Our meeting on August 13th will feature St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Lenexa, Kansas. St. Paul’s United Methodist Church welcomes and affirms the LGBT Community. Nancy Carson, Cathy Matlack and Cindy Kneely from St. Paul’s will share their stories as well.

St. Paul’s is a United Methodist Church in Lenexa, KS. Their faith community began its journey to become a welcoming congregation in the mid-90’s. For 15 years, they held workshops, sponsored studies and Sunday School classes to discuss and practice what it means to be an open and affirming congregation. In 1999 they wrote a welcoming statement that remains a solid commitment for their congregation today. In 2012, with the support of their Pastors, Administrative Board and Council on Ministries, they took the step to officially become a “Reconciling Congregation”, the terminology the United Methodist Church recognizes for a welcoming congregation.

As a world-wide denomination, the United Methodist Church continues to struggle with decisions to change their book of discipline which uses non-confirming language. St. Paul’s UMC has made the choice to welcome and affirm the gay community. If change can’t happen at the top, perhaps St. Paul’s can be part of a grass-roots effort for change, at least with our own faith community.

I have heard these ladies and I know many in the LGBT family will benefit from this meeting!   See you Sunday at 3:00!

Our June 11th meeting will feature Finoa Nowling with SOFFA Kansas City.

Fiona Nowling is originally from England and moved to Kansas to marry her wife, Una, a transsexual woman over 14 years ago.  Since then, she has led the SOFFA group for four years, spoken at conferences and in schools, co-hosts Trans Talk, an episode of the Tenth Voice on KKFI, sings with Transfinity KC and is on the board of the LGBT employee resource group at McKesson, where she works as a software engineer.

SOFFA (Significant Others, Family, Friends and Allies) of Transgender Persons is a support group for those close to someone who is or feels they may be transgender or transsexual.

The meeting is at Village Presbyterian Church Room 307 at 3:00 PM.

Speaking Out – A Note from our PFLAG KC President:

What a busy time of year! Celebrations of all kinds! Graduations, Mother’s Day and the end of school.

Four years ago, my daughter told me she was gay. Now she is graduating from college on Mother’s Day. To be true to herself, she will be sharing her story with the rest of the family. I pray that the people who will be celebrating her graduation are able to celebrate her courage and accept her for the wonderful, smart, caring, amazing person she is and always will be.