enjoys connecting with each other. How many of you look forward to seeing and connecting with your own families for celebrations, special gatherings, or just relaxing and having fun together??
Many Americans are focused on the upcoming presidential election and local elections to be held in November. It seems that with the pandemic situation, many states are working towards holding fair elections. There are also some states that are purging folks from the voter rolls, closing many polling places, and making voting harder in order to influence the outcome of the elections.
We are still accepting nominations for the Board of Directors positions listed below. However, we are looking to close nominations by May 15, so you have only a few days to get your name in! Although we have some candidates already, we are still looking for additional members who are talented, creative, and passionate about supporting your SDA Kinship community.
The following positions are open for election this year:
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING EKM 2020
Unfortunately, the abbey where we planned to have our next meeting went bankrupt as a result of the Coronavirus crisis measures. This means that our reservation for the European Kinship Meeting is CANCELED.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, July 18, 2020. We will have an abbreviated Kinship Kampmeeting Sabbath program online via Zoom. Start time 12 pm EST/9 am GMT.
More details to follow.
SDA Kinship wants to give you all the resources possible to help fill your time during the COVID-19 shelter-in-place.
SDA Kinship Latinoamérica te invita a participar de nuestra reunión de Recepción de Sábado vía ZOOM. Este viernes 08 de mayo a las 7:00 PM (Hora de Perú y Colombia).
Region Coordinator:
Yolanda Elliott
Today's world is a bit chaotic! A few weeks ago our political world was filled with various discussions, opinions, needs, and desires and gatherings. Our physical world was moving out of wintertime and looking forward to springtime with less snow, tornadoes, and rain, and more wildflowers and wonderful sunsets. Suitcases and hiking backpacks were coming out of their closets getting ready for fun trips, looking forward to cruises, vacations, school proms and graduations, and spring break.
Then suddenly our world changed! Our plans were dampened and some were washed away. The virus arrived and, with it, major changes to our plans, our lives, and our immediate futures.
SDA KINSHIP INTERNATIONAL ♦ PO BOX 244 ♦ ORINDA, CA 94563-0244 USA
E-MAIL: info@sdakinship.org
