I want to find other believers who think the same way. Where are they, and what can we do together?
I'm glad you asked! It was in part because of my experience running a 501(c)(3) with my husband that Penny asked whether I'd be interested in joining the HPEF board. For the last eight years or so we've been the coordinators of the Interfaith Working Group. We write letters, produce a newsletter for @ 400 local (and some not-so-local) supporters of the organization and maintain a detailed website all dedicated to educating the public about the existence of people of faith who support gay rights, reproductive freedom and separation of church and state (our three platforms).
We have around 100 clergy, congregations and religious organizations on the letterhead we use for our correspondence and newsletter; while many of the organizations are gay groups within larger denominations or faiths the list also includes DVAC (the Delaware Valley Area Council--as in Council of the UUA), the Christian Association at the University of Pennsylvania and the local chapter of a Methodist social action organization that is not specifically focussed on our platform issues (although they support those too).
If you know ANYONE who'd be interested in starting a similar organization in the Twin Cities area we'd be happy to offer any guidance or advice that might help make that happen. Ken Booker-Langston, of AU (Americans United for Separation of Church and State) tried to get an IWG-type group started in Atlanta, and my husband travelled down there on AU's dime to meet with a group of clergy who were to be the beginnings of the group, but unfortunately it fizzled, which we think was due to a clergy person trying to run it. Clergy just don't have the time for this sort of thing and if a clergyperson is running such a group it could seem to be skewed toward the faith of that individual. Not that that person would be biased, it's just a risk of perception.
So let me amend that--if you know of any laypersons with the time and energy to commit to such a project, we'd be interesting in helping get a Twin Cities group off the ground.
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Date: 2004-11-05 01:32 pm (UTC)I'm glad you asked! It was in part because of my experience running a 501(c)(3) with my husband that Penny asked whether I'd be interested in joining the HPEF board. For the last eight years or so we've been the coordinators of the Interfaith Working Group. We write letters, produce a newsletter for @ 400 local (and some not-so-local) supporters of the organization and maintain a detailed website all dedicated to educating the public about the existence of people of faith who support gay rights, reproductive freedom and separation of church and state (our three platforms).
We have around 100 clergy, congregations and religious organizations on the letterhead we use for our correspondence and newsletter; while many of the organizations are gay groups within larger denominations or faiths the list also includes DVAC (the Delaware Valley Area Council--as in Council of the UUA), the Christian Association at the University of Pennsylvania and the local chapter of a Methodist social action organization that is not specifically focussed on our platform issues (although they support those too).
If you know ANYONE who'd be interested in starting a similar organization in the Twin Cities area we'd be happy to offer any guidance or advice that might help make that happen. Ken Booker-Langston, of AU (Americans United for Separation of Church and State) tried to get an IWG-type group started in Atlanta, and my husband travelled down there on AU's dime to meet with a group of clergy who were to be the beginnings of the group, but unfortunately it fizzled, which we think was due to a clergy person trying to run it. Clergy just don't have the time for this sort of thing and if a clergyperson is running such a group it could seem to be skewed toward the faith of that individual. Not that that person would be biased, it's just a risk of perception.
So let me amend that--if you know of any laypersons with the time and energy to commit to such a project, we'd be interesting in helping get a Twin Cities group off the ground.