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Ripples - March 2009, round 2

Urvashi Vaid to speak at Synod luncheon

: Urvashi Vaid

Urvashi Vaid, former Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Executive Director of the Arcus Foundation, community organizer, and attorney will join us at the UCC Coalition luncheon at General Synod. She will share with us on the topic of how The UCC Coalition's Open and Affirming work relates to the national LGBT movement.

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IMPORTANT Growing BOLD hotel information

Our 2009 National Gathering, Growing BOLD, will be a celebration of Open and Affirming, an exploration of what ONA can be in its fullest expression, and an opportunity for worship, fellowship, celebration, and engagement. Join us June 22–25, 2009, in Grand Rapids, MI, to kick-off the week of General Synod.

Don't forget your hotel reservations! A discount hotel rate of $82 plus tax is available, if you mention this event. When calling the hotel, please call the local property at 616-957-1770 rather than the national reservation 800 number. You need to mention "GROWING BOLD" to receive one of our reserved rooms at the special room rate.

Many more details are available online, including schedule, confirmed speakers, and more: www.ucccoalition.org/programs/gathering/

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The Latest on Growing Bold

The Growing Bold planning committee is hard at work. Lots of details are coming together, and we are gradually adding them to the website.

Elaine Kirkland will be leading the choir again this year
Grand Rapids Mayor, George Heartwell, will be joining us at the Wednesday banquet

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Workshop: The Agapé Christian Reconciliation Conversation

Here are details on one of our Growing BOLD workshops!

Are you convinced that homosexuality is a sin punishable by death according to the scriptures? If yes, then this workshop is not for you.

Are you convinced that LGBT folks are as welcome into Christianity just as any other children of God and that homosexuality is not sinful in nature? If yes, then this workshop is not for you.

If you are somewhere in the middle between these points, this workshop is for YOU! The Agapé Christian Reconciliation Conversation Program was designed to commence dialogues regarding the issues related to LGBT justice from a Christian perspective.

The program starts with the screening of one of the documentary films of the available series—Straight From the Heart, All God’s Children, or De Colores—to serve as the trigger and tool for dialogue among participants. Various dyads and group exercises are presented designed to develop awareness among the group. Theological discussions related to inclusiveness and agapé love in the Bible are used as reflections and discussion throughout the program. The workshop will provide a safe and nonjudgmental space for anyone to share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns related to LGBT issues and Christianity.

Peter Barbosa, born and raised in Puerto Rico, has worked as a scientist and immunology professor, specializing in HIV and AIDS. Peter also produced and directed two award-winning documentaries, De Colores and I Exist, exploring homophobia in the Latino and Middle Eastern cultures, respectively. Peter is a former member of the UCC Coalition Council, and has represented The Coalition on the UCC’s Hispanic Ministries Implementation Team.

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The Coalition is seeking Frequent-Flyer-Mile donations

The UCC Coalition is seeking frequent-flyer-mile donations. We would like to collect frequent-flyer miles to help provide scholarship support to folks who may not be able to join us this year at Growing Bold in Grand Rapids, MI, unless they have some assistance. Please contact office@ucccoalition.org or 800-653-0799 to arrange for your contribution.

We are also glad to accept cash contributions toward our Growing Bold scholarship fund.

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Who is volunteering?

The Coalition relies on volunteers to fuel its work in the church and society. We have just launched a new page on the website in an attempt to better acknowledge these diligent souls. The problem with such efforts is that, no matter how careful we are, someone inevitably always gets left out! Can you help us get this new page up-to-date by letting us know if you notice anyone missing who is performing an on-going role in service to the Coalition?

www.ucccoalition.org/about/volunteers/

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More volunteer opportunities

Outreach caller: Our Growing BOLD conference has an exciting program, and we want to make sure that people know about it. Personal invitations are the best way for us to reach people. For someone who loves connecting by telephone, this is a great opportunity to extend awareness of the event and The Coalition. Phone calls need to be made by the end of April so that people can take advantage of the early registration deadline for Growing BOLD.

Event Planning (Gathering 2010): Growing BOLD is approaching quickly, but it is also time to start thinking about the UCC Coalition's 2010 National Gathering. We are seeking a couple of volunteers to assist with site selection for that event. The initial commitment is only for up to two months until we have the dates, city, and hotel confirmed, but we would also welcome folks to be part of the planning for the event itself.

Research assistant: We want to be able to direct people to our ONA churches, but we only have web addresses for some of them. Meanwhile, the Coalition’s database will be most effective if it is updated with other information as well. A detail-oriented person can work on flexible deadlines to gather this information from the web and from UCC data.

Please contact the Coalition's national office at office@ucccoalition.org or 1-800-653-0799 to find out more about these opportunities!

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New ONA Settings

Welcome and congratulations to these recently declared ONA congregations!

Union Congregational Church, UCC (Angels Camp, CA)
United Church of Hinesburg (Hinesburg, VT)

The up-to-date list can be found here: http://www.ucccoalition.org/programs/ona/who/list/

Total active ONA congregations: 784

Note: We need your help to update our list of ONA churches to include website links. If your web link is missing, please contact communications@ucccoalition.org with updated information. Thank you!

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Why the pro-LGBT movement should welcome religion

Rev. Rebecca Voelkel, the director of the Institute for Welcoming Resources (and past Coalition coordinator) recently wrote an "Article of Faith" reflecting on how religion and the larger LGBT movement connect.

Anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) ballot initiative efforts have caused a furor in the pro-LGBT movement, and much of it has to do with religion and its role in our community—both in our pro-LGBT efforts and in those efforts against our community.

As LGBT religious folks, we often find ourselves in the midst of a squeeze-play between our religious communities and our colleagues in the secular LGBT movement. But, I believe that we, as LGBT religious folks, have a unique and powerful role to play...

The full article is currently posted on the home page of the IWR website: www.welcomingresources.org

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The UCC, Educational Policy, and a trip to Washington, DC

: Michelle Sims

UCC Coalition project director Michelle Sims, visited Washington, DC, on March 13, 2009, along with many other religious and educationally motivated individuals to attend the “Transforming No Child Left Behind” conference, a pre-event for the National Council of Churches “Ecumenical Advocacy Days” event. Michelle shares the following:

Dr. John Jackson, Executive Director of the Schott Foundation for Public Education, spoke first, comparing the scene in which Jesus fed the hungry masses with 5 loaves of bread and a few fish provided by a single child to the educators and religious figures in the public-education system fighting for the revision of the No Child Left Behind law. His point was that those in education will fight, go without recognition, be tired, but at the end of the day, we will be rewarded and satisfied.

The UCC Coalition was a signer on the petition to Congress to revise the current law. We as members connect to this law through the idea that any student who is a minority, whether it be socioeconomic, racial, orientation; those students are at a disadvantage when taking the standardized test and participating in daily classes if these identity items are predominant in their lives.

We, at the Coalition, can add our voice to the underrepresented within the educational system in the hopes that these students are recognized and supported in order to get an equal opportunity for an education. For those who are not public educators, action can be taken within the church or community by collectively contacting public, state, and federal officials stating your position on the current law and the revision process. Giving personal accounts of the public education system and the injustices that these students are facing to these officials provides a voice for these students that have yet to be heard.

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News, Events and Job Announcements

Please refer to our website for current listings of Newsbits, events and job announcements.

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God's Extravagant Welcome
2592 West 14th Street, Cleveland, OH 44113 1-800-653-0799 tel; 216-861-0779 tel; 216-861-0782 fax