Programs and Resources
- Persons
In Committed
Relationships and
Their Children - GLBT Youth
- Families
and Friends
of GLBTs - General
Programs and
Resources
CPCSM
Presentations
and Publications
Links
Upcoming Events
CPCSM Annual Community Meeting
Featuring Transgender Educator and Author,
Including Columnist for Lavender Magazine
Vanessa Sheridan
"Living Lives of Principle"
7:00 - 9:00 pm
Monday, June 23, 2008
St. Martin's Table Restaurant and Bookstore
2001 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis
(Map)
Light refreshments will be served, and a free-will offering will be requested.
Join us as Vanessa shares her inspiring story and invites us to consider what it means to live a life that is rooted in principle, as opposed to convenience.
Vanessa will also share her perspective on how we can align our lives with our deepest spiritual realities, avoid hypocrisy, and model our faith so that we live lives of integrity.
What does " transgender" mean?
"Transgender" is a remarkably fluid and often misunderstood term covering a wide range of ideas relating to gender and its varied expressions.
Please understand: we're not talking about sex here--that is a completely different topic, although many people tend to confuse sex and gender. Sex is basically about our bodies--chromosomes, body types, genitalia, sexual acts and orientations, etc. Sex is usually about the physical in some way. Gender, on the other hand, is a cognitive social construct dealing with our notions of how we exist and function in the world, e.g., the ways in which we think, act, dress, move, speak, interact with others, etc.
"Transgender" is a word that can loosely be applied to any person who crosses or blurs the lines of gender that our culture has established as statistically normative. Most people dress, act and/or present themselves in ways that are socially accepted as appropriate for our social concepts of masculinity or femininity. Transgender persons, however, have an internal understanding of themselves that's different--not wrong, sick or evil, only different. That internal awareness simply won't allow the transperson to fit easily into the neat, tidy little boxes of socially approved gender identification or presentation.
The umbrella term "transgender" may include (but is certainly not limited to) pre- and post-operative transsexuals, crossdressers, intersexuals, drag queens and kings, androgynous persons, Two-Spirit people (who are usually, but not always, Native American and/or indigenous persons), bi-gendered persons, multi-gendered individuals, and many other manifestations of gender variance that exist within the human condition.
As we can see, transgender is a big word that covers a lot of territory, with much of it difficult to categorize. However, it's important to remember that we're still talking about people--human beings who want to work for a living. As such, transgender individuals deserve respect, dignity and acceptance at work just like anyone else. (From Vanessa's website.)
Books By Vanessa Sheridan
Crossing Over: Liberating The Transgendered Christian was a double finalist for a 2002 national Lambda Literary award. This was the first book in history to be released by any mainstream publishing house--in this case, The Pilgrim Press of Cleveland, Ohio--on the specific topic of transgender Christian spirituality.
Vanessa is the co-author (with Virginia Ramey Mollenkott, Ph.D.) of Transgender Journeys. This important book on transgender Christian spirituality was honored as a national Lambda Literary Award finalist in 2004.
Vanessa is also the author of Cross Purposes: On Being Christian and Crossgendered, a 1997 book that was instrumental in helping various mainline religious organizations more fully understand the transgender phenomenon. This book was used as a primary resource for studies of gender and sexuality by national religious denominational task forces.
CARING
FAMILIES AND FRIENDS
4th Sunday of Every Month, 2:00-4:00 p.m
University Lutheran Church
of Hope
601 13th Av. SE.
Minneapolis
Caring Families and Friends is a support group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, their families and friends. The group affirms gay and lesbian persons as part of God's creation and believes all individuals are to be welcomed and included in the full ministry of the church.
This ongoing Lutheran support group for gay and lesbian persons, their families and friends, strives to provide a safe environment for conversation, dialogue, and education.
There is a speaker and discussion at each meeting. Anyone is welcome to come and listen and share. The organization provides a safe environment for conversation, dialogue and education.
Call Meredithe Hedenstrom at 651-484-7914 or see our website at http://jointcommittee.tripod.com for information about monthly meetings. Everyone is welcome.
Please note! The meeting on September 25, 2006 will be held at a different location: Pilgrim Lutheran Church, 1935 St. Clair Ave. St. Paul, MN. Visit www.pilgrimstpaul.org for directions and a map.
DIGNITY TWIN
CITIES
TWICE-MONTHLY LITURGIES
7:30 PM
Every 2nd and 4th Friday
of the Month
Prospect Park United Methodist Church
Malcolm & Orlin Aves. SE
Minneapolis
Dignity/Twin Cities (Catholic glbt and friends group) meets on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of every month at Prospect Park United Methodist Church (PPUMC), Malcolm & Orlin Ave. SE, Minneapolis. Mass is celebrated on the 2nd Friday of the month, and an alternative liturgy is celebrated on the 4th Friday of the month. Doors open at 7:00pm; social time follows liturgy.
For more information, go to: www.dignitytwincities.org.
EVANGELICALS CONCERNED-TWIN
CITIES
Meets every 1st and 3rd Tuesday, 7 PM
Held in members' homes through-out the Twin Cities
Evangelicals Concerned Twin Cities is a primarily gay Christian study fellowship group. We meet in various homes around the Twin Cities area. We have a time for Bible study and close with a light lunch. You do not have to be gay but you need to be gay friendly. We are the Twin Cities branch of an organization in several states. We are not affiliated with any particular denomination, current members worship in ELCA Lutheran, United Methodist, Disciples of Christ, Baptist, MCC denominations. We encourage the worship but some members don't have a congregation. Some of us worship in two fellowships.
Contacts for information and directions:
Rob: 763-420-4777 or robgamble@usfamily.net
Randy: 952-423-7010
For information about the national organization:
Go to ECWR - Evangelicals Concerned - Creating Safe Places for GLBT
Christians: http://www.ecwr.org
THE NAMING
PROJECT
Every Sunday from 4:00 to 6:00 pm
Bethany Lutheran Church
2211 E Franklin Ave
Minneapolis
The Naming Project is a faith-based youth group serving youth of all sexual and gender identities. It is a place of sanctuary. The volunteers/staff and the youth gathered respect the confidentiality of all who participate.
The primary focus is to provide a place for youth who are gay/lesbian/bisexual/ transgender/ queer/questioning to learn, grow, and share their experiences. In this way The Naming Project is a space in which youth can comfortably discuss faith and who they understand themselves to be--whether gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender...or straight.
The Naming Project is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is a mission and outreach of Bethany Lutheran Church in the Seward neighborhood. However, The Naming Project reaches out to youth across the United States through its programs.
Programs of The Naming Project Include:
* Weekly meetings on Sunday nights from 4:00-6:00 PM in Minneapolis
* E-mail check-ins and resources for youth and parents
* Workshops and conversations for youth in schools, communities,
and churches
* Workshops for youth workers, parents, and congregations
* A five-day summer camp for youth
For more information, see the group's web site
at:
www.thenamingproject.org
or send an e-mail to: staff@thenamingproject.org.
Also, to contact the staff, send an e-mail to:
staff@thenamingproject.org,
or call 612-332-2397.
REGIONAL
AND NATIONAL
SPIRITUAL/RELIGIOUS EVENTS
E-SPIRITUS HIGHLIGHTED ORGANIZATION
(By Brian Mogren, E-Spiritus Director)
SAINT MARTIN'S TABLE
2001 Riverside Avenue,
Minneapolis, MN 55454
612-339-3920
http://www.communityofstmartin.org/index.htm
St. Martin's Table, located on the West Bank next to the U of M is hands down my favorite place in the entire Twin Cities to enjoy good food and great conversation. Its also an excellent place to pick up gifts and books on faith/religion/spirituality and issues of peace and justice, including glbt issues.
About
St. Martin's Table
St. Martin's Table is an outreach ministry of the Community of St.Martin.
It is a bookstore and restaurant open to the general public. St.
Martin's Table strives to be a center for peacemaking and justice
seeking. This focus springs from the Community's faith, centered
in the life and teachings of Jesus, and so we seek to provide
hospitality to all people in their journeys toward peace, justice
and wholeness. To describe the Table, we use words Books, Food and
Conversation.
The resources in the bookstore are chosen to reflect the values of the Community and staff -- values such as inclusiveness, nonviolence, justice and intentional care of creation.
The food served is a celebration of God's gifts to us. To that end, St. Martin's Table serves vegetarian meals with an emphasis on locally grown and organic food. Volunteer servers not only contribute their time, but also contribute their tips to programs that alleviate hunger in the global community.
Conversation takes place not only around the table at noon, but also during evening programs centered on peacemaking, justice issues and community-building through the arts. St. Martin's Table is also available for study, worship, fellowship and special events for the wider community.
Hours: Bookstore & bakery counter: Monday-Saturday,
10am-4pm
Lunch Served: Monday-Saturday 11:00am-2:30 pm
Thank you, St. Martin's Table for offering our Twin Cities community such radical hospitality and for being an inspiring and faithful example of what it really means to be a follower of the man from Galilee... .
OTHER
LOCAL EVENTS
FOR LGBT PERSONS
Minnesota
GLBT Community
Events & Activities
produced by:
www.outfront.org/calendar/calendar
*Website Coordinator's Note: We are very grateful to Brian Mogren, who each month single-handedly creates and sends out the E-Spiritus E-Mail List, from which we have received most of the information for the above events.
If you would like to be added to this e-mail list service , please send a blank e-mail to: espiritusnews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
If you should later decide to have your email address removed from this list service, an email expressing that request can later be sent also to espiritusnews-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
DO YOU WANT TO PROMOTE A RELIGIOUS/SPIRITUAL
EVENT (OR ORGANIZATION) IN E-SPIRITUS?
If you would like to submit event info for inclusion in E-Spiritus,
please send to "espirituseditor@yahoo.com" in the following
format:
NAME OF EVENT
Subhead if helpful and/or sponsoring organization
Date and Time
Location
Brief Description of the event.
Contact information, website if applicable.
IMPORTANT!!!
Unless you request otherwise, your event will also appear under
"Upcoming Events" (this page) on this Web site (CPCSM).
Whenever possible, I will also locate and include photos of presenters,
and links to the website of the sponsoring organization. If you
want to be listed, but prefer that I NOT use an image of the presenter
from your event, please indicate that in your submission of the
information about your event/organization. Thanks!
WANT TO BE ADDED TO THIS E-MAIL LIST???
If this message was forwarded to you by a friend, and you would
like to receive it directly, please send a blank e-mail to: espiritusnews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com