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 a pris connaissance, avec grand regret, du tremblement de terre qui a frappé la côte sud du Mexique mardi (23), qui a causé des pertes en vies humaines et d'importantes destructions matérielles. 

En ce moment, les membres de SDA Kinship Brasil, rejoignent les membres de SDA Kinship International dans les prières pour les familles endeuillées et toutes les personnes touchées dans ce terrible événement, en particulier à nos frères LGBTI + membres de SDA Kinship Mexique et SDA Kinship Amérique latine .

These last several months in the United States where I live have been extremely stressful for everyone. Quarantining has brought out the best in some people and the worst in many. Incidents of domestic violence have increased significantly as most people have been asked to stay at home. And not only have millions of people lost their jobs, but the number of people who’ve died from COVID-19 in my country has surpassed 100,500.

If the coronavirus outbreak wasn’t hard enough, the most recent attacks against our Black siblings, including Tony McDade, a trans man in Florida, have just been heartbreaking. We must all do our part to stand against racism and hatred every time we see it. It’s way past time for it to end.

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??

41st ANNUAL ONLINE KAMPMEETING

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.

 A Week at Quest Learning Center

BY JERRY MCKAY

By the end of the first week of September 1982, I had decided to relocate to Pennsylvania for counseling. The first thing I had to do was to call Perry in Japan, because my decision would require his finding a teacher to replace me on short notice. At $3.00 per minute, our call was brief. Perry said that any inconvenience my decision might cause did not concern him. Rather, he was concerned for me. After sharing a few details about my visit with Colin, I thought I had put Perry’s reservations to rest. That was not the case. Two days later, Perry called back.

Perry feared that my life—in fact, my whole identity—would become organized around homosexuality instead of a bigger paradigm—my maleness within a Christian framework. He was concerned that by going to Reading, I would establish and reinforce my identity through a sexual framework by being with and talking to other homosexuals, day in and day out. I thought Perry’s concerns were legitimate, but my ship named “Identity” had already set sail.