Living Transgender In American Society Today: Faith Issues Sub-committee forming in the IE

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Faith Issues Sub-committee forming in the IE

Greetings,

The EQuality Inland Empire (EQIE) Steering Committee is in the process of forming a faith issues sub-committee. As Temporary Chair of this sub-committee I am asking for help in locating Inland Empire faith leaders that would be interested in helping us with LGBT/faith issues.

Our first meeting is this coming Monday June 15th at 6:30 PM (until around 8 PM) at the First Congregational Church of Riverside 3504 Mission Inn (at Lemon). Enter the building by the Lemon Street Parking lot entrance. Faith leaders of all Open and Affirming faiths and congregations - Jewish, Muslim, Mormon, Pagan, Christian and others - are welcome to attend and help us identify goals, issues pertinent to LGBT folk of faith and help build a faith coalition here in the Inland Empire. Among other things we will address how to counter the damaging rhetoric that has run rampant since the Prop 8 campaign stirred the pot. I personally would also like to find ways we all can make our faiths relevant to the LGBT community - especially our youth.

I think it is time we LGBTQI... folk and our allies of faith find our unified voice while maintining our wonderful diversity of people and faith. Once again we can turn the world upside down!

Please pass this along to any faith groups and faith leaders you know. I can be contacted directly.

Thank you all very much.
Hugs and Blessings,
Eva-Genevieve! Scarborough
EvaGenevieve@yahoo.com
Human
Christian
Transgendered
Advocate for Human / Civil-rights and Faith without Prejudice
Chairwoman, First Congregational Church Riverside Mission Board LGBT issues sub committee
Chairwoman, EQIE Faith issues sub-committee
http://livingtransgender.blogspot.com/

2 comments:

genevieveJune 11, 2009 at 6:49 PM
I pray that much will be accomplished at the meeting, Eva.
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Eva-Genevieve!June 12, 2009 at 6:42 PM
Thanks Genevieve,

I have this feeling that I am in the right place at thre right time and that something good will come from our efforts, though prayers certainly are appreciated and needed. In Church I am charing our Mission Board's LGBT issues committee and out in the LGBT community I am charing this faith committee. It puts me right smack in the middle between the two groups and this is right where my personal ethos lies.

I guess we'll see what God does with this situation.

Hugs,
Eva!
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Any Body, Everybody, Christ’s Body…

…was the theme at this years National Gathering of the UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns this year in San Diego (July 14 –17). There were about 125 attendees from all across the US and we even had folks from other countries. Several topics were discussed including ways to make Church accessible to all – many physical and mental challenges were included in this discussion as well as LGBT concerns, Mentoring Queer youth – the emphasis being the need for all of us to be mentors as we are able and that we all have something to teach others, Advocacy & Empowerment, OnA Next Steps: Telling Our Stories, and also a panel discussion on including “transgender” and gender expression more specifically in OnA statements, and immigration issues too – far more issues and information than one person could take in or even list here.

Starting Wednesday afternoon we jumped right in with a very lively worship service with wonderful music and through the course of the gathering we heard many inspiring speakers and participated in several “breakout” workshop sessions. We broke into small discussion groups daily, heard many points of view on important topics, and made many friends in the process. On our last evening the General Minister and President of the UCC, the Revered Geoffrey Black was the keynote speaker at the banquet. My favorite speaker at the conference was Felix Carrion who often contributes to the UCC’s “Stillspeaking” on-line daily Devotional. We ended the conference Saturday morning with another lively worship service and dismissed just in time for several of us to rush over and march in San Diego’s Pride parade with the Mission Hills UCC Church and Bloom in the Desert Ministries (also UCC affiliated). I brought back lots of things to discuss in upcoming Mission Board meetings, but more than anything else it is the personal connections that made the conference very worthwhile. I feel a part of something much larger now – there was so much positive, hopeful energy shared there. I felt so very warmly welcomed by everyone and I believe that my input there was greatly valued as well. And, of course, I made an impression with my array of colorful dresses and hats too! (Would you expect anything less)? I was so blessed for being allowed to represent First Congregational Church in Riverside at this Gathering.

Follow this link to pictures from the event -the photos are in no particular order and a few shots of the fire that broke out behind the motel where I was staying.

Hugs and Blessings,

Eva-Genevieve!