SDA Kinship - CONNECTION - March 1984

fi@ NEI{SLETTER of Seventh-day Adventist Gay Men and Women and Their Friends Yol. 7 hlo. ,, March, SDA P.O. Box 1231, Los Anqeleq CA W78-12, Phste 1) 876-2076 The nonrefundable Kampmeeting included a decision to once again deposit was reduced fromBOARD MEETING REPORT to SzO. This $Zo deposit $50 sell T-shirts at Kampmeeting, can and to include a bazaar on the now be sent in. An applicationDoug Ota and Bob Bouchard will be included in next month's program where Kinship members issue of the Kinship Connection. A national board meeting of can display and sell their crafts Interest was expressed in having SDA Kinship International, Inc. some type of couple-affirmation with a certain percentage of was held at the home of Richard service performed at Kamp- the profits going to SDA Kinship. 5'.ussell, vice-president, in Rancho meeting '84. After much dis- cussion the idea was tabled for A tutt and complete descriptionYucamonga, California over the more study and later action. of planned Kampmeeting acti'.ii- weekend of February 4 and The board felt that SDA Kinship ties will appear in our May issue 5, 1984. The weather was a should at Kampmeeting begin tb of the Kinship Connection- sunny 75\". Board members ate emphasize its philosophy of making all races, sexes, and Kampmeeting'85 lunch outdoors where they could nationalities feel particularly included in our Christian fellow- Kampmeeting '85 will be held enjoy a view of 10,000-foot-high ship. An inclusive-language the week of August 11-18, 1985 hymnal will be used at Kamp- Mt. Baldy. meeting as well as songs and somewhere on the West Coast. verses f rom the SDA Church A committee chaired by Richard Kampmeeting r84 Hymnal that have been specially chosen for their inclusion of all Russeil and including BobKampmeeting '84 will be held peoples. Lin Shepherd, Marge Bouchard, Larry Hallock, andthe week of August 19-26, 1984 Doyle, and Jym Stuart will chair Ron Lawson will decide on aat Quaker Ridge Camp in splendid a seminar on inclusive language. To REPORT p. 3view of Pike's Peak in the Colo-rado Rockies. Some of thedecisions made about Kampmeet-ing included the following:The Kampmeeting fee Jor theweek, including lodging and all The board also discussed theFomifenaa5lns1,c2ew0,aCs5o1sm4e0tm,oitnatenaedsw$lidtiielnloge.ssctTaahblee- need for a support group forlish income guidelines for each parents and friends of gay Ad-^ategory. Bob Bouchard, presi- ventists. An insert will beJjent of SDA Kinship, stated that put in the newsletter weicorning the interested parents a.nr: f riends board felt it was very !.rn- of KinsF:ip members te at'rr;i:clportant to make it possibie for Kampi-r\"-' ,ing '8/*.all of our members. whate-iertheir income levels, i.,-, attend\" Other Kan-rpnreeting ir.'-i,je;riais

J.Vicki Shelton.....: .... Editor SDA Kinship had its semi-annual board meeting over the first weekend in Febru..Emy Lou Johnson . . . . Associate Editor (the other board meeting is held during Kampmeeting). lt's alwavs a iirne oi great renewal as we hear reports from the various officers and regiona! directo;s BOARD MEMBEHS about what kind of Kinship happenings are going on in the countiy. and in ihe world. A page-one article in this month's Corrrectisr gives the details gi ihe.....Robert E Bouchard President Vice President deeisions that were made.Richard Russell . .Douglas P Ota . SecretaryErrol L. SChhamenletossn ....TreasurerJ.Vicki EditorAllen Johnson Public Relations DirectorRonald L. Lawson, PhD . . . SDA Church One of the exciting events of that weekend was the mailing of 600 informaiicnai letters and packets to ,Adventist educators all over the country. lYe directeoJLyinmSShteupahrterd. . . . Women's Liaison approximately six packets to various counselors, deans, and teaehers at Adventist Director academies and approximately l5 to people holding similar positions at Adventist lnformation Services colleges. Each person first received a letter, individually addressed and signed, telling them who we are, and why they are about to receive an inf ormationai Director packet. By introducing ourselves first in the Ietter, we hoped to have the recipients Member at Large understand that we want to educate and to dialoguel thus lessening the chanees Member at Large that the packet, when it arrived, would be immediately consigned to the circlular file. Member at Large Member at Large1 GSGSNoorreeourtaathuhttRALPAtEhaGttlelalIkaaOriennnNnAtstsiiLccDMIRaEtRtChiTecOOwhbBaRJeBrieSlddlufMfcVHhcHaoaCzafnfquvmnurraoareynnnz The SDA Kinship board is very excited about the possibilities of this proiect as many42356 of us went through the Adventist school system and would have been spared so879 much isolation and pain if there had been even one counselor or teacher who was Rocky Mountain open and knew-something about the subiect. Hopefully our brothers and sisters NPoarcthifwicesVtirgDinuisatyRCeaywnothldras Pacific still in the system will have it easier as a result of this effort. The proiect, of Central Pacific Southwest Bernardo Ochoa coutse, rests on the assumption that there are Adventist educators out there who THE SDA KINSHIP are willing to increase their knowledge on a controversial subiect. The letters I LISTENING EAR COMMITTEE have received so far, as you might imagine, cover quite a spectrum of hostile t'l'm going to call my lawyer if you send me anything elser'; to an oblivious \"Why wasn'tlABulann this cleared by the conference office?tt1 to an amazed \"l didntt know you Massachusetts (61 7)365-5636 existedfl; to an open rtltm very interested in learning about this subiect.tt fc So. California (619)346-5307 vBill Louisiana (118)365-4751 At this writing it has been only a few weeks since the packets and letters wereBob Washington, DC (101)270-3271 mailed. We will be hearing more in the weeks to come. For now let me closeBob New York (212)662-8656 with many, many thanks to John Heelan who once again coordinated a very time-,Dusty Wash/Oregon (205)695-2281 consuming proiect; to Vicki Shelton and Emy Lou Johnson, and Richard Russell who..Emy Lou Colorado (JO1)781-5159Errol So. California (213)876-2076 helped with the preparation of the letters and packets. And finally, many thanks toJim Florida (813)749-1114 those who sent contributions toward the $1,000.00 cost and to those of you who will be inspired to help us cover the $500.00 still to go. Bless you all.Keith Texas (512)596-2203Larry Illinois (712)477-2825Lee* Colorado (703)322-4568Lee Michigan (713)155-2523Louise No. California (916)222-5009' ln a couple of ways we've been disappointed during the pa6$Aontn. Discouraged?Mike Michigan (517)177-?2A9 Yes, even to the point of tears a time or two. But in more, many more, than a couple of ways Emy Lou and I have felt nurtured, loved, cared aboul, and encouraqed *Committee Chair to keep on keeping on. Werve rediscovered that this is an organization where one can feel and care and share. There is no need, we have been reminded, to withdraw Seventh-dayAdventist Kinship lnternational, lnc. is awdldwide from our emotions: our anger at ourselves or our friends; our feeling of guilt for support group of/for Adventist (former or current) gay men and maybe saying too much as we worked through the hard times of finances in making women and their friends. SOA Kinship also provides gentle educa\" this newsletter work; our frustration at our vulnerability and maybe our fear of it. lion of SDA pastors, teachers, and iounseiors to ariunderstand- ing of homosexuality and related issues. This newsletts( the SDA What we've known to be true wetve experienced again first hand. We let ourselves Kinship Conneclion, is intended to be an informational and inspira- hurt; let ourselves weep; let ourselves be angry; let ourselves love; let ourselves tional journal for our members and friends and is published monthly live. And as we did we found others sharing and caring, giving and loving along by SDA Kinship lnternational, lnc. Copy deadline is the third Mondai with us. So many gave to us in so many ways: Bob, Larry, Lee, Marge, Richarr' of each month. All typewritten e$ays and other submissions (photG graphs, etc.) will be lhoughtfully considered, and, if not published John, Bernier Robert, Ben, Ren, Ron, Pam, and another Richard. They shared along- will be returned only if submitted with a self-addressed, stamped . envelope. lnclude a lirst and last name, actual or pseudonym, with others not mentioned and sharing it all, after all, is what Kinship is about. that may be publlshed. Lelters and essays may be tidited for [ur- poses of clarity or space. Send all potential copy to: J. Vicki Shelton. PO. Box 1C032. Denver CO 80210. Phone: (303) 781-6159. The appearance of names or photographs of persons ororganiza- tions should not be construed as any indication ctthe s€xual orienta-', lion of the named or shown. Opiriions expressed herein are not necessarily those of SOA Kinship lnlernational, lnc., or of the SDA Kinship Connection staff. Changes of address or requests tor newsletter copies should be sent to our international headquarters at PO. Box 1233, Los Angeles, CA 90078-1233, USA. Our mailing list is confidentiat among officers and staff, and is not sold, rented, or exchanged lor any purpose. 1984 by SDA Kinship lnternalional. lnc. All rights reserved. 2

From REPORT, p. I for organizations, unpaid and Secretarial Asistance gift subscriptions. site by April i 984. Virginia Other fundraising approaches Jeremy Young, Helena and Marge Reynolds, Helena and Marge voted include: Lee Stanford Doyle, and Pam Roberts were. cyle, Douglas Ota, and Dusty will implement an SDA Kinship appointed to assist the secretary Cawthra are to submit sugges- tions for the committee to contributors' forum of individuals in corresponding with SDA Kin- who contribute regularly. Such ship inquirers. Board consider. individuals, those who have been also changed the term rctomnesmenbseurs- particularly supportive over time, ship/subscription applicationrr to will receive regular financial Kinship Connection reports on Kinshiprs needs and 'Irtmewamsbefer lsthtihpe/stuebrsmcrrirpatpiopnlicfaotriomn.'\"lFunds are needed for the Kinship doings. implied undesired selectivity asConnection. As fewer than the to who can or cannot be a mem-anticipated number sent in a Regional AdjustmentslSelt5tesrubfusncrdipwtioinll fee, the news- ber. The modified form will be Several changes were made by also ask the new member to largely de- the board in lhe make-up of the indicate how he or she firstpendent on donations for the various SDA Kinship regions. heard of SDA Kinship. half of the subscription South Carolina is now in Regionsecond After much discussion Informational Materials for Sale 3; Louisiana and Arkansas inyear. Region 5; Missouri and Iowa inthe following plan was voted: Region 4; North and Southp1e) ral2r-epaalgiseticisbsuuedgwetasofse$tS;+2O) iDnakRoteag,ioNneb6rai skaan,danAdrizKoannasains Dif f erent ideas to promoteRon Lawson was directed todraft a letter encouraging SDA Region 9. (A geographical break- public relations were discussedKinship members to purchase extensively. Van Johnson sug-gift rseumbsacinriipntgionssixfomr o$ntth:stoorf down of each Kinship region gested that SDA Kinship facili-the can be found following this tate the sale of its informationalthis subscription year; 3) first-class mail will be used for Paid article). material. It was decided that\<erlbesscsrieprtiomnasilancldasinsqwuiriilel sb,ewuhsieled The board agreed to incorporate SDA Kinship should make its Kinship in Canada. printed materials more exten- sively available to the public. A flier will be prepared and distributed to all Kinship me.m- Left to right (roughly): Richard, Bill, Obed, Bernie, Dougl Paul, Errol, Lin, Ron, Lee, Ren, Pam, Tony, Van, Jym, Marge, Ben, Bob, & Larry (standing in front). : .,i:iiiiii*, 1:r:rj:iFIRE ENGINE #12 Director- Richard Hoffman belongs to Fireman Bill(and he's Bernie's)

'bers listing the available Kinship ally weekend Bible conferences were ministering on the earthpublications and their prices. could be arranged for selected today, He would be there helping clergy and Kinship members to these AIDS patients. Ron willCounseling-Guidelines Brochure study the biblical and ethical submit an article to the news- issues of homosexuality. It was letter encouraging SDA Kinsl-'Bob Holland, chair of the speakers also felt that SDA Kinship could to involve itself in such l.rbguuirdeealiun,essufbomr itcteoudnssueglogresste'idn senucpopuorargt egrtohuepfoformr atAiodnveontfisat ministry.assisting a gay individual, adopted clergy friendly to SDA Kinship. Former SDA Kinship Presidentlargely from the book Positivelv Ben Pickell felt that the forma-Gay by Don Clark. Bob reported tion of small chapters withinthat the material had been New Business regions should be encouraged. After some discussion the boardsuccessfully by other used In discussing new business, gay several members brought uptshupaptortthgeromupaste. rTiahlesbhooaurdldfeblet recommended that an article various ideas for Kinship projects. be written for the newsletterreprinted in a brochure entitled Ron Lawson said that he had detailing the success of somea\"Gnudiddeilsintreibsufoter dCotuonsSelDingAGcaoyusn,r-r recently read several articles Kinship members in reaching out in the New York Times on the to other Adventist gays in theirselors, teachers, and pastors. hardships, both physical and areas. psychological, endured by AIDS A Brochure On patients. Ron felt that if Jesus Kinship's MinistrytVhireginleiattReerysnotlhdsast hsahreed some of Ira andLoop had received from indivi-duals helped by the SDA Kinshipministry in Northern California.The board fferoltmthatht easesalmetptleinrgs NEV REGIONAL BOUNDARIES Region Iof quotescould be put together into a Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,brochure ttoelligngayofASdDvAenKtiisntsshiapn'sd New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermontministry Region 2tVhiergirinfiraietnodds.raTfht ethbeoanredwasbkreod- Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland,chure. North Carolina, Virginia, West VirginiaInformational Packets Region 3It was announced that nearly Alabama, Florida, Georgia,600 informational packets are Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennesseecurrently being sent to Adventisteducators in dll of our colleges Region 4alSantsadtteasucsam.dmTehemrisiresspKrioanmjepctmht,eeveotUitnengdi,teaidst Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan,meant to provide information tothose most likely to counsel Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsinlesbian and gay Region 5 Adventiststudents. In another discussion, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas Region 6Ron Lawson, SDA Church liaison,' Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico,urged that follow-up meetings North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyomingbheapdromreocteedivweitdh the clergy who Region 7 informational Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washingtonpackets in last summer's mailingto 7 50 California pastors. Those Region 8clergy are interested will Hawaii, Nevada, Northern California (zip codes 93600-asked who be meet with some Region 9 to of Arizona, Southern California (zip codes 90000-93599)their peers and selected Kinshipmembers f or discussion. Bob 4Holland suggested that eventu-

at [an Adventist college], and were twofold. Firstly, I arn the pbseecuaduosneymJoIhnmuDsot ea*skisthantomt ya co-founder of the group called Cross Section within the Uniting name not be included in the Church (Methodist, some Presby- Kinship-calendar. terian, some Congregational) in the state of N.S.W. and soon we A COMMENT ABOUT Thank you again for your efforts hope to go national. Secondly, I and concern. They are much have a Malaysian friend who is BOARD MEETING gay and SDA and I have been appreciated. trying to get him to join Kinship.I really enjoyed LA and all [the So far I have been unsuccessful\" In His Love, He has a constant confiict withexcitement] that seemed to grow the church. His own family John Doe kicked hinn out when they dis-from being there. I appreciated covered that he was gay. He *Nome cidhaenngteitdyf.roLmotsleottfelrovteo went back to his family a fewstthheeeemosopptopeorraruttnuiononintyorrtflooKvleienaEsrnhneiprgaybt.ho'rautt protect I-ove, and hoppiness an your Nrthday years back to try and make hisPamela Roberts any\)ay, John! --JYS peace with them and was again rejected. I wonder if someone would like to write to him from that end. lf. sor please write to him in care of me at P. O.COMING HOME Box 44, Bomaderry, N.5.W. 2541. COMMENTS ONtIhkenotiwmeyotuhamnukisntgByeot unofoters all ,\",RUENLEAQTIUOANLSLHYIPYSOIIKAENDD\" I have just received my February the ARTICLES issue and was very interested inwork you have done in providingaEA- vdfeefvoereyrlnulttimiiksmetsef.IoIHramegEreeca'tosymaaainnnnogedthwhelseorlsmebotetniaee(nr.l I enjoy your magazine so much. the article on relationships by bsWethilloillnsgtgiInivgaemtsonmottehaenafAadfemveeinlliytnis.gt,Moiytf E. Jones. How I wish she had expanded more on the reasons for joining SDA Kinship courtship part. How long does a courtship\*maBeaaninh.oImaep, pnroetci\"aoteut\"th) eallwoovrekr, More Vocal Point next pagelcourage, caring, and time thatare put into this organization byso many. I am also glad to seemore women and women's issues Marvelouspresented in the Connection andplanned for at the Kampmeeting foodin August. you madeHope to see you this summer at for uslKampmeeting. God bless. Excellent Kit Tayler hosts IN RESPONSE TO A you \)ere J{'0$rBIRTHDAY-PERMISSION to usl i,Lfifr! LETTER Thonks 'ffifi, andThank you so much 1ep t\yourletter and for coordinating the LAYE!Kinship Connection. The Board_oevfnefrlooyorvtneuenasanhtdoewlCyshjtrhibseetiacsnaamucseoenscpenirronitt .ii\". \t,:..Sd ,,. tu uL.N.i:'.i,.11., n :::-jj 1 .! :::that members of Kinship display, Assistant Chef Robert Soerch, Super Chef Hal lobe (hers currently studying Richard's!), Host Extraordinaire Richard Russell.because I am Director-1 Obed Vazquez looks on.

last? Whilst I agree with the ENJOYED ARTICLES mitment, to the one you love.idea of courtship I feel that ON RELATIONSHIPS I look forward to receiving thesome people excuse themselves I just had to write regarding the last issue oJ the SDA Kinship newsletter each month, and amf rom a committed relationship Connection. I upset that I now very disappointed as I knov' was unable wasbecause they never get past the attend the it will be another WHOLE montr,-, to before the next one. Keep upcourtship stage. board meeting in California, but the excellent worklI was also interested in the that feeling was overcome by the good feeling that I got when Love,Unequally Yoked article by R. L. I realized the latest issue of theRamsay and would like to share Gary K. Stebbedssome of my thoughts on that Connection was in my mail.subject with him. If he wouldlike to write to me I would bedelighted to hear from him.One more thoughtl It is lovely I have really enjoyed this Febru- TWO SETS OFto see so many women in Kin- MORAL VALUES?ship. We haven't achieved that ary '84 issue which I receivedyet in Cross Section. Here in this evening and have already I just finished reading the Feb-Australia women seem to be read from cover to cover. I ruary issue of the Kinshipsuspicious of organizations which Connection. You've all done it particularly enjoyed the articles againl Congratulations on an-have been started by males. on relationships. They made me other fine issue. E. Jones'Keep up the good work. article on relationships was think a lot deeper about the excellent. I really appreciated Love, direction I want my life to take, and to also realize once again the ideals and values she expres- Don M. Dudgeon that a relationship must 5e a two-way street with give and sed. We think very much alike. I think values such as those take on both sides--and perhaps more give, or should I say com- Direetor-1 Obed Vazquez & Speakers Bureau Chair Bob Holland Dr. Lawson, SDA Church Liaison 6

Adventism over a period of many years. I just don't feel ADVENTIST PAIN danoythhiangvespmiryituoawl annypmerosoren.alI Note: Because this letter expressesI thought Kinship would be a philosophy, based on the Golden ideas spoken by others, we think it Rule, which works for me.good social outlet, an opportunity worthy of our president's response:to meet new friends, etc. But I I agree with the effort to educatedidn't realize that each meetingwould bring back to memorysome of the worst years (the pastors, teachers, and counselors Many of us, feeling painAdventist years) of my life like of depression flowing about homosexuality and toa wave make information available to Students and church members similor to the land you describe, pushed our Adventist experienceover me. The Adventist attitude, who find themselves gay and into the for manyjargon, and philosophy came confuSed. And I have financially yeors. It background wos easier to ignorethrough ioud and clear, even in a supported the information packet the Adventist period in our lives,group of gay Adventists. mailings. But to think you are precisely because it brought on a going to change the thinking of t'wo.vg of depressiontt or made us*slt'eeea'vrmlveeirnsfatglwyhteiahtahdersnb'Aobethdeinifvnoggereng- ttaIoisyctrdaCsomhowuermictthhoy otthafektihhnoe6arAoy,dntvheiacnkt-ihsjoet abCdhetudhrcahhe,tiryamoruicgh'rheyt feel that we had been 'tbeaten possibly be accomplished in ien senselessrf over spiritual matters. lifetimes\" I mean, really, just The problem wos, by keepingsexuality. I donrt see why any- dtaiivosrcnaoynofnrfeocmoteudtrhefersxoepmiesnsaueenlsac,regwe.eSpfDeoArlt-one would want to support an look how women and blacks areorganization that is riddled with ftroerateedxainmthpel-eA.dCvehnritsistitanCsh,uarcnhdhypocrisy, dishonesty, and elitism AKdfnvsehnrptfswtsascofomrmeetdo to help gay(even at the highest levels), to Adventist Christians especially, terms with their anger ond depresston, tostrainyensothbinagseadbosuotlehloyldoinng should have no problem with wtderstand the churchts strong doc- and weak pofnts, to link their the, treating all people equally,writings of a prophet who de- regardless of sex. or race. But sa|vation to Jesus who does notmanded to be given credit when even now, in 1984, the Adventist reject them, and to find fellow-her plagiarized writings were Church is far, far, far behindquoted. I've gone to Adventist society in this regard. And you ship wtth others who are experi- encing similor questions andschools and worked for an' expect them to accept homo- emotions. It would be a shameAdventist publishing.. house and, sthexeualAs?dvFeornmtise ttoCwhourrkcwhithfoinr if the pain put on gay people by an tnforgiing church andbelieve ffi€r I saw it all firsthand in living color. change would be purely maso- society was able to keep us fromSo I have no use for organized chistic. supporting each other as we findreligion, jaencdtsespmecyiallGyond-ogtivoenne So if you don't see me at our rndivlduol onsuers to these meetings, I very important questrons. Donttthat re Kinship hope you'ilsexuality. Being gay certainly better understand why. stoy ayray. We need your fnsights too.isn't something that I chose._,4y capacity to respond to Sincerely, Bob Bouchardspiritual things has been \"beaten Arnold Albertson SDA Kinship President experience insenselessrr by my The INSERT, side I

REGION g--SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA i talent to make this a successful event, taking some of your preeious living come along and share with us. Letrs space, iust think about us. ln order to & ARIZONA not wait until the last minute. Now is make this a good proiect, we need the time. We will also have a highly your contributions. There is not muehIt was a great ioy to see so many of our recommended lawyer, a member of the that we can do if we have nothing tomembers from other patts of the sell. Please keep us in mind.country at the national board meeting in Civil Liberties Union, speaking to us about May 19 Wetli have our church serviceCucamonga. We of Region 9 were very our legal rights and how to claim them. in Riverside. Do I need to say more?happy to have participated in the event If you have not been to one of ourand wish to extend a hearty and loving April 29 Werll have a fund-raising garage services, donrt let this opportunity getKinship thank you to Riehard & Hal sale at my home in San Bernardino. awayl I am sure you will receivefor being wonderfu! hostsl All who were Donrt forget this very important project. bountiful spiritual blessings by attending.present enioyed the experience immensely., Bernardo Ochoa Last year we were able to raise $200I very warmly welcome those who were from near-throw-away thinqs. Il you Above: Marge Doyle have unwanted items that are only and Bob Bouehardnew and hope we get to see you again.Thank you to those who have written Friday evening before board meetingsme short letters and greeting cards; it isalways nice to know that there are Left: Bernie Ochoa, direetor of Region 9,people who appreciate oners efforts. Iwould like to encourage all of you to enioys the deliciousjoin us for the following dates: Friday evening mealMqrch 2-4 We are skiing at Mammothl The INSERT, side 2April 7 A very special meeting dedicatedto our Kinship sisters is planned. Westrongly believe in the issues of impor-tance to women and have asked Dr.Betty Brooks, professor of women'sstudies at Cal. State, Long Beach, toioin with us and share some of herwealth of knowledge with us. Thiswill be a very enjoyable learning experi-ence for all of us. We will meet in theLos Angeles area. Of course we willhave a potluck dinner and guys arealso welcome and encouraged to bqthereiApril 2B Plan on ioining me this day atmy home in San Bernardino. We reallyneed to get together and decide whatwe want our organization to do for thegay-pride festival. There are variousways in which to get involved. If youfeel you have the commitment and

expressed by Jones need to be Editorts note: Once again, thankheard more often. From what you all for your encouragement.one hears sometimes (thank-*fuhlilnyk, not in the KC)r one We editors are iust one part of a God had one set of would rapidly growing and increasingly moral influential organization. We:-alues for heterosexuals and AMAZON GRACEanother, a somewhat less de- have a messoge to give andwetremanding set, for gays. It's together! An Amazon on the title page gling it--all of us of the Kinship statistics report Wetre thankful for ALL of you, in February had no closetedquite clear that Jones is under whether you contribute some ofno such illusion. the materiols we print, meaning. Women are coming some ofR.L. Ramsay's article the money to print out. Lesbian membership in- with, orgood. It dealt with some of your valuable time to creased 50o/o August through was also read ond learn. We are all a January, while other membership an issueabout which all of us, especially very important part of Kinship. 'increased by a much smallerthose of us not in a relationship, And the love you expressed is ,amount. How precious didshould think very seriously. --Jvs that grace appearl mutual!Keep up the good work, Vicki. MORE VOCAL POINT .**.* love you and reallyWe all on the INSERT, KAMPMEETING FEES-ABILITYappreciate what you and Emy Lou side 1... In one of the most politicallyare doing. far reaching decisions in Kinship Sincerely, history, the board has approved sliding-scale fees for Kampmeet- Alan Hoston ing '84, in consideration of the economic discrimination against many including women who, as we know, earn $.fg for every 51.00 men with high school edu- cations earn. The charges will range from approximately 20o/o below to 60/o above the estimated cost of the week-long convocation. Although the expense will still be a hardship for some, it is iinheowpecdomtheirss change will to attend. encourage Fees paid will be confidential, and all attendees may participate RICHARD HOFFMAN_ equally in workshops, activities, and accommodations without A WINNER IN OUR EYES! ItfhethmisonnethwsslgeotteroifmlsprRovicehsorods reference to amount paid. Hoffman, di.rector of Region 4, NEW EMPHASIS ON deserves the lion,s INCLUSIVTTY share of hcares dgirtrvfeonrutsh.eYmouorraglieft boost he of love, Richard, leoves us with happy teors in our eyheasn.gWinegfeoenl Bob Bouchard very much like and ,TithyetoapuonsdtleersPtaanudl had the capac- stnung for greater heights! the importance Thank you. WE LOVE YOU: ;of including all people ,valuable members of as equally Emy Lou & Vrclcr tian community: the Chris- 7 For because of the faith you

have in Christ Jesus, you are Left to righL: # all in the likeness of God. . . Th-ere is no Jew nor Greek; Pamela Roberts, Caroline, ,.N there is no slave nor free Ellen Tohdiojo, person; there is no male Lin Shepherd, # sex nor female sex, for you are ali one and the same in Virginia rrRenI Reynolds, EIlen Jaime Nicholson, Tohdio jo Christ. & Mgrge DoyleSDA Kinship, at its recent board Fourteen womenmeeting: decided to also empha- were with us atsize this area oJ Christian feilow- board meetinglship by adopting a hymnal foruse at Kampmeeting '84 which OUR GOD IS LIKE AN EAGLE \-/emphasizes those hymns that lf God is like an eagle who helps her young to fly,use inclusive ia.nguage\" Educa- And God is olso father, then what of You and l?tional sessions will also exploreour Christian history--how therrfathersrr came to make womenand minorities feel left out.The SDA Kinship board votedunanimously tr: include thesebeginning steps in this year'sKampmeetin6 program.The SDA Church may know thatwomen and minorities are asmuch in God's image as aremen, but it has been slow toput that in practice or proclaimit to the world\" SDA Kinshipwants to lead out in that area--that all are included in God'slove. We have no fear of Labels; we have no fear of roles, goal. blends them, we If Godts own being seek the selfsame Aur God is not a woman; our God is not a mam, Our God rs both and neither; our God is I who am. From all the roles that bind us, our God hos set us free. What freedom does God give us? the freedom just to be. --Laurence G. Bernier i; ti*'gJ #\"## pi;; rrp; ',r#:W{rf*f}::#7Virqinia \"Ren'r Reynolds,

Dear Dad, I have been thinking about your comments last Thursday about my references to Kinship et al in my rrchronicle,rtand would like to let you know where I am coming from here. You stated your concern that others might react badly to me if they knew I was gay, and you mentioned auntsand SDAs in particular. I have had plenty of time to worry about how people would react to I'stranqe'r things aboutme in my life. When I was younger I used to be very netvous about admitting to being an SDA, for I was never surehow people would respond to my being religiously queer. I remember being called a rtseventh-day adventurerr't for exam-ple. But mostly my worry was unnecessary, although to the extent it became apparent to the other person I no doubtincreased the sense of queerness. This experiehce in my past has made it much easier for me to be open about being gay. After all, there arean awful lot more gay people in the world than there are Adventistsi Today, for example, in my academic circles inNew York, my homosexuality draws little comment. However, for these secular people my being a Christian, and moresoan Adventist, is a constant source of amazement. This is not to say that there are not lots of preiudiced people, and among them rank many Adventists. Neverthe-less, in my role in Kinship as liaison to the church I have dealt with many maior figures, from the General ConferencePresident on down, and these dealings have gone rather well. I could not do this if I were I'closeted,t' could l? lf we are going to get rid of irrational preiudice--the psychologistshave coined a word for it, rrhomophobiat'--then we must be open. And the very fact of being open is at least as impor-tant as the political actions we take, for while it is easy to be preiudiced against a class of people, examples of whomyou have not met, it is much more difficult to be pre-iudiced face to face, especially when the person concerned turnsout to be sensible and normal in the rest of his life. The best thing that could happen for gay people would be forall of us to be open so that the rest of the population would discover how many of us they alteady know and hadnot previously thought at all undesirable. Just think how many gay people you have known (only some of them throughme) without realizing itl rrComing ouilr to most people we know turns out not to be very hair-raising at all. The first time I called a profes-sor at the Adventist seminary to invite him to take part in the Kinship Kampmeeting I was very scared--but thoughhe knew little, he turned out to be very sympathetic, and ALL of the clergy who have been to the Kampmeetings havebeen wonderful. I came out to all my old friends from home back in 1974 when I was in love with Scott--l was sohappy I wanted everyone to know. In only one instance did it have any negative effect, and in most cases the effectwas very positive, for my friends now knew ME, we could now share much more fully. lf someone doesnrt know me as a gay person, they dontt really know me at all. This is why I felt I had to tellyou, even though I was uncertain how you would respond--l wanted to share my life with you. All your earlier questionsabout when I was going to get married wete so extraneous, and lust made me uncomfortable. I wanted you to knowhow good I felt about the things I was doing as a gay person--Kinship, for example--and how it had made me a moreChristian' caring person. I wanted you to be in on my ioys and sorrows, to know what questions to ask about my lifeand who to send greetings to, the same way that you ask Rosemary about her family. Please get comfortable doing this. My gayness, those who are close to me, my ioy in Kinship, etc., are thingsto be shared. They are not deep dark secrets which should be pushed from the consciousness. And you need not beuneasy when I talk or write about these things to others--l am iust refering to the very ordinary things about my life,things which I care about a great deal, just as you refer to the things that are important to you. 'lndeed, when youreach the point where you can talk to others about your gay son in an unselfconscious walr you will then be doingyour part to help reduce preiudice also. Try it--you will be surprised how positively many people react, and whenthey prove to be preludiced and ill-informed, you can help set them rightt I have not come out to my aunts and uncles yet, partty because ol the acidity of family gossip (it seems thatthey do not know how many members of their families are gayl), and partly because I knew that you would be particu-larly sensitive on this front. The result is that they do not really know me, and I donrt know them. On the otherhand, because I am open with several of my cousins, I really feel I know these, and I am looking forward very muchto seeing them later this year. lf any of this raises questions, I hope that you will find youiself open enough to be able to ask. Discussion buildsrelationships, silence and avoidance builds barriers. FMuch love, br'---

for many to recognize their state, my sexuality and my Christian f aith. I and often a lot more time and courage am not alone. There are people around to accept it and act upon it. And this me who believe they are part of Jesus' has to be taken in the light of an family. They know He still loves ther increasing number of anti-gay articles Though others may persecute themY nothing can come between them and in official SDA Church publications here. their love of Christ. What SDA Kinship (Australia) I will not speak for the others in God bless you all. The warmest of the group, but I will say that for me best wishes for a happy and prosperous l-*as Meant To Me: Reflections on 19Bf SDA Kinship has provided a great deal 1984 are sent to you from SDA Kinship of support since I became a part of it.Dear f riends in the USA. This is I have been involved with Kinship since (Australia).the first time I have written to you on its formation here in Australia and it hasbehalf of Kinship Australia, but I am provided me with a great inner strenqth. Anthony Hawthornesure it will not be the last. It has helped me to accept my sexual Secretary, SDA Kinship (Australia) orientation and to feel comfortable withAs you are well aware, SDA Kinship it. The group has extended its inviting REGION I_-NORTH ATLANTIC(Australia) is still in its inf ancy. How- arms to me and has provided me with aever there is a small group of us work- continual source of friendship, support lust Remindersling at publicizing our existence, sending and love. Kinship has also had a fewout information packages, and arranging social functions throughout the year. I March 11 at 1:00 p.m. at Bob's.social gatherings in an attempt to have found them to be great as they April I at 1:00 p.m. Details to be an-encourage and rouse new members. ,have been occasions which have enabled nounced. t. me to be myself as I was among people April 14 and 15 in Massachusetts. Call who understood me and who share a Allen at (617) 365-56i6 or Obed atTo dale our membership is still small, similar lifestyle to mine. (2O1) 742-5098 for details.but we are trying to be patient and notto expect miracles overnight. We all Above all, SDA Kinship has helped me to Obed Vazquezappreciate how difficult it is for people see that there can be a union betweento rrcome outrr and to feel comfortablewith other gay brothers and sisters.It takes a lot of time and couraqeREGION 9 WOMEN TOGETHER REGION z--SOUTH ATLANTICJaime Nicholson RECIPROCAL The February meeting held in CotumbiaV was a pleasant and enioyable evening.On the weekend of JanuarY 7 As the earth begins to warm Several of our members were unable toand 8 a small grouP of KinshiP Before the sun is in full view, attend due to illness or traveling. Wewomen from Region 9 met for a missed their presence in our ilsocialweekend of fellowship and shar- A kindred spirit answers hor.rr.'r lt is hoped that they will being at Caroline's in Los Angeles. A generous heart--We began the weekend with a As does the tree the wind-- attending the next meeting.potluck Sabbath afternoon. Therest of the afternoon was spent Perceptive, The March meeting will be in Columbiain relaxation and conversation. Responsive, at Stevers and will be at 5:00 p.m. For we had a pizza more details or directions, call Steve atSaturday evening So I answer you. 776-1929. There will be a potluck. (too) familiar Flease plan to be there.dinner, became Lin Shepherd Matthew Buchannanwith Hollywood Boulevard (it'snot the fastest street to get REGION 4--GREAT LAKESanywhere in a hurry ohr on aSaturday night), and A happy and breezy March to all of saw \"Terms W(9h.osLe.ChWildinCchrieasnbdy Joe Gantz. our friends. Brrrr, Brrrrl Are youof Endearment\" at Mann's Associates, thawed out yet? Why can't t fit into the my summer shorts? They must haveChinese Theater. Sunday we Jalmar Press, 45 Hitching Post shrunk. I guess I need All-Temp-A-visited the LA Zoo where Drive, Bldg. 241, Rolling Hills Cheeri Region 4 has a couple of newCaroline is a member (supporting, Estates, CA 90274), $S.95 paper- names and faces. People seem to h '.not residingl). We enjoyed our turning up as rrthe word\" seems to L*/weekend. Old friendships were back, $i5.95 hardback. out,lstrengthened. New friends were Children of gay parents talkmade. We hope to see more of about their lives. Read it, then Please mark your calendars for our nextour lesbian sisters at our next send your thoughts to the Con- f ormal meeting March 17 at Camp WarrenBet-together. nection. *** 10

REGION 7--PACIFIC NORTHWESTin l\"lichigan, We've decided not to have Jesse and I really enioyed our train tripany clergy at this meeting so that people'' ho to Seattle. We all met at George and REGION 8--CENTRAL PACIFIC are somewhat hesitant will feel_ nfortable to join us. yes, werre just Don's house there f or our meeting. We One week after attending board meetinga small group but we certainly enjoy enjoyed seeing several new faces. Wel_ in Los Angeles, I found myself suf fering comes go to paula, Ozzie, Lowell, andeach other,s eompany and always look Dennis f rom Seaftle and also to Wayne from huglag, I needed a love boost from Kinship, but couldnrt muster upforward to our meetings. please join and Karen. We had 18 present in all. the energy to saddle up Charlie Brownus as we needln iurn we will you and your support. It was such a good feeling to see so and make the iourney over the rnoun_ give you our support. many happy people. We all met aboutThose hovering angels who always aLtend tains. When I tried to hitch a ride 4:00 p.m. at George and Don's. We had with a stagecoach, I found out it hadour meetings must get a chuckle out a wonderful pizza dinner and a delicious gone out of business. So I lasssoed aof our antics. My the Toyota died in cheese cake dessert made by Earl and friend to eseort me through the pass.alley on a eold winter day, as I grunted Ed. Our opening devotion was read byto push I yelled out, rrCome on angel Jesse. This was followed by these lra was the lovely host for our Februaryhelp me pushrrr and one didj Kinship is 1 1 meeting. Ren presented a report onhelping to make me aware that events and topics: board meeting. I hope she will forgive Sometimes we all need me for my enthusiastic interruptions,alone. lrm not A) Having a guest speaker eome and as I wanted to share tooi talk to us.pushj a litile B) Kampmeeting '84--what to expeet. C) Sponsoring some needy person to Richard Hoffman Our March meeting will be held at Renrs Kampmeeting. REGION 5--GREAT PLAINS house (5419 Raimer Way, Carmichael, CA) D) Possible bake sale or garage sale in at 2:00 p.m. Our usual poiluck dinner late spring. will be highlighted by the attendanee ofThere will be a weekend meeting in After our meeting we had a very lively ,our special guests, Murriel and Merrill game of rrTrivial pursuit.rBryan,/College Station in March. lt is I will iust rFollansbee and Jean Hansen from pFLAGplanned to start Friday evening the 23rd ,(Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays.)with vespers. lf there is enough say \"ourtr team won. Just barely thoughl Jesse played the \"Wink Martindale rtinterest on Sabbath we will have our of game show hosts. His voice buzzer Relerve April 7 for an April Fool's Day-'vn church lf not, I for timing us got rather over_used. .party. Werll have movies, popcorn, and service. will take Ithe works.\_Jse who are interested to church.There will be a poiluck and time to Thanks to everyone in SeatHe for host_visit with each other, and finally a sun_ ing us. We were provided nice warm Any questions concerning either meeting?set service followed by a campfire/ beds to fall into. Sunday we met at noon to eat at Frederick and Nelsonts. Call 485-1694 ot 455-894O.wiener roast. Pamela RobertsWe hope as many as ean will get in The food there for brunch is really REGION g--SOUTHERN CALIFORNIAtouch with us and come for the whole great. After several brave ones posedweekend or iust for Sabbath. If there for pictures with store mannequins, we & ARIZONAare any questions about lodging, trans_ broke up and went our different ways. Please refer to the INSERT for thisportation, etc., call (409) BZZ_2276. The update!address is 100 N. Main, Bryan, TX 77A8. We were hosted about Seatile by -_lVS Steve. Our thanks to our driver too. Terre price Our meeting in March will be the 17th and 1Bth. Several plan to come from Seattle and other areas. We hope to REGION 5--ROCKY MOUNTAIN meet and surpass our goal of 21 peopleWe need a regional directorl Wonrt for the March get-together at Dennis RESPONSES TOsomeone come to our rescue? and Corky's in Call (206) THE INFORMATION PACKET poriland.Meanwhile, instead of a First Friday,Last Thursday, and Third Saturday 695-2281 for details or housinq. Blessschedule (FFLTTS) which we hope to you all and thanks for a great' great weekendi Many exciting responses to our current mailingreinstate in f uture months, this month of informationalwe will meet iust two times. Our first pmaacjkoertshiaghreligahlrteoafdyneinxthmaonndthl ,Asmeeting will be a poiluck on Saturday, Dusty Cawthra.\M/iaelrrkscihdrsa1.0y,O, auMtras6rec:h0co0.npd2.m9m,.eaefottinrEgmnwyeiwLllosbuleetatenordnassembly. Cail (l0l) 791_6159 for more newsletter witi be sharing some of these with you. Greaithingsinf crmation. are. happening in SDA Kinshlp and we cyaonualflofreerl evaedryinpgrouthde': KI!i\"n1sh! ip Connection. Emy Lou Johnson 11



a Served at board meeting Hal lobe \-/IIIUSHROOM AND NUT PATE and widely requested!5 servings2 tablespoons butter 3/4 cup slivered almondsr toasted Salt1 Ib. mushrooms, sliced Dash of red pepper1 small onlon, sliced 1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted1 elove of garlic, minced I Toasted sesame seeds 2 tablespoons peanut oil Assorted crackers or pita bread 1/4 teaspoon thyme or rtto tastetr Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic; then saut6 until most of theliquid has evaporated. Remove from heat. Coarsely chop almonds and hazelnuts in blender. or processor, remove 2 tablespoons of mixture and set aside.Continue chopping, slowly adding oil until mixture is well blended. Add seasoning and mushroom mixture and blendthoroughly. Stir in remaining nuts, Mold into leaf and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with crackers or pitabread. As for the types of nuts, I have used iust walnuts or whatever you happen to have in the fridge. This patdlends itself well to experimentation with seasonings, so try your favorite spices, adding a little at a time to satisfyyour taste. MARGH t984 Sunda Mondav Tuesday Wednesdav Thursday Friday SaSFMEETRWUARTYF1S984 SMATPWRILTI9F84S 12 3 1234 I1293r0415161721314 Regk rn95 6 7 I 9 1011 1s 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 SKIT NG12 13 14 15 16 17 18 2S 3019 20 2t 22 23 24 25 At Man lmoth:26 27 28 29 5 6 7t I 10 4 .,r*-.Ti,:l.? R-8 to P&F Region 6's Mtg' fi*ti Ar{r ffxrR€ss Region 8's Mtg. a\"ut ] c+rences ure er ,12 I srcnrrnRv's rrrcr 11 f sErctay Ssrl 13 15 \"*\",\",\"*16 17Region I's Mtg. Dats lbe ;tfrlr.f'n .\".:f.SIi,1od6l',' One S-ger Guy, .o na\1.'*-o6of: - t\\".\":\"1.* Region 4's Mtg' We Love you To DFC SEND COpy:: I Atan Hoston. u'nihdd dF DBta thdst' {}ol-*l Regron z's Mtg. Harlan Hedriek! SEND COPY:: I rtis is your dayl I ,, '^,\"\"*.o^' OrF At DPC Happy B.D.18 19 2l20 ,.a-1,lI^a22 * 23 24 i{AT-I.G LABEIS COPY. DEADLINE OnHLHapaisprrinByeFsirstohtoxday!;tnI|I otrr\"*.rt,\"aitroftotno'Ga}ebarYapyd:pyy''s! DII AT EDS * DPc R-8 to P&F Region )'s Mtg. LABELS TO EDS Rap Session25 26 27 28 29 30 i,\"\":'$ 3t L2 PRESS DEADLINE Our Love to ?\f(\--9:: rras'' This is ' Chuck Edwards today, I 1\"\"t\", Woodworth's his birthdayl II Birthday--LovE ASSEMBLY DAY: to YOUII 5 o,m.