We’re excited to announce that registration for all three fall “Building an Inclusive Church” trainings is now open! Go to www.welcomingresources.org/communityorg.htm for logistics info and to register for Oakland NJ (Sept. 13-15), Grand Rapids MI (Oct. 25-27) or Pella, IA (Nov. 8-10).

Wednesday, May 23 at 7:00 pm the Room for All Mid-Hudson regional chapter will host a conversation with the Rev. Dr. Norman Kansfield and his wife, Mary. The Kansfields will reflect on their experiences of how “all things work for good for those who love God” within the context of overcoming adversity while following God’s call. The meeting will be held at the (B)Old Dutch Church located at 272 Wall Street, Kingston, New York.  ALL are welcome; join us as we seek to follow Jesus toward full inclusion. Questions – contact Rob Sweeney at gallusguy@msn.com.

Room for All is grateful to the Rev. Carl Kleis, a retired RCA pastor and former RfA Board member, for the gift that he gave to the church and to the Classis of Delaware-Raritan at their May 8th, 2012 meeting.  At the end of the meeting, Carl asked for the privilege of the floor, and extended this invitation.  With Carl’s permission, we extend his invitation to all those RCA congregations that are already quietly LGBT inclusive to make your welcome known in your community and in your denomination by joining the roster of “Room for All Churches.”  Here’s more information.

We’re pleased to offer this latest issue, which is filled with news about our ministry of support, education and advocacy. Please feel free to forward, print and post; thank you for your partnership.

The Room for All Christian Camp, a ministry for LGBTQ high school students in search of God, has a new brochure and is now accepting applications for this year’s camp on August 19-25.   The camp is a ministry of the Reformed Church of Highland Park, NJ, and Room for All has a supporting covenant relationship with the camp.  We invite and encourage you to spread the word.  Or, if you would like to offer a scholarship so that a young person might attend, please see the contact information on the brochure.  Here is a PDF of a camp poster.

Old Dutch Reformed Church in Kingston, NY, joins as the 18th congregation to join the roster of “Room for All Churches” — publicly welcoming and affirming congregations in the Reformed Church in America.  See the complete roster here; for more information, here’s a place to begin.

Gain skills and insights for furthering the conversation about LGBT inclusion in your congregation!  Information about the BIC trainings in Oakland, NJ (Sept. 13-15) and Grand Rapids, MI (Oct. 25-27) is now available.  To download flyers, and to register, go to www.welcomingresources.org/communityorg.htm where you may print the registration form, or submit online.  And if you live in Iowa, watch for final logistics about a training in Pella this fall!

Yet another LGBT teen suicide reminds us that teaching children about sexual orientation & gender diversity is no longer an option; it is imperative at home AND in church. A wonderful resource is available to help in both settings, “All God’s Children,” by Melany Burrill. It’s available at Amazon for $7, but you can get bulk rate through the Institute for Welcoming Resources. Consider, too, ordering a photo exhibit from the Family Diversity Project to display at your church. Especially appropriate in this context is “Love Makes a Family.” Both resources may be easily found on an internet search, or contact us for more information. Whatever you do, do something to communicate to the children of your church that God’s children are all different, all made in God’s image, all loved by God.

People of faith in Iowa are grieving over the suicide of another gay teen, this time in their own state. The Room for All regional group in Pella will be meeting on Thursday, April 26 at 7 pm in the meeting room at the Pella public library. Although this meeting was planned weeks ago, it seems even more fitting that the evening will feature a local father’s story of his family’s challenge to understand and accept their gay child. If you have questions, please contact Rich Glendening: glendeningr@central.edu.

The registration deadline for the April 12-14 “Building an Inclusive Church” training at First Reformed Church, New Brunswick NJ has been extended to allow for those who just learned about the event. But please don’t delay! Register here.