Gay, Lesbian and Affirming Disciples Alliance, Inc.

New Resources for Open & Affirming Churches and Supporters

Open & Affirming E-Mail List

The Open & Affirming Ministry Team has set up an e-mail list server for Open & Affirming Churches, their members, as well as for those who wish to know more about Open & Affirming ministries or to help their own congregations more towards becoming Open & Affirming.

This e-mail list will allow you to communicate with the community simply by e-mailing to the list.  You can receive e-mails as they are sent, or in "digest" form, which is a summary of the day's e-mails to the list.

Click here to sign up for the list. 

If you have questions or problems signing up, e-mail us at glad@gladalliance.org.

Facebook Group

The Open & Affirming Ministry has also started a Facebook group.  If you haven't been to Facebook yet, it's a social networking site that enables users to connect in all sorts of ways.  If you have been to Facebook, you already know what we're talking about.

If you are already a member of Facebook, you can connect to the Open & Affirming Ministry Facebook group by clicking here.

If you are not a member of Facebook, you can check it out by clicking here.

General Assembly Recap

GLAD's presence at The General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) revolved around the theme "Jesus' Diner."  Building on our understanding that the gospel welcomes all, we are worked to build a presence and a program at the assembly to widen our welcome and model that wide welcome to the whole church.

Click here to read the recap of GLAD events at the General Assembly.

Click here to see the video of Moderator Patricia Case's report at the Alliance Pre-Assembly Event.

Click here to see the GLAD Banquet in its entirety.

Join us at the GLAD Alliance as we continue to build Jesus' Diner, Always Open, All God's Children Served.

The Gay, Lesbian and Affirming Disciples Alliance, Inc., is a presence working for the full dignity and integrity of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and affirming people within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). GLAD Alliance welcomes all who make common cause with us and conducts its activities through the congregations, regions and general church and other manifestations of the Disciples of Christ.

Called by God,
GLAD Alliance is a sacred community.
Led by the Spirit,
we are a prophetic voice
and a living resource,
present with our gifts to the world

GLAD Alliance Mission

The mission of GLAD Alliance is to be a safe and faithful place for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,Transgender, and Affirming community.

Relying on Holy Spirit, we speak truth to power, advocating for inclusivity, diversity, and justice in all manifestations of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Committed to transformation, we offer ourselves through education, witness, and strategic action as a visible presence in solidarity with those marginalized within the Church.

We stand boldly within the Church to proclaim and embody the gracious call to ministry for the whole people of God.

A letter from the GLAD Council:

Dear GLAD members,

We are sad to report that we have chosen to cancel the summer retreat, based on very low registrations and other indicators that seem to point to little chance that we can meet the minimum for use of the space.

As time for our next financial deposit on the Pilgrim Pines retreat center neared, we checked registrations for the summer "Let's Widen the Welcome" event. We had five registrations. Because we had made direct and personal contact with a large number of members and friends, we were getting the signal that attendance looked very weak, even given the slow registration respond GLAD members typically give.

Everyone we contacted applauded the idea of a retreat that would invite in people from a broad spectrum of ethnicities and perspectives so our members could engage with them in a conversation about what it means to be a "movement for wholeness in a fragmented world"... This is the language of the Disciples new identity statement. But you also reported you could not attend.

The planning for this event got off to an admittedly late start. Your calendars were, in some cases, full. We might have weathered that reality had the fuel crunch not left a number of other folks feeling a little vulnerable financially to travel this summer. We can't justify the event with such low attendance, and we certainly do not want to give the local congregations who might have joined us for conversation the impression that this is not a vital issue worthy of our time. So, we are canceling the retreat and releasing the center while they can still find another group to fill it (and release us from the large contract against the space).

But we still hope to host the conversation we were planning for this event. We are considering sending facilitators to the region to help move ahead with the conversation among PSWR Disciples. We’ll keep you posted on our plans.

Meanwhile, we look forward to 2009 Indianapolis General Assembly, July 29-August 2, as a possibly place for that conversation to be held. NOW more than ever, please plan to attend the General Assembly and enjoy a GREAT time together there. We'll give you more information SOON after our Leadership Retreat of the Council in October. Meanwhile, SAVE THE DATES and your gas money!!

Faithfully,

Your GLAD Council

P.S. If you registered for the event and have not yet been contacted about a refund, please e-mail us at glad@gladalliance.org.