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Approaching 50 years ago, several faithful SDA rainbow members decided to gather and connect for support and friendship. As the word spread among those loving folks, the first Kinship Kampmeeting was held in Arizona with support from caring pastors, friends, and Kinship members.
Today, SDA Kinship reaches around the world to many cultures, languages, and geographies. A successful, meaningful European Kinship Meeting was just held and our North American Kampmeeting will soon occur in Southern California. Gathering together with understanding and caring members, families, and friends is a strong reflection of the Jesus spirit implanted in all of us willing to love and support.
October is our Kinship Awareness Month to recognize, enhance, and support the Kinship mission.
In recent years, families with rainbow members have connected and shared with each other. So, in addition to recognizing and supporting all our wonderful Kinship rainbow members, Carolyn and I want to also recognize and support all of our families and friends members who have joined over the past few years.
Many people haven’t realized that every rainbow person comes from a family. When a faithful SDA rainbow member is rejected or belittled, that also causes rejection and emotional discomfort in their family members. Incorrect knowledge and decisions cause health and emotional issues throughout the family. It is further complicated when a faithful SDA employee, pastoral or otherwise, is forced to hide or reject their rainbow family member whom they love and desire to support.
Over the past five years, our families and friends membership has more than doubled with new members joining weekly. We have new connections around the world. It has been very meaningful watching families connect through the monthly Families & Friends Round Table Zoom discussions—often followed up with families connecting personally and supporting each other. Information shared through monthly articles and updated professional reports has also assisted family members to more fully understand the real physiological sources of varied sexualities. It is not a choice.
We all desire and deserve acceptance, support, and a loving environment—not a rejecting, non-supporting human judgmental faith environment. Together, loving and caring families, friends, and rainbow members can create that safe, supportive, and modern environment which includes all humans without judgements and rejections.
Thank you, SDA Kinship, for existing and lovingly supporting all of our members. Let’s double and quadruple Kinship membership, awareness, and impact.
Remember, “Jesus never looked the other way—and neither should we!”
— John and Carolyn Wilt, Families & Friends Coordinators
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