NE Statewide Reconciling Network : News from KS folks : Sing a New Song, Celebrate Summer Email offerings!

Great news below from Ken and Jeanette Grenz, good friends from college, seminary and beyond -  they are at Sing a New Song CONVO in Ohio from KS East Conference -  we are sharing their news and info BELOW -  they give a website to learn what is happening there!  

 

Send prayers to folks from NE and KS, all around the world at Sing a New Song Convo -   those from NE : Bob and Betty Dorr, Branden, Zach Anderson, Susan and David Davies!~

 

Also CELEBRATE the Summer Email offerings for this year -  we made our $250 goal and a bit more with $260 sent to RMN this summer -  THANKS EVERYONE! 

 

Have a Birthday Party Fundraiser lunch this year or next spring or just have a house party --  and give gifts to our NE Statewide Reconciling Network of friends rather than giving gifts and cards to your friends -  very easy and it honors your friends as we do our yearly giving to RMN!  Give gifts of love to RMN through our NE Statewide Reconciling Network to honor our network of friends, volunteers who do email and everyone as we grow the circle of friends!  

 

See list of the DONORS for our Summer Email offering at the END OF THIS EMAIL -  the gifts are sent for this summer and Please help us out next spring/ summer!   Have a dinner or think of ways to support local reconciing groups in NE as all of our gifts go directly to RMN ministries. 

 

Maureen and Wendy, NE statewide contacts, PRN contacts, local contacts, Main Email contacts --  recruit youth and young adults in your local support groups -  

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Ken and I are in Huron, Ohio, at the Sing a New Song Convocation which is sponsored by Reconciling Ministries Network, Affirmation, and Methodist Federation for Social Action.  We have heard great sermons, sung inspiring music, been challenged in informative workshops, and connected with new and old friends.  If you go to http://sans2011.org/

you can read summaries and blogs written by attendees and I think videos of some of the plenaries will be posted at some point.  The welcoming letter from Bishop Bruce Ough, the sermon by Amy DeLong, and the keynote address by Bishop Sprague were highlights for me.

Jeanette Grenz

MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of Wide Is God’s Welcome - KC is to strengthen the Body of Christ through the full inclusion in the United Methodist Church of persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
VISION STATEMENT
This mission will be fulfilled as we unite Kansas City area United Methodists for education, advocacy, and empowerment.

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Our Nebraska Statewide Reconciling Network is an official Reconciling community for nearly six years now and RUMOLA is 14 years old this summer -  starting summer of l997 at Cornerstone at a potluck, AWE at Christ UMC, Lincoln is about six years old, Omaha First umc is a Reconciling congregation for 11 years and Open Hearts, Grand Island is five years old this Nov! We have FIVE official Reconciling Communities in NE!  Support then and start new coffee groups, book groups, food groups, garden groups, movie groups, SS Classes, choirs that could become Reconciling communities!

Thanks to our SUMMER EMAIL OFFERING DONORS FOR 2011 for NE Statewide Reconciling Network's yearly commitment to RMN of $250 or more! 

$260 was given to RMN this SUMMER as our yearly commitment from friends in the faith --  with deepest thanks:  

 

In honor of all who visited the Reconciling Table at Annual Conference by Bob and Betty Dorr & friends

In Honor of Jimmy Creech's birthday by Joan and Lloyd Byerhof

In Honor of birthdays of friends by Wendy, Eric, Brian and Jenna Smith

In Honor of birthdays of Friends by Donna and Jim Lightbody

In Honor of birthdays of Friends by Maureen and Jay Vetter : Donna Lightbody, Liz Bady, Cathy Denman, Wendy Smith, and Bill Black

In Honor of Maureen Vetter's birthday by Cathy Denman

In Honor of Friends by Loren and Iola Mullins

In Memory of Garnett Bond by Jay and Maureen Vetter

 

Thanks everyone for Another year of GREAT spiritual AWAKENINGS!    Be thinking of stories that can be written, shared and told for this next year in your local groups :  Awakening stories, Sacred Stories, Coming Out Stories!

 

AIDS Walks are Sept 18 in six cities in NE -  get a team together, take pics and send them to us! www.nap.org

 

Coming Out Day Events are coming to NE : Oct 11 is Coming out Day -  be watching for more info or plan an event with friends or faith communities to come out of our bondage or from hiding things in our lives -   Get the book "Coming Out as Sacrament" by Chris Glaser -  look for ways to COME OUT in our spiritual lives!