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| Passing the Peace of Christ was a joyous occasion during opening worship at the Alliance JUSTSEX Conference currently taking place in Nashville, Tenn. Learn more below in Alliance News. |
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JUST
SEX Conference underway in Nashville
by Toya Richards
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Bill Stayton |
The Spirit of a living, loving and life-affirming God
could be felt throughout the rooms welcoming the inaugural Alliance
JUSTSEX Conference
that
kicked off Thursday, Oct. 18 in Nashville, Tenn.
Everything from specially written worship songs to the initial plenary talk focused on the ways in which a triune God embraces and loves the
wholeness
of human beings, especially in their sex and sexuality. It was all experienced by some 70 participants who gathered at the Scarritt Bennett Center to have an honest, faithful conversation designed to give Christians the tools, language and courage to talk openly about sexuality in homes and churches.
"We are here to equip you," said Mike Castle, the conference committee chair and immediate past president of the Alliance board of directors.
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Lessons learned bring 'remarkable change'
I remember elementary recess. Tag was an all-time favorite game. The boys and girls would chase each other, and after avoiding being tagged by the chaser the chased person would exclaim, "You missed me. You missed me. Now you got to kiss me." Such an innocent game was tag. Both sets of people, girls and boys, enjoyed it. They felt like there were mutual outcomes: enjoyment and stress relief. Although recess usually ended too soon, we nevertheless experienced re-energization.
Thirty years later I have learned a valuable lesson from this game: labor, whether in adulthood careers or childhood schoolwork, requires recess moments. God understands this as well, hence, the Sabbath. As a kid gym and recess were my times to "cut loose" and enjoy myself. As an adult, Sunday worship is such a moment.
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Around the Alliance
Conference to help attendees deepen resourcing for being awake human beings
As I continue to watch the news and reflect on what's happening in our world, I find myself feeling angry, depressed and some days deeply despairing. I continue to feel anger that as a white woman I am tied to a whole lot of other white women who seem to see the world as radically different than I do. It has been difficult at times to know how to engage or respond to some of what I'm hearing, and it's been hard to know where to look for or enact hope.
One thing that is helping to counter some of my general sense of angst is knowing that in a few short weeks I will gather together with colleagues and friends to engage in more reflective work around issues of white supremacy. On Friday, Nov. 9 and Saturday, Nov. 10 the Alliance of Baptists Community of Practice will gather together at First Baptist Church in Decatur, Ga. for a workshop entitled "Re-connection and Re-creation: Toward More Just Education and Ministries."
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