Welcome!
We are Room for All, responding to the inclusive love of God through:News and Events
Many Stories One Voice Conference
Join Rev. Dr. Miguel DeLaTorre, Bishop Yvette Flunder, Rev. Dr. Horace Griffin, Rev. Dr. Erin Swenson, Rev. Tiffany Steinwert and thousands of other LGBT Christians and their allies at this exciting conference.
This fabulous event is sponsored by the Institute for Welcoming Resources in partnership with many other Christian groups, including Room for All.
September 4-7, 2008 at the New Orleans Marriott
Room for All is offering 20 scholarships to this event including a discounted registration fee of $85 and funds to offset travel and housing. To receive the conference discount and the Room for All partial scholarship, the applicant should NOT register on-line at the conference website! Instead, please contact us at info[at]roomforall[dot]com so that we can begin to process your application.
For more information, please visit www.ManyStoriesOneVoice.org
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Room for All at General Synod
Over 60 people attended Room for All's most recent gathering at the 2008 meeting of the General Synod. Additionally, Rev. Bruce Cornwell, referred to Room for All his Synod blog post titled "All Are Welcome, Except..." on his General Synod blog.
New Song in Honor of Room for All
Lorraine Nelson Wolf, a gifted church musician has written a song in honor of the work that Room for All is doing. Lorraine is a graduate of Manhattan School of Music and serves as director, organist, and a worship leader at Hopewell Reformed Church in Hopewell Junction, New York.
You can listen to the song online using the player embedded on our website. It will also be available for download on iTunes, and for congregations who would like to sing the song, lyrics and sheet music are available.
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Thomas DeWitte
With extreme sadness we share the sad news that our brother in Christ Tom DeWitte died Monday February 25th in Rochester, New York. Tom’s death comes as a shock to all of us. On Thursday of the previous week Tom entered Highland Hospital with what was believed to be the flu. He was diagnosed to have a bacterial pneumonia that quickly spread through his circulatory system, leaving Tom in a coma. According to his pastor Rev. Harold Delhagen, Tom was placed on a respirator at the time of his arrival at the hospital, and this afternoon it was decided to remove the ventilator. Tom died peacefully and immediately.
Tom was elected to the Board of Room For All last year. He served on a Board team working to create a network in the RCA for those seeking a confidential conversation partner. Although the project remains in the planning stage, Tom offered to serve as the RFA point person for this effort. This expression of Tom’s intention to serve those in our denomination who struggle with the issue of sexual orientation will long be remembered and honored.
Please keep Ken Bender, Tom’s partner, in your prayers as well as Tom’s family. A memorial service was held on Saturday March 29 at 1:00 PM at the Pultneyville Reformed Church.
"If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s." Romans 14.8
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Christian Leaders Call for Passage of Non-Discrimination Act
The Bishops and Elders Council, a network of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) affirming churches and organizations touching the lives of 98 million Americans, has called on the U.S. Congress to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and on President Bush to sign it into law. Read full statement.
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Holy Relationships Midwest Conference To Be Rescheduled
The "One Standard, All People" Holy Relationships Conference will be rescheduled for 2008, conference planners say, rather than be held on the previously announced dates of November 2-4, 2007. "This delay will support the full realization of our event goals," says Rev. Jacki Belile, Communications Chair of the National Steering Committee. For scheduling updates, watch the event website at www.holyrelationships2007.com.
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Another RCA Resource Available
Rev. Daniel Meeter offers a short essay titled "Gay Folks and Dort" which examines LGBT inclusion in light of the RCA's doctrinal standards.
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Over 100 Participate in RfA's Gathering in Chicago
Demonstrating a strong desire to talk about issues of inclusion for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the life and ministry of the Reformed Church, over 100 women participated in Room for All's gathering during the RCA's Women's Conference. The event was entirely independent of the Alive With Christ Conference.
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Looking for some good reading? Check out David Myers' article in Reformed Review titled, "Another Christian Perspective on Homosexuality and the Church."
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Room for All tshirts are here! Along with this gathering, Room for All will be handing out our long awaited, fabulous new t-shirts and lapel pins at Synod. Make sure to get yours in Pella this week. If you're not in Pella, but would like a shirt or pin they will be soon be available via our website. In the meantime, send an email containing your mailing address to info[at]roomforall.com if you would like a shirt or pin sent to you.
February and March 2007 Updates.
The board has held two meetings since our last update. The first was on February 18-19. We were privileged to welcome thirteen representatives from many of our regional gatherings. Much of our time was spent hearing stories of what is being accomplished around the country, and supporting and encouraging one another. We also spent time discerning and prioritizing our strategies for our work together. Three primary development areas arose as priorities for our immediate future:
- Resources such as printed materials and videos;
- Support for LGBT people and allies;
- A process for organizing Room for All congregations and classes.
We also held our official annual meeting on Feb. 19. The board of directors has now been divided into classes with the 3-year terms staggered. We held the election of officers. Shari Brink and Rob Williams will remain as co-presidents, Stacey Midge will continue as Vice President, and Conrad Strauch as Treasurer. Secretarial responsibilities will be rotated until we find a more permanent Secretary. Ann Kansfield and Ron VandeBunte have joined the executive committee as at-large members. The proposed budget was approved. We continue to work toward geographical diversification in the board.
The second meeting was held on Monday, March 19, at Marble Collegiate Church. We reviewed the three priorities determined at the February meeting and assigned point people to act as board liaisons for these efforts. Rob Williams and Karel Boersma will work with development of RfA congregations and classes. Hank Lay and Mary Kansfield will work with support for LGBT persons and allies. Ann Kansfield and Stacey Midge will begin coordinating the development of resources. Anyone who is interested in participating in these efforts is invited to contact the board point people. We will also be looking for non-board-members to be the driving forces behind these strategies.
Karel Boersma reported on the Institute for Welcoming Resources community organizing training event he attended. IWR will be very helpful to us as we look toward developing networks of classes and congregations, and we decided to explore the possibility of having more people trained in community organizing - particularly regional conveners.
Our next meeting will be held on April 23. The board and hopefully several regional representatives will attend a media training during the day at Auburn, followed by our usual dinner and business meeting.
January 2007 Update.
One of the most exciting things happening with Room for All continues to be the regional meetings. During January, people gathered in Pella, IA, Holland, MI, Oakland, NJ, and Churchville, PA to tell stories, connect with one another, and discuss issues of inclusion in the RCA. Future meetings are scheduled for the following dates and locations:
Jan. 28 - Pultneyville, NY
Jan. 31 - Selkirk, NY, at First Reformed Church of Bethlehem
Feb. 11 - Holland, MI, at Hope Church
Feb. 15 - Pella, IA
Feb. 15 - New Paltz, NY, at the Reformed Church of New Paltz
Feb. 25 - Brooklyn, NY at Old First Church
Mar. 25 - Churchville, PA
Another gathering is yet to be scheduled for the Chicago area. Representatives from each of the regions will also be meeting with the board of directors on Feb. 18-19 in Brooklyn, NY. The annual meeting of the Corporation and the Board will also be held during this time, on Feb. 19. We will be electing new directors and officers at that time.
As we look toward increasing our presence in the RCA, a few opportunities have arisen for further training. We hope to send two directors and two other Room for All members to a community organizing training event hosted by the Institute for Welcoming Resources in March. We are also planning a media training in April.
Finally, a gentle reminder: The 2007 fiscal year has begun, and we are now accepting membership and other contributions for the current year. Please consider making a donation toward the inclusion of LGBT persons in the Reformed Church in America. Information on how to donate and become involved in other ways can be found here.
December 2006 Update.
Regional Gatherings
Much of our current work is focused on developing a network of regional point-persons and contacts, and helping arrange local gatherings. Holland has held two such meetings, and others have taken place in Grand Rapids (Synod of the Great Lakes) and the Synod of the Heartland. Gatherings are scheduled in the Synod of Albany (Nov. 29 at First Albany) and the Synod of the Mid-Atlantics (two events simultaniously on Jan. 21 at 4pm at Ponds Reformed Church and at 2pm in Churchville, PA). Planning is in progress for meetings in Denver, Rochester, the Synod of New York/Brooklyn, the Synod of New York/Hudson Valley, the Synod of Mid-America. At these regional gatherings, we hope that regional point-persons will be appointed. We plan to invite these representatives to attend the February board meeting.
Assorted news:
-Please participate in the RCA Dialogue Survey currently posted on the RCA website. You are all encouraged to forward this survey to other members of your congregations.
- Trouble may be brewing in Chicago Classis for some of those who signed the "Hold Us Accountable Too" petition for General Synod 2005. We will continue to give support in whatever ways we can as the situation develops.
- We working on developing some Room for All articles, such as t-shirts and mugs, which will be available at Cafe Press.
We are generally pleased with the progress we are making, and very excited about the gatherings and conversations that are happening around the RCA. Thank you all for your continued support.
Speaking of support, the end of the year is approaching. If you are planning to make a financial contribution to Room for All in 2006, please get it in as soon as possible. Also, we can now accept donated securities such as stocks, bonds and shares of mutual funds. This allows the donor to benefit from a not-for-profit tax deduction as well as avoid capital gains taxes.
November 2006 Update.
Room for All Regional Gatherings. Since last June, RFA Board members have been working to organize "Regional Gatherings." These Gatherings seek to gather RCA folks together who wish to share their stories, to stand in support of one another, and to move the RCA to full acceptance of all persons regardless of sexual orientation. It is with a tremendous sense of excitement that these Gatherings have begun to take place. Everyone is invited to participate in a Gathering.
Upcoming gatherings include:
Synod of the Great Lakes on Sunday, November 19 in Grand Rapids, MI (place and time TBD)
Synod of Albany at 7:30pm on Wednesday, November 29 at First Church in Albany, NY.
Synod of Mid-Atlantics at 4pm on Sunday, January 21, 2007 at the Ponds Reformed Church in Oakland, NJ.
Three additional Gatherings as yet unscheduled will take place in New York City, the near-NYC/Hudson Valley area and the Chicago area.
Previous Gatherings include:
The first Regional Synod of the Heartlands Gathering took place in Pella, IA at the time of the General Synod meeting. In spite of the late hour of the Gathering, approximately 45 persons were present. In the words of one attendee, "There was a mighty sense of God's presence in the room, as those present shared their closeted pain."
An additional Gathering in Pella took place in early October at which 19 persons were present. A third Gathering took place on Friday evening, Oct. 20, as part of the Holy Relationships Midwest Regional Conference held in Iowa City. Room For All Board members Rob Williams and Ken Walsh represented the RFA Board at the Holy Relationships Conference and greatly enjoyed attending this RSH Gathering.
On October 15 a Synod of the Great Lakes Gathering took place in Holland, MI. About 20 folks gathered on a Sunday evening at Hope Reformed Church. RFA Board member Karel Boersma was present to meet with this group. Folks pledged to meet again within a month's time.
Becoming a Room for All congregation. A request was received from Old First Reformed Church Brooklyn to become recognized as a Room for All welcoming congregation. Since the initiative for addressing the process to become open and welcoming congregations is yet to be developed, the Room for All board voted "to respond to Old First Church's interest in becoming a Room For All congregation by: accepting Old First as the premier RFA open and welcoming congregation, inviting their participation in developing the processes and requirements for becoming RFA congregations, and suggesting a membership support gift of $350.
October 2006 Update. Members of the Board of Room for All recently met with the Rev. Dr. John Stapert, who is heading the team to organize and conduct a denominational dialog on homosexuality. John was joined by one of his team members, the Rev. Mark Kellar, pastor of the First Reformed Church of Jamaica, Queens. Since this was the first time many of us had met either John or Mark, our time together began with a round of introductions. John reflected on how the dialog team was put together and how the team viewed its task. John carefully articulated the boundaries of our conversation, and noted the absolute necessity that all team members remain neutral throughout the dialog and keep to themselves their personal positions on the issue.
In preparation for this visit, the Board had solicited stories from among our Google group friends. Eight stories were collected and made available to John and Mark before our gathering. John assured us that he had read all the stories and expressed gratitude to those folks who had taken time and dared to write about themselves and their own situations.
Board members then shared their own stories. As we went around the table, each Board member had an opportunity to explain how he or she had arrived at his or her own personal understanding of sexuality. This process, though difficult at times, brought about new understandings of the breadth of God's love for us and for all persons within the Reformed Church in America. By the end of our story telling time, it was time to adjourn. Board members expressed their gratitude to John and to Mark for taking time to meet with us. This cordial conversation ended with John and Mark also noting that our time together had proven helpful to them.
July 2006 Update. The news from Room for All is encouraging even though there have been some disappointments. This summer two classes have considered decisions regarding how best to respond to the presence of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in their midst.
By now most of you will be aware that the Classis of New York voted not to sustain Ann Kansfield’s ordination exams. The classis had spent nearly two years in a discernment process while Ann’s exams were on hold and she continued to minister at the Greenpoint Reformed Church in Brooklyn as their student pastor. The vote in the New York Classis was very close: 18 against, 16 for, with 3 abstentions. The fact that the vote was this close and that even some of those who voted against sustaining Ann’s exams affirmed a sense that God has called her to ministry is some small encouragement.
Similarly, the Classis of New Brunswick narrowly missed the two-thirds majority required to approve a change in their by-laws that would have declared the classis a welcoming and affirming classis. The change would have declared that the classis “affirms the gifts and ministries of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender enrolled ministers and elder delegates, and shall keep faith with this affirmation in carrying out its responsibilities; affirms the gifts and ministries of those who may take a contrary position, and recognizes that they may dissent from participation in practices contrary to conscience; calls all enrolled ministers and elder delegates to the same sexual ethic whether lived out in opposite-sex or same-sex relationships.” The change had passed with a simple majority vote at a previous meeting of the classis. Because the intent was to amend their by-laws, the proposal came before the classis for a second vote that required a two-thirds majority. The proposal fell just short of that requirement (33 in favor, 22 opposed, with 1 abstention). Subsequently, the classis voted by an overwhelming majority, “to continue the classis dialogue… looking at the pastoral, scriptural, theological and real life lived experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, setting aside 60 minutes at each of the next 3 stated sessions of classis….” This also is very encouraging and may suggest a model for other classes that are committed to dialogue while also considering a clear declaration of welcome and inclusion.
These actions by the Classes of New York and of New Brunswick come as the RCA embarks on the multi-year Dialogue on Homosexuality mandated by the 2005 General Synod. The leadership team for the dialogue, under the direction of the Rev. John Stapert held a first forum at the 2006 General Synod. Room for All is committed to actively participating in the denomination-wide dialogue and has offered to help the Dialogue Steering Committee to assure that the voices of LGBT people and their allies are represented. Conversations have begun with Rev. Stapert and Helen Monsees, the trainer for the dialogue, about how best to do so. In these ways, Room for All seeks to model commitment both to the full inclusion of our LGBT brothers and sisters in Christ and to dialogue with those who think differently than we do.
Room for All was also present at this year’s General Synod and hosted a reception for interested delegates and friends at a nearby home. Some 55 people attended the reception from 10:00pm till midnight, sharing their stories and concerns, and pledging more than $5000 in support of Room for All. The feedback from this gathering was so overwhelmingly positive that Room for All plans to replicate it in other regions of the church.
Your prayers for Room for All, for these conversations, as well as for the Kansfield family, the Greenpoint Reformed Church, and all LGBT members of the RCA, ordained and lay, are very much wanted and needed.
Major Challenge Grant Offered at Room for All’s General Synod Reception
Following Saturday night’s General Synod plenary session a group of over 50 people enjoyed a time of fellowship and prayer at Room for All’s first General Synod reception.
One of the evening’s highlights included the announcement that Room for All had received a major challenge grant from an individual in the RCA. The donor has offered $10,000 to the organization provided that a matching amount is pledged by other supporters. By the end of the evening an additional $5,350 had been pledged.
This extraordinary work of the Holy Spirit is beyond anyone’s wildest expectations. “Going into the evening, I had hoped that we might have 20 people,” said Rev. Rob Williams, a co-president of Room for All. “When the evening’s plenary session went overtime, I really feared for the worst. But it is clear that there is a real yearning for open conversation about the issue of inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies.”
Room for All has an additional three months, through September 30th, to raise the remaining $4650. If you have been contemplating making a pledge or gift, donate now to maximize your generosity and help support inclusion of all people in the life and ministry of the RCA.
Room for All Ad Runs in the Church Herald
Check out our ad in the May issue of the Church Herald. Feel free to download it for use in your church newsletter. If you could be so kind to send an email to info@roomforall.com letting us know that you plan to use it, that would be much appreciated. We'd like to keep track of where and how its used.