Kinship News

Recently Carolyn and I learned about a Kinship member desiring to help one of their parents understand and accept their LGBTQA/rainbow lifestyle. As we dug a bit deeper we discovered that we personally knew the member. They were a very loving and caring medical field worker - living many gracious years married to their friendly partner - and strongly desiring to reach out to support anyone and any family also living their rainbow life of love and acceptance. We also realized

One day at noon two business men were walking down a busy city street. Suddenly, one of them stopped and asked,  "Did you hear that?" "What?"  his companion wanted to know. "A cricket." Sure enough. They walked over to a small planter, and there in the flower bed they spotted a cricket. "How did you hear a cricket in the middle of all this noise and congestion?" "Watch this," said the first man, reaching into his pocket. Pulling out several coins, he tossed them on the sidewa

As I look out of my window, I see the trees are budding and spouting green leaves. There is something built inside of us that when we see this new sign of life happening, it does good for our soul. When we see flowers pushing up through the soil to bloom, it gives us hope. Even when there are so many other things happening around us that are filled with conflict and strife, these signs of renewal and regrowth give us assurance that no matter what, the cycle of nature will con

Gerald McKay A number of years ago, I started to write about my experience. At that time, Kinship published what I wrote like an old-style serialized story with a chapter appearing every now and then. Now that Kinship has launched its new website, it’s time to migrate my story to the new site. While the content is basically the same, I have re-worked sections here and there. The introduction outlines why I decided to put my journey to paper, as they say. While I’m sure many w

Each February, members of the Kinship community in Germany gather for a weekend of connection, reflection, and planning. This year’s gathering took place near Göttingen at Waldschlösschen, a historic retreat center surrounded by nature. The peaceful setting, comfortable accommodations, and welcoming meeting spaces created the perfect environment for meaningful conversation and community building. Forty two people attended this year’s gathering, including more than ten who joi

Over the past few years understanding the value of friendships has been researched with interesting results.  Being friendly and experiencing friendly occasions is very healthy and meaningful for each and all of us. It can reduce loneliness and feelings of rejection which in turn increases a persons emotional and physical conditions. It’s major impact occurs when it reduces and even reverses depression !!! The 2023 Surgeon General’s annual report was focused on depression and

Matt Segebartt Matt Segebartt lives in Portland, Oregon, where he is a spiritual director/life coach. Matt has graciously volunteered to step into the roles Chaplain to help support our Kinship community with spiritual support. Matt can be reached at chaplain@sdakinship.org

Theme: “Thriving in a Complex World” Many of us are carrying a lot right now—uncertainty, grief, exhaustion, and the ongoing pressure of living in a world where LGBTQ+ dignity and safety can feel contested or fragile. For some, the past year has felt like a season of simply trying to make it through, and just survive. This year’s theme is our collective response: we’re not gathering just to survive—we’re gathering to build lives that can thrive.  Together. At Kampmeeting 2026

Many of us consider February as that short end of winter month between January and March the beginning of spring. It may be the shortest month but take a look at it’s many meaningful details. In reality it’s roman name roots, it’s unique and colorful gemstone, and it’s thoughtful English definitions support and embellish Kinship’s Families and Friends purpose, focus, and desires. It may be the shortest month of our calendar but it is really overloaded with 149 special worldwi

Happy February! Valentine's Day has come to dominate the theme for February, at least in the card shops and candy stores, there is more to the month than ooey gooey chocolate. Love is usually associated with the heart and butterflies in your stomach, but that is only a part of the equation. Love without action is pretty useless. Words without actions are pretty worthless. Just like telling someone that you love them without actively showing what that love looks like has zero