QUEER IDENTITIES AT THE INTERSECTIONS By Matt Berryman, Executive Director
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ast summer, Reconciling Ministries Network began an incremental focus on the US South in both organizing and advocacy reminding both church and culture that “Y’all Means All.” Our Southern Initiative is an effort to form deeper partnerships with the many United Methodists that reside in the Southeastern and South Central Jurisdictions. Together, we can reduce isolation, build solidarity, amplify Southern queer voices, and create a web of support in urban and rural areas of the South to strengthen the mission of RMN to mobilize United Methodists of all sexual orientations and gender identities for the transformation of the world into Christ’s inclusive love.
To resource this emerging and timely ministry, RMN has tripled our staff presence in the South Central and Southeastern Jurisdictions by promoting Laura Young and Helen Ryde to full-time status as Regional Organizers in the Southcentral and Southeastern Jurisdictions. To assist them in the monumental task of organizing and amplifying the queer and progressive United Methodist voices of faith, RMN is hirinig two additional Field Associates! Bishop Mel Talbert and Matt Berryman have completed 3 of 6 Southern church visits to preach and organize around the issues of race and homophobia in the South. We have tripled the number of Building Inclusive Church and Ministry without Fear training events throughout the South and will descend, along with our partner organization, Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA) on San Antonio, Texas for a joint event: Gather at the River. As we toward
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move the
inexorably General
Conference in 2016, we are accelerating our engagement in the South with your help and with the help of the rapidly growing number of Reconciling Communities that are springing up in Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh, Jacksonville, Nashville, and many other places in the South. We believe that the South is less in need of saving and more in need of building for we have known for some time now that the story of the South is one of resilience, joy, and pain. While its topography charts both white supremacy, poverty, and antiqueer sentiment, the story of the South is one of tradition, community, and faith where people of all identities have overcome indomitable obstacles in the name of Jesus and for the welfare of all. With your help, RMN will continue our grassroots organizing with intensity, passion, and faith knowing that there is One who has called us just as we are. With your help and in partnership with Reconcilers everywhere, we will join our voices, in revival, to shout from the mountains and the cities, from the gay bars and the prisons, with our trans siblings and southern heroes, to the church and with the church, and to all who will listen: “y’all means all!”
WELCOME, ADAMA! RMN is thrilled to have Adama serve as South Central Intern from September 2015 through May 2016.
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r. Adama Brown is a health researcher at a major public university and has a background in medical sociology and MCH epidemiology. Brown is a member of FUMC Austin, TX where is she is actively involved as a certified lay speaker, adult Christian education teacher, lay delegate, and in care ministries geared toward members as well as homeless neighbors. She is passionate about social justice and enjoys working with individuals and congregations, particularly around issues pertaining to inclusion as well as personal and collective spiritual growth. In addition to her work in the local church, Brown is currently a 3rd year MDiv student at Iliff School of Theology, with the hopes of continuing her work with congregations as well as spiritual care.
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Adama’s internship primarily involves: 1) Assisting with organization and communication of theTexas Coalition (the five conferences in Texas) in witness to Biblical Obedience 2) Working with prospective and interested churches and communities as well as process coaches 3) Assisting in General Conference delegation
“I wanted an internship outside of parish ministry that allows me to utilize my knowledge of theology and social justice in ways that can directly influence and lead to full inclusion of all - a major challenge facing The United Methodist Church. As a sociologist by training and a queer womanist, my analytic and theological training provides me with a broad lens for understanding systemic oppression, its complexities, and what social justice, specifically intersectional justice, entails. I hope this foundation, coupled with working with RMN staff to learn creative ways to organize leaders for action, will prove beneficial for my future work with individuals and congregations.” jjjj......
IN·TER·SEC·TION·AL·I·TY: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
he term intersectionality was coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989, as a criticism of social justice work that treated gender and race as separate issues. As a black woman, Crenshaw could not dissect her experiences of racism and sexism into separate categories and certainly not into separate movements. Thanks to Crenshaw’s work, intersectionality gives us a way to discuss how all forms of oppression (racism, sexism, transphobia, ableism, classism, ageism, heterosexism, colonialism, etc) work together and cannot be examined separately from one another. To use the words of lesbian civil rights activist Audre Lorde,
“There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single issue lives.” Katalyst | 3
STANDING WITH OUR KINDRED IN CHARLESTON
course of faction when he declared, MN remains in prayer with “I have to do it. You rape our all whose hearts still hang heavy women and you are taking over with grief and anger regarding our country and you have to go.” the racially motivated murders in Charleston, South Carolina Without hesitation, and with last month. On June 17th, 2015, every ounce of power available a young white man entered to us who claim the truth of the the historic Emanuel African gospel in Christ Jesus, Reconciling Network boldly Methodist Episcopal Church and Ministries killed nine black church members. declares: #Blacklivesmatter. This most recent demonstration of the The following statement was deeply embedded nature of white released on June 18th from supremacy in our country demands Reconciling Ministries Network: that we, The United Methodist Church, commit ourselves to the Today, with deeply grieved healing of systemic, structural, hearts, Reconciling Ministries and institutional racism that Network stands with our kindred has nourished and produced in the African Methodist Episcopal this act. This hate crime against Church (A.M.E.) in mourning the black people was committed brutal shooting last night of nine in a country where the ongoing persons attending a Wednesday message continues to affirm that night evening worship service. it is okay to brutalize black and Yet again we see unchecked and brown bodies. In the Christian unbridled racism as a young white community, we name this together male opened fire on these persons as individual and corporate in Charleston, SC. Reportedly, sin against God and neighbor. witnesses who were present for what Charleston police chief has called In The Cross and the Lynching a hate crime, heard the assailant Tree, black theologian and activist announce his motivation for these Dr. James Cone, speaks a word of fatal shots. These persons were truth about racism and the gospel: attempting to dissuade the young white male from his inexorable
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“Though both the cross and the lynching tree are symbols of death, one represents a message of hope and salvation, while the other signifies the negation of that message by white supremacy.” The legacy of slavery and lynching in this country continues to show up in acts like this one and continues to defy the gospel as Christ is hung upon the lynching tree again and again and again. The ongoing systemic denial of the beauty and value of black lives that headlines news reports every day is something in which white people are complicit and for which white people must confess and repent. Repentance means more than grief alone. Repentance is a renunciation of the sin of complicity which corrupts us as individuals, as a church, and as a society. It is nothing less than a commitment to dismantling individual, systemic, and institutional racism and a course of action that works faithfully to build a world envisioned by the gospel – a world where black and brown bodies no longer have a reason to fear the lynching tree in whatever form it takes.
HOME AMONG THE INTERSECTIONS By Bridget Cabrera, Deputy Director
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grew up an Army brat living all over the South. I am the daughter of a Puerto Rican father and Korean mother. The idea of home and the process of searching for a place to belong have been constant themes in my life. Our family moved around a lot, and I was always the new kid having to find my place in a new school. I was never really aware of the fact that I was different from all the other kids in my class until I was in the second grade. I learned the hard way that I didn’t look like everyone else when I began to experience racism and the hurtful ways people excluded others. My mom had to pick me up from school one day while we lived in Savannah, GA because I got beat up. I remember the car ride home crying and asking her, “Why couldn’t I have been born white?” My first experience of The United Methodist Church was when I was in middle school living in Enterprise, AL. It was in this youth group that I found a place to belong. Joining that church was like coming home for the first time. I received a call into ministry and
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went to seminary to serve God and this church that I loved. It was in the church where I first became aware of my gender and my age. Suddenly, what I wore was always a topic of conversation and my ideas were never taken seriously unless the very same thing were said by someone older and someone male. While I was no longer getting physically beaten up, I was constantly hit by sexism and ageism. While in seminary in Atlanta, GA I fell head over heals for a girl and my life changed forever. I graduated and served my first appointment as a campus minister at the University of North Alabama. I loved my work and my ministry there bore fruit, however, I wasn’t able to be my whole self. The church that once embraced me and was my home now filled me with fear. I hid my relationship and led a double life, a life that was compartmentalized and fragmented.
part. Unfortunately, I get hit by heterosexism and homophobia, bullied again for being different in The United Methodist Church and society. My many identities interlock and intersect, and make me who I am. They also make me more vulnerable to being hit and beaten up by society where I am the minority of minorities. My race, gender, age, and sexual orientation are all integral parts of me and can’t be separated out piece by piece. RMN’s intersectional work is so important to me and so many others who have different identities that are loved by God but not always loved by the world and the church.
I loved my work but the fear of being excluded from the church because of my sexual orientation became too much and after almost 2 years I left campus ministry, I left the North Alabama conference, and I left the ministry altogether. I married that girl from seminary and we are able to live our lives out of the closet for the most
Oftentimes it is difficult for me to know which“ism” is at play at a certain moment. Did that store clerk ignore me and only speak to my wife because she is white and I’m Korican (what I now call my bi-racial heritage) or is it because I look more “like a lesbian” in my blazer than she does in her sundress? Or is it that racism and hetorosexism are both at play in this moment?
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RECONCILING UNITED METHODISTS SPEAK OUT AGAINST LEGALIZING DISCRIMINATION IN NAME OF GOD
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MN regional organizers in the South worked especially hard this spring, together with the National LGBTQ Task Force, to prevent harmful Religious Freedom Restoration Act and other anti-LGBTQ bills from passing in Texas and North Carolina. Laura Young, South Central Organizer, rallied clergy and lay Reconciling United Methodists for one of three faith advocacy days in Austin, Texas. In partnership with Equality Texas, More Light Presbyterians, Reconciling Works, Texas Freedom Network, Reconciling United Methodists gathered with 200 other people of faith at the Texas capitol for education,
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a press conference, and visits with representatives to voice the fact that Texas people of faith are not interested in supporting discrimination in the name of our religion.
in Sunday school classes and congregations, shared blogs, and spoke from the pulpit about the fallacy of God’s support for discrimination.
What started as a singular rally in Austin turned into a network of Methodist advocacy throughout the legislative session and throughout the state of Texas.
Thanks to the commitment of Reconciling United Methodists and so many other advocates across Texas, only one of the more than 20 anti-LGBTQ bills successfully passed in the Texas legislature.
Through email, social networking, and local gatherings, Reconciling United Methodists stayed informed on each anti-LGBTQ bill, wrote 175 letters, sent many emails, and made more than 165 phone calls to representatives. They also hosted personal conversations
In the Southeastern Jurisdiction, Helen Ryde worked in partnership with More Light Presbyterians, Believe Out Loud, and Equality North Carolina in holding a number of different trainings to educate locals in North Carolina about the Religious Freedom Restoration
ACTIONS IN FLORIDA AND VIRGINIA SHOW MAJOR CHANGE IN OPINIONS ON UMC DISCRIMINATORY POLICIES
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att Berryman celebrated rulings in both Florida and Virginia this Annual Conference season by saying:
and culture. Virginia, along with Florida, has sent an unequivocal message regarding the fate of LGBTQ persons: we are with you!” The Virginia Annual Conference voted to send a petition to General Conference that advocates for the removal of the “incompatibility clause” from the Book of Discipline.
“The Virginia Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church has sent a very strong message to the General Conference 2016: remove the anti-LGBTQ language in the Book of Discipline because Y’all Means All! The successful passage of the petition at the Virginia Annual Conference, one of the two largest Annual Conferences in The UMC, represents a seismic shift within the church
Two other petitions that would make policies even more strict for LGBTQ clergy candidates and for ministers who officiate at same-sex weddings were voted down the by the conference.
bills being considered in their state. They also covered the importance of and best strategies for publicly communicating that many Christians directly oppose discrimination legalized in the name of faith.
The passage of this bill is a call to all Reconciling Communities in North Carolina to take the message of inclusion and justice modeled in your Sunday school classes, campus ministries, and congregations out to your local communities.
Despite the great turnouts for these events and other ecumenical and non-religious training and organizing, ultimately the North Carolina House overrode the Governor’s veto of a bill that now allows some court officials to refuse to perform same-sex marriage responsibilities because of their religious beliefs.
Reconciling United Methodists have proclaimed that they do not believe in discrimination against LGBTQ people within The United Methodist Church. As Religious Freedom Restoration Act laws meant to harm LGBTQ citizens are likely to increase across the country as a response to marriage equality, we hope Reconciling United Methodists will take their
The Florida Annual Conference voted in support of the following resolution: “Be it therefore resolved, that this meeting of the Florida Annual Conference strongly encourage our bishop and cabinet that any complaint brought forward against an ordained pastor or against a congregation in violation of ¶341.6 or ¶2702.1b be resolved through just resolution rather than through a church trial.” Great work Reconciling United Methodists!
faith into the public arena to advocate for laws that are just and policies that protect all. It is more important than ever to boldly share the message of the Reconciling movement in all aspects of our lives.and policies that protect all. It is
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SUPREME COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF MARRIAGE EQUALITY
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n June 26, 2015, our country made history as LGBTQ people and allies celebrated the ruling of the US Supreme Court which declared marriage equality as the new law of the land across the nation. United Methodists showed their support for marriage equality through a number of inspiring acts of witness. BaltimoreWashington Area RUMs offered communion on the steps of the Supreme Court and sported their “Methodists for Marriage Equality” t-shirts and signs. Many United Methodist clergy practiced Biblical Obedience by heading directly to the courthouses in their local regions to be in ministry with those who waited many years to finally have their relationships recognized in the eyes of the law. Retired clergy, Rev. Richard Bates, pictured above, was able to officiate for one of the first couples in Austin, TX to be legally married. North Georgia LGBTQ couples, such as the beautiful couples pictured below, took to twitter sharing photos of their wedding celebrations with the hashtag #MarriedInTheUSAButNotTheUMC, reminding The United Methodist Church that the religious blessing of a marriage is just as important to many couples as legal recognition. Make sure to check out the hashtag online for more gorgeous pictures of the LGBTQ couples who continue to face discrimination in The UMC. Special thanks to North Georgia Reconciling United Methodists and St. Mark’s UMC for this great online witness!
Couples from L to R: Julie A. Arms Meeks & Vanessa Meeks, Matthew Malok & William Whittaker, Leigh & Michelle Weger, Eric & Keith Hurcherson #MarriedInTheUSAButNotTheUMC
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LIVING THE MOVEMENT AN INTERVIEW WITH A QUEER RECONCILING UNITED METHODIST IN THE SOUTH
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ho makes up the Reconciling movement? Individuals like you making waves for inclusion in your churches, communities, and lives! Your on-the-ground work, faith, and perspectives lead the way for the transformation of the church and world. Nicole King - a member of Grace UMC in Dallas, TX - shares her personal experiences of the Reconciling movement and intersectionality in the South. 1. What does intersectionality mean to you as a person of faith and why does it matter? When I think of this term it instantly makes me think of Jesus. Simply put, intersectionality is recognizing the multiple identities within you and others and how those places intersect. It is recognizing that being female, queer, white, and a person of faith creates unique experiences and challenges in my life specifically because those four places intersect. This causes examination as to where I experience hardship in the world and where I do not. I believe recognizing those spaces in myself is a powerful tool for empathy in understanding the struggle of those even more marginalized than myself, such as a person who is female, trans, black, and Christian. Jesus recognized those same intersections in the people he sought to
heal and love everyday. We see this clearly in his demonstration of compassion and advocacy for those who experienced tremendous societal oppression. Jesus truly understood the struggle of the ways that being a Samaritan, a woman, and a divorcee intersected in a world of ridicule, judgment, and marginalization among the majority Jewish and male power system surrounding her. 2. Can you speak specifically about how your own experiences of race, gender, and sexuality are intertwined and what that looks like in your daily life? As mentioned above, I am gay, white, and female. I have frequently experienced sexism and homophobia in my daily life, which manifests as disrespect of my partnership with a woman to my expression of feminism not being taken seriously. I have had men blatantly disrespect and disregard my orientation specifically because I am considered a “femme” lesbian. Derogatory and overtly sexualized responses were insinuated that they could change my orientation if I just tried having a sexual relationship with them, with the overtone that I had just not had the “right man to change me.”
3. What is one aspect of intersectionality you wish were discussed more often in United Methodist communities? I really want to see The United Methodist Church discussing and pointing out the cognitive dissonance expressed in the Book of Discipline. Does The UMC recognize that not only are they harming LGBTQ people while paradoxically affirming their sacred worth, they are also responsible for their direct oppression in the world and church? I believe that a starting place of discussing what it is like to be queer and Christian in a church that only affirms the Christian part of self is where real change could begin to happen in The UMC. Instead of separating identities, affirming "parts" of persons and rejecting other "parts" of persons, the church needs to support and celebrate the wholeness of our intersectional identities. Katalyst | 9
MINISTRY WITHOUT FEAR Nearly 200 people gathered in Orlando, FL for the Draw the Circle Wider event, February 28th 2015, at Reeves UMC. It was a powerful day filled with inspiring testimonies of changed hearts, changed lives, and journeys of courage. Speakers included: • • • • • •
Barbara and Ava Sheppard-Herron, members at Avondale UMC Gabe Alves Tomko, member of Hyde Park UMC Matt Berryman, RMN executive director Nadine Smith, CEO of Equality Florida Rev. Dr. Steve Harper, former VP of Asbury Orlando Campus Bishop Melvin Talbert, Retired UMC Bishop & RMN Board Director
“In places of gathering voices of faith I always feel this tension because the greatest heroes in my life, the people I’ve looked up to, have been people of faith, and the people who have done the most harm to me have been people of faith.” - Nadine Smith Bishop Talbert and Matt Berryman shared stories that illuminated the intersections of race, sexual orientation, and other marginalized identities. They offered their own personal journeys of growth and change as a platform to encourage participants to seek justice broadly, humbly, and with a commitment to intersectional justice. Rev. Steve Harper, founding Vice President of the Florida Dunnam Campus of Asbury Seminary, shared about his change of heart journey. “I suspect that for most of us, the resistance to change is a combination to both what the hymn writer called ‘fightings within and fears without.’ Those inner and outer voices try to persuade us to maintain the status quo or at least, at the very least, keep our new thoughts to ourselves. The inner and outer voices will even let us hold new opinions, so long as we don’t act on them. But in the midst of these siren songs of seduction - we hear a louder voice. The voice with the capitol V saying to us what was said to isaiah, ‘Look! Look! I’m doing a new thing. Don’t you recognize it?’ And the moment we say we do, a new journey is underway. We hear the voice of the one who calls us to widen the circle by doing something new.”
RMN gives thanks to all who helped plan and execute this inspiring event. Florida Reconciling Methodists are making a powerful difference in the work for full inclusion in the South! 10 | Katalyst
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GIFTS IN HONOR OF... Aimee Isaac & Michele Johns by Bob & Suzanne Browning Alan Turning by Lisa Rothman Barb Clinger by Heather Clinger Barbara A. Mitchell & Ruth D. Thornton by Gloria Akers, Paul Jaffe, Luz Morales, Janet Rosenberger, Joan Stockton, Barbara Dowdall, Daniel Ross, Bernice Mitchell, Eileen M. Gilkenson, Anne Toensmeier, Irene Tasca, Katherine Galluzzi, Richard Kriebel, Vera Demchenko, William Norton, Dr. Sherman Leis, Rev. Michele Bartlow, Catherine Marshall, Elinor Armsby and Rev. Nancy Hale, Stefan Lint, Gail Lozenski, John Bustard, Nancy Tkacs, Sherri Bevenour, Hedy Cerwinka, Jeremy Thornton, Clarita Krall, David Johnson, Bonnie Zetick, Karen Schoenewaldt, Linda Good, Teresa Brescia, Lisa N. Chapman, Wiley Redding, Frances Trott, Lynne Peterson, Marshall F. & Phyllis Thomas, K. Elaine Longenecker, Ronald Brywka, Jo-Ellen Murphy, Alan E. Ankeny, Steven Mattis, Matthew Schure, Douglas Koch, Priscilla Shaffer, Li Deng, Adair M. & Kristen Ruff, Ruth Borghaei, Dolores Broberg, H. Fred & Karen Clark, Sharon Dennison, Richard Stoy, Barbara McKenzie, Mary B. Pethick, Myrliss Demastus, Deborah Grill, Jennifer Bellot, Debra Kirby, George O. & Cara P. Herold, Jonathan Sanbuichi, Dorothy Wells, Jessica Lanier, Anonymous, Elizabeth Parziale, Susan Jacobson, Paul Mandel Belmont UMC in Nashville, TN by William Haire Benjamin Postma and Wesley Matlock by Deborah and Michael Postma Bette and Valery York Welch by Diane Kenaston and Adam Ployd Bill & Joy Watts by Rev. Thomas S. & Nell J. Taylor Bill & Roxanne Taylor by Bill Tune, Martha L. Vaughan Bishop Melvin Talbert by Kip L. Eldridge & P.J. Summerville, Carolyn Ingram Bishop Talbert, Pamela Lightsey, Karen Oliveto and Robin Ridenour, Rev. Dr. Hugh Burtner, Brecksville UMC, & University Circle UMC by Bill & Joy Watts Bruce Toms by B. John Masters
Bunnie Jo Barnhart by Wally Wells Carolyn Capern by Mike Capern Clarence R. Norment by Rev. Patricia L. Shipley Clifton UMC by Nancy L. Phelan David Mauzy by Robbie & Tom Ausley, John L. Hildreth Dr. Mary Elizabeth Moore by Rev. Nizzi Santos Digan East Ohio Reconciling Ministries Network by Melinda L. Carter & Loretta Dahlstrom, Valerie Stultz, Thomas L. & Elizabeth A. Douce Elizabeth Fimbres by Rev. Susan R. Morgan Frank Schaefer by Epworth UMC Giselle Lawn by Glen Anderson Glen Hoffs and Tom McCauley by Darlene Allen Grace Cooper by Dr. Dennis M. Dailey Janene Kuan by Jeffrey Kuan Jeanette Ball by Annie Adams Jen Ihlo by Rev. Vicki Woods Jim Govatos by B. John Masters John, Linda, and Dan Lewis by Dr. Wesley J & Pamela L. Lewis Karen Oliveto by Elizabeth A. Fimbres Karen Oliveto & Robin Ridenour by Jill Wolfe Kathleen Reynolds & J. Michael Cobb by Rev. Jessica Anschutz Katie Wickman & Ann Hillman in honor of their wedding Lois Parr, Rick Sutton by Terry L. Vandenhoek & Jim Bennett Lori Schock by Rev. Louise Schock Los Gatos UMC by Jean Mundell Many friends by Linda Butler Marie Elizabeth by Sig-Linda Jacobson Marriage Equality by First UMC Oneonta, NY Martha Bentley & Becky Sechrist by Rev. Richard Bentley and Ruth Hutchison Mary Brown by Troy Brown Mike and Linda Dull by Peter Dull Nancy Grissom-Self by Kiyoko Kasai Fujiu Nancy McDow Lanier Bayliss by Anne Thomason Open Doors SS Class at Broadmeadow UMC by Nan Prince Open Hearts and Open Minds by Doris Karr Pastor Carol Hill by Rich Roecker
*gifts made as of July 9th, 2015
Paul Hudson by David C. Smith, Ingrid Taylor Rachel Birkhahn-Rommelfanger by B.J. & Jerry Birkhahn-Rommelfanger Rev. Amanda Garber by Allie Rosner, Jim Francis, Beth Ludlum, Sarah Nicklas, Donna Schminkey, Elizabeth Schindler Rev. Amanda Garber, Brittany Caine-Conley, & Lindsay CaineConley by Olivia Shifflett, Beverly Riddell Rev. Andy Oliver by Dr. Theodore S. Jackson & Keith L. Southam Rev. Bill & Roxanne Taylor by Martha L. Vaughan Rev. Dawson Taylor by James & Sherri Babcock Rev. Dr. Bonnie Beckonchrist by Deborah Maria Rev. John Copenhaver and Amanda Garber by Margaret Cook Rev. Larry Sonner by Rev. Leonard F. Sjogren Rev. Nancy Grissom Self by Kiyoko Kasai Fujiu Rev. Norman Simmons by George Shuler Rev. Tex Sample by Rev. Janet Hoyland RMN’s 30th Anniversary by Helen Ryde & Kate Schiappa RMN’s Communications Team by Kim Susan Coffing Rob Vaughn by John D. Copenhaver Ron Schafer by Todd Schefer & Molly Broston Steve Davis by Joe & Kay Antinoro Sue Laurie by Rev. Kim C. & Paul D. Smith Susan Lekson & Gail Morse by Jean A. & Paul A. Swenson Troy and Walter by Johnene Horton Wes Matlock & Ben Postma by Ruthalee, Terry, Beth M. & Paul D. Farabee, Pat and Janet Thomas, Sheryn Hogan, Paul Schnepp, Jill McKinley, Cheryl Files, Rick and Elizabeth Magnus, Louise Carter Winnie Thomas & Rev. Bee Hall by Deborah Maria, Rev. April & Rev. Craig Hall Cutting
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123 W. Madison St. Ste 2150 Chicago, IL 60602 www.rmnetwork.org
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GIFTS IN MEMORY OF... A lost friend by Helene Milner Barbara Unger by E. Paul Unger Betty Dorr by Duane Davidson, Judy Torrens, Marjorie Phillips, Mary Spurgeon, Helen & Leonard Andrew, Bruce & Lillian Venner, Faith M. Buss Betty Dorr and Todd Ruhter by Jay & Maureen Vetter Betty Dorr and Tim TennantJayne by Rev. Leonard F. Sjorgren Bishop Mel Wheatley by Vicki Weida
Dee Cords by Paul & Dr. Kathy Hartke Dr. Richard W Cain by Rev. Dr. Robert W. & Laurel H. Blaney Gayle Felton by Phillip W. Liles, Rev. Deborah Morgan Hazel and Harold Sanner by Larry L. Sanner Jack Hodges by Jean Hodges James Campbell by David England L. Carroll Yingling, Jr. by Robert & Barbara Garner Marie Laure Lenormand by Michael Drake Ralph Gorrell by Phyllis Grimm
Couldn’t make it to Gather at the River? Check out our youtube channel for recordings of worship, plenaries, and Bible studies at www.youtube.com/rmnvideos
Rev. Bill McElvaney by Rev. Dr. Tim Bruster Rev T. Ray and Mrs. Phyllis A. Crews by Bill Crews Rev. Jane T. Borden by Almeda C. Riley Rev. Ted Dotts by Chris E. Wallace & Shane Edler, Brad & Davon Cook Virginia Flores by Antonio R Flores Wayne O’Hern by Sam Kilpatrick & Doug Barker